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Miracle in Missouri: Information on Alleged Abductor; Could Kidnapped Boy be Victim of Stockholm Syndrome?; Fatal Fire in Huntington, West Virginia; Wicked Weather Across Midwest; Selling the Surge

Aired January 14, 2007 - 16:59   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
You're in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER GARY WAGSTER, KIRKWOOD POLICE: That would be the greatest gift to both me and Chris, would be to meet the parents and see the parents with their children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The officers credited with the miracle in Missouri speak. You'll hear the story of how they found those two missing boys.

Plus, more dangerous weather headed for the Midwest tonight. Live reports from the region coming up.

First, a quick look at some of the day's other headlines.

At least seven people have died in an overnight apartment fire in Huntington, West Virginia. The fire department fears more bodies may be found in the rubble. Meanwhile, four people were listed in serious or critical condition today.

Iran denies a new U.S. claim of meddling in Iraq. A spokesman says the five Iranian seized in a U.S. raid were consular officials, not members of the Revolutionary Guard, as the U.S. military has alleged. That group is said to be connected to the arming and training of Iraqi insurgents.

And U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledges a bigger U.S. push for a Palestinian homeland. Rice met today in Ramallah with embattled Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

More now on the miracle in Missouri and what we are learning about the suspect.

Michael Devlin, accused of abducting two boys, is described as a loner with a quick temper. He's a 41-year-old pizza parlor manager who also worked as an overnight phone attendant at a funeral home. Devlin has no criminal record. Meanwhile, many questions about 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, who was missing for four years. He told his parents he did not attend school during that period, but Devlin apparently left him home alone. Sometimes hours at a time. And he had at least some contact with neighbors in Devlin's apartment complex.

So how now did the arrest take place? Michael Devlin being held now on $1 million bond. Today the officers, the arresting officers, Chris Nelson and Gary Wagster, discuss the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OFFICER CHRIS NELSON, KIRKWOOD POLICE: Mr. Devlin actually walked out to throw out some trash. And we were talking to everybody in the area, and Officer Wagster made contact with him and said, "Hey, is this your truck?" And he said, "Yes, that's my truck."

We started talking to him. We had -- we had some dealings with him before. He was -- he worked at Imo's, so we all frequent Imo's and we ate there, and he worked there. So we saw him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he served you many pizzas?

NELSON: Yes. Pizzas and salads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

NELSON: So we started talking to him, and I had actually once -- one time in the past arrested him for an unrelated traffic warrant or something like that. So I had kind of a rapport with him.

So we started out just a casual conversation. Officer Wagster did. And when we started getting more into the investigation a little bit, his whole demeanor changed.

It went from a casual conversation, 180 degrees -- 180 degrees from that. And we both started talking to him and weren't getting anywhere with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you guys ask him if you could search his apartment at that point?

NELSON: The specifics of the conversation we really can get into, but common sense, you know -- you know, that would be along those lines of the questions that we would ask him.

WAGSTER: As we were talking to Mr. Devlin, it was very happy-go-lucky -- "Hi, how are you doing? It's good to see you. I respect you guys and what you are doing."

As the questions began to get more specific, that's when the attitude changed. As the attitude changed, it, you know, was like 180-degree difference. And it threw a lot of red flags up for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Those were the arresting officers there out of Kirkwood, Missouri.

Our Jonathan Freed has been in Kirkwood doing some digging of his own and learned a lot about the suspect and everyone else who seems to know him -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I was just talking to the two officers there, Gary Wagster and Chris Nelson, trying to get a better sense, because we keep hearing them say he did a 180. And I was trying to get a sense of what was it from a police officer's point of view, from that -- on that instinctive level, what was it that keyed them to the fact they should push a little harder?

I said, "Was it something in the eyes? Did he physically just seem to grow colder?" And they said, yes, it was that kind of thing that just set their instincts off based on their experience, and they felt that they just had to push ahead. Because I asked them -- I said, "So, this man was basically 'Mike the pizza guy' around the corner from the station, somebody that you had dealt with for years?" And they said yes.

And I said, "So, suddenly, 'Mike the pizza guy' pulls a 180 on you. What was it that made you push forward and try to look through the window of that apartment and then see that young man in there?" And that's what they said it was, it was just something that triggered their instinct in his eyes, demeanor, physically, and that's how it went.

WHITFIELD: So, these officers, Jonathan, are feeling great relief, too, knowing that these children have been reunited with their families. But at the same time, just watching their press conference, or at least their interviews, they seem to be rather humble about it all and feel like they were just doing their jobs.

FREED: Absolutely. You definitely get that sense when you sit down and talk to them. And they both told me that they are parents themselves, they have young kids. And I asked them how they are dealing with that, and like so many of us, whether you are on the law enforcement side of this, or people like us, who are reporting it, we all have kids.

They say you just go home and you hug your kids a little closer. You hold them a little closer. You don't necessarily tell them what's going on and why you are doing it if they are too young to absorb it.

But they say that they are trying hard to take it in stride right now. And they say that it probably won't hit them, Fredricka, for weeks in one case. Chris Nelson told me he thinks it's going to be weeks before the full scope of what's happened and what they did really, really hits them.

WHITFIELD: And so, Jonathan, officers Wagster and Nelson were being rather cautious about when kind of conversation they had with Mr. Devlin. Did they express how, you know, carefully they feel like they need to tread so as not to potentially jeopardize the case in any way by revealing too much about this ongoing investigation?

FREED: That's a good point. And you're right, that is sort of the subtext of all of this.

The police department is really trying to be forthcoming in putting the two officers out there, but they are somewhat limited in what they can say. It's frustrating for us who are trying to report out the story as completely as we can. It's somewhat frustrating for the viewers, who really want to know everything. But what law enforcement and prosecutors -- what they will tell you as this move on is that everything will come out in time.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jonathan Freed, thanks so much, in Kirkwood, Missouri.

So, you heard all about the officers that arrested Mr. Devlin. What about those who feel like they really knew Mr. Devlin?

Mike Prosperi is the owner of the pizza parlor where Devlin worked. He says devlin's arrest came as a complete shock to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PROSPERI, DEVLIN'S EMPLOYER: He's with me 25 years. So, I mean, there's not too many people that stay with the same job for 25 years. I mean, I never had any problem with him at all.

I mean, he was my manager. He counted my money. You know? And you just don't do that with somebody that you don't trust. You know?

And up until -- up until the time they showed him being arrested and taken away in the orange jumpsuit, I was convinced they had the wrong guy. I said, "There's just no way." You know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he ever talk about his personal life?

(CROSSTALK)

PROSPERI: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he ever talk about his personal life?

PROSPERI: Not -- I mean, other than saying he was going to go over and help paint his mom's house or wallpaper his house or go over and visit his brother -- brother Jamie (ph), something like that, nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never children?

PROSPERI: Never any mention of any children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And now in hindsight, some co-workers at the pizza place say Devlin did seem to become more withdrawn in 2002, the year Hornbeck was abducted.

Michael Devlin's neighbors say they saw Shawn Hornbeck frequently but never suspected anything was strange.

Cordell Whitlock of CNN affiliate KSDK reports from Kirkwood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CORDELL WHITLOCK, REPORTER, KSDK (voice over): Michael Devlin lived in these nondescript apartments on South Holmes (ph) in Kirkwood, near Oakland. Residents we spoke with say they ever never saw Ben Ownby, but there were frequent sightings of Shawn Hornbeck.

Shawn's stepfather, Craig Akers, said Shawn saw this age-enhanced picture of himself on a bench at the Kirkwood Schnucks on Manchester, indicating he was at times out in public.

Harry Reichard lives above Devlin.

HARRY REICHARD, NEIGHBOR: I was told he was Devlin's son and, you know, first obvious thought, I believed him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I picked up the phone over...

WHITLOCK: Last year, Rick Butler (ph) says he found a cell phone in front of his apartment, and when he called a stored number Devlin picked up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael picked the phone up and put Hornbeck back on the phone.

WHITLOCK: Rick (ph) says the phone belonged to Shawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I gave him directions to my apartment. And he said, "Oh, I live right across the street. It will only take me just a few minutes. "

So he came over and picked up his phone. He seemed a little bit nervous. But, you know, didn't act like there was anything out of the ordinary.

WHITLOCK: Butler (ph) said he assumed Hornbeck was Devlin's son. Several months ago he says the two were pitching a tent on the grass.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was just a single father with his boy, you know, getting ready for a camping trip. So I didn't think anything unusual about it.

WHITLOCK: We of course now know Ben and Shawn's stay at Devlin's apartment was anything but. However, not one resident we spoke with sensed something was wrong.

REICHARD: He just seemed to me just like an average euphoric child, you know, as young kids are. Just going back and forth with, you know, their, you know, guardian, or parent, or relative, or whatever. And he didn't seem to display any type of social dysfunctions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So that's what the neighbors say, but still a burning question remains -- did 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck ever try to escape his alleged abductor over that four-year period? And if not, might he have been a victim of what's being called Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological phenomenon where a victim starts identifying with their captor?

We will put that question to psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman in just 20 minutes.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also coming up, more stories of missing children. Some breaking cases when NEWSROOM continues.

WHITFIELD: Plus, at least seven people killed in an awful fire in West Virginia. Details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Miracle in Missouri. Here's what we know about the alleged abductor.

Some neighbors describe 41-year-old Michael Devlin as a loner with a quick temper. His employer says he's well-mannered and reliable. And a short time ago we heard from the police officers who helped arrest Devlin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAGSTER: We had an uneasy feeling. And for one of us to have that, that's one thing. But for both of us to have it, as much as we work together, we knew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The two boys' safe return has given new hope to many families of missing children.

Our Gary Nurenberg is at the Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia. He's been picking up tips to help parents protect their children -- Gary.

NURENBERG: Fredricka, there's a Web site, missingkids.com, you can go to for a number of tips available for caretakers, for parents, for teachers, for law enforcement. But also on the Web site, images of children who are still missing.

Joann Donnellan is one of the folks at the National Center who keep track of that.

Joann, last time we talked to you it was a case that was 30 years old. A demonstration you never give up. You've got one far more recent.

JOANN DONNELLAN, CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: Yes. We have breaking cases here at the center. And the one I want to tell you about just happened Friday night.

Four-year-old Xavian Richards (ph) disappeared from Anchorage, Alaska. And basically, police think that he's either Seattle, Washington, Rhode Island, or Maine. And he may be with an adult female. NURENBERG: You've also got one, a little cutie who is just going to break my heart.

DONNELLAN: She is. She's adorable, Sophia (ph), Sophia Juarez (ph). And she disappeared in 2003 at 5 years old. That is her age progression at 8 years old, what she would look like today.

She's missing from Kennewick, Washington. Very important, you know, for the public. Your viewers can help solve these cases, Gary.

NURENBERG: Just two of the examples on missingkids.com.

And if you do have information, what's the number to call?

DONNELLAN: Call 1-800-THE-LOST. We have operators 24-7, take your information in. And we get that out to the law enforcement agencies handling the case.

NURENBERG: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has information that some parents might find helpful. When, for example, do abductions take place? They have compiled that information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG (voice over): More often occur when a child is going to or from school or from a school-related activity. More often involved kids between 10 and 14, happen more to girls than boys, and more often involve a suspect that uses a vehicle in the attempted abduction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: Missingkids.com. Take a look at some of the children who are missing. And also, lots of guidelines, lots of suggestions for parents, teachers and law enforcement on how to keep kids safe -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gary Nurenberg, thank you so much.

And we're getting new information and following new leads in this so- called miracle in Missouri. Something we are looking at this hour, Shawn Hornbeck's mindset over the four years he was allegedly held by Michael Devlin. Coming up, a psychiatrist joins us live.

Plus, the president under fire for his plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq. We are headed live to the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More information now on that Missouri kidnapping investigation. With the two missing teens now safely at home, questions are swirling around the alleged kidnapper, 41-year-old Michael Devlin. Some neighbors say they thought Devlin and the older boy, 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, were father and son.

The man who owns the pizza parlor where Devlin worked spoke to reporters today. He says Devlin was not overly talkative about his personal life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROSPERI: Other than saying he was going to go over and paint -- help paint his mom's house or wallpaper his house, or go over and visit his brother -- brother Jamie (ph), something like that, nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never children?

PROSPERI: Never any mention of any children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever go to his apartment?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Stay tuned to CNN for continuing coverage of this breaking news story.

The other big story we continue to watch, look at this. Snow, sleet, freezing rain, all of the above causing a real headache in Oklahoma, where there is a state of emergency. And also, a state of emergency in Missouri. Same kind of scenario. Lots of power lines that are down as a result of freezing rain, which means a lot of power knocked out as well for so many households across the region.

Our Bonnie Schneider is in the severe weather center keeping a close watch on all of this, where we know folks there are bracing for more.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And more live coverage of the deep freeze. In just a few minutes, we take to you live to both St. Louis, where thousands are still without power, and to Oklahoma City, where dangerous roads have already claimed the lives of at least seven people there.

Shawn Hornbeck was missing for four years, and many are wondering why he didn't simply call home. Could he have been suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, a sickness that causes loyalty to kidnappers? A psychiatrist joins us live with some answers next in the NEWSROOM.

But first, in this edition of "Pioneers," an MP3 player that takes your love of music to a whole other depth.

Renay San Miguel has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Surfers can now catch the perfect wave while listening to their favorite tunes. Lance Fried developed the first waterproof MP3 player.

LANCE FRIED, PRESIDENT, FREESTYLE AUDIO: I came up with this idea while at a party several years back. I was actually reaching into a cooler to grab a beer and my MP3 player slipped off my hip and fell in and fizzled. Living here on the beach and looking out on the surfers every day, it dawned on me that there was a niche and opportunity. SAN MIGUEL: h20audio and Otter Box sell waterproof cases for existing iPods and MP3 players. Fried says his device is all inclusive.

FRIED: The entire unit, including the ear buds, are submergible up to 19 feet and can take a pretty good beating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: "Now in the News," some quiet time at home today, perhaps, for freed Missouri boys William Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck. We are learning new details about their alleged abductor, 41-year-old Michael Devlin. His employer calls him a well-mannered worker. Neighbors describe him as a loner with a quick temper.

Fire sweeps through an apartment building in Huntington, West Virginia, killing at least seven people. Officials worry the death toll could climb. More than a dozen people were rescued last night. The building is home to many Marshall University students.

And a firm pledge from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Today she told Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas the U.S. will take a more active role in peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians. After meeting with Abbas, Rice flew to Jordan, seeking support for President Bush's new Iraq plan.

Back to this top story that we have been following all weekend long.

Investigators are piecing together details of the alleged abduction of two boys in Missouri. Here is what we know.

Forty-one-year-old suspect Michael Devlin is expected to be arraigned this week. Questions are being raised about what kind of control Devlin may have had over at least one of the boys, Shawn Hornbeck. Hornbeck was apparently left alone for hours at a time but didn't escape over the four-year period that he was held.

Police officers who confronted Devlin described his demeanor when they questioned him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NELSON: So we started out just with a casual conversation. Officer Wagster did. And when we started getting more into the investigation a little bit, his whole demeanor changed. It went from a casual conversation, 180 degrees -- 180 degrees from that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A St. Louis newspaper says Michael Devlin moved into his ground-level apartment in 2002. His neighbors say he kept to himself. We talked to Devlin's landlord within the last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL ROMER, DEVLIN'S LANDLORD: He was almost an ideal tenant. He paid his rent on time. He was always very pleasant and nice to me. Very kind of soft-spoken, low key. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

I was in there about a year and a half ago working on a plumbing problem in another unit, and I did notice a teenage boy sleeping on the couch. He had his back to me.

I didn't think anything of it at the time. And, in fact, I think Mike told me that it was his son. In fact, on a recent lease that he renewed with me, he wrote in "Shawn Devlin" as another occupant in the unit.

Trying to figure out exactly I would do differently, you know. If I had run a background check on Devlin, I would have gotten a traffic violation come up.

Everyone said he seemed happy. And actually, you see him at that press -- or at the news conference, and he looked smiling and healthy. I know he had friends in the area that he hung out with and, you know, went to the park and had pizza with. And everything seemed fine.

So, no indication at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Michael Devlin's landlord, bill Romer.

Well, there are still more questions than answers in this case, such as, why in four years didn't Shawn Hornbeck try to get away or get help? And why did people who knew the alleged kidnapper, Michael Devlin, speak out about what they thought about him?

This from the "St. Louis-Dispatch." A neighbor is quoted as saying Shawn "was always riding his bike and stuff... he had friends in the neighborhood. We just thought it was his son or something."

And then this quote from one of Devlin's coworkers. "There was no inkling that something like this would ever be linked with him."

Experts say captives held for long periods can exhibit Stockholm Syndrome. That's a psychological response in which the hostage exhibits loyalty to his captor in spite of the dangers.

Could Shawn Hornbeck be a victim of Stockholm Syndrome?

Let's put that question to psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman. He's the head of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Good to see you again.

DR. JEFFREY LIEBERMAN, CHAIR OF PSYCHIATRY: Hi Fredricka. It's good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Well, thank you.

Before I ask you any more about Stockholm Syndrome, let me ask you this: How often does it occur that perhaps if someone is taken against their will they might be flooded with new freedoms, or, perhaps, even gifts, and that might encourage them to kind of forget that they need to go home, or perhaps lose the desire to go home?

LIEBERMAN: Well, as you stated, Fredricka, Stockholm Syndrome is a coping mechanism or an adaptation that people take when they are in dire situations that may be life-threatening, or when they're entirely helpless and at the mercy of their captor. Now, not everybody react that way. Some people do and are more susceptible than others.

Children are particularly susceptible to this because they are -- their minds are less well-formed, they have a less firm understanding of reality, and thus they can be adapt to these things. And they're susceptible to ways of encouraging a Stockholm Syndrome psychology more than adults would be.

WHITFIELD: So, if this young man was being held for four years, it would seem, based on so many different accounts, neighbors, et cetera., there were lots of opportunities for him to reach out to tell someone who he was. If Stockholm Syndrome was the case for him, is this something that would have set in within days?

LIEBERMAN: Yes. It could very well set in after a period of hours. The initial dynamic which really defines the response is one of fear -- I have to figure out a way to get through this and survive. But after that, the captive begins to interact with the captor and see their human qualities, the problems they are having.

They look for a merciful, nice side of the person as a way of ensuring that they are going to be treated in a fair and kind way. And they also begin to identify with the individual. Now, the captor can also encourage this, as you suggest, by being nice to the person, by giving them gifts, by making them think they will be treated well, and even by making them think that this is going to be a pleasant and enjoyable and even better experience than they previously had.

WHITFIELD: And what makes the whole case even more perplexing is we are also learning from people who got to know Shawn Hornbeck that he also became pretty good friends with people. And you would think maybe especially a kid, once they have found some comfort in a good friendship, they might start revealing a little bit more. None of these good friends learned anything about his true identity.

LIEBERMAN: Well, that's the troubling and the puzzling part of it. And we need more information to know.

He obviously was not being monitored by Devlin 24-7, and he was out on his own leading apparently normal activities, and even seeming to enjoy himself. Why didn't he try to escape? Why didn't he reveal his circumstances?

One question that I'm wondering is whether he was enrolled in school. And if he was, under what circumstances did they understand him to be Devlin's family member or ward?

WHITFIELD: And what do you predict on the transition, this very awkward transition of now being returned back to the home and trying to resume, you know, life as it was as a child in this household?

LIEBERMAN: Well, that's the good news for the Akers family and Shawn Hornbeck. People in general and children, in particular, are very resilient. And given that this experience is now over, he has not been physically harmed, although we don't know the extent of the emotional trauma, the expectation is that his prognosis psychologically will be very good.

He will adapt in the context of returning to his normal life and normal circumstances, which -- reinstitution of the consistent parental relationships as if nothing had happened. And this will fade into the background, assuming that he experiences no further serious emotional trauma.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, thanks so much, of the Columbia University Medical Center.

LIEBERMAN: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: And stay tuned to CNN for continuing coverage of this breaking news story. We will have more on the investigation this hour, and at 7:00 p.m. Eastern as well.

It is being called the worst fire in Huntington, West Virginia, in half a century. At least a half-dozen people are dead.

Our Joshua Levs has been following the story.

It is tragic and sad.

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. Yes, we have been following it throughout the day. And among the now seven people, at least seven people killed, we know there was at least one child.

Authorities looking into this. There could be more. And the cause, as of this point, has not been determined.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't get to him!

LEVS (voice over): Officials are calling it the worse fire that Huntington, West Virginia, has seen in 50 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). You got that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)?

LEVS: The building serves as housing for city residents and students of Marshall University. It's old, built in 1924.

ALEX VENCE, BUILDING MANAGER: It's a well-built building in that time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a catastrophic fire.

VENCE: It is. It absolutely is.

LEVS: Fire officials say part of the top floor collapsed on to the floor below. As firefighters entered, they had to take precautions to ensure they didn't find themselves trapped.

DAVID BIAS, FIRE MARSHAL: This building was not required to have a sprinkler system. Because of its age, it did not have one.

LEVS: Officials believe most rooms did have the required smoke detectors. They are not certain all of them were working.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: And for hours after fire officials arrived they were searching through the building. And it's still ongoing. And actually, Fred, they are saying the conditions are so bad in that building that they might not know for days what happened to everybody.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

LEVS: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Well, the story we are following also, new video now in connection with this story. Police in Greenville, North Carolina, say an arsonist may be on the loose.

Fires broke out at two Baptist churches there. And a break-in was discovered at a third. No one was injured. But while police have not officials declared the fires as arson, they say the blazes are suspicious. Officers are beefing up patrols of churches across the city.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is a bitterly cold Sunday evening across much of the country, with 23 degrees the wind chill forecast tore in Dallas, Texas. Now temperatures in Austin may be in the 40s, but watch out for ice tonight and tomorrow morning.

I will have a complete look at Monday's forecast coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeff Flock, in O'Fallon, Missouri.

First it froze. Take a look at those trees. And now it's been raining. And in the street, water is running.

Tonight they say it's going down well below freezing. It is not going to be pretty in Missouri.

We will have the full picture coming right up.

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a little prettier here in Oklahoma City, where I am. I'm Reggie Aqui, and we're covering the storm from here.

A lot of folks, though, still face the threat of losing their electricity. But fighting a higher power is proving to be even harder.

I'll explain coming up when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Another big story we continue to follow, deadly winter weather across the Midwest.

Near Elk City, Oklahoma, seven people were killed when a minivan skidded off an icy highway. It slammed into an oncoming tractor- trailer truck.

In Oklahoma City, the roof of the Destiny Christian Church collapsed under the weight of the thick ice. There are no reports of injuries, however.

People in St. Louis are reeling from a blast of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. Thousands of customers there remain without power. Amtrak service has been disrupted in that state as well.

And sleet and freezing rain fell across northern Texas. Dozens of flights at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport were canceled. And at least two deaths in Texas are being blamed on icy roads.

We are following the wintry blast. Another round is forecast for later on today.

Reporter Reggie Aqui is standing by in Oklahoma City, but first, we turn to CNN's Jeff Flock, who is in Missouri.

FLOCK: You know, Fredricka, I'll tell you, we thought it was bad when it was just ice, but now we are getting almost pouring rain out here. But it's so cold, the ice really hasn't melted. It's just that -- that it is raining and is really unpleasant.

I don't know how you -- if you can see, we tried to show you some scenes last time. I want to show you some other scenes about what's happened out here.

Take a look at this shed, where a branch snapped off from the weight of the ice, came down and impaled this shed. Pretty incredible.

In the back yard, if Tim's able to see it -- I don't know if you are, Tim, way back out there -- that's the source of the problem in this neighborhood in O'Fallon, Missouri. That power line that you see running along the back, that's the main line. And they jump off from that to the houses in this neighborhood.

That is down somewhere about two or three blocks from here. And so that is what's causing the problem and keeping everybody still out of power here. They were hopeful that they would get it returned -- power returned before the sun went down, but as perhaps you can see, the sun is already pretty close to going down.

It's funny, though, because in this scene, it's raining. You can see it's raining, or perhaps you can't tell as well as I can standing out here. But despite that, it's not cold enough to mount this ice.

So this ice remains on these branches. Not only the branches that have come down, but the ones still up in the air. And the big story tonight will be, if the temperatures go down as low as they say they could go, that means this whole place will be covered in a sheet of ice. People in this neighborhood already without any power, many of them without heat, say if that happens, it is not going to be a good situation here in O'Fallon, Missouri.

WHITFIELD: It doesn't sound good at all.

FLOCK: We will watch it throughout the night and the evening.

And Fredricka, I'll tell you, I wish you were here. It is a -- it's a good time.

WHITFIELD: Well, I'm kind of glad I'm not there. And I have stood in that kind of weather plenty of times. So I'm...

FLOCK: I know. We've been together in that time.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes. I'm ready to send you a hat, though, my friend. I don't want you catching a cold, because that rain is cold and nasty.

FLOCK: Appreciate that.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jeff.

FLOCK: I'll take it.

WHITFIELD: Oklahoma is sitting in the crosshairs of the wintry blast. Reporter Reggie Aqui is live in Oklahoma City with the latest from there -- Reggie.

AQUI: Well, Fredricka, maybe I should send my hat to Jeff, because it's not raining on me. So I'm lucky that way.

Let me show you what did happen today, though. See down here, I can actually put my foot in this stuff.

This is -- this is a big deal here in Oklahoma City, because earlier today that wasn't possible. It was just a sheet of ice. It wasn't moving anywhere. Couldn't even shovel it.

There's no ice on the trees, no ice on the power lines either. So that's a very good sign. For those churchgoers looking for the good news, well, that was a lot harder to find.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AQUI (voice over): It's what you won't see around Oklahoma that perhaps says the most about this weekend's ice storm, a storm that's already taken a dozen people's lives. In the so-called Buckle of the Bible Belt, on a Sunday the church bells still ring, but there are not the usual congregations and choirs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We chose just to come (INAUDIBLE). God forgive me.

AQUI: At an Oklahoma City restaurant usually buzzing Sunday morning, the Leftmans (ph) were some of the only customers who showed up in the sleet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got cabin fever. You get tired of watching TV all day long.

AQUI: Most churches closed because they didn't want their members in trouble on the roads. This is an area of the country where cities aren't equipped to handle prolonged icy conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Oklahoma, if God puts it here, then God takes it away.

AQUI: So most people stayed off the streets.

Jonathan Cook doesn't have that luxury.

JONATHAN COOK, HEATING REPAIR: I worked 12 hours Friday, Saturday, and I'll probably do the same today.

AQUI: He works for a heating company, and he can barely keep up with the number of repair calls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AQUI: Now, Fredricka, those people who do have power tonight are so thankful. Those in southeast Oklahoma don't have it so good. They don't have power.

Ninety thousand people around the state don't have power, which means it is going to be a very long night for them. And it is getting really frigid out here.

WHITFIELD: Oh man. I feel for the folks without the power. But those folks who have it, they are very thankful and they are lucky.

Thanks so much, Reggie.

Let's check in with Bonnie Schneider in the weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Selling the surge. The White House is pushing President Bush's new plan to add thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq. This after a week of emboldened opposition within the halls of Congress.

With the latest from the White House now, CNN's Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the fiery comments at last week's hearings were really just an early indicator of how deeply opposed many Democrats and even some Republicans are to the troop increase. So today the administration, from the top down, got busy defending its strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice over): The administration's sales team was out in force -- President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the national security adviser. The pitch, that the new Iraq plan will work better than opponents call for a gradual draw-down.

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we simply go back and revalidate the strategy that Osama bin Laden has been following from day one, that if you kill enough Americans, you can force them to quit, that we don't have the stomach for the fight, that's not an answer.

KOCH: Lawmakers at the same time were staking out their positions, possible presidential contenders leaving no doubt about where they stand.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think this has to work and I believe it can succeed.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: It represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: A disastrous policy on the part of the Bush administration.

KOCH: Adding to the debate, tough talk against suspected Iranian activity in Iraq. U.S. troops in Iraq detained five Iranians last week. The U.S. military says they are members of the Iranian revolutionary guard Al-Quds, a group known for providing funds, weapons, training and roadside bombs to extremists in Iraq.

CHENEY: But Iran is fishing in troubled waters, if you will, inside of Iraq. And the president has responded to that.

KOCH: National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley insists the administration is not preparing for U.S. military action against Iran.

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No. The president has said very clearly that the issues we do -- we have with Iran should be solved diplomatically.

KOCH: Hadley later said Iraq was the best place to take on Iranians who were helping Iraqi insurgents but wouldn't say the U.S. has no authority to go into Iran.

HADLEY: I didn't say that. This is another issue. Any time you have questions about crossing international borders, there are legal issues. KOCH: Lawmakers are eyeing the developments with caution.

MCCAIN: But I think it is very, very important that if Iranians are in Iraq, paying people to be suicide bombers, to help with training and equipping them, and it's vital that we go after them, too.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't think that the president is trying to build a case. I don't think he has the authority to go into Iran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: But President Bush does have the authority and for now the funds already budgeted to send U.S. troops into Iraq, though there has been talk in Congress about them using their power of the purse strings to cut off future funding. Many Democrats, though, Fredricka, worry that's a controversial move. What we expect in the short term is perhaps a congressional resolution, a non-binding one in the Senate this week, expressing opposition to the plan.

WHITFIELD: Yes, many congressional leaders not wanting to get in the way of any more equipment to get to those U.S. troops if needed.

KOCH: Quite so.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Kathleen.

Information about the recovery of the two once-missing boys still coming in, still our top story.

An update on the miracle in Missouri next right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's take a look at news "Across America" right now.

More details on the two Missouri boys who were missing then reunited with their families this weekend. Police say the alleged kidnapper, 41-year-old Michael Devlin, was polite when officers first approached him, but when they continued questioning him, they say his mood changed dramatically. Devlin is expected to be arraigned this week.

Tragedy in Huntington, West Virginia. A fire ripped through an apartment building, killing at least seven people, including a child. Officials say the death toll could rise as they continue to search the partially collapsed building.

And police in Greenville, North Carolina, say an arsonist may be on the loose. Fire swept through two Baptist churches there and a break- in was uncovered at a third church. No one was injured.

While police have not officially declared the fires arson, they say the blazes are suspicious. Officers are beefing up patrols at churches across the city.

And more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with Rick Sanchez. RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And we're going to be trying to get -- you know, what's interesting is folks in New York and along the East Coast have been just having a hiatus because, for the most part, it hasn't been cold. They expected by now it would be cold.

Well, guess what? This severe weather system that we have been telling you about, the one that has been going through the Plains states, it is now moving east. And they are saying New York, that's right, get ready. It's finally going to be cold there as well, and you might even get some of the snowy stuff.

So we are obviously going to be trying to dig down into what's going on with all of the weather. Pardon the pun.

WHITFIELD: Winter finally arriving.

SANCHEZ: Exactly.

And then, of course, you know the big story involving these two boys. One of them there for four years. And the story really is about a lot of questions.

And one of the big questions is, what kind of relationship did Hornbeck have with Michael Devlin. Was it a father-son relationship? Was it a friendship relationship? Or was it something perhaps even more sinister?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SANCHEZ: It's what people are thinking about. It's what people are asking. And I think those are the questions that we are going to try to ask as well tonight at 10:00.

WHITFIELD: We'll be listening and watching.

Thanks so much, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still much more ahead on CNN.

Up next, "LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK." Lou examines the political fallout from President Bush's Iraq war plan. That is next.

And stay with CNN throughout the night as we follow this still developing story, as Rick was explaining, in Missouri. We're learning more about how one of the two kidnapped boys spent his four years away from his family.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The latest out of Missouri in about three minutes, and then "LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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