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American Morning

Second Girl Disappears From Oregon City Apartment Complex

Aired March 12, 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: We are just hearing this morning about the disappearance of two young girls, coming only weeks after the tragic kidnapping and murder of seven-year-old Danielle Van Dam in San Diego. Two 13-year-old girls disappeared, separately, from the same neighborhood in Oregon City, Oregon.

Ryan Deal of CNN Affiliate KPTV spoke with the mother of one of those missing girls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you and I miss you and I want you to come home.

RYAN DEAL, KPTV REPORTER (voice-over): A mother's plea for her daughter to come home. 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis is now the second girl to disappear from the Newell Creek Apartments, where parents fear their children may be next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm afraid to death to let them out of my site.

DEAL: Police aren't sure yet, but some here are convinced this new case is related to the disappearance of 12-year-old Ashley Pond in January. Both attend Gardner Middle School, and both were last seen heading to the school bus stop, which, until today, meant an out of site walk near the woods up to the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that they knew each other. They live in the same place. They are both girls. They look alike. I just -- I can't see that they're isolated. And even the FBI will not commit to saying that they're related. Nobody will. But it's so patently obviously to everybody.

DEAL: But makes now makes multiple stops inside the complex. There is extra security here, and, at the school, additional counselors have been brought in to help the afraid.

This while FBI and police follow leads on a trail getting colder and colder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just hoping and praying that they ran away, and that they're safe, and that they change their mind tonight and call us and come home tomorrow. That would be the best case scenario.

DEAL: Both girls are members of the school dance team. The coach, who is also Miranda's aunt, finding hard to dance. Even tougher to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miranda's my heart. No other way I can explain that. I just want her to come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: That report from Ryan Deal of CNN affiliate KPTV. We'll try to keep you posted on this story as more details become available.

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