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CNN Live Today

Missing in Aruba; Kidnapped Children; Caught on Tape; Missing SEALs

Aired July 05, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: Seen for 36 days and for whom I will continue to search until I find her.
Thank you all so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: That was just a very brief statement. That's Natalee Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, making a statement in light of the latest news that two of the suspects, two brothers in the case of her missing daughter, have been released from custody. The level of the amount of evidence that's needed to keep the two teenagers in custody does go up as time goes on and a judge making a decision yesterday that those boys had to be released. Obviously, a very frustrated mother in Aruba today.

Our Chris Lawrence has been covering this story pretty much from the beginning and he joins us now from Aruba.

Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, I mean hearing her reaction, that is surprising for a lot of reasons. Beth Twitty has been holding up remarkably well. And although we can't tell what it's like for her when it's just her and her husband at night, behind closed doors, when it's just the family. Publicly, she has been very, very forceful. She is very direct in talking about what her frustrations are.

But she, up until now -- she's not a crier. This has not been a woman who emotionally shows that on a daily basis to the public. So to see her react like that after talking to her for so many weeks, you can see that this is definitely -- just seems to be overwhelming her at this point.

It is something we expected. We talked to them a few days ago and I asked her and her husband, you know, looking ahead to Monday, what happens if one or all of the suspects go free. And both of them said, you know, that would just be devastating for our family.

KAGAN: Well, and let's talk a little bit about the news of the day and the two brothers who have been in custody for a long time and why the decision was made to let them go.

LAWRENCE: I think that also plays in to the frustration, in that prosecutors said yesterday -- they pointed to several things as to why they felt all three of them should have been detained up to another two months. They said they were the last three people to see Natalee, as far as anyone knows. They said all three of them have changed their stories multiple time. And they said, those changing stories are not supported by other evidence and by other witness statements that they have. They said that phone calls, e-mails and text messages all point to the suspects.

But, beyond that, we don't know exactly because it is a closed hearing. And I think the family is feeling some of that frustration in that you can't sit there and hear one side argue the evidence, hear the other side argue their evidence. You don't know exactly what goes on behind those closed doors.

But, again, the prosecution came to court. They made their case as to why those three should be kept in custody. A judge came from a nearby island of Kurisow (ph) to hear that evidence and he felt there was not enough evidence to keep the two Kalpoe brothers in custody. He felt there was enough evidence sow keep Joran van der Sloot up to another 60 days.

KAGAN: And what about the suggestion that we heard Beth Holloway Twitty make, that the two brothers might try to flee the island?

LAWRENCE: Well, we're still trying to figure out exactly if they're even allowed to leave the island. As far as I know, this is the case. They are still considered suspects, in a sense, until the prosecution says otherwise. And they can be considered suspects for up to two years. That means, if other evidence were to come to light down the road, they could be rearrested. And we're going to try to have to verify whether they are even allowed to leave the island at this point. KAGAN: All right. Chris Lawrence in Aruba. Thank you.

Also (ph) listening into that news conference with us. In light of this very emotional news conference and the latest developments in the case of Natalee Holloway, we're joined now by former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey.

Kendall, good morning.

KENDALL COFFEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Hey, good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: This certainly is a very different type of legal system than what we're used to here in the U.S.

COFFEY: Very, very different and one in which there doesn't seem to be as much dialogue with victims. As we know, in this country, victims' rights are a major, major element of the criminal justice system. Prosecutors do a lot to stay in touch with family in a case like this. And there seems to be much better communication in this country than we're seeing in Aruba, which is, of course, under the Dutch system.

KAGAN: Some of the frustration from the family, we're hearing about these closed-door hearings. Also unheard of. Well, and there's clearly closed-door situations, whether it's grand jury and parts of the criminal system but not in this way here in the U.S.?

COFFEY: Not in this way. And to some extent, Daryn, what is going on right now has some resemblance to a grand jury proceeding. You have an investigative judge. There are no charges brought but the investigative judge determines if there's a certain amount of evidence and certain of the suspects can be held in the meanwhile. That judge, just like our U.S. grand jury, is conducting an investigation, going through evidence, and it seems that a vast majority of what's going on is being withheld, not only from the public, but also from the family, the individuals that are impacted the most. That's creating a lot of frustration and obviously some distrust of the effectiveness of the proceedings in Aruba.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, what do you make of this investigation? By my count, six suspects that have been taken into custody and then also released from lack of evidence.

COFFEY: Well, unless there is some secret evidence, this is an investigation that appears to be going nowhere. They have, obviously, identified the individual and individuals who were the last people seen with Natalee Holloway. But beyond that, there isn't anything developing, other than some things that, frankly, are very troubling.

We all recall the comment from Joran van der Sloot's father, no body, no case. That is a chilling and guilty-sounding statement, but certainly not enough by itself to sustain any kind of charge. And up to now, there's not even any definitive view as to whether a homicide has occurred. So if you're scoring this from a U.S. perspective, not very high marks on the investigative quality and very low marks on the quality of communication with the possible victim's family.

KAGAN: Getting back to Mr. van der Sloot's statement. Chilling, yes, but so far proving true. There is no, as far as we know, no physical evidence of what happened to Natalee Holloway.

COFFEY: None that we're aware of. And, of course, there are going to be theories that a defendant could come up with to explain what happened that didn't necessarily implicate Joran van der Sloot. So far all we know is that the young man -- the three young men involved lied. That Joran van der Sloot was apparently, based on several different accounts, the last individual who was left off with her at a beach. She then disappeared. That does not add up to, frankly, a criminal charge. And unless there's a lot more that's being developed, the family's frustration, all of our frustration, is becoming palpable and deepening.

KAGAN: Yes. Well, we saw that quite evident at the top of the hour when we listened in to Beth Holloway Twitty giving this live news conference from Palm Beach, Aruba, in light of this latest news. As she says, it's been 36 days since she last heard from her daughter. She spoke in a very emotional way. Let's listen once again to that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: It is now that I ask the world to help me. Two suspects were released yesterday who were involved in a violent crime against my daughter. These criminals are not only allowed to walk freely among the tourists and citizens of Aruba, but there are no limits where they may choose to travel.

I am asking all mothers and fathers and all nations to hear my plea. I implore you, do not allow these two suspects, the Kalpoe brothers, to enter your country until this case is solved. Do not allow these criminals to walk among your citizens. Help me by not allowing these two to get away with this crime.

It is my greatest fear today that the Kalpoe brothers will leave Aruba. I am asking the Aruban officials to notify the United States State Department in the event these suspects try to leave this island. I am asking all nations not to offer them a safe haven. I am asking this in the name of my beautiful, intelligent and outstanding daughter who I haven't seen for 36 days and for whom I will continue to search until I find her.

Thank you all so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A very emotional and frustrated and defiant mother there.

Kendall, her plea going out. She really believes that these brothers are going to try to leave Aruba. It's unclear at this point what the restrictions are on their travel.

COFFEY: Well, we haven't been told of any restrictions on their travel. So her concerns are certainly understandable. But, you know, if you're the attorney advising those two young men, right now you're telling them, they don't have a case on you. They don't even have that next level of evidence.

It starts out in the Dutch system with reasonable suspicion. They can hold you for a limited period based on reasonable suspicion. Then it graduates up to something called stronger suspicion, which is a kin to our probable cause. That was apparently the standard that has not been met. In fact, there was no new evidence presented against the Kalpoe brothers yesterday. So if you're the attorney advising them, you're telling them, guys, based on everything I can see here and say, you've got nothing to worry about right now.

KAGAN: Well, plenty to worry about for the Holloway family.

Kendall Coffey, thank you.

COFFEY: Hey, thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: Always great to the have you along.

Now we move on to new developments in the case of the kidnapped Idaho children. Authorities are waiting for a DNA analysis on the possible remains of 8-year-old Dylan Groene. Meanwhile, his younger sister is still hospitalized and her alleged kidnapper is going to court. We get details now from CNN's Rusty Dornin from Idaho. Rusty, good morning.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, it's going to take 72 hours before there's any confirmation on the DNA remains that were sent to Quantico, Virginia. But investigators do say that Shasta Groene in jail (ph), combined with the physical evidence from inside the truck, or the Jeep Laredo that the suspect was driving, really helped them narrow in on that area in Western Montana, which is where they found those remains. And investigators say that Shasta Groene gave some very valuable clues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: She's visited with our investigators a couple of different times for quite a long period of time. She's been a great asset for us. In combining her talk with the investigators, she's -- with the physical evidence, it's been a great benefit for us. Really focused our investigation and gave us some great direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: There you see some pictures of Shasta Groene with her father, a smiling little girl, that were taken the last few days while in the hospital. Still no word when she's going to be released. Joseph Duncan, meanwhile, is in jail about three miles from the courthouse here. He will make this first appearance via televised appearance. He will not be coming here to the courthouse. Not much is expected. He's not expected to make any plea or anything. But the judge, of course, will decide whether or not he's going to set bail in this case. He will be charged with kidnapping and also with two outstanding warrants.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Rusty Dornin live from Idaho.

Rusty, thank you.

Just hours before Shasta Groene was discovered in a Denny's restaurant, she was actually caught on tape. Surveillance cameras recorded the girl and her accused kidnapper at a convenience store. Lee Stoll of our CNN affiliate KREM has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED BEMAS (ph): That's him right there.

LEE STOLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At 8:21 Friday night, Joseph Duncan and Shasta Groene pull into this Kellogg gas station.

BEMAS: That's definitely him right there and her.

STOLL: Owner Ted Bemas couldn't believe what his surveillance cameras caught. Within seconds of pulling in, a police car cruises by just feet from Shasta. BEMAS: See, he sees the police car now. He's hiding.

STOLL: 8:22, the pair walk in to the convenience store. Shasta keeps her arms lock around her chest but tries to make eye contact with strangers. Wandering down an aisle alone, she squeezes past three adults.

BEMAS: Why didn't she bump one on the leg and say help me or -- of course, you don't know what he's threatened her with or whatever.

STOLL: But Duncan doesn't seem worried where she is, stopping to read a local newspaper and pouring coffee.

CHARLOTTE ANSIT (ph): I felt terrible. I just thought, you know, I should have called. They could have found her six hours sooner.

STOLL: Charlotte Ansit rang up four drinks and over $19 in gas not realizing who the little girl was right in front of her.

ANSIT: They didn't seem like any other -- they didn't seem different than any other customers that I had had. They seemed normal.

STOLL: Eight minutes after pulling up, Shasta and Duncan pull out in the stolen red Jeep. Six hours later, their trip would end for good in Coeur D'Alene.

BEMAS: And she's just jumping in, just like nothing's the matter.

STOLL: Reporting in Coeur D'Alene, I'm Lee Stoll, KREM-2 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The suspect in Shasta Groene's kidnapping had previously kept a web log where he wrote about being possessed by demons. We're going to talk about the blog with a criminal profiler joining me in the next hour.

Meanwhile, it's 13 minutes past the hour. Let's move on to significant weather news out there. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is here to talk about Cindy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Hundreds of cities celebrated Independence Day with fireworks. Things didn't go exactly as planned in Florida. Take a look. Still to come, dozens injured during a fireworks show. A look at what went wrong.

Plus, less than 24 hours to go and five cities are battling it out. Which one will get the summer Olympics for 2012? The top contenders coming up.

And later, Olympic park bomber Eric Robert Rudolph, sends a note to his mother. Hear what he has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Checking on news overseas now. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is described as saddened and distressed by civilian deaths in a U.S. bombing raid. Officials in Eastern Afghanistan say 17 civilians, including women and children, were killed on Friday. Mr. Karzai said there is no way the killing of civilians can be justified. U.S. military officials say they regret the loss of innocent life in the attack on a militant compound.

The U.S. air strike comes on the heals of efforts to locate several missing U.S. service members. This morning we know that two of those Navy SEALs are dead. Details on the new development from CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Barbara, hello.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, the effort does go on to resolve the fate of the entire four-man U.S. Navy SEAL team that was stranded up in those mountains, apparently ambushed. We know, of course, that one man was recovered. We now can report, indeed, military officials confirming, two more bodies of Navy SEALs have been recovered. They did not survive. Their bodies have now been recovered.

But what has happened, of course, is it's a four-man team. There's still one Navy SEAL that they have not been able to locate, not resolved the fate of that man. So there are three families, of course, that have been informed by the military that two bodies have been recovered, because the military is still trying to make a positive identification on those two bodies that were recover from the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan. So three families now awaiting word as the search goes on for the fate of the third man.

What we know is the SEAL that was recovered alive a few days ago is in relatively good shape. He has been able, of course, to give the military information about what happened to the team up there in those mountains and that certainly has helped them go ahead and search for the other members of the team.

We are also told that U.S. Navy SEALs are now planning a memorial service for all of their fallen comrades, including the eight on that helicopter crash. That funeral service scheduled in the next several days.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr. A huge loss for the Navy SEALs and the civilians there in Afghanistan.

Thank you.

The countdown is on. The battle is tight. Which city will get the 2012 Olympics? The final push for the prize, coming up. And a wayward rocket causes quite a commotion at a fireworks display. It was a scene that was not supposed to be part of the show. We'll tell you about that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Markets have been opened 53 minutes. Let's check the numbers. The Dow is up. It is up 12 points. The Nasdaq is also in positive territory. It is up 10 points.

A different kind of contest. Tomorrow we're going to know which city will host the 2012 Olympic game. Paris is considered the front- runner, though London's bid is said to be gaining ground. Moscow and Madrid are also in the running. Also there is New York City. Today, those cities dispatched their own lobbyists to muster last-minute support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NEW YORK: I think this is very exciting and I'm proud of all the work that went in to making sure that New York City was the American city selected to go forward. And I'm very excited by what I believe is a great bid for a great city for the greatest international event there is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Boxing legend and former Olympic medalist Muhammad Ali joined Senator Clinton in promoting New York's bid.

The leaders of France, Spain, and Great Britain will campaign in person. It's a reflection of just how competitive this process is proving to be. British Prime Minister Tony Blair says landing the games extends far beyond the prestige of serving as the world's athletic stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If we are fortunate enough to host the Olympic games, we build something that doesn't just last for the few weeks of the game, but lasts for a generation to come. That's our passion. That's why we want the games so much. That's why we believe we can deliver something, not just for our own country, for the Olympic movement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: London, in fact, has already started clearing sights for potential Olympic venues and it promises to honor an emerging Olympic goal of improving the environment cleaning a polluted area of the city.

Back here in the U.S., a man convicted of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic park bombing is penning his thoughts. Still to come, Eric Robert Rudolph writes to his mother. You'll hear what he had to say to her. Plus, tension in the air. Scotland gears up for the G8. A look at what the leaders of the eight countries can expect.

At it's at the top of their to-do list. Aid to Africa. But is money alone solution to the problem? These stories and more straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are coming up on the half hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Two diplomats came under fire today in Baghdad. Gunmen in a pickup truck shot and slightly wounded Bahrain's envoy to Iraq. One Bahrain official tells CNN the incident was a kidnapping attempt. In another part of the capital, gunmen attacked a convoy carrying Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq. No injuries were reported.

The mother of a missing Alabama student is calling on nations to deny entry to two suspects in the girl's disappearance. Beth Holloway Twitty spoke from Aruba earlier this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: This is my greatest fear today, that the Kalpoe brothers will leave Aruba. I am asking the Aruban officials to notify the United States State Department in the event these suspects try to leave this island. I am asking all nations not to offer them a safe haven. I am asking this in the name of my beautiful, intelligent and outstanding daughter who I haven't seen for 36 days and for whom I will continue to search until I find her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The two young men are still considered suspects. They were released from jail on Monday. CNN is checking on whether authorities would allow them to leave the island. Natalee Holloway has been missing for five weeks.

Off the coast of Indonesia, there is little damage but a lot of raw nerve from this morning's strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake near the island of Sumatra. The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami watch for the Indian Ocean but conceded there was little danger.

And Fourth of July fireworks in the nation's capital was followed by a terrorism drill.

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