Press Conference With Sheriff Jeff Dawsy
SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: ... standing with me, and understanding that there were some things that I had to take care of before I came out here. This will be a very short news conference. I will take some -- some questions. It will not be filled with a lot of facts and information because I don't have a whole lot. But you've asked if my investigation will ever take a specific turn. Ladies and gentlemen, it did take a specific turn. John Couey is now the point of investigation. John Couey today -- as you well know, yesterday, as you very well know, he was interviewed by my investigators throughout the day. The FBI sent their polygrapher up there that did the polygraphs on the family members. John Couey was polygraphed today, and at the end of the polygraph, he says, "You don't need to tell me the results. I already know what they are. Could I have the investigators come back in?" And the investigators came back in. He apologized to the investigators for wasting their time. And I'm now going to use the word that you probably waited for me to use. John Couey admitted to abducting Jessica and subsequently taking her life. I really don't have a whole lot of information for you besides that. If anybody has any questions, I will be leaving here to go to the family. As you all are very well aware, that my security has enhanced around the residence, and it will remain there. My PIOs and you have worked very well together. I ask that you understand this is a very tough time not only for me, it's a very tough time for the family. My PIOs will be in contact with them, and we will try to be in contact with you and orchestrate whatever we can to facilitate. With that, again, I'm going to answer a few questions. I do want to try to stay halfway composed for you.</s>DAWSY: He's told us a general area.</s>QUESTION: Any luck in finding her</s>DAWSY: This will take hours.</s>QUESTION: The search is under way now?</s>DAWSY: Pretty much so.</s>QUESTION: How long</s>DAWSY: Oh, I don't know that yet.</s>QUESTION: When are you expecting, though</s>DAWSY: Well, remember, this is breaking news. And I wish I could give you all the figures. We are in the process of talking with our state attorney here. He's not going anywhere up there. He's on a no-bond, and we will bring him back once we do everything correct. And, you know, we've talked about building a case. And this is not a time to sing anybody's praises, but I will tell you that we have built a case, a very methodical case, and I've got my man.</s>QUESTION: Sheriff, is there any negotiating</s>DAWSY: I have not be made aware of -- that would have to be cleared through me, and that didn't get cleared through me.</s>QUESTION: Did he give you a timeline of when he abducted Jessica, how long he held her, what he did? I mean, did he...</s>DAWSY: No.</s>QUESTION: ... sort of lay out...</s>DAWSY: He's probably doing that as we speak, but again, it's very early. And as the night goes on, I'll be very -- I'll be made aware of what happens. Yes, sir?</s>QUESTION: Did he give you an idea of how he got in? No sign...</s>DAWSY: I can't go through that right now. We are now are in a major criminal case, and I'm going to shut down some of the information, understandably so, on the criminal end until I can approach the state attorney's office with all facts and figures.</s>QUESTION: Sheriff, have you been in touch with...</s>QUESTION: What brought to this change of heart...</s>DAWSY: I don't know, I wasn't up there. I'm just telling you, my investigators, after he finished with the polygrapher, he turned to him and said, "Bring the investigators in," and started to confess.</s>QUESTION: Sheriff, can you tell me, have you talked to Mark Lunsford and what his reaction might have been?</s>DAWSY: That was the reason why it took me so long to come out here. We were locating Mark and subsequently calling Jessica's mom to let them know -- at the same time, and then to come out and brief you. And that's what took us a little bit longer.</s>QUESTION: What was that conversation like, sir?</s>DAWSY: I don't know. I mean, I just was told by my -- one of my commanders that the information has been relayed. And then I knew you guys were on a timeline and I wanted to come out to you guys.</s>QUESTION: About what time was the confession?</s>DAWSY: Again, that's the criminal end of it. As soon as I get verification, I will get back to you. I don't have -- again, let me explain. I don't have a whole lot of data. I wanted to come out and let you to hear it from me. Thank you.</s>QUESTION: Sheriff, what was his demeanor when he confessed?</s>DAWSY: Again, I wasn't there. I mean, it must have been fairly -- I'm searching for the word. I apologize. I'm a little brain fade right now. I guess it was cordial. You know, I don't think, you know, we had to hold him down or anything. He asked for them to come in.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One last question.</s>DAWSY: One last question.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One last question.</s>QUESTION: Are there any other cases in Citrus County now that you think we may need to re-look at John Couey because there are things that we hadn't investigated before?</s>DAWSY: We're going to look. We -- he had talked to us quite a while. We're going to look at a lot of things, but nothing of any major magnitude. And, you know, that's really the only questions -- I'm stumbling right now, and I apologize. I'm not...</s>QUESTION: Details (</s>OFF-MIKE) DAWSY: No, again, I apologize. I'm going to the residence. You will see me there, and I imagine I will see you there also.</s>QUESTION: But no other, like, sexual molestation cases that hadn't been...</s>DAWSY: Not that I'm aware of, OK.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Timeline for media, we're working on getting some -- putting some facts and timelines together for you.</s>PILGRIM: A very different statement from Jeff Dawsy, who has said, I've got my man. John Evander Couey admitted to abducting Jessica Lunsford and admitted to taking her life. We now go to Sara Dorsey, who is on the scene -- Sara.</s>SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kitty, a very tragic ending to this week search for missing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Just moments ago, in fact, I'll have the photographer pan over. This is the granddaughter, we are told, of Ruth and Archie Lunsford, which would make her Mark's niece, I believe. She's just hearing the news standing around with media members that John Couey did in fact admit to abducting and subsequently killing Jessica Lunsford. Now, from here, as you can see, this area is crawling with sheriff's officials. The sheriff himself says he's heading over to this home. This area is blocked off. And we are told that now the search will go on to try to locate the body of Jessica Lunsford. Apparently John Couey told investigators a general area to look. We see that the area that is really blocked off the most is that behind the home that John Couey was staying in. And Kitty, again to give you some background, just a few nights ago, the sheriff came out naming John Couey as a person of interest. And the reason why they did that is he was a sex offender -- a convicted sex offender. And when this case first started, the sheriff, of course, starts looking at the family and then goes out. They looked at sex offenders in this general area. John Couey, did not fall into that category, but once those sex offenders where are where they were supposed to be, they went to the whole entire county. That's when John Couey's name came up, because he was not staying in the home he was registered in. When police started -- sheriff's officials started digging, they found out Couey had been staying in a trailer just really across the street from where Jessica Lunsford disappeared from. As investigators started digging the family member that Couey was living with lied to them about him staying there. They later learned, of course, that they had been lied to, and came back, and got more information. They also learned that Couey left town, telling people that investigators would be looking for him. He left on a bus ticket that was in someone else's name, not his own, and fled to the Savannah area. He was picked up by authorities there, but they didn't have jurisdiction to hold him under the warrant that was out, because he was not a suspect in this case, so they didn't have a particular warrant relating to the Jessica Lunsford case to hold him on. He was let go in Savannah, eventually they did find hem in Augusta, they have questioned him. And again, we just found out minutes ago in that press conference, he has admitted to kidnapping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: All right, thank you very much, Sara Dorsey has been following this story for us in Citrus County, Florida. And we'll be right back in a moment. Stay with us.