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American Morning

Search for Laci

Aired April 16, 2003 - 08:10   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: Joining me from the Bay Area, Marc Klaas, a victims' rights advocate, whose daughter, Polly, was abducted and murdered 10 years ago.
Marc, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

You've probably heard some of the investigators last night saying these tests could take anywhere from days to weeks to complete. No one has had the opportunity to talk with Laci Peterson's family overnight, you know, on the record. Describe to us some of what they must be experiencing now as they have to wait again.

MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, first, we have to -- I think all of our thoughts and prayers should go out to Laci's family, because, quite frankly, the ball is in the air right now. We don't know which side of the net it's going to drop on. There are a lot of speculation. There is a lot of rumors. There is a lot of punditry going on regarding this case, and it all plays on them. You know, they're sitting there, they're most likely watching TV or know somebody that is, listening to all of this. And quite frankly, it's rumor innuendo at this point until something substantial comes up.

So they're getting prepared to face the most difficult news they've ever faced in their lives, or they're not. In any case, something hideous, something absolutely hideous, has been done to somebody, and this is going to reverberate and rock people's lives.

When Polly was kidnapped, Paula, and murdered, it took my wife, Violet, and I a good eight years to be able to get out of the desperation and put our lives back together. We're no longer in that state of mind, but it was a horrible time. We've spoken many times, many times since then.

Poor Laci's family. It's so devastating and it's so difficult for them to go through this right now, that even being prepared for it, if it turns out that it is Laci and her little baby, the news is going to rock their world unlike any news has ever rocked their world before, and it's going to be a very difficult hump to overcome.

ZAHN: Have you had a chance to talk to anybody close to Laci's family since of this discovery, these two bodies which have not been linked to her case just yet, and may never be?

KLAAS: They may never be, but it would be awfully coincidental if in fact, this turned out to be somebody else. It would be incredibly coincidental. But no, to answer your question, I've not spoken with anybody in Laci's family. They have requested privacy at this time. And I think the most important thing we can do is support them through our hopes and prayers.

They have to depend upon each other right now. You know, there are the ones that they're going to be stuck with for the rest of their lives. The rest of us would come in and come out of their lives and be forgotten, but certainly they have to depend upon their faith and they have to depend upon each other for strength.

ZAHN: Marc, finally, we've just got about 15 seconds left. The investigator said last night that Scott Peterson has not either been ruled out or named as a suspect in the disappearance of his wife. You spoke with his parents not too long ago. Can you just tell us what they told you?

KLAAS: Well, yes. His mother was very nice and very concerned. She didn't think anybody was looking for Laci, and I told her I would be more than happy to arrange an ongoing search effort for her daughter-in-law, but she never got back to me on that after she said she would. His father then called me a couple of days later, and really kind of attacked me and told me I didn't understand the situation, and I told him that he's got his son, I haven't got my daughter, and I understand things he'll never know. Obviously, they are being defensive of their son, though.

ZAHN: Marc Klaas of the Klaas Kids Foundation. As always, good to see you. Sorry we have to talk to you during such traumatic times. Thanks for dropping by.

KLAAS: Sure, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 16, 2003 - 08:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me from the Bay Area, Marc Klaas, a victims' rights advocate, whose daughter, Polly, was abducted and murdered 10 years ago.
Marc, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

You've probably heard some of the investigators last night saying these tests could take anywhere from days to weeks to complete. No one has had the opportunity to talk with Laci Peterson's family overnight, you know, on the record. Describe to us some of what they must be experiencing now as they have to wait again.

MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, first, we have to -- I think all of our thoughts and prayers should go out to Laci's family, because, quite frankly, the ball is in the air right now. We don't know which side of the net it's going to drop on. There are a lot of speculation. There is a lot of rumors. There is a lot of punditry going on regarding this case, and it all plays on them. You know, they're sitting there, they're most likely watching TV or know somebody that is, listening to all of this. And quite frankly, it's rumor innuendo at this point until something substantial comes up.

So they're getting prepared to face the most difficult news they've ever faced in their lives, or they're not. In any case, something hideous, something absolutely hideous, has been done to somebody, and this is going to reverberate and rock people's lives.

When Polly was kidnapped, Paula, and murdered, it took my wife, Violet, and I a good eight years to be able to get out of the desperation and put our lives back together. We're no longer in that state of mind, but it was a horrible time. We've spoken many times, many times since then.

Poor Laci's family. It's so devastating and it's so difficult for them to go through this right now, that even being prepared for it, if it turns out that it is Laci and her little baby, the news is going to rock their world unlike any news has ever rocked their world before, and it's going to be a very difficult hump to overcome.

ZAHN: Have you had a chance to talk to anybody close to Laci's family since of this discovery, these two bodies which have not been linked to her case just yet, and may never be?

KLAAS: They may never be, but it would be awfully coincidental if in fact, this turned out to be somebody else. It would be incredibly coincidental. But no, to answer your question, I've not spoken with anybody in Laci's family. They have requested privacy at this time. And I think the most important thing we can do is support them through our hopes and prayers.

They have to depend upon each other right now. You know, there are the ones that they're going to be stuck with for the rest of their lives. The rest of us would come in and come out of their lives and be forgotten, but certainly they have to depend upon their faith and they have to depend upon each other for strength.

ZAHN: Marc, finally, we've just got about 15 seconds left. The investigator said last night that Scott Peterson has not either been ruled out or named as a suspect in the disappearance of his wife. You spoke with his parents not too long ago. Can you just tell us what they told you?

KLAAS: Well, yes. His mother was very nice and very concerned. She didn't think anybody was looking for Laci, and I told her I would be more than happy to arrange an ongoing search effort for her daughter-in-law, but she never got back to me on that after she said she would. His father then called me a couple of days later, and really kind of attacked me and told me I didn't understand the situation, and I told him that he's got his son, I haven't got my daughter, and I understand things he'll never know. Obviously, they are being defensive of their son, though.

ZAHN: Marc Klaas of the Klaas Kids Foundation. As always, good to see you. Sorry we have to talk to you during such traumatic times. Thanks for dropping by.

KLAAS: Sure, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com