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American Morning
Hopeful Development in Case of Missing Boy from North Carolina
Aired April 30, 2003 - 08:06 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A hopeful development overnight in the case of a missing boy from North Carolina. The family of Tristan "Buddy" Myers say they are optimistic that Eli Quick, a boy found in Illinois, is actually Buddy. Buddy was four years old when he disappeared from his great aunt's home back in October of 2000. DNA testing confirming whether or not they are the same boy could take weeks, we are told.
And the spotlight today is on child safety at the White House, as well. The president will sign legislation creating a nationwide amber alert system to help find kidnapped children.
Earlier today -- we want to focus today on one state so far, the state of California, and how it has worked so far there.
Charles Feldman today is in Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since California Governor Gray Davis signed an executive order last July making the amber alert system mandatory, there have been 26 alerts and all have led to the safe return of children. By contrast, when 5- year-old Samantha Runyon was abducted from her Orange County, California home before the amber alert system was put into effect, she was discovered dead. Some have argued that had an amber alert program been in place, things might have turned out differently.
The Texas abduction and murder of young Amber Hagerman in 1996 led to the creation of the first so-called amber alert. During an amber alert, highway signs as well as radio and TV stations advise motorists about the child abduction and provide information that could lead to the recovery of the child.
But Barry Glassner, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern California and author of the book, "The Culture of Fear," says amber alerts only feed that culture.
BARRY GLASSNER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: I think it's great any time that we can recover a missing child. The problem here is that we're giving the sense to everybody in America, to all the parents, to all the children, that this is a really big problem, that this is something that happens all the time when really it's a very rare problem.
FELDMAN: Since 1996, various amber alert programs have only resulted in the safe recovery of 64 children. The Justice Department says more than 800,000 children are reported missing nationwide every year. Most are either runaways or are involved in child custody cases. As a result, some law enforcement officials worry that vigilante justice or the pursuit of innocent people could lead to the abuse of the amber alert system.
Charles Feldman, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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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Aired April 30, 2003 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A hopeful development overnight in the case of a missing boy from North Carolina. The family of Tristan "Buddy" Myers say they are optimistic that Eli Quick, a boy found in Illinois, is actually Buddy. Buddy was four years old when he disappeared from his great aunt's home back in October of 2000. DNA testing confirming whether or not they are the same boy could take weeks, we are told.
And the spotlight today is on child safety at the White House, as well. The president will sign legislation creating a nationwide amber alert system to help find kidnapped children.
Earlier today -- we want to focus today on one state so far, the state of California, and how it has worked so far there.
Charles Feldman today is in Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since California Governor Gray Davis signed an executive order last July making the amber alert system mandatory, there have been 26 alerts and all have led to the safe return of children. By contrast, when 5- year-old Samantha Runyon was abducted from her Orange County, California home before the amber alert system was put into effect, she was discovered dead. Some have argued that had an amber alert program been in place, things might have turned out differently.
The Texas abduction and murder of young Amber Hagerman in 1996 led to the creation of the first so-called amber alert. During an amber alert, highway signs as well as radio and TV stations advise motorists about the child abduction and provide information that could lead to the recovery of the child.
But Barry Glassner, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern California and author of the book, "The Culture of Fear," says amber alerts only feed that culture.
BARRY GLASSNER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: I think it's great any time that we can recover a missing child. The problem here is that we're giving the sense to everybody in America, to all the parents, to all the children, that this is a really big problem, that this is something that happens all the time when really it's a very rare problem.
FELDMAN: Since 1996, various amber alert programs have only resulted in the safe recovery of 64 children. The Justice Department says more than 800,000 children are reported missing nationwide every year. Most are either runaways or are involved in child custody cases. As a result, some law enforcement officials worry that vigilante justice or the pursuit of innocent people could lead to the abuse of the amber alert system.
Charles Feldman, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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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