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American Morning

Runaway Bride Could be Charged With a Crime; Rescued at Sea

Aired May 02, 2005 - 07:00   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A runaway bride could be charged with a crime today. It all depends upon how much planning went into her escape from the altar.
Two boys safe in a hospital now. Their prayers answered after a fishing trip turns into six days lost at sea.

Four car bombs explode within three hours in Iraq. A deadly wave of terrorism escalates, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Hope you had a good weekend.

Here's the headline in "The New York Post" today: "Cold Feet, Hot Water."

O'BRIEN: Well, that sums it up.

HEMMER: I would say. We'll see how hot the water is today as we go throughout our show.

Good to have you along with us today. Also, expect some strong words from the U.S. today about the aggressive moves coming from North Korea and Iran; 190 nations start talking about the state of the world's nuclear arsenal. That's at the U.N. this today, and we'll talk about it this morning as well.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, remember those treasure hunters? Now we're calling them the so-called treasure hunters. Well, before they could enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, the story kind of came crashing down around them. Well the real treasure might actually be in the talents of a local newspaper in Massachusetts. We're going to have the story of how the story of how they broke the story.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

We're going to let the viewers decide what they think ought to happen to this runaway mutant that caused everybody all these problems for the last week or so. CNN should send this woman a bill. We spent the better part of three or four days last week wringing our hands over what might have happened to her, time we could have spent on the Michael Jackson trial. So I think she owes us some money, and we ought to get a cashier's check here in a day or two.

HEMMER: Pay up. Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: Well, deadly insurgent violence this morning to talk about in Iraq. It leads our stories this morning.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad. He's got the very latest from there.

Ryan, good morning.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

A violent beginning to the week here. Four car bombs already going off in the Iraqi capital this morning. The first two of them coming about five hours ago, at 10:00 in the morning in separate locations. One of those very lethal going off in southern Baghdad, outside of a privately owned building just next to a marketplace, not clear who is being targeted there. We, however, know that nine Iraqi civilians were killed in that attack, another 12 wounded.

And then just within minutes of that attack, an unsuccessful assassination attempt on a high-ranking member of Iraq's security forces. Then, about two hours later, two more attacks, again in separate incidents. Both of them going after Iraqi security forces. All in all, 11 killed this morning, 29 wounded in the Iraqi capital -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Terrible news to report. Ryan Chilcote for us this morning. Ryan, thanks.

HEMMER: Back in this country now to the bride who ran away. So far, no criminal charges pending against the 32-year-old. That is Jennifer Wilbanks, back home in Georgia now. But the D.A. is now saying she may be held criminally responsible. She turned up late Friday night. Charles Molineaux, on a Monday morning, live back in Duluth.

Good morning, Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

And let me tell you, even with a story about a bogus kidnapping thrown in, that D.A. says he is willing to be understanding and cut a little slack for a woman who may have freaked out and skipped town at the last minute on the spur of the moment just before her big wedding.

On the other hand, he says, if this was a deliberate deceptive plan, he's not likely to be as forgiving. And, well, today his office is going to start its investigation into Jennifer Wilbanks' big adventure, an adventure that is looking more complicated all the time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MOLINEAUX (voice-over): At about the same time Jennifer Wilbanks had been scheduled to walk up the aisle, she was hustling through an airport, halfway across the country, covered in a blanket instead of a veil. Her disappearance Tuesday triggered a desperate search by police and volunteers in her hometown of Duluth, Georgia. Early Saturday, Wilbanks' family and her anxious fiance, John Mason, cheered at the news she had turned up safe with an incredible story.

From this Albuquerque 7-11, she called 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER WILBANKS: I was kidnapped earlier this week, and I'm here now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: Within hours, celebration turned into shock when police announced she made the kidnapping up, and had taken off to Las Vegas, and then Albuquerque by bus.

CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT.: Agents and detectives learned that Miss Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she needed some time alone.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It's been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of.

MOLINEAUX: Wilbanks mortified family lapsed into silence. Some neighbors were furious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family, and to the city of Duluth.

MOLINEAUX: And a source who has been briefed on the investigation tells CNN this may have been planned, that Wilbanks bought her bus ticket several days in advance, prearranged transportation to the bus station, and cut her hair to avoid being recognized. On Sunday, the congregation at the couple's church prayed for them.

JEB MANGUM, PARISHIONER: Obviously, she was going through a lot of things that none of us knew about, and there's a lot of people around her, and nobody saw that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy she's doing OK, and the family can work out what they need to and it will be all right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MOLINEAUX: And there's a lot less understanding, however, elsewhere in the community, that spent an awful lot of energy, effort and no small amount of money trying to find Jennifer when it was thought that she had disappeared. Cold feet, yes, a different take on that one, but we're looking at a community not real happy with this young woman -- Bill, Soledad.

HEMMER: Yes, we were all stunned on Saturday morning.

Charles, thanks for that.

Also, Shirley Fanning-Lasseter is the mayor in Duluth, Georgia. That's where Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance both live. The mayor now my guest in Duluth, Georgia.

Madam mayor, good morning to you, and thank you for your time.

MYR. SHIRLEY FANNING-LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: Good morning to you, too.

HEMMER: Is there a crime here?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, we're checking into that. We don't -- we're actually checking into that today. I know the D.A.'s office is checking into it, and the counsel, and myself and the chief of police are looking at any civil legal repercussions that we may have.

HEMMER: What could those be then, Madam Mayor?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I don't know at this point. We have our attorney checking into it, to see if we have -- can recoup anything in this, as far as fees or anything that were expended during the four- day hunt.

HEMMER: Do you know of anyone else who might have been involved in this?

FANNING-LASSETER: No, I do not know firsthand information of anyone else that was involved in it.

HEMMER: You are telling people over the weekend and people are telling you, there needs to be action and response to the reaction. What does that mean?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I think when we all do wrong, that we must be punished for that in some way. I think that's from the child up to adulthood and seniorhood.

But I think for this action, there needs to be some type of reaction. And there needs to be some type of retribution that she should fill to give back to the community for what she has put them through for these many days.

HEMMER: What do you think is appropriate, then?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I think all the facts have to be studied before we can come up with actually what is appropriate, because we have to see what is actually legal, what her problems were that she left here, and I think all of that goes into the mix of this in coming up with a solution to it.

HEMMER: You were part of the search team last week. At any point did you think she was alive and was just a runaway, or did you think the worst?

FANNING-LASSETER: Oh, no. I thought the worst from the first two days. When you don't find somebody in so many hours, then you just pretty much assume that they're not alive.

HEMMER: In the end, she is alive, and now we'll wait for the next shoe to drop down there. We'll perhaps get a press conference from police later today.

Mayor, thanks for your time. Shirley Fanning-Lasseter is in Duluth, Georgia with us this morning.

Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, Josh Long and Troy Driscoll are best friends who have just survived an ordeal they'll never forget. This weekend, they were rescued after surviving for almost a week in shark-infested waters with no food and no fresh water. They set off in the 14-foot Sunfish sailboat two Sundays ago off the coast of South Carolina. They were soon swept out to sea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Josh Long joins us from Charleston this morning, along with his father, Eddie, and also Troy's father, Tony Driscoll.

Nice to see you, all three of you. Thanks for talking with us.

First, give me a Sense, josh, of how you and Troy are doing. I know you got severely sunburned, very dehydrated as well. But overall, what's your prognosis?

JOSH LONG, RESCUED AT SEA: We're doing better. I mean, I'm pretty much healed, just a lot of burns, and cuts and bruises. Troy got worse than I did. He got a lot worse burns, and he's doing better. He's not -- trying to stay off his feet and rest for a while. But all in all, we're doing real good, recovering fast.

O'BRIEN: April 24th when is you set off in the 14-foot Sunfish. When did you realize, Josh, that things were going very wrong?

LONG: It was right after we got -- like, we were trying to get to the sandbar, and when we were going out, we got caught in the riptide, and it took us right around it. And as soon as I got in it, I knew we were in trouble.

O'BRIEN: Six days where you were in this small boat. Give me a sense of what was happening over those six days. How did you get water? What did you eat?

LONG: Well, really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these jelly balls that we catch with my hat. We just scoop them up out of the water. The only thing we could do with the water was gargle saltwater and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. So that's all we had. O'BRIEN: Josh, I read you had a number of close calls, one with another ship that didn't really see you, and also, tell me about the sharks that were in the water as well.

LONG: Well, I mean, there's always sharks everywhere. I mean, my dad always told me that they're not going to bother you very much; they're just curious. But we'd be swimming around and they'd come up and start heading your way, and that's when we'd got out of there. You could sit on the boat and they'd start swimming toward the boat, and they're everywhere. Every time you turn around and get in the water, there's one coming.

O'BRIEN: You seem very calm now. I mean, you seem really, really calm now. But give me a sense of how desperate you were out on that little boat three, four, five, six days into it. What was going through your mind?

LONG: Everything that would go through my mind was always going back to my family. How is my family reacting? I knew my mom, my dad, uncle Tony and everything, they were all worried. I never thought that search would have been that massive, ever.

But it just, what kept me calm is God, I prayed every hour. We'd just pray and pray, and we kind of realized, we said, well, if we don't make it, we know where we're going; and if we make it, I just want to go back to my family. So we just kept praying every day about that.

O'BRIEN: Well, dads, Eddie and Tony, if I may ask you, obviously, you're very grateful to have both your sons alive and well. Give me a sense how you guys are doing this morning.

EDDIE LONG, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: Well, we certainly feel like we have experienced a miracle. We just feel like that all -- most of the authorities were turning it from a rescue to a recovery, and we were leading us up to believe that our children were going to -- and their bodies were going to come afloat anytime. And -- but we knew there was room in there for a miracle. So we -- the people who prayed and the people who participated, we thought it was tremendous, but we realized it wasn't by any men's effort, that all the money, and all the technology and all the things that were done, it were fishermen that brought them off of the ocean, and we think that's very appropriate.

O'BRIEN: Before I let you go, Eddie if -- Tony, I mean, rather, you know, Eddie talked a little bit about a miracle there. A little teeny space for a miracle to happen, and it happened. As you look back now, you ever want to see your boys back on a boat again, ever, ever?

TONY DRISCOLL, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: I couldn't imagine them going back out on that water again. I just -- God made this miracle happen, and like five days into the journey, I knew them boys had to be out there, because there wasn't any clues. And I was in the Navy for six years, but, you know, my thoughts were they were out in the middle of the ocean, nobody had found them yet, and just five days into it , I was like, you know, I just kind of put it in God's hands after that, and I just prayed to God that he would bring a miracle to come true, and he did. And I just can't thank God enough for bringing those two boys home, you know.

O'BRIEN: It sure worked. Josh Long, Eddie Long, Tony Driscoll, congratulations, dad, and your families for having your sons home safely. We're glad to see that they're both doing well. Thanks for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.

DRISCOLL: Thank you.

E. LONG: Thank you.

J. LONG: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And a happy ending.

(WEATHER REPORT)

U.S. officials say terror threats are at their lowest level since 9/11. Does that mean the country is any safer? We're going to tell you why some officials are worried.

Also, more today on that buried treasure that may have been a big hoax. Police tell us now what tipped them off. And here's a hint: Don't go on national TV.

O'BRIEN: And the first lady upstaging her husband. Her presidential punchlines ahead in "90-Second Pop."

Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Last week, we told you about a group of friends who said they found some buried treasure up in Massachusetts. Now the story of their big find was all just a big trick. And today, we're learning now what blew their cover.

Here's Dan Lothian with more this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Eagle Tribune" editor-in-chief Bill Ketter says his local paper broke the story about the friends who found the buried treasures in Massachusetts. It spread like wildfire before much of it turned to smoke.

BILL KETTER, EDITOR, EAGLE-TRIBUNE PUBLISHING CO.: I call it a Hardy Boys adventure that turned into a Larry, Curly and Moe misadventure.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Three of the four friends, Tim Crebase, Barry Billcliff and Kevin Kosack (ph) had gushed about their find. TIM CREBASE, CLAIMED TO FIND TREASURE: We were like, wow.

LOTHIAN: A box of rusted cans filled with 1,800 bank notes and bills, some more than a century old, unearthed during a landscaping project. The value to collectors, more than $100,000.

BARRY BILLCLIFF, CLAIMED TO FIND TREASURE: We didn't know if they were worth the paper they were printed on, or if it's a huge find.

LOTHIAN: A local coin shop owner determined they were real, but the local paper wasn't so certain about the story itself, which appeared inconsistent.

For example, what were they digging up in the backyard when they hit paydirt?

CREBASE: I was digging up the tree.

We were going to rip up a bush.

LOTHIAN: The paper noticed other apparent holes.

KETTER: The history of the house where they found it, where they had dug up the treasure in the backyard, the location of the backyard, the time that they had done it.

LOTHIAN: Their headlines started casting doubt on the tale.

(on camera): It wasn't just reporters and editors of the newspaper who were getting suspicious. Police in Methuen, the city where the friends said they found the money, were noticing inconsistencies. They began asking questions, and this amazing story began to unravel.

(voice-over): Helped by an anonymous tip, investigators concluded the friends actually found the treasures while doing a roofing job at a barn on this farm 25 miles away. Crebase allegedly confessed that the cans fell out of old gutters.

CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUEN POLICE DEPT.: It would be our belief that it is -- belongs to one of the ancestors of the current family.

LOTHIAN: All four are charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy and accessory after the fact. Despite what investigators say, the treasure finders are sticking to the original story.

MICHAEL RUANE, DEFENSE ATTY.: Our position is basically they found it where they claim they found it; it was found in the backyard.

LOTHIAN: Some wonder why they wanted to attract so much attention in the first place, because police say the story was made up. This is what the paper was told.

KETTER: If we go public, we believe that there will be much higher bids coming in.

LOTHIAN: Big offers are coming in, but police say the real owners, who never even knew about the hidden treasures, will be the only ones cashing in.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All four are due to be arraigned a bit later today.

In a moment, when he talks, investors should listen. What worries the billionaire Warren Buffett? Andy knows. He's "Minding Your Business," after your break here on a Monday edition of AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. What does billionaire Warren Buffett have to say about the economy? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning. What does he say?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, he has a whole lot of stuff to say, Soledad. The faithful gathered in Omaha, Nebraska to visit with Warren Buffett at his annual meeting. It was his annual meeting of his company, Berkshire-Hathaway. A whole lot of activity over the weekend, baseball games, shopping sprees, Warren Buffett playing bridge. You can see him there. Said he was still bullish long term about the economy.

There he is. Those are the Fruits of the Looms, the fruits of the Fruit of the Loom, one of the companies he owns.

He answered questions for six hours. He's playing the ukelele there. He told me one time. I asked him why he played it. He says it's the easiest instrument to learn. He has no musical talent, he said.

So what else did he say? He said there was a real estate baseball bubble in this country in various markets. He thought that the situation for GM and Ford was going to get a lot tougher.

And then also, he added, Bill Gates to his board, which is kind of nice, because they're the two richest guys in the world. Both worth over $40 billion, and he said that Bill will help the company out now and also later on, when he's not around. So interesting stuff.

O'BRIEN: Very, very interesting. Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: I love this story. How are you, Jack?

CAFFERTY: Fine. And yourself?

HEMMER: Terrific.

CAFFERTY: Everything all right? my regards to the little woman.

It's been a tough couple weeks for the news media. First, there was the "finger in the bowl of chili," out there in California, hoax. Then the buried treasure boys, who claimed to have found a boxful of money in Massachusetts hoax. Now the missing bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, actually a case of cold feet, hoax. The news media swallowed all this stuff, hook, line and sinker. Georgia officials say they may charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a felony if her disappearance turns out to be premeditated. She could face five years in jail.

For now, the wedding is still on, unless of course her boyfriend recovers his sanity.

Here's the question, what should happen to Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride? Am@CNN.com.

HEMMER: Feel like I have to write that guy a note of apology. I figured for sure he was guilty, I mean, just thinking in my own mind all week last week.

SERWER: The fiance?

HEMMER: The fiance, yes.

CAFFERTY: Oh, you thought he'd done something naughty?

HEMMER: Yes.

SERWER: Well, do you see that the reports suggested she had bought the bus ticket in advance, which suggested premeditation.

HEMMER: Maybe as long as a week, too.

CAFFERTY: Remember all the self-righteous indignation over the Dan Rather story?

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Turned out not to be true.

SERWER: And there were fingers pointed back then, true?

Yes.

HEMMER: And there may be more today in Georgia.

Get a break here. More to come on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.

Ahead on "90-Second Pop."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You are under arrest, (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A sneak peek at the final star wars. Is the Force strong with this one?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Not that old joke, not again!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The first lady as queen of comedy. How Laura Bush left 'em laughing, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 2, 2005 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A runaway bride could be charged with a crime today. It all depends upon how much planning went into her escape from the altar.
Two boys safe in a hospital now. Their prayers answered after a fishing trip turns into six days lost at sea.

Four car bombs explode within three hours in Iraq. A deadly wave of terrorism escalates, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Hope you had a good weekend.

Here's the headline in "The New York Post" today: "Cold Feet, Hot Water."

O'BRIEN: Well, that sums it up.

HEMMER: I would say. We'll see how hot the water is today as we go throughout our show.

Good to have you along with us today. Also, expect some strong words from the U.S. today about the aggressive moves coming from North Korea and Iran; 190 nations start talking about the state of the world's nuclear arsenal. That's at the U.N. this today, and we'll talk about it this morning as well.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, remember those treasure hunters? Now we're calling them the so-called treasure hunters. Well, before they could enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, the story kind of came crashing down around them. Well the real treasure might actually be in the talents of a local newspaper in Massachusetts. We're going to have the story of how the story of how they broke the story.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

We're going to let the viewers decide what they think ought to happen to this runaway mutant that caused everybody all these problems for the last week or so. CNN should send this woman a bill. We spent the better part of three or four days last week wringing our hands over what might have happened to her, time we could have spent on the Michael Jackson trial. So I think she owes us some money, and we ought to get a cashier's check here in a day or two.

HEMMER: Pay up. Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: Well, deadly insurgent violence this morning to talk about in Iraq. It leads our stories this morning.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad. He's got the very latest from there.

Ryan, good morning.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

A violent beginning to the week here. Four car bombs already going off in the Iraqi capital this morning. The first two of them coming about five hours ago, at 10:00 in the morning in separate locations. One of those very lethal going off in southern Baghdad, outside of a privately owned building just next to a marketplace, not clear who is being targeted there. We, however, know that nine Iraqi civilians were killed in that attack, another 12 wounded.

And then just within minutes of that attack, an unsuccessful assassination attempt on a high-ranking member of Iraq's security forces. Then, about two hours later, two more attacks, again in separate incidents. Both of them going after Iraqi security forces. All in all, 11 killed this morning, 29 wounded in the Iraqi capital -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Terrible news to report. Ryan Chilcote for us this morning. Ryan, thanks.

HEMMER: Back in this country now to the bride who ran away. So far, no criminal charges pending against the 32-year-old. That is Jennifer Wilbanks, back home in Georgia now. But the D.A. is now saying she may be held criminally responsible. She turned up late Friday night. Charles Molineaux, on a Monday morning, live back in Duluth.

Good morning, Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

And let me tell you, even with a story about a bogus kidnapping thrown in, that D.A. says he is willing to be understanding and cut a little slack for a woman who may have freaked out and skipped town at the last minute on the spur of the moment just before her big wedding.

On the other hand, he says, if this was a deliberate deceptive plan, he's not likely to be as forgiving. And, well, today his office is going to start its investigation into Jennifer Wilbanks' big adventure, an adventure that is looking more complicated all the time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MOLINEAUX (voice-over): At about the same time Jennifer Wilbanks had been scheduled to walk up the aisle, she was hustling through an airport, halfway across the country, covered in a blanket instead of a veil. Her disappearance Tuesday triggered a desperate search by police and volunteers in her hometown of Duluth, Georgia. Early Saturday, Wilbanks' family and her anxious fiance, John Mason, cheered at the news she had turned up safe with an incredible story.

From this Albuquerque 7-11, she called 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER WILBANKS: I was kidnapped earlier this week, and I'm here now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: Within hours, celebration turned into shock when police announced she made the kidnapping up, and had taken off to Las Vegas, and then Albuquerque by bus.

CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT.: Agents and detectives learned that Miss Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she needed some time alone.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It's been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of.

MOLINEAUX: Wilbanks mortified family lapsed into silence. Some neighbors were furious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family, and to the city of Duluth.

MOLINEAUX: And a source who has been briefed on the investigation tells CNN this may have been planned, that Wilbanks bought her bus ticket several days in advance, prearranged transportation to the bus station, and cut her hair to avoid being recognized. On Sunday, the congregation at the couple's church prayed for them.

JEB MANGUM, PARISHIONER: Obviously, she was going through a lot of things that none of us knew about, and there's a lot of people around her, and nobody saw that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy she's doing OK, and the family can work out what they need to and it will be all right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MOLINEAUX: And there's a lot less understanding, however, elsewhere in the community, that spent an awful lot of energy, effort and no small amount of money trying to find Jennifer when it was thought that she had disappeared. Cold feet, yes, a different take on that one, but we're looking at a community not real happy with this young woman -- Bill, Soledad.

HEMMER: Yes, we were all stunned on Saturday morning.

Charles, thanks for that.

Also, Shirley Fanning-Lasseter is the mayor in Duluth, Georgia. That's where Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance both live. The mayor now my guest in Duluth, Georgia.

Madam mayor, good morning to you, and thank you for your time.

MYR. SHIRLEY FANNING-LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: Good morning to you, too.

HEMMER: Is there a crime here?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, we're checking into that. We don't -- we're actually checking into that today. I know the D.A.'s office is checking into it, and the counsel, and myself and the chief of police are looking at any civil legal repercussions that we may have.

HEMMER: What could those be then, Madam Mayor?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I don't know at this point. We have our attorney checking into it, to see if we have -- can recoup anything in this, as far as fees or anything that were expended during the four- day hunt.

HEMMER: Do you know of anyone else who might have been involved in this?

FANNING-LASSETER: No, I do not know firsthand information of anyone else that was involved in it.

HEMMER: You are telling people over the weekend and people are telling you, there needs to be action and response to the reaction. What does that mean?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I think when we all do wrong, that we must be punished for that in some way. I think that's from the child up to adulthood and seniorhood.

But I think for this action, there needs to be some type of reaction. And there needs to be some type of retribution that she should fill to give back to the community for what she has put them through for these many days.

HEMMER: What do you think is appropriate, then?

FANNING-LASSETER: Well, I think all the facts have to be studied before we can come up with actually what is appropriate, because we have to see what is actually legal, what her problems were that she left here, and I think all of that goes into the mix of this in coming up with a solution to it.

HEMMER: You were part of the search team last week. At any point did you think she was alive and was just a runaway, or did you think the worst?

FANNING-LASSETER: Oh, no. I thought the worst from the first two days. When you don't find somebody in so many hours, then you just pretty much assume that they're not alive.

HEMMER: In the end, she is alive, and now we'll wait for the next shoe to drop down there. We'll perhaps get a press conference from police later today.

Mayor, thanks for your time. Shirley Fanning-Lasseter is in Duluth, Georgia with us this morning.

Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, Josh Long and Troy Driscoll are best friends who have just survived an ordeal they'll never forget. This weekend, they were rescued after surviving for almost a week in shark-infested waters with no food and no fresh water. They set off in the 14-foot Sunfish sailboat two Sundays ago off the coast of South Carolina. They were soon swept out to sea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Josh Long joins us from Charleston this morning, along with his father, Eddie, and also Troy's father, Tony Driscoll.

Nice to see you, all three of you. Thanks for talking with us.

First, give me a Sense, josh, of how you and Troy are doing. I know you got severely sunburned, very dehydrated as well. But overall, what's your prognosis?

JOSH LONG, RESCUED AT SEA: We're doing better. I mean, I'm pretty much healed, just a lot of burns, and cuts and bruises. Troy got worse than I did. He got a lot worse burns, and he's doing better. He's not -- trying to stay off his feet and rest for a while. But all in all, we're doing real good, recovering fast.

O'BRIEN: April 24th when is you set off in the 14-foot Sunfish. When did you realize, Josh, that things were going very wrong?

LONG: It was right after we got -- like, we were trying to get to the sandbar, and when we were going out, we got caught in the riptide, and it took us right around it. And as soon as I got in it, I knew we were in trouble.

O'BRIEN: Six days where you were in this small boat. Give me a sense of what was happening over those six days. How did you get water? What did you eat?

LONG: Well, really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these jelly balls that we catch with my hat. We just scoop them up out of the water. The only thing we could do with the water was gargle saltwater and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. So that's all we had. O'BRIEN: Josh, I read you had a number of close calls, one with another ship that didn't really see you, and also, tell me about the sharks that were in the water as well.

LONG: Well, I mean, there's always sharks everywhere. I mean, my dad always told me that they're not going to bother you very much; they're just curious. But we'd be swimming around and they'd come up and start heading your way, and that's when we'd got out of there. You could sit on the boat and they'd start swimming toward the boat, and they're everywhere. Every time you turn around and get in the water, there's one coming.

O'BRIEN: You seem very calm now. I mean, you seem really, really calm now. But give me a sense of how desperate you were out on that little boat three, four, five, six days into it. What was going through your mind?

LONG: Everything that would go through my mind was always going back to my family. How is my family reacting? I knew my mom, my dad, uncle Tony and everything, they were all worried. I never thought that search would have been that massive, ever.

But it just, what kept me calm is God, I prayed every hour. We'd just pray and pray, and we kind of realized, we said, well, if we don't make it, we know where we're going; and if we make it, I just want to go back to my family. So we just kept praying every day about that.

O'BRIEN: Well, dads, Eddie and Tony, if I may ask you, obviously, you're very grateful to have both your sons alive and well. Give me a sense how you guys are doing this morning.

EDDIE LONG, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: Well, we certainly feel like we have experienced a miracle. We just feel like that all -- most of the authorities were turning it from a rescue to a recovery, and we were leading us up to believe that our children were going to -- and their bodies were going to come afloat anytime. And -- but we knew there was room in there for a miracle. So we -- the people who prayed and the people who participated, we thought it was tremendous, but we realized it wasn't by any men's effort, that all the money, and all the technology and all the things that were done, it were fishermen that brought them off of the ocean, and we think that's very appropriate.

O'BRIEN: Before I let you go, Eddie if -- Tony, I mean, rather, you know, Eddie talked a little bit about a miracle there. A little teeny space for a miracle to happen, and it happened. As you look back now, you ever want to see your boys back on a boat again, ever, ever?

TONY DRISCOLL, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: I couldn't imagine them going back out on that water again. I just -- God made this miracle happen, and like five days into the journey, I knew them boys had to be out there, because there wasn't any clues. And I was in the Navy for six years, but, you know, my thoughts were they were out in the middle of the ocean, nobody had found them yet, and just five days into it , I was like, you know, I just kind of put it in God's hands after that, and I just prayed to God that he would bring a miracle to come true, and he did. And I just can't thank God enough for bringing those two boys home, you know.

O'BRIEN: It sure worked. Josh Long, Eddie Long, Tony Driscoll, congratulations, dad, and your families for having your sons home safely. We're glad to see that they're both doing well. Thanks for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.

DRISCOLL: Thank you.

E. LONG: Thank you.

J. LONG: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And a happy ending.

(WEATHER REPORT)

U.S. officials say terror threats are at their lowest level since 9/11. Does that mean the country is any safer? We're going to tell you why some officials are worried.

Also, more today on that buried treasure that may have been a big hoax. Police tell us now what tipped them off. And here's a hint: Don't go on national TV.

O'BRIEN: And the first lady upstaging her husband. Her presidential punchlines ahead in "90-Second Pop."

Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Last week, we told you about a group of friends who said they found some buried treasure up in Massachusetts. Now the story of their big find was all just a big trick. And today, we're learning now what blew their cover.

Here's Dan Lothian with more this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Eagle Tribune" editor-in-chief Bill Ketter says his local paper broke the story about the friends who found the buried treasures in Massachusetts. It spread like wildfire before much of it turned to smoke.

BILL KETTER, EDITOR, EAGLE-TRIBUNE PUBLISHING CO.: I call it a Hardy Boys adventure that turned into a Larry, Curly and Moe misadventure.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Three of the four friends, Tim Crebase, Barry Billcliff and Kevin Kosack (ph) had gushed about their find. TIM CREBASE, CLAIMED TO FIND TREASURE: We were like, wow.

LOTHIAN: A box of rusted cans filled with 1,800 bank notes and bills, some more than a century old, unearthed during a landscaping project. The value to collectors, more than $100,000.

BARRY BILLCLIFF, CLAIMED TO FIND TREASURE: We didn't know if they were worth the paper they were printed on, or if it's a huge find.

LOTHIAN: A local coin shop owner determined they were real, but the local paper wasn't so certain about the story itself, which appeared inconsistent.

For example, what were they digging up in the backyard when they hit paydirt?

CREBASE: I was digging up the tree.

We were going to rip up a bush.

LOTHIAN: The paper noticed other apparent holes.

KETTER: The history of the house where they found it, where they had dug up the treasure in the backyard, the location of the backyard, the time that they had done it.

LOTHIAN: Their headlines started casting doubt on the tale.

(on camera): It wasn't just reporters and editors of the newspaper who were getting suspicious. Police in Methuen, the city where the friends said they found the money, were noticing inconsistencies. They began asking questions, and this amazing story began to unravel.

(voice-over): Helped by an anonymous tip, investigators concluded the friends actually found the treasures while doing a roofing job at a barn on this farm 25 miles away. Crebase allegedly confessed that the cans fell out of old gutters.

CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUEN POLICE DEPT.: It would be our belief that it is -- belongs to one of the ancestors of the current family.

LOTHIAN: All four are charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy and accessory after the fact. Despite what investigators say, the treasure finders are sticking to the original story.

MICHAEL RUANE, DEFENSE ATTY.: Our position is basically they found it where they claim they found it; it was found in the backyard.

LOTHIAN: Some wonder why they wanted to attract so much attention in the first place, because police say the story was made up. This is what the paper was told.

KETTER: If we go public, we believe that there will be much higher bids coming in.

LOTHIAN: Big offers are coming in, but police say the real owners, who never even knew about the hidden treasures, will be the only ones cashing in.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All four are due to be arraigned a bit later today.

In a moment, when he talks, investors should listen. What worries the billionaire Warren Buffett? Andy knows. He's "Minding Your Business," after your break here on a Monday edition of AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. What does billionaire Warren Buffett have to say about the economy? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning. What does he say?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, he has a whole lot of stuff to say, Soledad. The faithful gathered in Omaha, Nebraska to visit with Warren Buffett at his annual meeting. It was his annual meeting of his company, Berkshire-Hathaway. A whole lot of activity over the weekend, baseball games, shopping sprees, Warren Buffett playing bridge. You can see him there. Said he was still bullish long term about the economy.

There he is. Those are the Fruits of the Looms, the fruits of the Fruit of the Loom, one of the companies he owns.

He answered questions for six hours. He's playing the ukelele there. He told me one time. I asked him why he played it. He says it's the easiest instrument to learn. He has no musical talent, he said.

So what else did he say? He said there was a real estate baseball bubble in this country in various markets. He thought that the situation for GM and Ford was going to get a lot tougher.

And then also, he added, Bill Gates to his board, which is kind of nice, because they're the two richest guys in the world. Both worth over $40 billion, and he said that Bill will help the company out now and also later on, when he's not around. So interesting stuff.

O'BRIEN: Very, very interesting. Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: I love this story. How are you, Jack?

CAFFERTY: Fine. And yourself?

HEMMER: Terrific.

CAFFERTY: Everything all right? my regards to the little woman.

It's been a tough couple weeks for the news media. First, there was the "finger in the bowl of chili," out there in California, hoax. Then the buried treasure boys, who claimed to have found a boxful of money in Massachusetts hoax. Now the missing bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, actually a case of cold feet, hoax. The news media swallowed all this stuff, hook, line and sinker. Georgia officials say they may charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a felony if her disappearance turns out to be premeditated. She could face five years in jail.

For now, the wedding is still on, unless of course her boyfriend recovers his sanity.

Here's the question, what should happen to Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride? Am@CNN.com.

HEMMER: Feel like I have to write that guy a note of apology. I figured for sure he was guilty, I mean, just thinking in my own mind all week last week.

SERWER: The fiance?

HEMMER: The fiance, yes.

CAFFERTY: Oh, you thought he'd done something naughty?

HEMMER: Yes.

SERWER: Well, do you see that the reports suggested she had bought the bus ticket in advance, which suggested premeditation.

HEMMER: Maybe as long as a week, too.

CAFFERTY: Remember all the self-righteous indignation over the Dan Rather story?

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Turned out not to be true.

SERWER: And there were fingers pointed back then, true?

Yes.

HEMMER: And there may be more today in Georgia.

Get a break here. More to come on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.

Ahead on "90-Second Pop."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You are under arrest, (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A sneak peek at the final star wars. Is the Force strong with this one?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Not that old joke, not again!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The first lady as queen of comedy. How Laura Bush left 'em laughing, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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