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CNN Live Event/Special

Elizabeth Smart Case Press Conference

Aired June 27, 2002 - 13:09   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you now to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the uncle of Elizabeth Smart is now talking. This is uncle Tom Smart, now addressing cameras there.

Let's go and listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

TOM SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S UNCLE: This is number to call. And as people go out, we ask you to let the sheriff's department and the local officials know, and if you call this number, and to report back through those local officials, if you call this number, this is a way to do that.

Now this toll-free number that, is also a confidential number, that if somebody has a tip leading to the safe return of Elizabeth, we pray that you'll find any avenue you can to get her back, but this may be a good number also to call.

We love the people, and there have been many, and it's been most of everyone we've been involved with who have been helping and praying for our family, and we thank you.

I think that's the last of our statements, and I think any of us here would -- are they any questions?

QUESTION: The odometer on the car is being looked at. They say it could be 1,000 miles of unaccounted for on the jeep. Does that extend your search at all? Have you thought about other areas that are much further away from Salt Lake City?

DAVID SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S UNCLE: Yes, actually, in pertaining to issues, we want to fully cooperate with this investigation, and we won't discuss that's going on with the grand jury. Now that's been brought up. It's been made public, that issue.

As far as how many miles were on the vehicle, we've expanded -- well, I shouldn't even say, we've expanded. We've been working on this search and moving in to other states, surrounding states. We've been doing that over the last week, and we do have groups out searching in other states, on the borders as well. So as far as mileage goes, I mean, we're trying to cover all bases.

As I just stated before, we want to cooperate fully with the police, with this investigation, but we will not discuss anything dealing with the grand jury.

QUESTION: Has the family been told not to say anything, because you're able to say whether or not someone has been subpoenaed to testify? Is that you've been asked not to talk about at all.

D. SMART: They've asked us not to discuss those types of issues.

QUESTION: The family says that you're encouraged by the investigation, but there also seems to be a little bit of a sense that you were worried that so much attention was being focused in one direction. Is that still...

D. SMART: Yes, I mean, the fact of the matter is, we don't have Elizabeth back. She's not back yet. And as far as the search effort goes, we have to continue searching until we have her back, and you know, what happens down in the grand jury and all of the investigation that's going on, we want the authorities to concentrate on that part of it.

And a comment was even made just the other day that they were very happy with us going out and making the search effort, combing the area, trying to find any type of information we possibly can and turning it into them, so we're able to do the search part. Of course, they have some very specific, the authorities have very specific searches that they have to conduct, but they're very happy. We're moving forward with the search. We will continue with it until we find Elizabeth, and they're pleased with that. They want to see us do that.

WHITFIELD: We're following an awful lot of moving parts for you today. Here, the ongoing investigation in Salt Lake City of Elizabeth Smart, and of course out west, and now affecting the entire country, the court decision on the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.

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