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American Morning
Interview with Charlie Miller
Aired June 13, 2002 - 07:22 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: There are a couple of developments in the case of Elizabeth Smart, that missing 14-year-old abducted from inside of her home in Salt Lake. There is a newspaper report claiming that police are looking at members of Smart's extended family, saying the abduction could have been an inside job.
This morning, however, police deny that to CNN. However, police have released the name and the photo of a man they say they would like to talk to just in case. They say Bret Michael Edmunds was spotted in the neighborhood two days before Elizabeth was abducted from her home, but they stress they only want to talk with the man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. FRED LOUIS, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: He's wanted for questioning. We don't consider him a suspect, but he does, also, like I said, he does have outstanding warrants. So we want to talk to him to see if he has any information. He was in the Avenues (ph) area, so -- we're talking to everybody, everyone who was in the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Edmunds was seen near the Smart home by an alert milkman, Charlie Miller, who gave Edmunds' license plate number to police. Charlie Miller joins us this morning in Salt Lake City -- sir, good to have you with us, and good morning to you.
CHARLIE MILLER, MILKMAN: Good morning.
HEMMER: Take us back to that Monday, two days before Elizabeth turned up missing. It was about 6:00 in the morning when you were running your rounds in that neighborhood. What did you notice, Charlie?
MILLER: Well, I drop off to a customer that's a couple houses down from the Smarts, and this gentleman came down the street rather slowly and went down to the end of the street and then came back by, and as I was jumping back into my truck, I tried to make acknowledgement to the gentleman and didn't get anything. And I continued along my route, and this gentleman was following me further up the route, and that's when I took some information, feeling that this guy might steal my milk. And the following Thursday...
HEMMER: You thought he was going to steal your milk? MILLER: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Is that what compelled you to write down his license plate number?
MILLER: Well, it's just certain things that you identify with the areas, and what those surroundings are and the people that are in it. This person just didn't fit the norm, and for me, it's -- someone is following me, I get suspicious, and it's just information that I would take in case something does happen, and I've had people that have actually followed me and have actually done that, and so I didn't -- so I took this information and then the following Thursday, when I was going by, and then I read the story about the little girl's sister's description of the gentleman, it actually fit the description of the man that I saw, and so I passed it on to the authorities.
HEMMER: Hey Charlie, one second on that. We have been told the suspect is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall. This man, Bret Edmunds, is 6-foot-2. What have police said about that, because apparently, based on height, anyway, the physical size does not match here.
MILLER: That's correct. I mean, I haven't heard from them. It's basically just the information that has been relayed to me, and I identified with the photo, and from what I saw, it was more of the description of what the little girl described.
HEMMER: How many times have you spoken with police, Charlie?
MILLER: Two to three times.
HEMMER: And have you spoken with the Smart family at all?
MILLER: Just Tom Smart, which is Mr. Smart's brother. I spoke to him last night.
HEMMER: Did anyone else during that week or in that two or three or four-day span last week identify this guy, or see his car in the neighborhood and report him?
MILLER: Not that I'm aware of.
HEMMER: Will you go back and talk to police soon, or have they requested that of you?
MILLER: I was just waiting to hear from them. I mean, if they wanted me to elaborate on the story, you know, I'm free to do that.
HEMMER: Well, job well done, Charlie. Charlie Miller, a milkman who works in that neighborhood where Elizabeth Smart lives. He's the man who alerted police. And right now, again, we want to stress police say they only want to talk to this man that we have described today.
Charlie, thanks. We'll talk again, possibly, as the story continues to unfold.
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