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American Morning

Identification of Dead Girl's Body Found Yesterday Coming Soon

Aired July 17, 2002 - 09:02   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, unfortunately, have to move along to a story in California...

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

ZAHN: ... that is breaking a lot of hearts this morning as the wait goes on and on and now on. Within hours, authorities in California are expected to identify the body of a little girl found yesterday afternoon. That discovery came just a day after Samantha Runnion was abducted right outside her home. Relatives of Samantha are hoping and praying the body is not that of their missing 5-year- old.

Thelma Gutierrez joins us now from Stanton, California with the very latest.

Good morning, Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

You're right, we're still waiting for the Orange County coroner's office to confirm the identify of the body of the small child that was found out in Riverside County.

Now take a look right behind me, you can see that a shrine has been set up here outside of the family's home. Samantha's friends have posted cards and letters calling for her safe return. They've put out flowers and candles.

Yesterday, the body of a young girl between the ages of four and seven was discovered off a rural road in Riverside County, about 75 miles away from her home where she was abducted. Two men spotted the girl's body in plain view off the side of the road, which leads to a popular hang gliding facility. Authorities say that it's preliminary at this time to say that it is in fact the body of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. But they say the body does match Samantha's description.

Now deputies from Orange County went to the crime scene yesterday. They were there all night processing the area for evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. SHELLY KENNEDY-SMITH, RIVERSIDE COUNTY POLICE: It's based upon the large crime scene and we're out in the outdoors and we have elements we'd be looking at to determine if, in fact, there were tire tracks, any other type of items, to, one, determine if, in fact, the actual crime scene occurred here at this location or if, in fact, this is where the actual body was brought and dumped.

So we would be looking at the immediate area surrounding the body, under the body, trying to determine the location that the suspect or suspects brought the body here to so we'd be looking at track marks and various evidentiary small fiber evidence type items.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Samantha Runnion's sixth birthday is only nine days away.

I just talked to a sheriff's official a few minutes ago, and he told me that officially they are saying, anyway, that the search is still active, that this case is still active until the Orange County coroner's office is able to confirm the identity of that small child -- Paula.

ZAHN: And, Thelma, how long is this all expected to take?

GUTIERREZ: Well, we should get word within the next four hours or so. They're holding a news conference at 10:00 Pacific Time, and at that point, we should know, Paula.

ZAHN: I know that Marc Klaas, who lost his own daughter to an abduction and later a murder, talked about the importance of the Runnion family being surrounded by people who understand what they're going through. What is your understanding of the kind of help the family is getting now as they have to go through this extremely brutal wait?

GUTIERREZ: Well, Paula, the family was here a short time -- well, they were here yesterday, then in the afternoon they left and they went to speak with sheriff's investigators. They have not been back since.

And I can tell you from being here all day yesterday, people have been coming up, they've been trying to make contact with the family. They say that they've wanted to hold prayer circles, they've wanted to talk to them and to lend their support, that kind of a thing. But at this point the family -- it is my understanding that the family has been with sheriff's officials the entire time, and they are not here at their home at this time.

ZAHN: Well, unfortunately, whoever gets this news four hours from now is going to be very bad news indeed once this positive identification is made.

Thelma Gutierrez, thanks.

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