SAN DIEGO -- A lie-detector specialist who interviewed a man accused of kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was convinced that the defendant was "deceptive," court documents show.

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The interview occurred two days after the girl was reported missing from her home. After an exhaustive search involving hundreds of volunteers, Danielle's body was found along a rural road more than three weeks later.

Paul Redden, who conducted the interview, was "convinced the defendant was deceptive when he stated he was not in any way responsible for Danielle's disappearance," according to court documents filed Thursday by prosecutors.

It was unclear whether a polygraph test was actually administered because many of the key details in the documents have been blacked out.

David Westerfield, 50, who lives near the van Dam family, has pleaded innocent to kidnapping, murder and child-pornography charges. His trial is scheduled for May 17.

Court documents show that Westerfield signed a consent form before he was interviewed and the conversation was recorded. Within hours of the interview, police obtained a warrant to search Westerfield's home more thoroughly than they had in a prior visit.

Police have said that DNA evidence links Westerfield to the crime, but have not publicly confirmed that he underwent a lie-detector test. Those tests are not admissible in court, but police often use them to pressure or rule out suspects.