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CNN SUNDAY MORNING
Police Have No New Leads in Peterson's Disappearance
Aired January 5, 2003 - 10:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In Modesto, California, there's still no sign of Laci Peterson and still no strong leads in her disappearance. Peterson, who is more than eight months pregnant, has been missing since Christmas Eve. Police say they still hope to find her safe, but now believe her disappearance is the result of foul play. For more now, we go to CNN's Ed Lavandera in Modesto -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
Well, Laci Peterson's case here is moving on two different fronts. First, the search efforts in this, and this is what is really getting most of the focus today. At least the visible focus as teams of search crews will be sent out again not only here in Modesto, but in the surrounding counties and also into the Berkeley marina area, some 85 miles northwest of Modesto here. A team of cadaver dogs, 16 total will be sent out to continue the search. Six dogs will be working the Berkeley marina area. Another 10 have been working the surrounding county areas. They will continue to do so. They say here until all of the commanders working this case are confident that they've done all that they can possibly do.
In Modesto, they've gone as far as returning to Laci Peterson's neighborhood, checking her neighborhood once again, even checking manhole covers, uncovering the manhole covers and looking in all possible areas, exhausting all possible efforts that they have at this point.
On the investigative front, again, unfortunately, no significant leads police have to report so far. There have been about 1,600 tips that have been called into authorities. Perhaps the most interesting part is that so far there has been no significant tips that lead them to corroborate Scott Peterson's story that he told police that he was -- he had gone fishing on December 24, the last day he had seen Laci Peterson alive. Remember, a couple of days ago, police have put out pictures of his truck and boat, and they wanted information from the public to corroborate his story that he indeed had taken that fishing trip. No new leads to report on that front, unfortunately.
Also, police say that they will continue to work this case at the intensity they have. They have a team of about 100 officers working this case, and authorities say here there are no plans to scale back those efforts anytime soon -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Ed, of those 1,600 tips that police have been sorting through, does anyone actually place Laci Peterson outside walking the dog or does anyone actually place Scott Peterson anywhere near that lake or fishing?
LAVANDERA: What they told us yesterday was that they had no information to do so just yet. But of course, a lot of the information surrounding Scott Peterson, they're starting to hold a lot closer to the vest. A few days ago, when they started talking about the boat and the truck, they talked openly about Scott Peterson, but the last two days at the press briefings, they said that they'll no longer be talking about Scott Peterson in any kind of detail, and as far as today's concerned, no more press briefings are scheduled for today either.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera, from Modesto, California, thank you.
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