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American Morning

Volunteers Joining Search for Missing University of North Dakota Student

Aired November 25, 2003 - 08:16   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Volunteers are joining the search today for a missing University of North Dakota student. Dru Sjodin was seen on Saturday afternoon last. The search is now centered around Fisher, Minnesota, where a call from her cell phone was traced.
We are joined this morning by Dru's father, Allan Sjodin; also, her brother Sven, as well.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I thank you both for joining us.

This must be a terrible time for you. We certainly appreciate you sitting down with us.

Allan, let's begin with you.

Tell me about the last time anyone saw or heard from your daughter alive.

ALLAN SJODIN, FATHER OF MISSING GIRL: She was shopping. She was off of work about 4:00 on Saturday afternoon and she shopped for about 45 minutes, as I understand, and she was on a phone talking with her boyfriend, who lives in Minneapolis, and that was the last conversation.

O'BRIEN: There were reports that that conversation ended abruptly, it was stopped.

Is that accurate?

ALLAN SJODIN: Yes, that's accurate.

O'BRIEN: Police have now traced that cell phone. They were able to track it down and so it's sort of where they're centering their search.

What have they told you about the direction they're heading in their investigation right now?

ALLAN SJODIN: Well, there's a huge undertaking with a lot of volunteers this morning to search the area around this specific tower that had the strongest signal. It's -- there's a coordinate there. They're working 10 man teams, walking the ditches, searching for the phone. It's a huge undertaking.

O'BRIEN: Sven, your sister, I'm told, had been getting some threats.

Can you tell me a little bit about that, the nature of the threats and if you know who those threats were coming from and why?

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER OF MISSING GIRL: You know, nobody really knows at this point. A lot of it's just speculation. There's been several guys, I guess, that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them. As far as the nature, you know, she was, she's just a kind hearted, you know, loving girl that befriended everyone and, you know, I guess these gentlemen, you know, wanted more than she was willing to give.

O'BRIEN: Would it be fair to describe those calls, though, as harassing calls as opposed to just sort of an interested guy?

SVEN SJODIN: You know, I can't be sure. You know, I've been made aware of all this just recently, here within the last, actually, you know, day or two by her friends. Other than that, that's all that I really know.

O'BRIEN: Allan, I know over the last day or so you have called for whoever has taken your daughter to return her in time for Thanksgiving.

What makes you convinced that, in fact, she's been kidnapped?

ALLAN SJODIN: Oh, it's not characteristic of her personality or her -- she's a very structured young lady. She has a tremendous schedule. She just isn't the type of person to shirk her responsibility. She's absolutely a time keeper. She's marvelous.

O'BRIEN: Well, Allan Sjodin and Sven Sjodin, thanks for joining us this morning to talk about it.

I certainly hope that we have very good news coming from you and your family very soon to report.

Thanks a lot.

SVEN SJODIN: Thank you.

ALLAN SJODIN: Thank you very much.

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





Dakota Student>


Aired November 25, 2003 - 08:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Volunteers are joining the search today for a missing University of North Dakota student. Dru Sjodin was seen on Saturday afternoon last. The search is now centered around Fisher, Minnesota, where a call from her cell phone was traced.
We are joined this morning by Dru's father, Allan Sjodin; also, her brother Sven, as well.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I thank you both for joining us.

This must be a terrible time for you. We certainly appreciate you sitting down with us.

Allan, let's begin with you.

Tell me about the last time anyone saw or heard from your daughter alive.

ALLAN SJODIN, FATHER OF MISSING GIRL: She was shopping. She was off of work about 4:00 on Saturday afternoon and she shopped for about 45 minutes, as I understand, and she was on a phone talking with her boyfriend, who lives in Minneapolis, and that was the last conversation.

O'BRIEN: There were reports that that conversation ended abruptly, it was stopped.

Is that accurate?

ALLAN SJODIN: Yes, that's accurate.

O'BRIEN: Police have now traced that cell phone. They were able to track it down and so it's sort of where they're centering their search.

What have they told you about the direction they're heading in their investigation right now?

ALLAN SJODIN: Well, there's a huge undertaking with a lot of volunteers this morning to search the area around this specific tower that had the strongest signal. It's -- there's a coordinate there. They're working 10 man teams, walking the ditches, searching for the phone. It's a huge undertaking.

O'BRIEN: Sven, your sister, I'm told, had been getting some threats.

Can you tell me a little bit about that, the nature of the threats and if you know who those threats were coming from and why?

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER OF MISSING GIRL: You know, nobody really knows at this point. A lot of it's just speculation. There's been several guys, I guess, that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them. As far as the nature, you know, she was, she's just a kind hearted, you know, loving girl that befriended everyone and, you know, I guess these gentlemen, you know, wanted more than she was willing to give.

O'BRIEN: Would it be fair to describe those calls, though, as harassing calls as opposed to just sort of an interested guy?

SVEN SJODIN: You know, I can't be sure. You know, I've been made aware of all this just recently, here within the last, actually, you know, day or two by her friends. Other than that, that's all that I really know.

O'BRIEN: Allan, I know over the last day or so you have called for whoever has taken your daughter to return her in time for Thanksgiving.

What makes you convinced that, in fact, she's been kidnapped?

ALLAN SJODIN: Oh, it's not characteristic of her personality or her -- she's a very structured young lady. She has a tremendous schedule. She just isn't the type of person to shirk her responsibility. She's absolutely a time keeper. She's marvelous.

O'BRIEN: Well, Allan Sjodin and Sven Sjodin, thanks for joining us this morning to talk about it.

I certainly hope that we have very good news coming from you and your family very soon to report.

Thanks a lot.

SVEN SJODIN: Thank you.

ALLAN SJODIN: Thank you very much.

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





Dakota Student>