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Search Intensifies for Missing Milwaukee Boys; Tragic End to Doctor's Humanitarian Plight
Aired March 22, 2006 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Milwaukee Police Chief Nanette Hegerty right now, talking about that search for the two young boys out of Milwaukee. Let's listen in.
NANETTE HEGERTY, MILWAUKEE POLICE: On-duty officers, off-duty officers. The DNR is giving us a hand. We've pulled in a lot of different city services to try to locate these young boys. Right now we have no substantial leads, nor do we have -- nor have we had any evidence that there has been a crime committed. We have two missing boys, and that's what we have right now.
We're pulling out all the stops and doing whatever we can to locate those boys, and I would like to ask the citizens of the city of Milwaukee or nationwide, if anyone has seen these boys, knows where they are, please give us a call. The number that you should call is 414-935-7401. That number will be manned 24 hours a day.
Other than that, that's about the update we have. There's not a lot more to say right now. The parents have been very cooperative. They have. Like I say, we don't have any evidence or any real suspicions right now about what happened. All we have are two boys that are missing and have been missing since Sunday.
This is deputy chief of police, Brian O'Keefe. He is the head of the criminal investigation bureau of the Milwaukee Police Department, and he is actually heading up the investigation.
BRIAN O'KEEFE, MILWAUKEE POLICE: Mr. Parker was taken into custody, but that was on a separate issue completely unrelated to this investigation. And he has also been very cooperative with us. All parents are concerned for both the families, as we are. I think the entire community should be concerned. But that has absolutely nothing to do with this investigation. That was just a probation violation.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: Yesterday.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: They're the parents of Purvis, and beyond that, their relationship, I'm not going to discuss. I'm not going to discuss their relationships, Russ (ph), thank you.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: Yes, but that's not our charges. Again, that's from another agency.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: The FBI is involved just for additional resources. They have some of their agents that are assisting with the campus interview. They also have analytical capabilities that are going to help us out in trying to coordinate and get all the information that we are receiving into an intelligible form that we can take action with.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: No. No custody issues. And, again, there's no indications that the family has anything to do with this disappearance at all.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: Our search is expanding. We've continued to expand it from when we started on Sunday evening. Today we are expanding beyond 60th Street. We've also had Sherman on the east, Lincoln Creek Parkway here, and to the north we've gone actually north of Silver Spring Avenue. And we're hitting the Havenswood National -- or State park. And that's a heavily wooded area. We're doing a shoulder-to- shoulder on that.
We have an aerial search. Channel 4 has been kind enough to assist us with that. We have a detective with them, checking the area. We have the Milwaukee Police dive team, and the Milwaukee Fire Department's dive team that are entering the sewer lines, and they're moving towards each other within the sewer line to see if there is anything within sewer lines we can find.
QUESTION: Beyond searching government (INAUDIBLE)
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
O'KEEFE: McGovern Lagoon will also be a dive target for both the dive team. McGovern Park has been searched on foot. The lagoon is also going to be hit by the dive teams when they've completed their sewer search.
QUESTION: Today?
O'KEEFE: It may be today. Otherwise, it will start again tomorrow morning with the dive teams. Yes, sir.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
HEGERTY: Actually, we've had, to date, 962 missing reports filed on children in the city of Milwaukee. What makes this one different is the children haven't returned. We have no idea where they are.
PHILLIPS: No evidence and nothing suspicious, according to the Milwaukee police chief, Nanette Hegerty, right there, talking about the disappearance of these two young children. A little interesting sidebar. The deputy chief said that actually one of those boy's father has been taken into custody for a probation violation, but apparently nothing to do with this missing children's case of these two kids.
Right now, police out searching two various parks. This is Havenswood (ph) Park. The other one is McGovern Park. The deputy chief was talking about the divers and the lagoon there. They're checking this entire area where the kids were last seen playing near their home. Once again, the search is on for 12-year-old Quadrevion Henning and also 11-year-old Purvis Virginia Parker. We'll continue to bring in any details as we get them.
Let's go to Fredricka Whitfield now in the newsroom. She's working some other developing stories for us -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, Kyra, want to show you some new pictures coming in out of downtown Pittsburgh, where a number of law enforcement officers are descending on downtown after reports from eyewitnesses that they saw a man in camouflage toting a weapon on top of a building.
The building of keen interest is the Six and Penn building, which is a five-story building right there in the theater district. A number of police officers, in great numbers, are coming into downtown area. And several witnesses are telling police that they saw this man on top of the building. Thankfully, at this juncture, no shots have been fired. And since a number of the police officers have been downtown and a number of cameras, no one has seen or spotted this person in camouflage since. But the investigation is ongoing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, we'll follow it. Thanks so much. Live pictures there out of Pittsburgh.
Well, a tragic end to a remarkable life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just so proud of my dad that I want people to know who he was and the great things he did and try and look past the sensational nature of how he died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We'll have more on the story with Dr. Richard Root straight ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Dr. Richard Root gave up his career in America to help make a difference in Africa, but his humanitarian quest came to a sudden and tragic end. While his family grieves, they also hope Root's shocking death doesn't eclipse a remarkable life.
Chris Legeros has more from our Seattle affiliate KIRO.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS LEGEROS, KIRO REPORTER (voice-over): Dr. Richard Root was an expert in infectious disease. He went to Africa to help train health care workers dealing with an overwhelming AIDS epidemic.
DAVID ROOT, SON: He just saw this as a great opportunity to help.
LEGEROS: But his son, David, tell us on Sunday morning, while canoeing on the Limpopo River in Botswana, Dr. Root was attacked.
ROOT: I guess in a flash a crocodile just came out of the water like a missile and just grabbed him, and he was gone.
LEGEROS: The 68-year-old will be remembered as a gifted researcher and teacher here at the University of Washington. He once served as chief of medicine at Harborview.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had sort of grabbed all the rings, so to speak, in academic medicine, and wanted to be involved until something that had a wider impact in global health.
LEGEROS: In Africa, he saw a place where he could make a difference. Botswana has the world's highest rate of HIV infection, almost 40 percent of the population.
ROOT: I'm just so proud of my dad that I want people to know who he was and the great things he did, and try and look past the sensational nature of how he died.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: David Root hopes his dad's death will spur donations to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Spring has already officially sprung. Just be careful how you say that in Nebraska, two feet of snow since Monday, more in some places. This is Grand Island, southwest of Omaha.
Those who were able -- well, some of the folks were able to dig their way out of their cars, and they didn't really go too far, though. The storm closed long sections of Interstate 80 and most of Highway 281. It's easily the biggest snowstorm of the season and one of the latest on record.
Well, let's see if there's any other places that didn't get the memo on spring. We've seen those number of pictures. I know that meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is working more on the severe weather. She'll join us in just a second.
Meanwhile, straight ahead, entertainment news with Sibila Vargas of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Sibila, what's on tap?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I have important news for fans of "Grey's Anatomy" and for Aerosmith ticketholders.
Plus, what funny man Stephen Colbert and singer Gloria Estefan are up to, when CNN LIVE FROM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Entertainment time, and if you're addicted to ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," you're going to have to adjust your schedule just a bit. Sibila Vargas here with the details. You know I'm addicted to it. I know you like the show.
VARGAS: I know. I know.
PHILLIPS: So, what's the deal?
VARGAS: I wonder why we like that show?
PHILLIPS: Could be our main squeeze, Patrick Dempsey, right?
VARGAS: That's right, our TV main squeeze, Patrick Dempsey. He is taking his scrubs to a new time slot, Kyra. The ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy" is moving from Sunday to Monday night -- well, for a week, anyway. Their season finale will be a three-hour telecast with the first hour airing at their regular time slot on May 14th, and the closing two hours the following night at 9:00 p.m.
Well, from the emergency room to the news room, Stephen Colbert from Comedy's Central "The Colbert Report" is writing a book. The faux-newsman says the page turner will have the same noble cause as his show, changing the world, one factual error at a time. The untitled project will hit stores fall of next year. And that's the word.
Well, sad news for Aerosmith fans. The group has been forced to stop "Rockin' The Joint" on their current concert tour.
The fifth leg of their sold-out "Rockin' The Joint" tour has been canceled. Lead singer Steven Tyler is having surgery, and has been advised by doctors to be on total vocal rest. Tyler, who turns 58 on Sunday, won't be able to perform for a while. Now the band will be on extended break, but they say they look forward to getting back in the studio and back on stage in the near future.
Well Latin pop diva Gloria Estefan is putting her money where her back once was. The singer and her husband Emilio have donated $1 million to form the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The money will focus on human critical -- clinical trials for those suffering from spinal cord injuries. Sixteen years ago, you may remember, Gloria was in a bus accident that broke her back. What a nice way to remember that awful experience.
Well, tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," the 9/11 conspiracy theory, the startling comments by one of the biggest stars on T.V. about what may have really happened on September 11th. That's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 7:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on "Headline Prime." Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Sibila.
Well, we all know Prince loves purple, but his addiction is making an L.A. homeowner see red, and not just any homeowner. Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz had leased his 10-bedroom Hollywood crib to the singer for 70 G's a month. Well, apparently Prince figured at that price, he could add a few personal touches, so he added some purple stripes, purple monogrammed carpet, and plumbing for beauty salon chairs. Boozer says Prince's alterations violate his lease, which runs through May.
Winter storm warnings in some parts of the U.S. CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with us. Bonnie?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well we're just getting news in right now. We've been able to confirm this, that a Brooklyn grand jury has indicted this man. You'll remember he's Darryl Littlejohn, he's that Manhattan bouncer whose DNA was allegedly found on the wrist ties of the body of a grad student, Imette St. Guillen. He has been indicted, we are told, in connection with her murder.
After meeting in seclusion for more than a week, the grand jury handed up a criminal indictment this afternoon. Earlier today, members of the graduate student's family had left Boston to be on hand for a possible arraignment in Brooklyn. Littlejohn worked as a bouncer at the Falls Bar in SoHo where St. Guillen was last seen alive on February 25th.
Sometime during the next 17 hours that student from John Jay College, of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, we reported, as you remember, was raped, strangled, and suffocated. Her body was then found with a sock stuffed in her mouth, and her head wrapped with packaging tape in Spring Creek Park in east New York. And now we are being told that a Brooklyn grand jury has indicted this man, Darryl Littlejohn, that Manhattan bouncer whose DNA had matched up with St. Guillen. We'll being you more information as we get it.
The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM coming up next.
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PHILLIPS: Well he was really all right, leading searchers on a merry chase through the wilds of New York's Central Park for two days. But the Central Park coyote dubbed "Hal" has finally been caught. The 60-pound male was taken down with a tranquilizer dart near Belvedere Castle. He will be taken to a wildlife center upstate now.
Today's capture in Central Park is just one example of how coyotes are growing in numbers. Here's a fact check.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Coyotes, such as this one nicknamed "Hal," by parks department staffers, are relatively rare in Manhattan's Central Park, where the last known reported coyote sighting was in 1999. But according to the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry, coyotes have had their run of the Empire State dating back to the 1920s.
The eastern coyote found there is somewhat larger than its southwestern counterpart. Adult coyotes usually weigh in at 35-to-45 pounds, but larger males can tip the scales at up to 60 pounds.
New York state's coyote population is estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000. And as living space between humans and coyotes grows more scarce, more coyote sightings and attacks on pets are reported.
Ohio State University wildlife biologist Stan Gehrt has monitored growing coyote populations in areas such as Chicago and has a few suggestions for keeping you and your pets safe from coyotes.
For one thing, don't leave dog or cat food outside your home where a coyote may find an easy meal. Also, that includes securing garbage cans and in areas where coyotes have been spotted, don't let your pets out at night unless accompanied by a person, as coyotes are usually nocturnal, meaning they roam at night.
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