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American Morning

Interview with Marc Klaas of Klaaskids Foundation

Aired February 26, 2002 - 09:09   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: If anyone knows what the parents of Danielle Van Dam are going through right now, it is Marc Klaas. In 1993, his daughter Polly was abducted from their home, and then later murdered. As head of the Klaas Kids Foundation, Marc has been outspoken about the need to protect children from sexual predators. Mark Klaas spoke with Damon and Brenda Van Dam just last night. He joins us this morning from San Francisco.

Welcome back, Marc, sorry under the circumstances.

Tell us a little bit about your conversation with the Van Dams last night.

MARC KLAAS, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: Well, I only spoke to Damon, and really what I called for was not only to offer my support in this extremely difficult time during their lives, but also the support of so many people that I have met over the course of the last several years that belong to the same unfortunate fraternity of parents of murdered and kidnapped children.

ZAHN: So, Marc, you happen to with with the Klaas' right after the arrest on Friday. This is obviously something you've been through yourself. Describe to us what their reaction was, what should have happened, what didn't happen.

KLAAS: Well, Damon reminded me so much of myself when I was told that my daughter had been kidnapped and maybe murdered. He was basically very stoical, almost emotionless. I believed that he was trying to process the information, and it's so terribly difficult to do that. But we were watching the police chief's press conference, and although they knew that the charge at that time was kidnapping, and the chief was saying kidnapping. Underneath, there was a scroll that said kidnap and murder, and that really drove a spike into the heart of Mrs. Van Dam. She took that simple scroll very, very hard. And it was an excruciating thing to witness. It's always excruciating to see someone's world get turned upside down like that.

ZAHN: It's excruciating not only to get the news, but have the uncertainty of not know where your daughter's body is. As I understand it, you actually almost got into fistfight shortly after after the arrest of the man charged in your daughter's kidnapping because you wanted proof.

KLAAS: That's exactly right. It was more furniture throwing, but absolutely, there was almost violence, because I needed proof, I needed to see my daughter's body before they could -- before I would believe what they had to say. Richard Allen Davis hat a much more violent history than this guy Westerfield has, yet even given that, I needed to know, I needed to see something, and I believe the Van Dams feel the same way. They're desperate to return their daughter. They want people to continue to help them to find her, and I can completely understand that. They need to put some kind of an end to this chapter of this tragedy.

ZAHN: Based on what you know about the man accused, not only of Danielles' kidnapping, but now her murder, what is the likelihood this man will lead police to her body?

KLAAS: I have to think that the way police have been handling this is really outstanding, and they're probably keeping their cards as close to their vest as they possibly can to try to negotiate and find out where this little girl is. I mean, that really is the last piece of the puzzle. So I'm sure that they're keeping some options open so that they can recover that final bit of information.

And I would hope that Westerfield would understand that this community and this family and, in fact, this country is just tired of this kind of behavior, and that he will turn this information over so people can get on with their lives, and so that his evil can have some limit and not be unlimited.

ZAHN: In the absense of his giving investigators that information or the police's success in finding the body, what is the Van Dams face with this prosecution? Clearly, although there's been a precedent set for charging people with murder when no body is found, it certainly makes the case much more difficult. What are the Van Dams in for?

KLAAS: Well, the Van Dams are in for a very difficult time, because as you know, our Constitution doesn't have the word "victim" in it. And they're going to have to sit in a courtroom every day and not even move a muscle as they listen to the horrible situation or the horrible circumstances of what happened to their daughter. I mean, this doesn't even -- this isn't about Danielle anymore. It now becomes all about Westerfield, and all of the fact that maybe he didn't get enough hugs when he was a child, or the other circumstances surrounding what he did. And it's very, very difficult. If you'll remember, Paula, at the end of our trial, after this guy had been convicted of a horrible crime and was about to be sentenced to death, he accused me of a horrible crime, and I'm the guy that ended up getting thrown out of courtroom.

So this is not going to get easier for these people over the course of the future. At least, though, they have their little children, their two little boys, that they can take solace in.

ZAHN: Our heart goes out to as you relive some of your pain, and our heart also goes out to the Van Dams as they deal with this terrible, terrible news.

Marc Klaas, thank you very much for joining us this morning. KLAAS: Sure, Paula.

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