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American Morning

Interview with Michelle Duffey, Sharonda Garrett

Aired August 16, 2002 - 08:09   ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to the Northwest now in Oregon, where a strange development has taken place there that may lead to a break in the case of two missing teenagers.
Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis disappeared from their apartment complex in Oregon City. It happened earlier this year. Both disappeared about two months apart. Here's the new twist now. The son of a man named Ward Weaver has reportedly called police and said that his father has admitted killing the two girls. Officially, though, the FBI says there is no known suspect. Weaver is in custody, accused of raping his son's girlfriend.

And for a very personal perspective on this story as it develops today, Miranda Gaddis' mother Michelle Duffey and her aunt Sharonda Garrett come to us live in Portland.

Ladies, good morning to you.

MICHELLE DUFFEY, MIRANDA GADDIS' MOTHER: Good morning.

SHARONDA GARRETT, MIRANDA GADDIS' AUNT: Good morning.

HEMMER: You are wearing pictures on your shoulders, essentially. I know the hope is still strong that both girls come back alive. But relative to this case right now, Michelle, what are police telling you?

DUFFEY: They're telling us that they're investigating it. They don't know if what he's saying is actual or if he's just really angry at his dad.

HEMMER: What have they said about the relationship that he had not only with his son, but also with others in the area? I know he's a pretty well known man.

DUFFEY: I don't know if it's he's well known because he's brought a lot of attention to himself, seeing he's the main suspect. But as far as I know, he's not. He's just in a pool of people that were being investigated.

HEMMER: Have you heard him say that or is that just from the word you're getting from other people, Michelle?

DUFFEY: He's said that. He's been on the news. He's been in newspapers saying that he's the main suspect.

HEMMER: Now, Ashley Pond for a while lived in his house, correct? A period of about eight months time. What were the circumstances surrounding that?

DUFFEY: I'm not real sure what they were. I know that he has said that she's been there and she lived there for a while.

HEMMER: Hey, Sharonda, I know you're a dance coach at the local school there and Miranda and Ashley and also the daughter of this man, Ward Weaver, was also on the dance team. Did you have much contact with him?

GARRETT: Not too much. I mean we had the parents come in for parent meetings and they were at our competitions and stuff like that.

HEMMER: What have police told you about the current investigation here?

GARRETT: Basically the same thing that they've told Michelle. It's, they try not to distinguish between dance coach and family. So it's basically just that they're investigating and they haven't given us head or tails. They're just going to get to the truth as quick as they can.

HEMMER: Did you ever have any conversations with them, any contact?

GARRETT: No, I didn't. None other than normal parent-teacher situations.

HEMMER: Did the son offer any evidence -- I know the home has been searched -- did he offer any evidence to police about the claim he made in that 911 call?

DUFFEY: They're not telling what the exact call said. They just told us that it was, he had said it and that they're investigating it.

HEMMER: How are you doing, Michelle?

DUFFEY: We're having a really hard roller coaster ride.

HEMMER: Yes.

DUFFEY: It's really hard. We've, in the last three days we've slept probably four or five, maybe six hours lucky.

HEMMER: Do stories like these make it even tougher to get through the days and nights?

DUFFEY: It is. We've been crying a lot the last couple of days. We're trying to keep our hope up that this isn't true, our girls are OK, they're still going to be home. And I'm not going to change that until someone proves me different.

HEMMER: How do you do that, Michelle? How do you keep the hope high?

DUFFEY: There's a lot of support. I have a lot of support from friends and family. I have other children and if I don't do that, I don't want Miranda thinking I've ever given up on her.

HEMMER: Well, listen, our thoughts and prayers are with both of you and...

GARRETT: Thank you.

HEMMER: ... we hope the best that both girls come home very soon.

DUFFEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: Sharonda Garrett and Michelle Duffey, both with us today from Portland, Oregon.

Hang in there, OK?

GARRETT: Thank you.

DUFFEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right.

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