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Stepfather May be Suspect in Disappearance of Wife

Aired January 31, 2003 - 10:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the case of the 3-year-old boy who was abandoned at that department store in Utah. the child's stepfather, Lyle Montgomery, is charged with child abuse after allegedly leaving a little boy in the store, and now authorities are looking into whether Montgomery was involved in the disappearance of the mother.
Our Thelma Guttierez joins us now. She is in Reno, Nevada with more on the story.

Thelma, good morning.

THELMA GUTTIEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Police here say that this trouble -- this couple had a very troubled past, a past filled with domestic violence. Now the search has focused on Janette Corpus (ph), 28 years old. She hasn't been seen since January 13th. Police fear that she may have met with foul play, all of this after searching their apartment, the home they had shared together with her husband.

Now, all day yesterday, police searched Montgomery's storage lockers in Reno, removing several items, but wouldn't say what they found. Forty-two-year old Lyle Montgomery is a licensed pharmacist. He was led away from his home in Reno by authorities on Wednesday for questioning.

Now Montgomery became the focus of a national manhunt after he was allegedly seen abandoning his 3-year-old stepson, Jacob Corpus (ph), at a department store in Salt Lake City. The boy's mother, Janette Corpus (ph) has not been seen since January 13th. Police say they're now very concerned, because the couple had a history of domestic violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JERRY HOOVER, RENO POLICE: Evidence that we have discovered during the search warrant, and again, I can't discuss what that evidence is, but it would certainly lead to us believe there was foul play.

MARC PICKER, MONTGOMERY ATTY.: I don't know what's happened to Mrs. Montgomery, and I don't think the Reno police department knows what happened to Mrs. Montgomery. She certainly has a history much disappearing, not telling anybody, and then reappearing. I think it's very premature for the police department to make a claim that they're treating the case as a homicide, when they really have no evidence to support that kind of conclusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTTIEREZ: Now, Reno police have said that Jeanette Corpus (ph) occasionally takes off, goes out of town, but she rarely, and to their knowledge, has never done it without taking along her son, her 3-year- old son, Jacob.

Lyle Montgomery right now is in a psychiatric hospital here in Reno. He was involuntarily committed after his attorney said that he took a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol on Wednesday.

And as for the child, he remains in Salt Lake City, in the custody of a foster family. Authorities say that he may be turned over to his biological father, who lives in California.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: All right, Thelma in Reno, Nevada, Thelma Guttierez, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 31, 2003 - 10:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the case of the 3-year-old boy who was abandoned at that department store in Utah. the child's stepfather, Lyle Montgomery, is charged with child abuse after allegedly leaving a little boy in the store, and now authorities are looking into whether Montgomery was involved in the disappearance of the mother.
Our Thelma Guttierez joins us now. She is in Reno, Nevada with more on the story.

Thelma, good morning.

THELMA GUTTIEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Police here say that this trouble -- this couple had a very troubled past, a past filled with domestic violence. Now the search has focused on Janette Corpus (ph), 28 years old. She hasn't been seen since January 13th. Police fear that she may have met with foul play, all of this after searching their apartment, the home they had shared together with her husband.

Now, all day yesterday, police searched Montgomery's storage lockers in Reno, removing several items, but wouldn't say what they found. Forty-two-year old Lyle Montgomery is a licensed pharmacist. He was led away from his home in Reno by authorities on Wednesday for questioning.

Now Montgomery became the focus of a national manhunt after he was allegedly seen abandoning his 3-year-old stepson, Jacob Corpus (ph), at a department store in Salt Lake City. The boy's mother, Janette Corpus (ph) has not been seen since January 13th. Police say they're now very concerned, because the couple had a history of domestic violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JERRY HOOVER, RENO POLICE: Evidence that we have discovered during the search warrant, and again, I can't discuss what that evidence is, but it would certainly lead to us believe there was foul play.

MARC PICKER, MONTGOMERY ATTY.: I don't know what's happened to Mrs. Montgomery, and I don't think the Reno police department knows what happened to Mrs. Montgomery. She certainly has a history much disappearing, not telling anybody, and then reappearing. I think it's very premature for the police department to make a claim that they're treating the case as a homicide, when they really have no evidence to support that kind of conclusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTTIEREZ: Now, Reno police have said that Jeanette Corpus (ph) occasionally takes off, goes out of town, but she rarely, and to their knowledge, has never done it without taking along her son, her 3-year- old son, Jacob.

Lyle Montgomery right now is in a psychiatric hospital here in Reno. He was involuntarily committed after his attorney said that he took a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol on Wednesday.

And as for the child, he remains in Salt Lake City, in the custody of a foster family. Authorities say that he may be turned over to his biological father, who lives in California.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: All right, Thelma in Reno, Nevada, Thelma Guttierez, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com