New Developments in the Search for Elizabeth Smart

This is a partial transcript from The O'Reilly Factor, June 12, 2002. Click here to order the complete transcript.

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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the Factor Follow-Up segment tonight, last night on The Factor, child activist Marc Klaas told us that Tom Smart, the uncle of kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart, was opposed to forensic artist Jean Boylan interviewing Elizabeth's sister, 9-year-old Mary Catherine. Miss Boylan has volunteered to make a sketch of the man the little girl saw kidnap her sister.

Today police say they want to talk with a man named Bret Michael Edmunds in connection with this case.

And joining us now from Salt Lake City with an update is Marc Klaas, the director of the KlaasKids Foundation.

This is a very strange case now that we're getting into. Do you think there's anything to this Edmunds deal today?

MARC KLAAS, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: No, sir, there's nothing to that at all. This is a — the police have taken an opportunity at the press conference today to tie up a small end in this case. This was something that was outstanding, it was something that had to be followed up on. And it really has nothing relevant to do with the kidnapping. And I think that's proven by — simply by the fact that they put this out in the press before they showed it to any members of the family.

So there didn't seem to be much of a concern at all that this guy was relevant to the case.

O'REILLY: All right. Do the police still feel it's somebody that knew Elizabeth and knew the family that did this?

KLAAS: Well, the police have offered no new insight into the case at all today, so one has to assume that they're moving in the same direction they were yesterday. They haven't shifted gears at all.

O'REILLY: All right. Now, there's been a little split in the family. Elizabeth is 14 years old, and her father, Edward Smart, contacted you and Jean Boylan, who you very much want to get involved in this case, and apparently left some...

KLAAS: That's correct.

O'REILLY: ... answering machine messages on Miss Boylan's tape?

KLAAS: Well, we had been calling Jeanie's home, where she's not staying right now, as opposed to her cell phone. And between Edward and I, we initiated several phone calls. But finally, after I left Monday morning, Edward made his own plea to Miss Boylan to please contact him immediately so that they could start the process of getting out —her up here to talk to the little sister.

When we finally did get the two of them together yesterday morning, and this was something that I facilitated, instead of talking to Edward, she ended up talking to Tom, and he said, Absolutely, we do not want you in this case, please do not come up here, it will be of no use whatsoever.

O'REILLY: This is very...

KLAAS: And I — I'm...

O'REILLY: ... and we have Tom Smart is, is the uncle of the kidnapped girl and the brother of Edward Smart, the father.

Now, this is — isn't this very strange, that the father would want Miss Boylan to do the profile, she's a very internationally known woman, she comes in, she interviews the little 9-year-old who witnessed this crime, she puts together a sketch that you can send out to everybody in the world, yet the uncle, Tom Smart, doesn't want it to happen. Isn't this very, very strange?

KLAAS: Well, sir, I think it's very strange that anybody besides the parents would be making these kinds of decisions. They're perfectly capable of doing it. I've spoken to them myself on more than one occasion. They very much want to get this woman in. And you have to remember, this is a lady that was able to absolutely nail almost a photographic image of Ted Kaczynski using a 15-year-old impression that lasted only 10 seconds. She was able to do the same thing in Polly's case and in many other cases.

So, you know, this is not a shot in the dark. This is somebody that's got great talent and great ability and could certainly bring some kind of closure or at least some very important new evidence to this case because that little girl did see something that night.

O'REILLY: All right. So why is this happening? Do you have any idea at all?

KLAAS: Well, the Smart family has been keeping under close cover today, and they have not made themselves available to the press. So Tom has made no statement nor has anybody else as to why this is occurring. So really, we're almost where we were yesterday, and certainly Jeanie Boylan has not been contacted by the family. She's no closer to being here...

O'REILLY: This is so strange...

KLAAS: ... today than she was yesterday.

O'REILLY: This is so strange...

KLAAS: It's a puzzlement, yes, sir.

O'REILLY: ... this is so, so disturbing and strange. And you had some words yourself with the uncle, right, Tom Smart, you guys had an argument. Tell us about that.

KLAAS: Well, well, that occurred early on, and it was shortly after Edward had had his collapse. I had hoped to be able to come up here. It had been arranged that I'd be able to have a meeting with Edward and Lois to share the benefit of my experience. I mean, that's one of the things Fox was trying to bring to the table here.

Tom collapsed. The next day we were having a — I'm sorry, Edward had collapsed, the father had collapsed. The next day we were having increasing difficulty getting any kind of access with the family. And then all of a sudden it turned out they were going to be giving an interview to somebody else. I called, I said, Why is this occurring? Why isn't this a good time for me to talk to him? And it just fell apart from there. He accused me of hostility, he accused me of trying to get into the hospital behind his back, things that never really happened.

O'REILLY: This is Tom Smart doing this.

KLAAS: And he basically — this was Tom Smart doing this...

O'REILLY: Right.

KLAAS: ... he hung up on me. But we were able to secure that meeting later in the day by going through other family members.

O'REILLY: All right. So just to review, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we're not connecting any dots here to anybody, and we're not accusing anybody of anything.

KLAAS: No, sir, we're not.

O'REILLY: All right?

KLAAS: No, sir, we're not.

O'REILLY: But it's strange. We got an uncle, Tom Smart...

KLAAS: Yes.

O'REILLY: ... who doesn't want you to come on the scene, Mr. Klaas, and he doesn't want...

KLAAS: Right.

O'REILLY: ... this profiler to interview the little girl so she can draw up a sketch of the kidnapper.

KLAAS: Correct.

O'REILLY: There's no explanation on why he doesn't, but he seems to have control over the situation as the Smart family has receded. And Miss Boylan, where is she now?

KLAAS: She's still at her home, sir. And Miss Boylan -- between us, Miss Boylan and I have worked separately and as a team for close to a decade now. We have decades of experience behind us...

O'REILLY: No, we know that. I mean, the credibility...

KLAAS: ... we can bring things — she can, she can...

O'REILLY: ... of you both is unimpeachable.

KLAAS: ... she can, she can -- She can certainly bring incredible things to this case...

O'REILLY: Sure. I mean, if she got the Unabomber...

KLAAS: ... and she's...

O'REILLY: ... sketch, I mean that was one of the biggest cases in...

KLAAS: That's right.

O'REILLY: ... in U.S. history.

Mr. Klaas, please keep us posted.

KLAAS: Yes, sir.

O'REILLY: You're in Salt Lake City now. Let us know if anything happens.

KLAAS: Yes, sir.

O'REILLY: And we appreciate your time very much.

KLAAS: Very good, thank you.

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