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CNN Live Sunday

Police Release Videotape of 9-Year-Old's Kidnapping

Aired June 08, 2003 - 18:08   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.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: As police and rescuers comb the San Jose, California area for a 9-year-old girl abducted from her home Friday, police have released a video showing the kidnapping. The video is very grainy, so you need to pay close attention. CNN's Tim Lister has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right in front of this -- you can see it better in this one. That's the SUV right there.

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) security video captured the terror of Friday afternoon for the Tamayo family, and never revealed the kidnapper's face or his car's tag.

But police say the tape does make it clear, this was no random attack. In fact, the kidnapper waits in his car, a silver four-door sedan, for well over an hour before 9-year-old Jennette Tamayo comes home from school. As kids play basketball, the man gets out of his car and follows her into the house. And a few minutes later, backs the car into the garage.

A short time later, Jennette's mother Rosalie and her 15-year-old brother Pablo arrive home. Rosalie's sister is with them and gets into her car. Off camera, Pablo struggles to open the garage. When he finally gains access, he comes face-to-face with the kidnapper. His mother, hearing the commotion, runs into the house. A 10-minute struggle ensues. The tape then shows the kidnapper's car racing away with Rosalie coming out of the house screaming for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shows that this person knew where he was going, scouted out whether it was this family or this girl. If we can enhance it, it is going to be the most important piece of evidence that we have so far.

LISTER: San Jose Police have released a sketch of the kidnapper, describing him as probably Latino, in his 30s or early 40s, and between 5'2" and 5'5" inches tall, with dark hair.

Police and some 80 volunteers continue to scour the San Jose area for signs of Jennette, checking parks, fields and yards. And a nationwide Amber Alert has been issued, mobilizing television, radio and electronics billboards across the country in the search for Jennette and her kidnapper.

Tim Lister, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: There is much more straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Coming up, as the surveillance tape capturing the abduction of the 9- year-old girl in San Jose is released, what kind of vital information will investigators glean? We'll talk to a criminal profiler.

And the stars will be out in New York tonight. Coming up, live from the red carpet of the Tony Awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In case you're just joining us, a video released by police in San Jose, California, shows Friday's abduction of 9-year-old Jennette Tamayo. A neighbor's surveillance camera happened to capture the sequence of events, beginning with the man waiting in a car outside the girl's home before her arrival after school. An all-out search for the girl is continuing.

To help us understand what investigators are learning from the tape, retired FBI agent Candice DeLong, a highly respected criminal profiler and author of the book "Special Agent" joins us from San Francisco.

Ms. DeLong, obviously the video was very grainy, and you've seen it for the first time this evening. Do you think the videotape can be helpful, or do you actually think that the firsthand observances of the mother and the brother would be more helpful?

CANDICE DELONG, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, they may be able to enhance the video, and that may be -- turn out to be very, very helpful if they can enhance it to a point where they can specifically determine what type of car and the license plate and a better view of what exactly what was going on. Of course, that would also help.

Yes, without question, the most available information is what went on in that 10-minute struggle in the house. I have heard of things like this happening before, but certainly not lasting 10 minutes. I think the most significant thing to be gained from an analysis of that video is that the offender was there for such a long time waiting for her. Obviously she was specifically targeted, or someone in that home was specifically targeted.

KOPPEL: What do you think, and I recognize there's probably a whole range of them, but what do you think the main motivations behind this kidnapping, perhaps even some kind of connection to burglary might have been?

DELONG: Well, the burglary part is possible, but there's no indication that he took something from the home other than the girl. So in terms of motivation, as you know, in most child kidnappings, a family member is involved in some way. So the very first thing the investigators are doing is working very hard interviewing and trying to nail down exactly what was going on with parents, stepparents. I understand she lives with a mom and stepdad. The biological father, certainly they are looking for him to talk with him. Sometimes children are taken as a revenge or a ransom kidnapping, not so much for money, but to get something back that they think a parent owes them.

This isn't necessarily a sexual predator kidnapping. We have no indication yet that that is what this is all about.

KOPPEL: What would the indications be?

DELONG: Well, for one thing, it could be that, but I'm just puzzled by this 10-minute struggle in the house. I'm puzzled by the fact that he waited for an hour. That was a very, very risky thing for him to do. Generally, sexual predators don't do that. They move right in, take what they want. They rarely go into a home, but we have seen that, of course, with Polly Klaas and Elizabeth Smart. Sometimes they will go in the home.

I just don't understand why he was there so long and why he risked being identified by the mother and the brother. It just -- I think that is going to turn out to be very important down the road.

KOPPEL: You mentioned the Elizabeth Smart case, and certainly I'm sure that's gone through many people's minds, gosh, this seems so much like the thick of the night kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

What does your gut tell you was behind this kidnapping, and what do you think the likelihood will be that this young girl will be found alive?

DELONG: Well, because of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, I never give up hope. I really thought that story wasn't going to have a happy ending, and it did. In this particular case right now, it's not -- I try to stay away from gut feelings in things like this, but I'm thinking that she is alive, and that there is more to this kidnapping that meets the eye, that possibly this might have been something to do with revenge or something against one of the parents or a family member. It just doesn't make sense that he would wait there for one hour and then stay in the house as long as he did. There's something up here.

KOPPEL: What do you think, in terms of the investigative aspect of this, what do you think the police at this stage can rule out?

DELONG: Well, you can be sure that the very first thing they're doing, of course, is ruling out any family members. And another thing that they are doing, and I'm certainly hoping that they're doing, is talking with friends of Jennette. Sometimes little girls will share things with friends that they might be afraid to tell their parents. She might have said to a friend, gee, there's been some creepy guy following me, or I've seen a silver car outside my house a couple of times, I'm afraid to tell my parents. Who knows, but sometimes information can be developed from associates of the victim that will lead to identification of someone that took them, or where they are.

KOPPEL: Well, let's hope that they find her soon. Candice DeLong, thank you so much for joining us this evening.

DELONG: You're welcome.

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 June 8, 2003 - 18:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: As police and rescuers comb the San Jose, California area for a 9-year-old girl abducted from her home Friday, police have released a video showing the kidnapping. The video is very grainy, so you need to pay close attention. CNN's Tim Lister has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right in front of this -- you can see it better in this one. That's the SUV right there.

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) security video captured the terror of Friday afternoon for the Tamayo family, and never revealed the kidnapper's face or his car's tag.

But police say the tape does make it clear, this was no random attack. In fact, the kidnapper waits in his car, a silver four-door sedan, for well over an hour before 9-year-old Jennette Tamayo comes home from school. As kids play basketball, the man gets out of his car and follows her into the house. And a few minutes later, backs the car into the garage.

A short time later, Jennette's mother Rosalie and her 15-year-old brother Pablo arrive home. Rosalie's sister is with them and gets into her car. Off camera, Pablo struggles to open the garage. When he finally gains access, he comes face-to-face with the kidnapper. His mother, hearing the commotion, runs into the house. A 10-minute struggle ensues. The tape then shows the kidnapper's car racing away with Rosalie coming out of the house screaming for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shows that this person knew where he was going, scouted out whether it was this family or this girl. If we can enhance it, it is going to be the most important piece of evidence that we have so far.

LISTER: San Jose Police have released a sketch of the kidnapper, describing him as probably Latino, in his 30s or early 40s, and between 5'2" and 5'5" inches tall, with dark hair.

Police and some 80 volunteers continue to scour the San Jose area for signs of Jennette, checking parks, fields and yards. And a nationwide Amber Alert has been issued, mobilizing television, radio and electronics billboards across the country in the search for Jennette and her kidnapper.

Tim Lister, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: There is much more straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Coming up, as the surveillance tape capturing the abduction of the 9- year-old girl in San Jose is released, what kind of vital information will investigators glean? We'll talk to a criminal profiler.

And the stars will be out in New York tonight. Coming up, live from the red carpet of the Tony Awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In case you're just joining us, a video released by police in San Jose, California, shows Friday's abduction of 9-year-old Jennette Tamayo. A neighbor's surveillance camera happened to capture the sequence of events, beginning with the man waiting in a car outside the girl's home before her arrival after school. An all-out search for the girl is continuing.

To help us understand what investigators are learning from the tape, retired FBI agent Candice DeLong, a highly respected criminal profiler and author of the book "Special Agent" joins us from San Francisco.

Ms. DeLong, obviously the video was very grainy, and you've seen it for the first time this evening. Do you think the videotape can be helpful, or do you actually think that the firsthand observances of the mother and the brother would be more helpful?

CANDICE DELONG, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, they may be able to enhance the video, and that may be -- turn out to be very, very helpful if they can enhance it to a point where they can specifically determine what type of car and the license plate and a better view of what exactly what was going on. Of course, that would also help.

Yes, without question, the most available information is what went on in that 10-minute struggle in the house. I have heard of things like this happening before, but certainly not lasting 10 minutes. I think the most significant thing to be gained from an analysis of that video is that the offender was there for such a long time waiting for her. Obviously she was specifically targeted, or someone in that home was specifically targeted.

KOPPEL: What do you think, and I recognize there's probably a whole range of them, but what do you think the main motivations behind this kidnapping, perhaps even some kind of connection to burglary might have been?

DELONG: Well, the burglary part is possible, but there's no indication that he took something from the home other than the girl. So in terms of motivation, as you know, in most child kidnappings, a family member is involved in some way. So the very first thing the investigators are doing is working very hard interviewing and trying to nail down exactly what was going on with parents, stepparents. I understand she lives with a mom and stepdad. The biological father, certainly they are looking for him to talk with him. Sometimes children are taken as a revenge or a ransom kidnapping, not so much for money, but to get something back that they think a parent owes them.

This isn't necessarily a sexual predator kidnapping. We have no indication yet that that is what this is all about.

KOPPEL: What would the indications be?

DELONG: Well, for one thing, it could be that, but I'm just puzzled by this 10-minute struggle in the house. I'm puzzled by the fact that he waited for an hour. That was a very, very risky thing for him to do. Generally, sexual predators don't do that. They move right in, take what they want. They rarely go into a home, but we have seen that, of course, with Polly Klaas and Elizabeth Smart. Sometimes they will go in the home.

I just don't understand why he was there so long and why he risked being identified by the mother and the brother. It just -- I think that is going to turn out to be very important down the road.

KOPPEL: You mentioned the Elizabeth Smart case, and certainly I'm sure that's gone through many people's minds, gosh, this seems so much like the thick of the night kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

What does your gut tell you was behind this kidnapping, and what do you think the likelihood will be that this young girl will be found alive?

DELONG: Well, because of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, I never give up hope. I really thought that story wasn't going to have a happy ending, and it did. In this particular case right now, it's not -- I try to stay away from gut feelings in things like this, but I'm thinking that she is alive, and that there is more to this kidnapping that meets the eye, that possibly this might have been something to do with revenge or something against one of the parents or a family member. It just doesn't make sense that he would wait there for one hour and then stay in the house as long as he did. There's something up here.

KOPPEL: What do you think, in terms of the investigative aspect of this, what do you think the police at this stage can rule out?

DELONG: Well, you can be sure that the very first thing they're doing, of course, is ruling out any family members. And another thing that they are doing, and I'm certainly hoping that they're doing, is talking with friends of Jennette. Sometimes little girls will share things with friends that they might be afraid to tell their parents. She might have said to a friend, gee, there's been some creepy guy following me, or I've seen a silver car outside my house a couple of times, I'm afraid to tell my parents. Who knows, but sometimes information can be developed from associates of the victim that will lead to identification of someone that took them, or where they are.

KOPPEL: Well, let's hope that they find her soon. Candice DeLong, thank you so much for joining us this evening.

DELONG: You're welcome.

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