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American Morning
Police Testing Hair From Small Human Skull Found in North Carolina
Aired September 26, 2002 - 08:31 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: Police are testing hair from a small human skull that was found yesterday in North Carolina. Investigators are trying to determine if it could be the remains of Jennifer Short, the 9-year-old Virginia girl who has been missing since August. The skull was found in a rule area of Rockingham County, just 30 miles from where Jennifer lived.
Gary Tuchman joins us now from Rockingham County.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning to you.
And authorities are in the midst of a very unpleasant search right now in the flooded fields of Rockingham County, North Carolina after a discovery was made yesterday, skeletal remains were found in a field, including a very small skull.
Now the fear is that this was the remains of Jennifer Short, 9 years old, missing for exactly six weeks, 42 days, the same day that her parents were found shot to death in their homes. Her relatives were hoping she would be found alive, but right now, this is a very important point, authorities are saying they may think that this is not her remains. And they say that for two reasons. Number one, they say that the hair found on the skeletal remain is red hair. The little girl had sandy blond or light brown hair. The other finding told to me a few minutes ago by a major here at the Rockingham County Sheriff's Department, about 30 miles away from where this little girl lived, the dental remains appear to be too large and too old for a small child.
We must emphasize they are not positive about this, but they are leaning now toward the fact it might not be her remains. There will be a news conference held between 9:45 and 10:00 Eastern Time when authorities will come from Virginia and expected to have interim findings whether this is or isn't the little girl who has been missing since August 15th.
Back to you.
ZAHN: I know during the news conference you conferred earlier this morning, someone posed the question about a cemetery that is not too far from this area they continue to search. Tell us about that and whether that might have anything to do with the discovery of this skull. TUCHMAN: Well, that's an important point. I'll let you listen to that firsthand. One of the people participating in the news conference today said there is a cemetery nearby, and that could have some effect on the investigation, a cemetary right nearby where some of the bones were found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. JIM THOMAS, COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: We found portions of teeth, bottom teeth, and some upper teeth. We do have some things that would be able to be compared. At this point in time, our efforts are going to be strictly to collect evidence and collect as many parts of this skeletal remains that we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Paula, just four days ago, Jennifer Short's aunt and uncle were named her legal guardians, and they are still publicly hopeful that somehow, some way, she could be found alive.
Back to you.
ZAHN: Let's come back to what the investigators have told you since that news conference. There had been a lot of talk about the search that was going on. They're looking for more remains, but didn't the investigators also make it clear there have been no missing persons reports filed in that county?
TUCHMAN: Right. There are absolutely no missing persons reports filed here in Rockingham County. However, that doesn't mean that there could possibly be missing persons reports available from other counties nearby. So they don't know what they have found here. But it's a very important point that this major says that these teeth -- and he was very clear about this to me just now. He said the teeth look way too big for a small child, and the fact what they have found is red hair. This girl did not have red hair, but we don't want to say it's not her. We will know in two hours. They will come back with the preliminary lab results, and then might have a definitive answer.
ZAHN: Gary Tuchman, thanks for your report. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Carolina>
Aired September 26, 2002 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Police are testing hair from a small human skull that was found yesterday in North Carolina. Investigators are trying to determine if it could be the remains of Jennifer Short, the 9-year-old Virginia girl who has been missing since August. The skull was found in a rule area of Rockingham County, just 30 miles from where Jennifer lived.
Gary Tuchman joins us now from Rockingham County.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning to you.
And authorities are in the midst of a very unpleasant search right now in the flooded fields of Rockingham County, North Carolina after a discovery was made yesterday, skeletal remains were found in a field, including a very small skull.
Now the fear is that this was the remains of Jennifer Short, 9 years old, missing for exactly six weeks, 42 days, the same day that her parents were found shot to death in their homes. Her relatives were hoping she would be found alive, but right now, this is a very important point, authorities are saying they may think that this is not her remains. And they say that for two reasons. Number one, they say that the hair found on the skeletal remain is red hair. The little girl had sandy blond or light brown hair. The other finding told to me a few minutes ago by a major here at the Rockingham County Sheriff's Department, about 30 miles away from where this little girl lived, the dental remains appear to be too large and too old for a small child.
We must emphasize they are not positive about this, but they are leaning now toward the fact it might not be her remains. There will be a news conference held between 9:45 and 10:00 Eastern Time when authorities will come from Virginia and expected to have interim findings whether this is or isn't the little girl who has been missing since August 15th.
Back to you.
ZAHN: I know during the news conference you conferred earlier this morning, someone posed the question about a cemetery that is not too far from this area they continue to search. Tell us about that and whether that might have anything to do with the discovery of this skull. TUCHMAN: Well, that's an important point. I'll let you listen to that firsthand. One of the people participating in the news conference today said there is a cemetery nearby, and that could have some effect on the investigation, a cemetary right nearby where some of the bones were found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. JIM THOMAS, COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: We found portions of teeth, bottom teeth, and some upper teeth. We do have some things that would be able to be compared. At this point in time, our efforts are going to be strictly to collect evidence and collect as many parts of this skeletal remains that we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Paula, just four days ago, Jennifer Short's aunt and uncle were named her legal guardians, and they are still publicly hopeful that somehow, some way, she could be found alive.
Back to you.
ZAHN: Let's come back to what the investigators have told you since that news conference. There had been a lot of talk about the search that was going on. They're looking for more remains, but didn't the investigators also make it clear there have been no missing persons reports filed in that county?
TUCHMAN: Right. There are absolutely no missing persons reports filed here in Rockingham County. However, that doesn't mean that there could possibly be missing persons reports available from other counties nearby. So they don't know what they have found here. But it's a very important point that this major says that these teeth -- and he was very clear about this to me just now. He said the teeth look way too big for a small child, and the fact what they have found is red hair. This girl did not have red hair, but we don't want to say it's not her. We will know in two hours. They will come back with the preliminary lab results, and then might have a definitive answer.
ZAHN: Gary Tuchman, thanks for your report. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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