Jul 31, 2008 8:08 am US/Eastern
Police Sort Through Lies In Search For Girl
By Colleen Long, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) ―
-
-
Clark Rockefeller with his daughter Reigh.
WBZ
-
-
Sandra Boss
edithwharton.org
A man accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter and posing as a member of the Rockefeller clan may have planted false clues that he planned to flee the country in a yacht, authorities said Wednesday.
Clark Rockefeller, 48, was last seen at Grand Central Terminal on Sunday night, hours after he was accused of snatching his daughter Reigh during a supervised visit in Boston. Authorities said at the time they believed he may have been trying to flee to Bermuda or Peru on a yacht docked on Long Island.
On Wednesday, officials said it's possible Rockefeller led people to believe he was heading for a Long Island marina in order to throw police off his trail. They aren't even sure he owns a yacht.
"We have been unable to confirm that at this time," Boston Police spokesman Eddy Chrispin said of the boat.
Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the New York Police Department, said investigators focused their search on marinas based on information obtained from witnesses, but still haven't found any trace of Rockefeller or his daughter. "They had time to get away," he said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, officials have been dealing with a flood of false leads. Investigators in New York followed up on a 911 call that the girl was seen on a bus in Brooklyn, but the tip didn't pan out.
Police near Smyrna, Del., about three hours south of New York, said they received a report that the girl and her father were seen along Route 13 on Tuesday. Investigators canvassed the area and questioned drivers at rest stops, but didn't find any sign of the two.
Chrispin said the last confirmed sighting was Sunday night at Grand Central.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts woman who told police Rockefeller paid her $500 to drive him from Boston to New York City said she had no idea anything was amiss.
Family friend Aileen Ang told WBZ-AM Wednesday that Rockefeller asked her to pick him up Sunday at the Boston Sailing Club. When she arrived, Ang said Rockefeller's daughter, Reigh, was with him.
During the ride, Ang said the girl seemed happy, telling her father she loved him.
After she dropped them off, Ang said she learned an Amber Alert had been issued and immediately called police.
Rockefeller used at least four known aliases, and a spokesman for the Rockefellers has said there is no indication the fugitive is related to the famous family.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments