Tracking Jack the Snipper

This is a partial transcript from On the Record with Greta Van Susteren,  August 11, 2003. Click here to order the entire transcript of the show.

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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Now to New Hampshire where women around one college campus are waking up to a big surprise. The clothes they were wearing when they went to sleep are missing. And tonight, some are calling the perp Jack the Snipper (search).

Durham Police Chief Dave Kurz joins us on the phone with details.

Welcome, Chief.

CHIEF DAVE KURZ, DURHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT: Thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN: Chief, is this a hoax? Is this really happening?

KURZ: Well, it's certainly really happening, and I wish it was as simple as a hoax, but, frankly, the Durham and UNH community is facing a challenge with trying to solve these events, and we're taking it very seriously in proceeding that way.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. When you say events, how many events have you investigated where women at least complain about having their clothes snipped off or attempted to remove?

KURZ: Right. We have six instances with eight different victims.

VAN SUSTEREN: And what do they describe, or is it different each time?

KURZ: Well, there are some similarities, and, obviously, the difficulty in doing a viable investigation is somehow balancing the public's need to know and our obligation to inform them with the attempt to do a viable investigation, and that means keeping some things obviously close to the vest.

That being said, there are some similarities that we can discuss. One is that all of the apartments that this person has entered are off campus, they are not on UNH property, they're private residences that are typically rented to students. All of the doors have been unlocked. It has occurred between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. And there has been an attempt -- and sometimes successful -- to disrobe some of the women.

VAN SUSTEREN: And when the women were disrobed successfully, any attempt to sexually assault them, or is this some sort of weirdo that does whatever he does and leaves?

KURZ: Well, I think that goes without say period, but, right now, we're not encountering any violence from any of the women and that we're grateful for, but, nevertheless, it's certainly disconcerting.

You know, a lot of women I have spoken to in this investigation are certainly distressed, as they should be, which is why we're focusing a lot of resources on just solving this situation.

VAN SUSTEREN: Chief, I don't know. I mean I just keep going back to my first question in my mind. But any chance these women know each other and have sort of cooked up this story and sort of, you know, a hoax?

KURZ: I'll leave that to others to worry about the conspiracy theories, but we're not proceeding in that fashion. We don't believe that's the case.

Again, there are similarities that we're not going to discuss. Certainly, you know, those are some of the things we've already looked at and pretty much excluded.

VAN SUSTEREN: Chief, I assume that whoever is entering the house is leaving calling cards like hair, fingerprints, fiber, I mean at least should be. Are you collecting any forensic evidence that's helping you?

KURZ: Well, we're certainly doing thorough investigations. We've formed a task force with local communities, including the state police and our neighbors and certainly UNH. We're, we believe, doing everything we possibly can do.

That being said, there's always more that we want to consider, which is one of the reasons for the task force. It allows us to have the ability to think out of the box a little bit.

You know, clearly, it's a frightening thing to our community, and we certainly want to step up to the plate and resolve it.

VAN SUSTEREN: And, indeed, it is, if you're sleeping 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and something like that happens. Terrifying.

Chief, good luck in your investigation. Thank you for joining us. We put the phone number up to help you out on your investigation, if anyone knows anything.

Thanks, Chief.

KURZ: All right. Thanks very much.

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