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American Morning
Update on Dru Sjodin Case
Aired December 08, 2003 - 08:04 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: To North Dakota right now. Law enforcement officials today will talk about their next move in the case of Dru Sjodin. Authorities suspended their search for her on Saturday. Her family says it plans to resume that hunt today. That college student last seen on November 22.
An update on the case now from CNN's Jeff Flock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Home movies of Dru Katrina Sjodin looking so alive. Impossible for a family to believe she may not be.
(on camera): Every picture I have seen of your daughter, she's either laughing or smiling.
ALLAN SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S FATHER: She was a happy young lady and she is a happy young lady. She has that magnetism. People draw to her with that, you know? And that's part of her.
FLOCK (voice-over): Her father Allan tells us they got a tip here on the finddru.com Web site that he'll be out following up this morning. Leads also continue to come into these lines at the Grand Forks Police Department. The fliers and signs remain up all over town.
CAPT. MICHAEL KIRBY, GRAND FORKS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We don't want to close our eyes to any opportunities. We don't want to put blinders on and narrow our focus.
FLOCK: But Mike Kirby of the Grand Forks P.D. says he believes they do have the man who kidnapped the 22-year-old college senior.
ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ, JR.: Rodriguez.
FLOCK: Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. has spoken only two words in court, correcting the judge who misspoke his name and saying he did understand that he had been charged with abducting Sjodin.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
FLOCK: His attorney tells CNN Rodriguez told him in private that he did not kidnap the girl. David Dusek says he and his client have not discussed reports that authorities found blood matching Sjodin's type in Rodriguez's car and that Rodriguez has admitted being here at the Columbia Mall the night she disappeared.
BOB HEALES, SJODIN FAMILY INVESTIGATOR: He's the only person right now that knows and that's why it's so important to somehow get him to talk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK: But, Bill, he has been interviewed three times, though not over the weekend. His attorney says he'll speak with him again today and we'll see if there's any contact, any additional contact with law enforcement. At this point they're hoping there will be. We'll watch it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jeff, thanks.
Jeff Flock in North Dakota.
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 December 8, 2003 - 08:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To North Dakota right now. Law enforcement officials today will talk about their next move in the case of Dru Sjodin. Authorities suspended their search for her on Saturday. Her family says it plans to resume that hunt today. That college student last seen on November 22.
An update on the case now from CNN's Jeff Flock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Home movies of Dru Katrina Sjodin looking so alive. Impossible for a family to believe she may not be.
(on camera): Every picture I have seen of your daughter, she's either laughing or smiling.
ALLAN SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S FATHER: She was a happy young lady and she is a happy young lady. She has that magnetism. People draw to her with that, you know? And that's part of her.
FLOCK (voice-over): Her father Allan tells us they got a tip here on the finddru.com Web site that he'll be out following up this morning. Leads also continue to come into these lines at the Grand Forks Police Department. The fliers and signs remain up all over town.
CAPT. MICHAEL KIRBY, GRAND FORKS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We don't want to close our eyes to any opportunities. We don't want to put blinders on and narrow our focus.
FLOCK: But Mike Kirby of the Grand Forks P.D. says he believes they do have the man who kidnapped the 22-year-old college senior.
ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ, JR.: Rodriguez.
FLOCK: Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. has spoken only two words in court, correcting the judge who misspoke his name and saying he did understand that he had been charged with abducting Sjodin.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
FLOCK: His attorney tells CNN Rodriguez told him in private that he did not kidnap the girl. David Dusek says he and his client have not discussed reports that authorities found blood matching Sjodin's type in Rodriguez's car and that Rodriguez has admitted being here at the Columbia Mall the night she disappeared.
BOB HEALES, SJODIN FAMILY INVESTIGATOR: He's the only person right now that knows and that's why it's so important to somehow get him to talk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK: But, Bill, he has been interviewed three times, though not over the weekend. His attorney says he'll speak with him again today and we'll see if there's any contact, any additional contact with law enforcement. At this point they're hoping there will be. We'll watch it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jeff, thanks.
Jeff Flock in North Dakota.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
