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American Morning

Interview with H.F. Cassell

Aired August 16, 2002 - 08:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is another Amber Alert this morning, this time in Virginia. A 9-year-old is missing. Her parents Michael and Mary Short found shot to death in their beds yesterday. A 9-year-old, Jennifer Short, has not been found.
The sheriff in Henry County, in Western Virginia, H.F. Cassell, joins us now from Martinsville -- sheriff, good morning to you. I wish we were talking under other circumstances, but what I understand is that there could be a briefing with reporters sometime very soon, possibly within the hour. New developments this morning, sir, are what?

H.F. CASSELL, SHERIFF, HENRY COUNTY, VIRGINIA: There are no new developments at this time. We're still running down leads and so forth, but there is nothing new to report.

HEMMER: What did you find inside that home yesterday?

CASSELL: We found two deceased persons, a male and female, both with gunshots to the head.

HEMMER: The missing girl, she's 9? Is there any evidence right now that may take your investigation in one direction or the other, sheriff?

CASSELL: No. There's nothing right now to lead us in any particular direction. We're interviewing associates of the father, neighbors, relatives, employees, et cetera. There's nothing to take us in any particular direction.

HEMMER: Let me ask you a tough question here. Is there any reason to think young Jennifer had anything to do with this?

CASSELL: I don't think there's any likelihood of that. Of course, anything's possible, but we certainly don't believe that.

HEMMER: Is there a motive upon which you're working right now?

CASSELL: No. That's the difficult part about this. We have no motive at this time. However, I'm sure we'll establish one at some point in the future.

HEMMER: Were there any domestic issues that you've come across within the family itself?

CASSELL: Not at this time. We're looking into that. HEMMER: The Amber Alert is in effect right now. Do you have any update as to whether or not that's been fully implemented, and if people indeed are following that rule?

CASSELL: As far as I know, it has been fully implemented, and Virginia has a VDOT system that highway department puts on the bill boards on interstates. That's also in effect in Virginia.

HEMMER: All right. I understand there's about a nine-hour gap between the time the murders were believed to have taken place and the time that they were discovered. How difficult does that make this right now in searching for this 9-year-old girl?

CASSELL: Well, it delayed us getting started, depending on when they were seen alive at midnight and found dead at 9:00. We don't know what time the murders occurred within that period, but any delay in this type of situation is detrimental to the investigation.

HEMMER: Sheriff, good luck. You are going to need it. Sheriff H.F. Cassell, Henry Country, Virginia, with us live today from Martinsville, Virginia. Thank you, sir.

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