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American Morning

Authorities Acting on Tip in Search For Elizabeth Smart

Aired June 07, 2002 - 07:09   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's start in Salt Lake City, where authorities this morning are acting on a tip, searching into the night for a suspect in the abduction of Elizabeth Smart. The 14-year-old girl was taken from her home at gunpoint early Wednesday morning, and this morning in Salt Lake, James Hattori joins us live to bring us up to date on the current search.

James, good morning.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

There was a flurry of excitement after a member of the search- and-rescue team spotted a man who looked, he said, like the suspect in the kidnapping case. And that sighting, he says, was followed by gunfire.

Sheriff's deputies and a special heat-sensing helicopter searched an area called Immigration Canyon about five miles south of the home where Elizabeth Smart was abducted. That followed the sighting at about 7:00 p.m. -- that was last night -- by one of the searchers, who saw a man who looked like the kidnapping suspect in the Elizabeth Smart case. The searcher says he saw the man apparently trying to wipe out his footprints.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now after a while of following him, I lost sight of him for a few minutes. And then I heard about two gunshots, and it was about 300 feet away from me, and it scared the crap out of me. And that's when it hit me, and I was totally scared from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HATTORI: That search went on for several hours. There is no word as to anything that anything significant was found or who that mysterious man was.

Now, the search and the sighting came at the end of a second day of searching by about 1,200, 1,300 volunteers here in the area, a day that ended, according to investigators and police, that showed no serious improvement -- or progress, that is, in the search for 14- year-old Elizabeth Smart.

Bill, that search by volunteers will resume at first light again today. And as you know, there is a $250,000 reward now being offered for the safe return of Elizabeth.

HEMMER: James, thank you. James Hattori in Salt Lake.

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