Missing Ore. Girl Said Neighbor Abused Her

July 10, 2002 -- One of the two Oregon City, Ore., girls who have been missing for months accused a neighbor of sexually molesting her last summer, but the girl's mother said she never took the girl to a doctor to determine whether the incident really occurred.

Ashley Pond, one of two 13-year-old girls who disappeared from the same Oregon City apartment complex earlier this year, had accused Ward Weaver, 39, of abusing her on a trip she took to California with him and his daughter last summer. Weaver has denied the claims.

Lori Pond, Ashley's mother, told ABC afffiliate KATU in Portland, Ore., that her daughter had come to her with the allegations, but admitted she did nothing to try to either prove or disprove the accusation.

"Nothing came of it, but I was there for her and I told her I'd be there if she needed to talk about it," Pond said.

However, she said she stopped letting Ashley go to the Weaver home.

Weaver said he believes he is the FBI's prime suspect in the case, and said that Pond's accusation that he molested her might have contributed to investigators' focus on him.

"The biggest problems between those two was the fact that Lori drank so much and so often, that's what their fights were about," Weaver said Tuesday on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.

Pond, who has kept a low profile in the media even though advocates for families of missing children recommend keeping the story in the news, was charged with driving under the influence four years ago, but the charges were dropped after she completed a required class.

"I don't claim to be a perfect person, I've made my mistakes, but I love my daughter and there's no way in this world I would do anything to hurt my daughter," Pond told KATU.

Pond said Weaver was making accusations about her in retaliation for her daughter's accusations against him.

‘I Pray a Lot’

In the interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday and an earlier interview with KATU, Weaver painted a portrait of Ashley as a girl so troubled by her mother's drinking that she ran away at least five times in the last five years.

He said that she periodically stayed with his family in their home near the Newell Creek Apartments, where 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis, who disappeared two months after Ashley, also lived.

The girl lived with his family for five months straight last year, Weaver said on Good Morning America.

"The problem is her mother dumped her on the doorstep, said 'Here, I don't want her,' told me to keep her," Weaver said.

Lori Pond told KATU that Weaver's account of her relationship with her daughter is a lie, and said her daughter never ran away from home.

"I pray a lot, I pray for the strength to get through this day. I just want Ashley home, and I don't want her to be hurt, and I feel this is hurtful towards my daughter and it hurts me," said Pond.

Missing Since January

Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis were last seen early in the morning before they left for school, and investigators have said that they believe the same person or persons are likely responsible for both disappearances.

Ashley Pond disappeared on Jan. 9, and was last seen by her mother as she left for school. Miranda Gaddis vanished two months later, and like her friend, Gaddis was last seen in the morning before school.

There have been no ransom demands for either girl, and investigators have not speculated on a possible motive if the girls were kidnapped — though police have said they believe both were abducted.

The FBI has set up a hotline for anyone who thinks they have information in the case: 1-800-822-0962.