Officials defend pace of Oregon investigation

Oregon City Police Chief Gordon Huiras, left, and FBI Special Agent Charles Mathews

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(CNN) -- Authorities have confirmed that a second set of remains found behind the Oregon City house of Ward Weaver are those of Ashley Pond, a 12-year-old girl who had been missing since January.

The remains of Ashley's friend, Miranda Gaddis, 13, also were discovered over the weekend at Weaver's rental home. Weaver -- the girls' neighbor whom police have called their lead suspect -- is in jail on an unrelated rape charge. He has denied involvement in the girls' disappearance.

Oregon City Police Chief Gordon Huiras and FBI Special Agent Charles Mathews said Tuesday that they have concluded the search of Weaver's home and discussed developments in the case with CNN's Bill Hemmer.

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HEMMER: Chief Huiras, if we go back several months, Ashley Pond had accused Ward Weaver apparently of molestation. Also a few things continued to linger in Oregon City -- Ward Weaver saying he was a suspect and a report that he failed a lie detector test. If [those were] indeed true, what was holding investigators back?

HUIRAS: Well, there are certain legal standards that need to be met before we were able to obtain a search warrant to do the search that we did this weekend, and that information became available to us and that search warrant was obtained just as soon as we could.

HEMMER: What about the ex-wife [Kristi Sloan], when she accused her former husband of pouring a concrete slab in his back yard in the middle of the night for a hot tub that was never installed? Things like this -- people are looking at [them]. I know your office is taking a lot of heat right now. But did not some red flags go up in the air when you heard things like this?

HUIRAS: Well, certainly we were aware of the concrete slab and of the information. But like I said, there are certain standards to the law [that are required] ... before we can conduct a search, and as soon as we got that -- met that standard, we applied and obtained a search warrant.

HEMMER: Chief, were you worried about making a mistake in such a high-profile matter?

HUIRAS: Well, that certainly was not the reason that affected any timeliness on this. But you're always working to make sure that you do everything correctly and meet the legal standards, so that you have a successful prosecution at the end, if that's where it's going.

HEMMER: Had Ward Weaver not granted permission this past weekend to take a look around his property, would investigators have gotten inside there?

HUIRAS: In addition to his consent, we had a search warrant signed by a circuit court judge in this county that also gave us the authority to enter the property.

HEMMER: How did you get that warrant then on Friday when you had not had it prior to that day?

HUIRAS: Well, that was the time that all of that information came together. We, at that point, in consultation with legal counsel, decided that we had gained enough probable cause that a judge would issue a search warrant.

HEMMER: Can you tell us what changed though at that point?

HUIRAS: Well, I can't reveal any of the investigative information, but that's when the last piece of information became available to us that allowed us to make the affidavit for that warrant.

HEMMER: Agent Mathews, I'd like to direct this next question to you, sir. And I know investigators are still on the property, still in the back yard, still possibly even inside the home. Is there a possibility, a chance that there may be more victims?

MATHEWS: Well, actually not on this property. The search of the property concluded late [Monday] night, and we're confident that we have obtained the evidence that's there and in a format suitable to assist the prosecution.

HEMMER: So investigators, they've left the property then, the home and the back yard included, right?

MATHEWS: That's correct.

HEMMER: Is there a working theory right now as to how these girls were killed?

MATHEWS: Actually, the official cause of death has not been determined or released, pending certain laboratory observations that have to be made, and that will take a period of time to make.

HEMMER: Are you pursuing murder charges right now against Ward Weaver?

MATHEWS: Well, these are state charges, and the Clackamas County district attorney announced [Monday] that he will be seeking to indict Mr. Weaver in connection with the two homicides.

HEMMER: How bad was the scene there?

MATHEWS: Well, I don't want to characterize it, but we were -- we have -- the crime scene technicians did find two sets of remains. One had been buried in a drum located underneath a cement pad. Another set had been discovered in a shed toward the rear of the property. It does not appear that those remains had been in that location actually since the time of the disappearance though.

HEMMER: Chief Huiras ... do you anticipate an indictment for murder coming down [Tuesday] possibly or when?

HUIRAS: No, it'll likely be a little bit of time yet. There's a great deal of evidence processing yet to do. The evidence that we seized this past weekend is being taken to the labs this week and will be analyzed, and it will not be [Tuesday].

HEMMER: Do you anticipate Ward Weaver being charged with murder, sir?

HUIRAS: That's my anticipation.