Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Search for Elizabeth Smart Continues

Aired June 15, 2002 - 08:02   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And our top story this hour, the search for clues in the disappearance of 14- year-old Elizabeth Smart. It's been more than a week since the Utah teen was last seen; search efforts are focusing in a couple of different directions now.

CNN's James Hattori has been following this investigation since the beginning, and he joins us live with the latest.

Good morning, James.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra, unfortunately we begin with yet another disappointment in the search for a 26-year-old man who police want to question in connection with this case. Twenty- six year old Bret Edmond Ellis (sic) was a man who police say was acting suspiciously in the neighborhood were 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped prior to her disappearance. A flurry of reports yesterday indicating he might have been spotted in New Mexico and Texas. They turned out to be wrong. A man resembling Edmunds was arrested for stealing cars, but after checking fingerprints it turned out to be an Oregon man, not Edmunds.

So, the search for Edmunds goes on; investigators believe he is still in the Salt Lake City area.

Meantime, the search for Elizabeth Smart also goes on. Volunteer effort now shifting on this day 10 of the mystery. Organizers say more than 8,000 people have taken part in a centralized search effort.

Now, Elizabeth Smart's family wants volunteers to organize themselves, neighborhood by neighborhood. They say it's not a scaling back; they say they still want to search every square inch of the state and probably some areas beyond that.

Investigators, as of this point, say they have nothing new to report. Police dogs were back in the Smart family house yesterday looking for evidence. They're not being any more specific than that. Investigators say they are making progress, eliminating some leads, following up on others. They've gone through hundreds, but as of this moment, Kyra, they say there still is no firm suspect, no firm motive -- not a lot of serious leads -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, our James Hattori in Salt Lake. Thanks, James.

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