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American Morning
Interview with Jessica, Vickie, Steve Davis
Aired September 05, 2002 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Virginia, where a case of mistaken identity has given one family quite a scare. Eleven-year-old Jessica Davis bears a resemblance to Jennifer Short. She is the 9- year-old Virginia girl who's been missing since her parents were killed nearly a month ago.
Well, on Monday police were alerted when someone saw Jessica and thought she was the missing girl. Police surrounded the Davis' car and detained Jessica and her family for about an hour.
The Davis family joins us this morning from Danville, Virginia, Jessica, her mother Vickie and her father Steve.
Thank you very much for being with us this morning. Glad to see you all.
STEVE DAVIS, JESSICA'S FATHER: Thank you.
VICKIE DAVIS, JESSICA'S MOTHER: Thank you.
ZAHN: So, Vickie, describe to us what happened Monday night.
V. DAVIS: It was really bizarre, like you said. We went to get gas and we stopped at the Sheetz station on Riverside Drive and she wanted to go in and get her a Icee so she paid for the gas while she was in there. And when we left, we were going to another store and, over on North Main, and when we came back, we came up Riverside Drive and we saw a couple of police cars, but we had no idea nothing was going on.
And all at once we was pulled over by three and my husband asked them what was going on? And he said that they had a report that a sighting of Jennifer Short in the vehicle and someone had turned our tag number in.
So I told them, they said they couldn't see Jessica real well through the tinted glass on the van. So I told them, I says well she's, you know, she can get out so you can get a good look. So we got her out of the van and one of the officers took her over to herself and talked to her, asking her, you know, if we were her parents, her age, her birthday and what her name was and everything.
And she was quite upset and they wanted her to go back to Sheetz and they were going to put her in the police car. And I told her, I said, well, I'm riding with her. I said she's only 11 years old. I says you're not going to, you know, just take her by herself in the police car. So my husband followed us and we went back to Sheetz and they got her out and got the Jennifer Short poster and they was having her to smile just like Jennifer was in the poster and everything.
And I had her Social Security number and card and I had an Ibea (ph) kid card that they make at school. We had baby pictures and an earlier photo, a school picture of her with me. And they said well, do you have a birth certificate? I said well, I have it at home. I don't carry it with me. And I said I can go home and get it. And they says well, we're going to call a detective. We'll wait until he gets here.
So they just kept asking us the same questions over and over, if we was from around here and where we worked, were we going to work, Jessica's name, her birth date, her age. And they kept talking to her and asking her the same, you know, if we were her parents and all.
And it was quite an ordeal there for a while with, you know, it's, you know you're not doing anything wrong, you know she's your child but it's like, you know, you have to convince somebody else this is not your child? I mean it was a scary ordeal and it just, it really upset Jessica, especially the ordeal in the police car. She was just white as a ghost. She couldn't say anything all the way in the car.
Afterwards when it was over, she knows she's safe and was at home, she kind of like got excited being, you know, she was in the news and stuff and she got excited then. But it's just been an ordeal.
ZAHN: Jessica, you now have seen this poster so many times, particularly since the police officers held it up to your face and compared your face so many times to this missing little girl, do you think the two of you look alike? We're going to actually show the pictures of Jennifer Short and then the close-up of you.
JESSICA DAVIS, MISTAKEN FOR JENNIFER SHORT: Yes.
ZAHN: And so do you understand why someone might have seen you through that tinted glass in your van and say whoa, that might be Jennifer Short?
J. DAVIS: Yes.
ZAHN: How scared were you when they -- particularly when you were in the police car?
J. DAVIS: Really scared.
ZAHN: And how did the police officers treat you?
J. DAVIS: Nice. I don't know.
ZAHN: Yes, I guess it's not common practice for a little 11- year-old to be spirited away in a police car. Vickie, when you look back on all this, is there anything the police could have done differently? Because clearly it took a long time to convince them, and probably appropriately so, that this was, in fact your daughter and not Jennifer Short.
V. DAVIS: I think they could have handled it a little differently, maybe brought a, you know, picture to us instead of putting her in the police car at her age. Like I said, it was real upsetting to her at the time. I think, I understand their procedure. I understand, you know, if Jessica was missing, I would pray that they would do and take every advantage to find her and if she had a call they would, you know, check in and make sure that it was her or not.
But it was just an ordeal while it was going on. But I understand they did their procedure. They apologized after it was over with and we convinced them that it wasn't Jennifer Short and they offered to buy her a Coke or a icy or chips or something. And we were upset because she was so scared and we didn't know what were going on and, you know, it's hard trying to convince somebody, you know, when you know you're telling the truth and, you know, and they're looking at you like are you really telling, you know? Is this really your child?
I mean it's just, it was upsetting, but I understand what they were doing.
ZAHN: Well, I'm glad your family is safe and well.
Steve Davis, thank you for your family time this morning. And Vickie, thanks for your time. And Jessica, good luck at school. I guess you're going to get a lot of attention, aren't you?
J. DAVIS: Yes.
ZAHN: Everybody's going to want to talk to you and hear your story.
Well, make sure you behave well.
J. DAVIS: The school bus (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ZAHN: Now that you're on the police radar, everybody knows who you are.
Take care and good luck to your family.
V. DAVIS: Thank you.
ZAHN: Appreciate your time this morning.
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