So we will be wrapping up the last few parts of, excuse me, the search part of the investigation overnight. But we will continue to have a presence here with our command post and one of our larger vehicles for the investigative portion of this incident. We've received over 260 leads or tips that have come in and we continue to work on those with the investigators. Since we have put our the word to you about the request for information that has continued the flow of information through 88-CRIME and through the leads provided to officers that are out searching so we keep following up on those.
The FBI BAU did arrive and right now they are meeting with the commanders and lead investigators of this incident. We're giving them a very thorough briefing of ever bit of information we have so they can help us and provide some suggestions on routes that we may not have followed.
The family has still not returned to the house. We are still in contact with them, they are still cooperating with us. Those are the major developments wince last time we talked but I'll take a few questions.
Q: inaudible
A: We're police officers, we kind of reserve judgment on anything anyone tells us until we can prove it. And so we take the information then we do the best we can to verify what we're told. We make determinations on a case by case basis as to the veracity of each person's statement.
Q: Can you rule the parents out as suspects?
A: We're not ruling anybody out at this point, we're keeping a completely open mind.
Q: Do you have the numbers of officers involved at this point?
A: Well we had about 50 officers out at the landfill. We have about 20 officers here doing neighborhood searches and we'll have about that number coming in to replace them through the night. But we have dropped down dramatically from first day or so when we have about 150-200 officers. Contributions from other agencies dropped off some.
Q: Does the reduction of personnel indicate a new phase?
A: It's a transition of phases, because obviously the first part of this investigation is purely the search, the immediate search of the area trying to locate Isabel. And we will continue aspects of that. However, as time goes by and we have searched all the areas that we can think, all the areas that have been mentioned to us, then we start phasing into the investigative part if we are unsuccessful with the search part.
Q: Have you hit a wall
A: I wouldn't say that because we don't know what these leads are gonna provide us and where we're gonna go. Obviously I'm disappointed that we've haven't found her at this point, but that doesn't mean we are giving up hope and that we're not going to use all our resources that we need to try to find her and to follow up on these leads.
Q: Inaudible
A: When we get our forensic experts involved and also with the FBI and the evidence recovery team, we do take things that need forensic analysis, so yes, we do have some items that we're looking at; but right now we don't have any comment on what we're looking out or what the status of that is.
Q: What's the behavioral… protocol is there a list of where your going next?
A: Well as soon as we're done here, I'm heading over to where the briefing is occurring and I want to listen in on what's being suggested there and I'll have a better idea after that. And if it's something I can share at the next briefing which I believe will be at8:00 then we will share then. But in reality, I doubt that we'll be able to share much. I mean that doesn't make sense to have them come in and say exactly what we're going to do. There's things we'll need to follow up on.
Q: FBI Analyst numbers that are here to help you?
A: I haven't been there yet, I'm going out there next so I can't answer. We'll get that information for you.
Q: Are the chances of finding her alive with so much time having elapsed?
A: That's a common perception that as time goes on the chances lessen and there may be some validity to that but also, we have case after case where that has been disproven. We've had high profile cases in this country where an abduction has occurred and a lot of days or even months pass by and we find the individual so I'm remaining hopeful.
Q: inaudible
A: Well, an investigative process takes time. I know people are impatient, they want the story, they want the information. But we don't work on that basis. We work on the basis of following up on leads, making sure that we know what we're saying is true before we say it. We aren't going to be pushed into saying something that we can't verify. So the best response to that is we are keeping an open mind until we can absolutely say something with certainty, and then we will do so.
Q: Would it be constructive in your mind if a parent, a mother or father, some direct family were to speak?
A: You know that's their call, that's their call. We did in fact pass along that request. We're not forcing it. Since we don't know exactly the uh suspect information that's something that's really gonna be their decision when they do it, if they do it.
Q: You mentioned that neighbors that you hadn't talked to before have they been talked to?
A: We've gone back too all the sites that we haven't had contact with several times. We haven't made contact with every single one. Some of them we think are just probably vacant or empty home because of the real estate market, some of them are abandoned areas so we looked through that, but the ones that we can contact, we do. That's why we have a smaller presence here, but still a continued presence here to keep going back and try to locate those people.
Q: when will the street be opened?
A: Probably not before tomorrow at the earliest. And we'll update more as we get closer to that.
Q: Behavioral analysis unit, (inaudible)
A: That's what I'm going to go find out when I go to the briefing right now. When I requested it as I said earlier, I requested behavioral sciences unit and I was corrected and told this is an element of that: behavioral analysis. So I'm sure that their expertise is to talk about actions, and motivations of people based upon actions. But that's a laymen's interpretation on my part. I'm gonna go and find out a little bit more right after this is done.
Q: Are you still not calling this an abduction? Are you still saying...
A: We're still saying suspicious disappearance, possible abduction
Q: after all this time (inaudible)
A: We are leaving it open at this point. That's why I don't want to cut off any avenues.
Q: Are you questioning all the neighbors
A: We are continuing to go back
and re contact the houses where we have not been able to make contact. We haven't gotten 100% of that. I would place it at 90-95% of that we've done and we will continue to try and make those contacts. That's why we're keeping a smaller presence, but still a presence here. K, the next briefing will be at 8:00 tonight. Thanks again.
http://www.kvoa.com/videos/raw-tucson-police-say-search-phase-is-winding-down/
