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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Dan Smart

Aired January 19, 2003 - 10:16   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.


COLLINS: Police in central Florida have issued an AMBER Alert for two young sisters who have disappeared. They were visiting a campground near Orlando with their parents and four siblings. We're going to give the latest now, information coming in from the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sheriff's office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Elizabeth Murrell, 12 years old, 4-foot-11, brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing a yellow t-shirt. They're also looking for her sister, Amanda Murrell, 9 years old, 4-foot-9, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue and gray windbreaker. Both children, as we said, were last seen at the Tropical Palms Campground. You're looking at a picture of that area now.
They are believed we're told, to be in danger. There was apparently a white Chevy Astro Van with Florida tags in the area, a similar type of vehicle -- that's why police are interested in this. A similar type of vehicle had been listed as being used in attempted abductions in the Four Corners Area. So obviously, police and sheriff's department are looking very closely at that. We also have a reporter in the area. We're going to get the latest now by phone from Dan Smart. He's a reporter at Central Florida News 13.

Hi, Dan. What can you tell us?

DAN SMART, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13: Hi, Heidi. Well, the search here, like you said, has been going on since about 6:00 last night. The girls asked their parents around 4:30 Saturday if they could head out into the woods, walk around, explore a nature trail their parents thought they were familiar with. Well, nearby there is an amusement park here in the Kissimmee area, right by the park where they are staying at the Tropical Palms. And after they left around 6:00, there's no real indication of where they went.

They asked -- the sheriff's investigator and their bloodhound dogs here seeking a scent. They found a scent through woods and it eventually disappeared. And that turned into a large-scale investigation lasting all night long. They had about 40 deputies in the woods. They had three helicopters in the air using infrared equipment, trying to see any indication of where these two girls had gone.

And after sunup, they reorganized their efforts. Now, they have one chopper in the air, about 60 people out in the woods. And as you can see from that video, I'm sure you're looking at, the boats -- air boats and regular boats down in the water searching around in the water and swampy areas here in Kissimmee trying to track these two girls down. Now, there is also a pair of near that amusement park. Sheriff's deputies did find a pair of shoes but they have not had a chance to show them to the two girls' parents to see if they look familiar. So right now they're not ruling out foul play but they have no evidence to support foul play either. So they're still treating the case as two missing girls but they are searching cars coming in and out of the Tropical Palms area.

COLLINS: And Dan, we are looking at pictures of the resort area. It looks just absolutely huge to me and they have a lot of ground to cover here. Is that the right sense that I'm getting?

SMART: Well, there is a lot of space out here in Kissimmee. There are a lot of woods. Right off the development is Highway 192. It's close to Disneyworld and it's sort of the secondary place for people to go. If they want to visit Disney, they can also go and stay here. It's a little more quiet, a little more rural.

They -- this morning, they told us they were searching about a nine square mile area. So they do have a lot of space to cover and they've been going over it for quite some time hoping that thee cold weather didn't get to these girls or something even worse maybe an abductor.

COLLINS: And we have been talking about the weather all morning long here on CNN in that area, very, very cold. I know it got very cold last night. What's the concern there?

SMART: Well, of course, the concern would be if these girls had been out in the woods all night long, the temperatures did get down below freezing, probably in the upper 20s right before sunup. And it's cold. Right now, it is windy and it's -- some of us are forced to wear gloves and two jackets just to walk around even in the sunlight. So these girls were wearing light windbreakers the last time their parents saw them. So there is a great concern if they are still out in the woods or had been all night what their health conditions would be.

COLLINS: All right. Dan Smart, a reporter at Central Florida News 13. We do appreciate your information. We, of course, will check back with you if there is any more information coming in on the two young girls missing in that area.

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 January 19, 2003 - 10:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLINS: Police in central Florida have issued an AMBER Alert for two young sisters who have disappeared. They were visiting a campground near Orlando with their parents and four siblings. We're going to give the latest now, information coming in from the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sheriff's office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Elizabeth Murrell, 12 years old, 4-foot-11, brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing a yellow t-shirt. They're also looking for her sister, Amanda Murrell, 9 years old, 4-foot-9, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue and gray windbreaker. Both children, as we said, were last seen at the Tropical Palms Campground. You're looking at a picture of that area now.
They are believed we're told, to be in danger. There was apparently a white Chevy Astro Van with Florida tags in the area, a similar type of vehicle -- that's why police are interested in this. A similar type of vehicle had been listed as being used in attempted abductions in the Four Corners Area. So obviously, police and sheriff's department are looking very closely at that. We also have a reporter in the area. We're going to get the latest now by phone from Dan Smart. He's a reporter at Central Florida News 13.

Hi, Dan. What can you tell us?

DAN SMART, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13: Hi, Heidi. Well, the search here, like you said, has been going on since about 6:00 last night. The girls asked their parents around 4:30 Saturday if they could head out into the woods, walk around, explore a nature trail their parents thought they were familiar with. Well, nearby there is an amusement park here in the Kissimmee area, right by the park where they are staying at the Tropical Palms. And after they left around 6:00, there's no real indication of where they went.

They asked -- the sheriff's investigator and their bloodhound dogs here seeking a scent. They found a scent through woods and it eventually disappeared. And that turned into a large-scale investigation lasting all night long. They had about 40 deputies in the woods. They had three helicopters in the air using infrared equipment, trying to see any indication of where these two girls had gone.

And after sunup, they reorganized their efforts. Now, they have one chopper in the air, about 60 people out in the woods. And as you can see from that video, I'm sure you're looking at, the boats -- air boats and regular boats down in the water searching around in the water and swampy areas here in Kissimmee trying to track these two girls down. Now, there is also a pair of near that amusement park. Sheriff's deputies did find a pair of shoes but they have not had a chance to show them to the two girls' parents to see if they look familiar. So right now they're not ruling out foul play but they have no evidence to support foul play either. So they're still treating the case as two missing girls but they are searching cars coming in and out of the Tropical Palms area.

COLLINS: And Dan, we are looking at pictures of the resort area. It looks just absolutely huge to me and they have a lot of ground to cover here. Is that the right sense that I'm getting?

SMART: Well, there is a lot of space out here in Kissimmee. There are a lot of woods. Right off the development is Highway 192. It's close to Disneyworld and it's sort of the secondary place for people to go. If they want to visit Disney, they can also go and stay here. It's a little more quiet, a little more rural.

They -- this morning, they told us they were searching about a nine square mile area. So they do have a lot of space to cover and they've been going over it for quite some time hoping that thee cold weather didn't get to these girls or something even worse maybe an abductor.

COLLINS: And we have been talking about the weather all morning long here on CNN in that area, very, very cold. I know it got very cold last night. What's the concern there?

SMART: Well, of course, the concern would be if these girls had been out in the woods all night long, the temperatures did get down below freezing, probably in the upper 20s right before sunup. And it's cold. Right now, it is windy and it's -- some of us are forced to wear gloves and two jackets just to walk around even in the sunlight. So these girls were wearing light windbreakers the last time their parents saw them. So there is a great concern if they are still out in the woods or had been all night what their health conditions would be.

COLLINS: All right. Dan Smart, a reporter at Central Florida News 13. We do appreciate your information. We, of course, will check back with you if there is any more information coming in on the two young girls missing in that area.

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