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CNN Live Today

Police Try to Clarify Earlier Statements in Smart Case

Aired June 19, 2002 - 14:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Another story that we've been following, of course, all day, and that is that police have offered an explanation for some apparent contradictions in what they've said about the Elizabeth Smart investigation, the 14-year-old girl that's been missing now for two weeks.

Our Ed Lavandera joins us live from Salt Lake with more on that -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

I think one piece of information that will go a long way to helping people understand exactly what happened the night Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home.

Now, remember, she shares her room with her 9-year-old sister, Mary Catherine, and originally police had said that the abductor came into the room and threatened Mary Catherine to not say anything, not make any noises. And that was thought to be the reason why Mary Catherine didn't make any fuss about anything and didn't go to her parents and to tell her what had happened until two hours later.

Well, now police are explaining, slightly differently, exactly what happened that night. And what they say is that Mary Catherine was actually in the room, witnessing the whole thing, but the abductor didn't know that Mary Catherine was watching. He thought, apparently, that she was still asleep.

So she saw him, got a good look at him, apparently, inside the room.

Now, when the abductor and Elizabeth Smart were taken out -- left the room, she apparently got up to go tell her parents, police say, and that when she got to the hallway, just outside the door, that's when she saw the suspect and Elizabeth again, that's why returned back to her bed and -- because she was afraid, just didn't want to say anything.

This information has come out over the course of four formal interviews, and police are also saying they've tried several different ways of trying to get information from Mary Catherine Smart as they try to get her to remember what has been a very tormenting experience for her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: Yes, some information went out. It was not accurate at the time. We thought it was, Or the people who were providing it thought it was. We know now that it isn't. We have evaluated that information, Compared it to the investigation, and we decided that it could be clarified, and that's why we have, yesterday.

There is no conspiracy, if you will, afoot here, to keep information from the media that we think -- or it don't have any cause to direct the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Police also said at several points they've actually taken Mary Catherine in a car and driven her around through this neighborhood, hoping that that would trigger some sort of recollection of memory as to what might have happen. So that was one of the other approach they've taken with trying to get information from her.

Quickly, a couple of other things that they've put out today -- that they've not released a sketch of who they think the suspect might be. They've done that on purpose. They don't want a sketch out there, police say, and they also won't say if Mary Catherine recognized the suspect's voice.

And the family members and the police saying today that because of Mary Catherine's information, when she's been able to tell police and investigators, that it's been really the one -- the one key that has really helped police so far in this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED SMART, FATHER: Mary Catherine is just doing -- I can't believe how well she's doing, in holding up under all that's going forth, and you'll excuse us if we don't bring her out with our other children, because we wanted to keep them as removed as possible and so that they can be normal, if that's possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And one final note, something I thought to be very impressive, elizabethsmart.com, the Web page that the family has set up where people can figure out how to help out in this search. The Web site, we're told, has gotten 2 million hits.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ed Lavandera. Thank you so much.

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