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CNN Saturday Morning News

Authorities May Scale Back Search for Jennifer Short

Aired August 17, 2002 - 08:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: After days of fruitless search for 9-year-old Jennifer Renee Short, Virginia authorities may decide today whether or not to scale back the ground search and focus now on the few leads that they have.
Let's go now to CNN's Jeanne Meserve, who's joining us from Virginia this morning -- Jeanne, any word yet on if they plan to scale back this search?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, that was the preliminary word yesterday. We're going to get a briefing in about half an hour's time which will fill us in on the details of that.

It has been 48 hours almost since Jennifer Short was discovered missing and as yet no sign of her and no promising leads into who might have taken her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): From a convenience store down the street from the Short home, a surveillance tape showing Jennifer Short just days before her disappearance. She's described as 4' 3" tall, 58 pounds and a good kid.

VALERIE SPRADLIN, FAMILY FRIEND: She was kind of quiet, and she was a little bit shy. But she was very close to her mom and daddy, very close.

MESERVE: Her mommy and daddy are dead, each found with a gunshot wound to the head. They were last seen alive at around midnight Wednesday. When they were found murdered Thursday morning, Jennifer was missing. Nothing at the scene indicates she was physically injured.

CAPT. KIMMY NESTER, HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Jennifer had been in her bedroom and appeared to have been in her bed.

MESERVE: To protect the investigation, law enforcement is saying little about forensic evidence. They hope autopsy results will pinpoint the time of death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We try to do everything by timelines. We try to figure out who was where and, you know, what should be normal, what should be abnormal for that time. We want to get it down to the very minute, if possible. MESERVE: A massive local search has turned up nothing and is being scaled back. And though tips have come in from as far away as Missouri, none have panned out. Investigators say they are optimistic, but realistic. Friends and acquaintances don't want to contemplate the grim possibilities.

SPRADLIN: I'm sorry, I can't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: A busy four lane highway runs right in front of the Short home south to North Carolina and north to West Virginia. Because of that and because it may have been several hours before anyone knew Jennifer was missing, authorities fear she could be almost anywhere. They are pleading for anyone with any information to please come forward -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you.

That's Jeanne, Jeanne Meserve in Virginia.

Thanks, Jeanne.

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