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Nancy Grace

12-Year-Old Missing

Aired December 05, 2005 - 20:00   ET

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

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight: Please help us. Amber Alert for a 12- year-old Texas girl who was snatched off the sofa in her own home. And also tonight, disturbing new developments in the search for a missing 21- year-old girl, Christine Rudy. She`s a real girl next door, 6 months pregnant, a mom-to-be. Was another person, a third person, along around the time Christine Rudy went missing without a trace?
And tonight, Aruban authorities claim 18-year-old Natalee Holloway`s family is the problem with their investigation, the investigation into their daughter`s disappearance. Yes, the problem is the family, not the Aruban police!

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. Tonight: Natalee Holloway`s family is desperate to find their 18-year-old girl. As you recall, she disappeared from her high school senior class trip. They`ve turned the tiny island of Aruba upside down, police tonight blaming them, Natalee`s parents, for the botched investigation.

And tonight: a highly unusual twist in the case of missing 21-year-old mom-to-be Christine Rudy. Temperatures in Wisconsin dropped tonight to 2 below.

But first, tonight, please help us. We are searching for a 12-year- old missing Texas girl. She disappeared from her own home, Orchard, Texas, Friday, last seen sleeping on her own sofa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARONALD FOY, MISSING GIRL`S MOTHER: She (INAUDIBLE) to go to her aunt`s house right here without her sisters and her brothers. So for her just to get up and put on her shoes, that`s impossible for me to believe. God himself would have to come and tell me that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Very quickly, I want to go straight out to the news director with KFNC, Laurie Kendrick. Laurie, bring us up to date.

LAURIE KENDRICK, KFNC NEWS DIRECTOR: Hi, Nancy. How`re you doing? Well, the Amber Alert has been issued for Teketria Buggs. She`s age 12, as you mentioned, last sleeping on the couch in her living room in the small rural community of Orchard in Fort Bend County, maybe about 30 miles southwest, due southwest of Houston proper. Her family issued -- or reported her missing around 10:00 AM Saturday morning.

And what has authorities so baffled, Nancy, is what they`re not seeing. They found no signs of struggle, no signs of foul play. And what`s more disconcerting is they have absolutely no indication that a crime occurred, and they can`t find this 12-year-old child to save their lives, despite the fact we have quite a few experienced searchers checking about a 12-mile area not far from the community of Orchard. The land was adjacent to the Brazos River. It`s a very woody are. But so far, absolutely nothing, and that is perhaps the most disconcerting sign about this entire event.

GRACE: Here is what police had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRIANN COLSON, FORT BEND SHERIFF`S DPT: There also is some small bodies of water, and that is something that they`re not ruling out, that they may also take in consideration is searching the waters.

FOY: From my heart and my good (ph) feelings (ph), if my child left, she left with somebody that she trusted, that she trusts, because for her not to scream, the child she is, no matter what it would have been done, she would have screamed her grandma`s name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Back to Laurie Kendrick with KFNC. Everybody, we have an Amber Alert tonight for a little girl missing out of Texas, missing from her own sofa.

Joining me now, a very special guest, Laronald Foy. This is Teketria`s mother, Teke Buggs`s mother. Welcome, Ms. Foy. Thank you for being with us.

LARONALD FOY: Thank you.

GRACE: Ma`am, who was home when your daughter went missing?

FOY: Her 10-year-old sister and her 2-year-old brother and her 2- year-old cousin and her grandmother.

GRACE: And where did they last see her?

FOY: Well, her stepfather about 10:30 told them to get ready for bed, and that was the last time that anybody talked to her, around 10:30.

GRACE: At 10:30. Where did her stepfather go?

FOY: PM. I`m not sure. I`m not sure. I don`t know. He probably -- I don`t -- I`m not sure.

GRACE: Did he leave the home that night?

FOY: Yes, ma`am. When he came back in, he came in and woke my 10- year-old up and asked her was she -- where was Teketria at, and she just said she didn`t know.

GRACE: Ms. Foy, where did the stepfather go that evening, and how long was he out of the home?

FOY: I`m not quite sure where he went because I wasn`t there, but...

GRACE: Has he told you?

FOY: No, ma`am.

GRACE: Why?

FOY: We`ve really just not had any bunch of communication, he and I, because he`s been one place and I`ve been one place. So we really haven`t talked, but Fort Bend police department...

GRACE: Ms. Foy -- Ms. Foy...

FOY: Yes, ma`am?

GRACE: Ms. Foy?

FOY: Yes, ma`am?

GRACE: I`m putting your daughter on the air tonight to try to find her...

FOY: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: ... but I need straight answers from you. Now, she went missing -- what day, Ellie (ph), did she go missing, on Friday?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Friday (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: You haven`t had a chance to talk...

FOY: Ma`am...

GRACE: ... to the man you live with since Friday?

FOY: I haven`t had a -- who said...

GRACE: You haven`t talked to him about where he went that night?

FOY: No, I -- the only thing I asked him is when he came in the house, why didn`t he go and look at 2:00 o`clock in the morning to see where she was? My state of mind right now -- I`m not in a good state of mind and...

GRACE: I know. I know. Let me show the little girl again. Everybody, this is Teke Buggs. She is just 12 years old. Look at this little girl. She`s only 4 feet 10 inches. The little thing is only 95 pounds, black hair, brown eyes, light brown skin. She was -- December 2, last seen Friday night, 10:30 PM, sleeping on the couch of her own home. Everybody, look at Teke Buggs. There`s a $5,000 reward for information relating to this little girl, tip line 281-342-TIPS. That`s 281-342-8477. Please help us bring this little girl home.

I want to straight back to the news director with KFNC, Laurie Kendrick. Laurie, I don`t want to press Teke`s mother right now. She was not in the home at that time. Where was the boyfriend?

KENDRICK: I think that`s a question that authorities are asking themselves. It`s my understanding that the boyfriend has a criminal record of sorts. I`m not familiar with what it is. I don`t know what role that`s going to play in this investigation, but I`m sure that`s going to be something the authorities in Fort Bend County are going to have to look into.

GRACE: The record is not -- it`s not great, but it`s not bad -- resisting arrest, driving DUI, an assault in 2001 -- I notice that`s not an aggravated assault...

KENDRICK: Right.

GRACE: ... which is with a weapon, `96 he`s got a theft, `98 theft dismissed. He got a controlled substance in 2002. Oh, we`re not looking at his record. Elizabeth (ph), do you have his record? There you go. Resisting arrest, driving intoxicated, assault. OK.

yes, he`s got a record, Laurie Kendrick, but I mean, if you dug up about a third, maybe less, of men out there, you`re going to find maybe a DUI, a resisting arrest, something. You`re going to find something. I`m not seeing anything in that record that would point to him.

What`s more disturbing to me, Laurie, is that -- has he taken a polygraph?

FOY: Yes.

KENDRICK: I believe he probably -- he may have, I believe...

GRACE: I think I heard Ms. Foy -- is that correct, Ms. Foy, he did take a polygraph?

FOY: Yes, ma`am. We both took one. Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Did he pass?

FOY: I`m not sure. I had to leave and come here.

GRACE: You know, Ms. Foy, thank you for taking that polygraph. I remember when Marc Klaas`s little girl went missing, the first thing they asked him to do was take a polygraph. He took it. He passed it. Then they went on to look for the guy that really took the little girl from the home. Speaking of little girls taken from a home, nobody can forget Elizabeth Smart, Elizabeth Smart taken from the home, from her own home. She was just 14. Danielle Van Dam, just 7 years old. Jessica Lunsford, 9 years old. Sarah Lundy, just 13 years old. All of them taken from their own home.

And very quickly, when it comes to polygraph -- let`s do trial 101, Elizabeth. You can throw that back up again. Everybody, polygraph tests are lie-detector tests, and they are normally not allowed in court. The only way they`re allowed in a criminal proceeding in most jurisdictions is when both sides stipulate or agree up front, before the test is even taken, that they`ll come in.

Ms. Foy, why did you feel it was important for you to go in and take that polygraph test and pass it?

FOY: Because at the point right now, they`re saying that everybody is a suspect. And I told them, I don`t care if I`m a suspect. I`ll do whatever they need me to do and go wherever they need me to go to bring my baby back home to me!

GRACE: (INAUDIBLE) Teke`s mother. Everybody, Teke just 12 years old. She`s been missing since Friday night. It`s every mother`s worst nightmare, the little girl at home alone in the den, watching TV on the sofa. No sign in the home of any disarray, of burglary, of break-in. And this little girl 12 years old. What grade is that? What, the 5th grade, Ms. Foy?

FOY: No, she`s in the 3rd grade because she missed too many days out of school last year. So she`s in the 3rd grade, but she`s a smart girl. Last year, she passed the highest in her school (INAUDIBLE) She`s really, really bright. She`s a really bright girl, really, really bright. And I just can`t see somebody coming in my grandmother`s home and taking her and her not trying to put up a fight or anything. She`s too bright. I just feel like if she had time to put on her shoes, whoever she left with, she trusted him. She knew (INAUDIBLE) her heart.

And all I`m asking is, if you have her, please bring her back to me! I can`t make it without her! Please bring her back to me, please!

GRACE: Elizabeth, let`s show Teke`s picture again. She`s 4 foot 10 inches. She only weighs 95 pounds. This little girl now going to the third day missing.

Luckily, there in Texas, Tim Miller, the director of Texas Equusearch -- you know him from the Aruba case -- has joined in the search for this little girl. Tim Miller, what are you doing to find Teke?

TIM MILLER, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH: You know, you get a little bit emotional over these. You get close to these families. And Nancy, when I got the call last night from the detective on the case, I says, I understand this looks like we may have a little runaway girl, and she says, No, Tim, I think we got a little bit more than that.

So we got over there at 6:00 o`clock last night. It was cold. It was dark. And we did some searching last night. And today we brought in the four-wheelers and horses and ground searchers and boats. And we got side- scan sonar again in the river.

And you know, it`s -- I just didn`t have a good feeling about this one going into it, Nancy, for some reason. When you do as many as we do, you know, at times you just get touched in a different way. Where this is at, out in the country, it`s so isolated. For her to just get up and walk out and run away and go someplace, I just know that did not happen. And I think that we did a tremendous job today searching and clearing...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Where did you search, Tim? Where did you search?

MILLER: We started -- we -- you know, we started out, of course, where she was last seen, and we did the 12 acres of property. We did all the wooded area beside. I mean, we did, oh, gracious, 200 or 300 acres today. There was a helicopter up this morning...

GRACE: Is there a body of water nearby, Tim?

MILLER: You know, unfortunately, there is a body of water that we`re extremely concerned in. And we had five boats in that body of water today. It`s the Brazos River. And the boats are going back out in that water tomorrow morning and the next morning and the next morning and the next...

GRACE: Everybody, here is a shot of the location, Orchard, Texas. We are looking for 12-year-old Teke Buggs.

To Dr. Robi Ludwig, psychologist. What is your take on the case, Robi?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, when I heard about this case initially, I wanted to know more about the stepfather, any boyfriends, any men that came into the house because those are really -- when little girls leave, it`s usually these men who are observing them and are attracted to them, especially a 12-year-old girl. They`re right on the cusp of teenager. Pedophiles really are very attracted to this population. I did not get the sense that she just walked out on her own or she was a runaway. The fact that she slept in her clothes also concerned me...

GRACE: Very significant.

LUDWIG: ... because I wonder if there`s repeated sexual abuse there and she`s trying to protect herself. So these are all things that need to be ruled out.

GRACE: I want to go to Teke`s mom. Teke`s mom has been working with the police, cooperating with the police. She was not in the home that evening. She`s passed a polygraph with flying colors. Ms. Foy, did your little girl always sleep in her clothes?

FOY: Well (INAUDIBLE) like I say, she`s a feisty little girl, and she`s a bossy (ph) little girl. She`s always (INAUDIBLE) they`re the first to always go to bed, so she can lay down and (INAUDIBLE) get out, and she`ll just end up sleeping. I have to get her up to put on her nightclothes.

GRACE: Ms. Foy...

FOY: Yes, ma`am?

GRACE: ... what do you want to say to your girl tonight, wherever she is?

FOY: I know one -- one thing I know in my heart, in my soul, my baby didn`t run away. Somebody she trusted -- and I`m not trying to accuse nobody or nothing, but it`s my baby! Somebody she trusted and she believed in, to put on her shoes and to leave her cell phone in her purse and to put on her shoes, Teketria just didn`t run away. So I just have faith in the public. Someone has seen her. If anyone has her, please (INAUDIBLE) whatever, bring her here! Bring her home! Just bring her where she belongs! Just bring her to me because (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Ms. Foy, let me step in for you. Teke`s mother tonight can hardly speak. Please help us. Please help us help her. Elizabeth, could you please put that picture up again? We are looking for a little 12-year- old girl, Teke Buggs, tip line 281-342-TIPS. And I make a plea tonight to you that are listening to please help us. Thank you, Ms. Foy.

FOY: Thank you.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am.

Very quickly, to tonight`s "Case Alert." Today, distraught friends, family gather at the wake of a New York police officer Dillon Stewart, Stewart gunned down in the line of duty last week. Stewart, a loving husband, the father of two little girls, shot in the heart during a car chase with a man suspected of a previous ag assault on a cop. Thousands expected at his funeral tomorrow. Tonight, we remember and we salute Detective Dillon Stewart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DEPUTY JIM BACKUS, CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE: A couple of days prior to the 12th, Mr. Rudy indicated that there was another such incident where he had left her on a hilltop in Crawford County, which is near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. At that time, Ms. Rudy had walked approximately seven to eight miles to a church, where she had phoned him and he had returned to pick her up.

At this time, we are still treating it as a missing person case and leaving all avenues open. And as it was stated earlier, we are not ruling out foul play at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Twenty-one years old, six months pregnant. The search is still on for Christine Rudy. I want to go straight to the reporter, news director with WCCN radio, Paul Knoff. Paul, a lot of stunning new developments, the possibility that there was a third person in that car. Bring us up to date.

PAUL KNOFF, WCCN RADIO NEWS DIRECTOR: I think a font of information has come from that segment you just had or that bite you just had about this other incident that was reported last week to have happened on November 8 or 9, but we know now it probably happened on November 10 or 11, where Shaun left Christine again by the side of a road while they were on a road trip down in Crawford County, I estimate about 150 miles from Thorpe.

Basically, she walked 7 to 12 miles now to a church, St. Mary`s Catholic church, where she came in contact, oddly enough, with the mayor of Fennimore. That`s the community this happened in. He talked to her actually a couple of times during the morning.

So it seems this story panned out. It seems Shaun wasn`t exactly honest with authorities in explaining when he dropped her off. He told authorities the 8th or 9th, and it happened probably in the early morning hours of the 11th. And she had to walk through the night. She was freezing. I checked with the National Weather Service, 24 degrees that night when she was walking, again six months pregnant.

And yes, like you mentioned before, I think the real interesting bit of information from this discussion with the mayor today is that Christine had told him that there was a third person in the vehicle, somebody she described as a sister, not relative, but just a very good friend. So a girlfriend, so to speak, in this vehicle with Shaun. I asked the sheriff`s department tonight, Is this somebody you want to talk to or have talked to? They said they have talked to her. And right now, that information is too sensitive, but they do know who it is and they have talked to her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL LEE, CHRISTINE RUDY`S MOTHER: My first thought was, Why did he leave her out in the woods? I know Christine was all excited about the baby coming and the baby shower we were going to have on her.

Her husband come over and said he couldn`t find Christine, and then he was going to go and report her missing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: As many of us have just enjoyed Thanksgiving with our families and are looking forward to Christmas, looking forward to Hannukah, Christine Rudy`s family is just looking for her. This 21-year-old girl missing. She`s a real all-American girl. She is an American beauty on the inside and the outside, six months pregnant, mom-to-be. Where is Christine Rudy?

Apparently, her husband had a habit of dropping her off on the side of the road whenever they would have an argument. Mayor Richard Rogers talked to Christine Rudy just a few hours, actually, before she went missing, the day before she went missing. Mayor, thank you for being with us. It`s a real honor to have you here on the show. You were at a local Catholic Church and she was there, correct?

MAYOR RICHARD ROGERS, FENNIMORE, WISCONSIN: That`s right. Yes.

GRACE: What happened?

ROGERS: Well, I always set up for mass in the morning, and so I got to church about 7:30. And at that time, she was sitting in the front pew with her head down in her hands, and it looked as though she was crying. But I set up for mass, and then Father came and we had mass. And she did not move at all during the half hour that it takes to have the mass.

And after mass, then I went down and knelt down beside her and said, Are you OK? Is there anything that I can do? And she said at that time, No. My husband is picking me up in 10 or 15 minutes. So I left her there. I said, You`re OK? And she said yes. So I left.

GRACE: So this is the day before she went missing?

ROGERS: Yes. That was November 11, yes.

GRACE: With us is Mayor Richard Rogers. We`ll all be right back, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MIKE GALANOS, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I`m Mike Galanos here at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here are some of the stories making news right now.

It`s just out today: an eye-opening look at our national security and the 9/11 Commission says we may not be safer after all. The commission gave the government a failing report card, bottom line, more F`s than A`s. They say we have made little progress on their security recommendations.

And, you know, we are in our cars now more than ever, and we want to make sure we are safe on the road. Coming up on "PRIME NEWS TONIGHT," we`re going to break it down for you: Which cars are the safest and what are the key features you have to have before you get behind the wheel?

And, you know, kids pretty savvy with the computer nowadays. And it may surprise you what they are doing with them. Millions of teens, they keep blogs. Basically, they`re online diaries. And these kids, they`re holding nothing back. They share their most intimate secrets but, in many cases, parents are left in the dark. Coming up, we`re going to explore how to keep your kids safe from this growing trend.

That, and so much more, coming up on "PRIME NEWS TONIGHT." That is right after NANCY GRACE. We`ll see you then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BACKUS, CHIEF DEPUTY: After the show the other night, we received between 10 and 15 tips which -- some didn`t lead anywhere and others are still being followed up on and verified leading to other tips. So we appreciate that.

Into the late hours, including now and the last couple of nights, we`ve had canines out, both searching woods along County Road MM and the Clark and Eau Claire (ph) Country forests.

Currently, as this show is going on, we have detectives that are interviewing people and around the state trying to find where Christina is at.

GRACE: Chief, you`re telling us, by us putting the tip line out, you actually got a couple of leads that might help you?

BACKUS: Yes, we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Everybody, welcome back. We are still on the case of missing 21-year-old Christine Rudy. Christine is six months pregnant.

Ellie, what`s the temp down to in Wisconsin tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I checked right before the show, it was down to 1 degree.

GRACE: With us right now, Mayor Richard Rogers. He actually talked to Christine, it seems to me, within 24 hours of her going missing.

It`s amazing, Mayor, how this husband`s memory, his day timer got a little foggy about what day he put his wife out on the side of the road.

Everybody, the mayor was at a local church preparing for mass. Christine Rudy had wandered into the church, sat down row one, slumped over, crying. He offered her help.

What did she say was wrong, Mayor?

ROGERS: No, she didn`t indicate anything at that time that anything was wrong and that...

GRACE: Well, was she crying?

ROGERS: Well, no. When I knelt down and talked to her, no, she had stopped crying and she said, "No, my husband is going to pick me up." So, you know, I felt, well, if that`s the case, then I told her to, you know -- she could stay in church and be comfortable.

We had a funeral that day, so I went back to set up for the funeral mass about 10:15. The mass starts at 11. She was seated outside at that time on the curb.

GRACE: Right. Well, Mayor, if you said she had stopped crying, that says to me that, at some juncture, she had been in the church crying.

ROGERS: Well, yes, she was crying initially when mass started. But when I knelt down to talk to her after mass, she was not crying at that time and just indicated that her husband was going to pick her up, yes.

GRACE: Mayor, at the time, did you know she was pregnant?

ROGERS: Oh, absolutely not. I didn`t find that out until after the news broke that, in fact, she was missing.

GRACE: So she`s not showing at this time?

ROGERS: No, not that I could tell, no, not at all.

GRACE: Mayor, you told someone on our staff that spoke to you earlier that you felt bad, that you felt you could have done more?

ROGERS: Well, yes. She was in town. And we did make sure that she got some food that day, because we were preparing food for the funeral reception. And then I gave her my phone number, because there are, on occasions, people who are stranded in our community. And we try everything we can to help them.

GRACE: Mayor, Mayor, please. I hope you`re not feeling guilty. It sounds to me like you showed this woman more kindness than her own husband did, the one that put her out on the road.

With us, everyone, Mayor Richard Rogers, who actually spoke to Christine about, it seems to me, probably less than 24 hours before she went missing.

I want to quickly go to Chief Deputy Jim Backus. He is with the Clark County sheriff`s office. Chief, thank you for being with us again. We appreciate your updates. What can you tell us about the search for Christine Rudy tonight?

BACKUS: Well, today we continued with the canines. And, over the weekend, detectives and staff from my department worked vigorously again on searches. During the weekend, we did confiscate a vehicle. And that vehicle will be transported to the Wisconsin state crime lab...

GRACE: What vehicle?

BACKUS: ... in an effort to locate -- I`m unable to indicate which vehicle it is but hope to get any type of information to help us out.

GRACE: Well, Chief, we`re not idiots. We know it had to be the husband`s car. Do you want to comment?

BACKUS: Yes. That vehicle has been processed already, and this is a second vehicle.

GRACE: Second vehicle? Second vehicle. Deputy, you also said that you searched all weekend. Where are you searching? Have you moved your search?

BACKUS: Yes. And our search is expanding inward toward the inner portions of the woods. For example, off of County Road MM, off of the black top to the side roads.

GRACE: Yes.

BACKUS: So we`re expanding that way.

GRACE: Chief, another question. I understand the husband, who is not a suspect -- he`s not been named a suspect by police -- had his dates wrong on when he put his wife out on the side of the road. He said it was several days before. In fact, it was about 24 hours before she went missing. Is that true?

BACKUS: Yes. And that`s what`s unfortunate about this whole case is, when he initially gave us information, he gave us very little. And after he lawyered up, it`s our duty here now to, you know, confirm or eliminate any of the information he gave us. So we`re basically starting from scratch.

GRACE: Dave Foley, veteran defense attorney, don`t you just hate it when your client, a, talks to police but gives them the wrong date they left their six-month-pregnant wife alone on the side of the road? It kind of hurts his credibility, huh?

DAVID FOLEY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. Nancy, it does, especially when he`s arrested for a separate charge, a possession of drug paraphernalia...

GRACE: Ouch.

FOLEY: ... and possession a firearm, being a convicted felon. So, yes, all these things kind of hurt, because what type of individual, Nancy, would leave their six-month-pregnant wife on the side of the road in 24 degrees and have them walk eight miles to a church in Wisconsin?

GRACE: To Bryan Hershman, also a defense attorney like David Foley, Bryan, if you`re representing Shaun Rudy, how do you confirm his story? According to him, he`s the only one in the car when he drops her off.

BRYAN HERSHMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think that confirming his story is an easy thing to do at this point because they have a void of evidence. God forbid they find this young lady and she`s deceased. Some of the forensic information that`s provided to them at this point will help them confirm or deny his version of events. I think it`s important not to try his character. This is a very serious allegation.

GRACE: Try his character? What does that have to do with him putting...

(CROSSTALK)

HERSHMAN: It`s evident to me that this gentleman has no character. Nobody else would let a six-month-pregnant woman go out of a car in the middle of nowhere. Yet, to simply try his character, as opposed to litigate whether he has done something wrong to this woman, homicide, assault, or whatever, I think are two entirely different issues.

GRACE: To Paul Knoff, with WCCN Radio, Paul, do you have knowledge about what car the police, a second car, the police are taking a look at?

KNOFF: I don`t know what the second vehicle is. Obviously, it`s interesting they took the first vehicle...

GRACE: Think, think, think, man! What is it?

KNOFF: Boy, there`s just a wide range of vehicles that it could be. And I do not know.

GRACE: What can you tell me about this other woman, Paul, this other woman that was in the car the day before when he dropped her off on the side of the road?

KNOFF: Today, when I talked to the mayor of Fennimore, that`s the first time I had heard of her. And she is the mystery woman. And I`m -- as I mentioned before, the sheriff`s department has talked to her. They know who she is.

The information she gave them is, as of this evening, too sensitive to release to the public. So, whenever you have somebody that Christine called herself a good friend, you certainly hope that she might cooperate with authorities.

GRACE: Sheriff, who is she? Sheriff Backus?

BACKUS: At this time, I`m unable to disclose that person`s name.

GRACE: Is it true that there was a third person in the car the day before, like Christine said?

BACKUS: That is the information that we are getting from witnesses.

GRACE: Everyone, breaking news tonight. Another car now impounded, now being searched in the disappearance of Christine Rudy.

I want to go to Dr. Robi Ludwig. This theory the husband has thrown out that now we can confirm. He apparently lied to police about it, the day he put his wife out on the side of the street. She had eight to 12 miles to walk in Wisconsin. Does that help him or hurt him? I mean, that`s a heck of story, if you`re trying to get yourself out of a jam.

LUDWIG: I think it hurts him, because it`s abusive. And so I would wonder if they were embroiled in some type of abusive relationship. Was he domestically violent? Because that`s something that a domestically violent husband would do. You get in an argument and make your wife walk many miles and then abandoned her. I mean, that`s serious stuff.

GRACE: I find it really hard to believe that this woman would get back in the car the very next day after he put her out and made her walk 12 miles the day before.

LUDWIG: But sometimes abused woman have a learned helplessness, so they do have the hope that their husband will think that they`re good or good enough and they go back in the hopes thinking that everything will work out OK. She is pregnant. Maybe she has the hope that the baby will bring them together.

GRACE: And, very quickly, to Chief Deputy Jim Backus with Clark County, Chief, have there ever been domestic calls to their home before?

BACKUS: I don`t believe there have been. And, again, that`s in the city of Thorp, so it would be in their records, but I do not recall any.

GRACE: Paul Knoff, do we know of any prior domestic calls?

KNOFF: I really don`t believe we know of any prior domestic calls. When you look at his criminal history, they don`t show up. So they didn`t, I guess, reach the level of a state charge.

GRACE: Yes. Yes, there can be domestic calls to 911 without anybody being charged. Unfortunately, that`s often the case.

Very quickly, Elizabeth, I want to announce this car. If anyone saw Christine Rudy get out of the car, it was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, dark green, four door, license TFR-257, November 12th.

Very quickly to tonight`s "Case Alert," convicted 18-year-old killer Lionel Tate`s hearing postponed. Mr. Tate threatened suicide. Now, in 2004, Tate pled guilty to second-degree murder. He committed that murder at just 12 years old. That was after a murder-one conviction and life sentence thrown out on appeal. But now Tate could get the life sentence he so closely missed if a jury finds he violated probation when he robbed a pizza delivery man.

And tonight, an update from Iraq. Gruesome testimony today from the first witness to testify against Hussein, describing brutal torture to countless men, women, children. Hussein, again, lashing out in open court.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: There`s certainly one thing we never did. And we never damaged the integrity of the investigation. And the Aruban officials only can accept that responsibility. And we know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tonight, a new development out of Aruba. I know you all remember the missing girl, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, from Alabama. She went on her high school senior trip, never seen again.

Very quickly to Jim Moret, chief correspondent with "Inside Edition," Jim, I`m stunned that the Aruban authorities now, in the face of a disastrous investigation, are now blaming Natalee`s family for their poor investigation?

JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": That`s exactly what`s happening. Gerald Dompig, the assistant police chief, is basically saying that the pressure that the Twittys brought on them and the Aruban authorities and the media pressure forced them to move too quickly in this investigation and make arrests prematurely, that they basically got in the way of the investigation...

GRACE: Too quickly? Too quickly?

MORET: That`s -- I`m just...

(LAUGHTER)

GRACE: How many months passed before they finally brought Van Der Sloot in for questioning?

MORET: Well, it was...

GRACE: No, really, how many months passed, Jim? Let`s think about this for a moment.

MORET: It wasn`t a matter of months before they brought him in for questioning. But what happened was he was...

GRACE: And kept him behind bars.

MORET: Right. Well, this is what the deputy police chief is saying. He`s saying that things work differently in Aruba. He`s saying that things work at a more leisurely pace.

He said that the Twittys basically came in as the ugly Americans and said, "We demand you find our daughter."

Now, let`s face it: I`m a parent. I would do the same thing. What are you supposed to do, relax, and just say, "Take things at your own pace"? Of course they were asking for answers. What would you expect a parent to do?

But I`m just telling you what the police chief is now saying. He`s saying that the Twittys, Beth Twitty, and her ex-husband, and her current husband got in the way and ruined the integrity of the investigation.

GRACE: You know, I was reading this article in "Vanity Fair" where Dompig -- and could you explain, Jim, who Dompig is?

MORET: He`s the deputy police chief down in Aruba.

GRACE: Where, in this "Vanity Fair" article, they basically attack Beth Twitty, Natalee`s mother. They call her -- what do they say -- ordinary or regular life she`s had.

As a matter of fact, she`s a special-ed teacher dealing with little children -- oh, "unremarkable suburban life." It seems like it`s more of an attack on a crime victim`s mother. I don`t really understand that.

Joining me on the phone right now, Dave Holloway. This is Natalee`s father.

Dave, thank you for being with us.

DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY`S FATHER: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: Now, what`s your response to, a, this article in "Vanity Fair," and the Aruban authorities that claim you`re the problem, you and your wife, you and your ex-wife, that you`re the problems, you`re why justice has not been obtained in this case?

HOLLOWAY: Well, that`s just another spin, in my opinion. You know, look how quickly it took them to arrest the security guards. When they thought those were the...

GRACE: Yes, the wrong guys.

HOLLOWAY: They had the wrong guys, yes. Look how quickly it took them. And then they`re saying that they should have waited and not arrested these guys? You know, come on.

GRACE: Yes, that`s incredible to me. It`s like they looked around, they found three minorities, three black security guys, goes, "Hey, let`s arrest them." And that was almost immediate. Remember that, Dave?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, yes. Immediately.

GRACE: And I guess it`s Beth`s fault they were arrested, too, right?

(LAUGHTER)

HOLLOWAY: You know, the lead investigator is a narcotics agent. And, you know, that`s what you do. You wait, and wait, and watch ,when you`re trying to gather up, you know, drug deals. But when you`re investigating a potential homicide case, you get on it very quickly and you preserve the forensics and all that kind of stuff. And that didn`t happen in this case.

GRACE: No, it didn`t. Dave, what is your response to the whole uproar surrounding those tapes of Deepak Kalpoe where, according to the private investigator, Skeeters, that the Kalpoe brother admitted that several people had sex with Natalee and it was easy? But then, when you hear the whole tape, that`s not what was said?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, really what concerns me, Nancy, is this, is Skeeters came in and, you know, within a day or two, was able to get some evidence. It may not be that good, but it was some evidence.

And then you look back, and they had all these guys in detention for a number of days. You know, come on, a 17-year-old, 18-year-old, and a 22- year-old, and you get really nothing? That says a lot about the investigation.

And I have to say this about the Aruban people: You know, there`s possibly some good police guys on the police force, and, you know, a few are ruining the reputation of the whole police force and the whole island. And we made a simple recommendation. You know, step aside. If you can`t even get on first base, let somebody else take over and try.

GRACE: You know what? Another thing, Dave Holloway -- everybody, with me is Natalee`s dad -- all this speculation that Natalee drank, that she did drugs, that she slept around, you and your ex-wife stand firmly by the theory that it`s not true.

Even if it were true, why would that even be an issue? Even if it were true, why is everybody piling on an 18-year-old missing girl?

HOLLOWAY: Well, that`s the same thing that a lot of people do. You know, Natalee can`t defend herself, because she`s not here to defend herself. So it`s easy to make those allegations and accusations against someone who`s not here or unable to speak for themselves.

GRACE: That is so true. Everybody, we`ll be right back in the Aruban story.

Quickly, to tonight`s "All-Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement on the lookout for Donald Eugene Webb, wanted in connection for the 1980 murder of Saxonburg Police Chief Gregory Adams, just 31.

Webb is 74, 5`9", 165 pounds, gray-brown hair, brown eyes. If you have info on this alleged cop killer, please contact FBI, 617-742-5533. Local news next for some of you, but we`ll all be right back. And, remember, live coverage from Baghdad, Iraq, of dictator Saddam Hussein 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern, Court TV.

Stay with us as we remember Lance Corporal Robert A. Martinez, just 20 years old, an American hero.

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GRACE: Natalee Holloway, 18 years old, still missing after her senior trip to Aruba. Very quickly, Dr. Ludwig, do you believe that this mom could have rubbed the authorities the wrong way so badly they just dropped the investigation?

LUDWIG: I mean, it`s possible. This is one woman who became very powerful. She had national and international attention. She hit them where it hurts, in terms of dollars and tourism, and anything`s possible.

GRACE: Jim Moret, I find it very difficult to believe that one single mom from Alabama could stop an entire government from an investigation.

MORET: I agree with you. But I will say that, without the voice of Beth Twitty, you would not have heard anything of Natalee Lee. I mean, I respect her a great deal.

GRACE: Everybody, before we sign off tonight, I want to remind you about a little girl missing tonight, a 12-year-old little girl from Texas. Here is her mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOY: Right now, they`re saying that everybody`s a suspect. And I told them that I don`t care if I`m a suspect. I`ll do whatever they need me to do and go wherever they need me to go to get my baby back home to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Elizabeth, could you give me the number for the tip line? Ellie, again, 12-year-old Teke Buggs missing tonight, 281-342-TIPS.

And very quickly, to Laurie Kendrick. Laurie, what are they doing tonight to find Teke?

KENDRICK: Well, of course, EquuSearch has been looking all day, a group of 50. Of course, the Amber Alert, which was issued, that provided a complete description of Teketria is out and in effect. And let`s hope that people are utilizing that number, making the calls, and hopefully submitting some solid tips that investigators can work with.

GRACE: Her mother, Laronald Foy, begging for your help tonight. This is her 12-year-old girl in the third grade, Teke Buggs.

Thank you to all of our guests tonight. And thank you to you for being with us, inviting us and all of our legal stories, and case alerts, and missing people into your homes.

Coming up next, headlines from all around the world. I`m Nancy Grace signing off again for this Monday night. I`ll see you right here tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END