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Former Girlfriend Gives New Details About Child Rape Suspect; Airport Screeners Giving Extra Scrutiny to Remote-Controlled Toys; Kids and Cold Medicine

Aired October 01, 2007 - 10:59   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The terror of Virginia Tech still fresh. The University of Memphis acts quickly this morning, shutting down the campus and canceling classes after a student is shot and killed. Police are still looking for the suspect but they don't have much to work with just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER PREWITT, MEMPHIS POLICE: We don't know who the suspects are, and we don't have anybody that can -- right now that can pinpoint what happened. All we got right now is they heard a shot, and then they saw the car drive away. Naturally, people running because of shots being fired, and the victim ended up here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We are hearing from our affiliate the victim is 21- year-old Taylor Bradford, a university football player. Police say Bradford left his dorm last night, headed to his car, and that's when someone shot him. Police say Bradford managed to get in his car and drive away but crashed into a tree. Police are calling this a targeted killing, not a random crime.

And new details this morning about an accused child rapist. Police say Chester Stiles videotaped a brutal attack on a 3-year-old. The little girl, who is now 7, is safe, but the manhunt for Stiles is still on.

Dan Simon is joining us now live from Las Vegas with the very latest.

Dan, tell us more about the suspect's ex-girlfriend. I know you had a chance to talk with her.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Heidi. You know, the woman we talked to, she says that she was in a 10-year relationship with Stiles. She says she never saw him act inappropriately towards a child.

She's actually the reason why he actually came into contact with this little girl. As you can imagine, she feels a tremendous sense of guilt. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SIMON (voice over): CNN obtained this home video showing Chester Stiles in a far different light than what he's accused of -- acting as a fun, caring guy to his girlfriend and her children at a Las Vegas park.

TINA ALLEN, FMR. GIRLFRIEND: He can be very charming, beguiling.

SIMON: Tina Allen says she thought she knew Stiles better than anyone. She says she'd been in an on-and-off-again relationship with him for 10 years. Allen says she was excited when the athletic 6'2 man first asked her out.

(on camera): Describe how he was around your family.

ALLEN: He was good with my kids. Said he'd been in the Navy. And, you know, I was looking for a strong guy to represent to my sons what I thought they needed to be.

SIMON (voice over): The relationship blossomed. Stiles moved in with her. So it would have been very normal for Allen to take Stiles over to her son and daughter's crowded apartment.

ALLEN: He cultivated being Mr. Trustworthy. You know, "You can trust me with kids."

SIMON: Among those also living in the apartment, a family friend and her 3-year-old girl. A girl detectives say seen in this home video allegedly moles molested by Stiles.

(on camera): Is it Chester Stiles on that tape?

ALLEN: It's Chester Stiles on that tape. It is him.

SIMON: How is this weighing on you knowing that you're the one who brought him to this apartment?

ALLEN: I'm disgusted. I'm ashamed. I'm embarrassed. I'm mortified.

I regret every -- every step I ever took. I feel bad for the baby.

SIMON (voice over): Looking back, Allen says she completely missed the warning signs. Stiles had a lengthy rap sheet, had been accused of committing lewd acts on a child.

Stiles, she says, also had a violent streak. She says he once hit her, but she did not file a police report. And she says there were also some creepy comments about him wanting to have a daughter.

ALLEN: He would point out, "Oh, isn't she so cute? Look at her. She's so cute. I always wanted a little girl. I was so disappointed when my son was born."

SIMON: Now Allen blames herself for what police say happened to the little girl. ALLEN: Why couldn't I have recognized something? You know, why are all these people going through this torture now because of me?

SIMON: A few months ago, Allen says she ended their relationship. She says it was just time to move on. Stiles is now a wanted man by police, but Allen says it won't be easy to catch him.

ALLEN: He will hide out in the mountains if that's what it takes. He'll hide out in a crowd. He'll find somebody who hasn't heard anything and stay there.

He has skills. He knows how to hunt. He knows how to -- I mean, hunt with a gun, a knife, a bow.

SIMON: Chester Stiles, a one-time father figure, now accused of a most heinous crime against a child.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Well, Tina Allen says she actually saw Chester Stiles recently. She says he actually came to her house about a week ago.

He wasn't acting suspicious. This is before he was charged with this crime. Nonetheless, an interesting conversation they had.

She says they basically ended on a positive note. They are friends, she says, until she heard about this. She is absolutely mortified by what allegedly took place, and obviously she wants to see him caught -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot of people want to see him caught, I think.

What about the man who turned the tape over to police in the first place? That guy, Darren Tuck, turned himself in over the weekend.

SIMON: Right. An interesting character, Darren Tuck. He says he found this videotape in the desert. He says he held on to it for about five months.

Police didn't buy his story, but he insisted he was telling the truth. Well, he actually took a lie detector test over the weekend, and guess what? He failed. And then he hit the road.

Police wanted to talk to him. He eventually turned himself in, but this guy is facing some serious, serious trouble of his own for having this tape for so long. He could face some serious child pornography charges there.

COLLINS: So what do police say, Dan, quickly, about keeping him in custody? That was not possible to do? Just to ask him more questions?

SIMON: Right. He basically answered all of their questions, but once they let him go, it turns out that he has an arrest warrant on his file for not paying child support. So they had the opportunity there to take him into custody, and once again he took that lie detector test and failed.

And so, again, they want to probe him and see what his connection might be to Chester Stiles. At this point, they have not been able to establish a connection.

COLLINS: Interesting. All right.

Dan Simon for us following this story live from Las Vegas this morning.

Dan, thank you.

A criminal profiler will be talking about tracking Chester Stiles. Where might he be? We're going to have that interview coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM in just a few minutes.

Also this morning, a family mourning a mother and wanting to know how she died in police custody. Police say Carol Ann Gotbaum was arrested Friday at the Phoenix airport. A US Airways spokesman says Gotbaum was bumped from a flight for being late to the gate and then became extremely angry.

Police handcuffed her and took her to holding room. While she was there, police say she may have tried to get out of her handcuffs and accidentally strangled herself. Gotbaum's mother-in-law is New York City public advocate Betsy Gotbaum. She spoke to reporters yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETSY GOTBAUM, MOTHER-IN-LAW: Carol was a wonderful, wonderful person. She was a wonderful mother. She was sweet and kind and loving.

At this moment, we are awaiting the results of the investigation. We don't know any more than has been reported in the press.

This is obviously very, very difficult for us. We are dealing with it as best we can. My number one focus is those children and my stepson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: An autopsy is scheduled for today, but it could be several days before the results are released.

Check your freezer now, if you would. A frozen hamburger recall is expanding to nearly 22 million pounds of meat patties.

E. coli contamination is the concern. Investigators are looking at potential illnesses in eight states.

The frozen patties are all distributed by Topps Meat Company, but sold under several different brand names. All have a sell by date or best used by date of September 25, 2007 to September 25, 2008.

You can find a complete list of the recalled products at CNN.com. Topps says this is its first recall in 65 years of doing business.

A massive volcanic eruption off the coast of Yemen. Of the eight people originally missing, two have been rescued this morning. Two more found dead. The search though goes on.

The volcano erupted on a small island spewing fire and ash. Canadian navy spokesman Ken Allan described the chaos for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN ALLAN, CANADIAN NAVY SPOKESMAN: It's still erupting. There's still lava pouring off of the island. Even during the day you can still see the spews of lava coming off of it, sprouting out.

One side of the island, the northern side, seems to be completely devastated. The rear side, it's a small island with a bit of a mountain in the middle, if you will, and the southern side seems to be OK. But the northern side is just nothing but red, molten lava.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Except for a navy base, the island was not inhabited. NATO ships though do promise to stay in the area and find the missing people.

Jacqui Jeras is joining us now

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: A noose around the neck of a young child, others in chains. They're troubling pictures from a university-run elementary school.

It was called "A Lesson in Racism and the History of Lynching". Now Grambling State University is investigating what happened at Alma J. Brown Elementary. These are kindergartners and first graders.

Grambling's president is meeting with those involved today. He ordered the pictures removed from the Louisiana school's Web site.

Also, a dangling noose exposes racial tensions inside a New York police station. It happened on Long Island in Hempstead. The noose was found in the men's locker room. Officials are looking into whether a recently promoted black deputy police chief was the target.

Local black leaders are outraged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COREY PEGUES, NOBLE: In this day and time, 2007, we're not going to just stand by. Because today's a noose. And tomorrow they're trying to put somebody's head in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The law enforcement group is calling for a full investigation.

A suspected child rapist on the loose. Prosecutors say he calls himself a survivalist and always carries a knife. A criminal profiler talks about tracking this man.

Also, escape from Myanmar. An eyewitness to the crackdown now offering a first-hand account of what's happening in the secretive Asian nation.

And a warning today for parents of young children. Concerns about cold medicine and kids. Our Elizabeth Cohen joins us with the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We have some information coming just in to us here in the CNN NEWSROOM about the Transportation Security Administration and some new attention that they are paying to some kids' toys.

T.J. Holmes is working on this.

These are remote-controlled toys, huh, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. We know we've got certain things we've got to pack in our checked baggage. You know, got to put certain liquids and whatnot in there. But you might want to put those remote-controlled toys now in the checked luggage.

The TSA is giving more scrutiny, if you will, the screeners are, to remote-controlled toys. They are not going as far as banning them from your carry-on luggage. You can still take them, but you might get stopped, you might get searched, and you might be under a little more scrutiny because of these toys.

Now, the TSA says this is not because of any specific threat that they know of that they are taking this step. Rather, that in the last intelligence estimate that came out -- it was back in July, actually -- something in there kind of prompted them to take -- to take notice of these remote-controlled toys.

Not exactly sure what they saw in there, but it does say that al Qaeda is pretty proficient with conventional small arms and improvised explosive devices, and it's also innovative in creating new capabilities and overcoming security obstacles. So that language in that national intelligence estimate may have kind of prompted some of this, but they are going to be looking a little closer at these remote-controlled toys.

Again, not because of any specific threat. The administrator of the TSA said it appears the terrorist may have an interest in using these remote-controlled toys as a means to initiate certain kinds of devices for a terrorist attack.

So, just to keep it in mind that if you do have a remote- controlled toy, with the holidays coming up maybe people traveling with a lot more of these things, that if you get stopped and it takes a little more time, that this is why. They are putting these things under a little more scrutiny.

But again, not banning them. Need to be clear about that. And no specific threat. Need to be clear about that as well. Just, they want to give people a heads up that if you have these things, this is why you might get stopped and be under a little scrutiny.

COLLINS: Right. Right. OK, T.J., thanks for that.

HOLMES: All right.

COLLINS: A brutal sexual assault on a 3-year-old child. The attack videotaped. Now the search is on for the man suspected in the rape.

Candace DeLong is a criminal profiler and she is also a retired FBI agent.

Thank for being here, Candace.

I want to play some sound for you. This is from the Nye County district attorney, Bob Beckett. Listen with me if you would and then we'll talk about it in just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB BECKETT, NYE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We were told that he claims to have been a Navy SEAL or was a Navy SEAL. He's not a gambler. He's not a drinker.

He's a survivalist type. He can live without water or electricity. It doesn't bother him a bit.

He's a martial artist. He claims to be a black belt. He always -- he's very paranoid. He's very handy with weapons, and he always carries a knife on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: What does that tell you, Candace? It tells me he might be a really tough guy to catch.

CANDACE DELONG, CRIMINAL PROFILER: I was going to say, it sounds like there's a challenge afoot in this particular chase.

COLLINS: Yes. What more can you tell us about somebody like this? I mean, this is a guy who, as we just heard, can sort of live for a long time, it seems, on his own. Knows how to survive, has all kinds of training to defend himself. And again, just to help himself stay alive for goodness knows how long.

DELONG: Well, law enforcement has people also in it that could be described that way, people that are military-trained with survival -- good survival techniques. And they'll get him.

COLLINS: We also spoke with Tina Allen. You may have seen some of that story that we had. This is Stiles' former girlfriend. Let's go ahead and listen to some of that, because I thought what she said was pretty interesting about him, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: He can be very charming, beguiling. Said he'd been in the Navy. And, you know, I was looking for a strong guy to represent to my sons what I thought they needed to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: What do you make of her comments? She's someone who said that she really felt like she knew him better than anyone.

DELONG: Well, it certainly doesn't surprise me. I'm going to assume that she had no idea of his proclivity for having sex with children. I certainly hope her own children weren't violated. They need to be interviewed if he spent any time around them, even the male children. Just because he's caught on tape with a female child doesn't mean he also wouldn't -- would be necessarily safe around male children.

In terms of him being charming and beguiling, most pedophiles and men that molest children do have a certain level of verbal skills and good personality about them, or they wouldn't be able to get their victims to go along with their program. Also, I would like to point out in regards to this woman, a lot of pedophiles target women who are not married, who are single mothers...

COLLINS: Right.

DELONG: ... for the sole purpose of getting at their kids.

COLLINS: Yes.

DELONG: And they can be very charming to the women. So single women -- single moms really need to beware.

COLLINS: Yes, it's a great point. And we have seen that before. But maybe what it is that we haven't seen before, at least, you know, in the press this way, is the way that he did this, so boldly, so brazenly, in front of a camera.

What does that tell you about his -- about his profile?

DELONG: Actually, that doesn't surprise me at all. It's very common for pedophiles when they violate children to photograph it.

In the old days it would be with a Polaroid. These days, since you can buy these cameras anywhere for not too much money, we are seeing more and more of that. So that doesn't surprise me at all.

Usually the purpose of doing that or filming it is so they can go over it themselves later for sexual purposes. Sometimes they like to show it to other pedophiles. They get validation, swapping material like you would swap baseball cards. Pedophiles swap information and pictures that they have about violating children.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, it's incredibly upsetting for everyone, certainly.

DELONG: It is.

COLLINS: We appreciate your time here today.

Candace DeLong...

DELONG: You're welcome.

COLLINS: ... criminal profiler and former FBI agent.

Thanks, Candace.

Survival story. A couple of compelling chapters now. Look at this.

A plane crashes into a tree and two men aboard dangle there for hours.

And kids, they're young and vibrant, but they can have heart attacks, too. We'll tell you something you may not know about what every parent should know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Parents, many of you give your children over the counter medicines for the common cold. And now the FDA experts say you really shouldn't.

Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now.

Elizabeth, what's going on? I mean, I see quite a pile of cough and cold medicines that I certainly have used before.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

COLLINS: But there's a specific warning that we're talking about today.

COHEN: Right. There's something very specific for very young children that FDA experts are talking about.

I brought a selection of some cough and cold medicines for young children. And this is just a small selection. You can go to any drugstores -- there are shelves after shelves of them.

And what experts at the FDA are saying is that these drugs have caused problems for children under 2, and in some cases for children under 6. So experts at the FDA are recommending to an FDA committee that the labels say, "Do not use decongestants for children under 2." Even decongestants that are made for children that have little teddy bears, or whatever. Don't use them for children under 2. These experts are also recommending. don't use antihistamines for children under 6. The problem is, is that these drugs, sometimes, when children have taken them, they have died or they've gotten very, very sick. Now, the FDA hasn't come out and made this the law of the land yet, but certainly that's what their own experts are recommending at this point.

COLLINS: Wow. So how bad are they? I mean, you just mentioned that about the antihistamines. That the kids can actually die.

COHEN: Right, for both -- for both of these kind of drugs. Both for decongestants and for antihistamines, products that are sold as cough or cold or allergy medications.

According to one report, according to some reports, what they found is that between 1969 and 2006, there were 54 deaths when kids took decongestants. And when it comes to antihistamines, they found 69 deaths during that time. And in addition, the Centers for Disease Control says that in just two years, 1,500 children ended up in the emergency room because of problems from these drugs.

COLLINS: Wow. Well, what do you do then? I mean, if your kid has a cough or a cold or even an allergy, do you just let them tough it out if they're that young?

COHEN: You know, one doctor was saying that because parents rely on these drugs a lot, sometimes they forget some really basic things that you can do when your child has a cough or cold.

First of all, you've got to make sure that your child has plenty of fluids, and also that they use a cool mist humidifier, and also saline drops, just plain old salt water drops in their nose. It works wonders. You don't necessarily have to medicate your child.

Now, if your child has allergies, sometimes that's a different story, but there are other drugs that your child can take for allergies besides antihistamines. And we're talking, again, little children, in most cases children under 2.

COLLINS: Under 2. All right. Very good. Definitely pay attention to this one.

COHEN: That's right.

COLLINS: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

COLLINS: Another warning this morning. If your child complains of sudden chest pain, don't ignore it.

Doctors say kids can actually have heart attacks. They say it's rare, but it's often under-recognized as a problem.

Doctors in Ohio documented nine cases over 11 years in children as young as 12. All but one were boys. They did not have the common risk factors like obesity or high blood pressure and cholesterol. Doctors say the cause of heart attacks was most likely a heart spasm that briefly cut off blood supply.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news and a health library and information on diet and fitness.

That address, once again, CNN.com/health.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris is off today.

Heads up for travelers this morning. If you're going to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, you better have your passport in hand.

CNN's Allan Chernoff has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for calling the National Passport Information Center.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Texan, Sandra Vazquez, calls the passport information center to check on the application she filed back in April.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not telling you to call back. I'm saying that it might make sense to because the computer is just not working.

CHERNOFF: Only to learn that the center's computer system is down. Already, she has had to cancel a summer trip to Costa Rica and now fears she won't be able to go in October.

SANDRA VAZQUEZ, PASSPORT DELAYED: I feel frustrated because I want my pass-a-port. I don't have it, and I can't travel, I can't go nowhere without my pass-a-port.

CHERNOFF: Earlier this year, Sandra's situation was common. Tens of thousands of passport applicants were frustrated by unprecedented delays, waits of three months or even long to her get their documents. The State Department was overwhelmed with a record number of applications.

(on camera): Today the State Department says Sandra's case is an exception. The department maintains it has caught up with all of its applications, partly as a result of hiring 400 extra workers since the end of the May, calling retirees back to work and even pressing foreign service staffers into passport duty.

(voice-over): The department also opened a new processing center in Arkansas and suspended a rule introduced in January requiring passports for air travel to the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico.

COLIN WALLE, PRES, NFFE LOCAL 1998: It truly has been a mound of application, carts of applications taking over some of break rooms, teetering over employees. So, just the sheer volume of work itself has been grossly intimidating.

CHERNOFF: Passport officials say the normal waiting times are back, six to eight weeks and a standard application, three weeks for expedited service, which costs an extra $60.

So, as of Monday morning, the tighter security regulations are back on. Americans need passports to fly to the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.

Next summer, security for American travelers will get even tighter. Passports will be required for driving back into the country. Anticipating another onslaught the passport requests, the State Department is continues to add more employees, so people like Sandra Vazquez won't have to cancel oversea trips.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: More information just now into the CNN NEWSROOM. T.J. Holmes is working on it for us.

Boy, what's happening here in North Carolina, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: North Carolina, five schools right now, live picture you're looking at -- but five schools are in what they're calling a partial lockdown, as investigators are looking for two murder suspects. A murder that happened in that area over the weekend where a man's body was found in a wooded area in Mooresville is where this is. The body was found, but the suspects now on the run. Police looking for them.

Not exactly sure why police or school officials have decided to lockdown the schools or why exactly the police believe maybe the suspects are running around maybe in the area of those schools. Not clear on that. But five area schools, including an elementary school, a couple of elementary schools, a couple middle schools and a high school have had to be locked down.

Orazio Fava (ph) and John Lowell Hermanson (ph) are the names of the suspects they're looking for right now, two murder suspects. Two people are already in custody in connection with that murder over the weekend.

But police have searched a vehicle, also a home as part of this investigation. The live picture here you're looking at is from Statesville, North Carolina, which is the area where these schools are that are now in partial lockdown.

We're going to work this, Heidi, and try to figure out exactly why police believe -- again, forgive us here, we're going with that live picture of our affiliate, providing that for us -- exactly why authorities believe maybe that they suspects are somewhere in the area of these schools, and why it was necessary to partially lockdown the schools. I don't know if authorities believe that the suspects may be running around in those schools, trying to hide even. So that's the information we're trying to get right now. When we get that, we'll stay on it; get back to you.

COLLINS: Yes, but this actually happened over the weekend, huh?

HOLMES: The murder was actually over the weekend, where the body was found now here we are on Monday when kids are in school, and now the schools are having to be in lockdown. So a lot of information still do don't have and not clear on, but this is what's happening right now in Statesville.

COLLINS: All right. Very good, T.J. We'll check back with you should anything change there. Thanks so much.

And a Memphis campus is locked down this morning as well. The gunman is still on the loose. We will give you an update on that situation as well.

Also, escape from Myanmar. An eyewitness to the crackdown now offering a firsthand account of what's happening in the secretive Asian nation.

And from the freezer to the frying pan to the E.R. -- hamburger patties under recall this morning that could make you really sick. We'll have the story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A situation in North Carolina to tell you about. We're getting these pictures in from our affiliate WCNC out of Statesville, North Carolina.

T.J. Holmes is working this story for us.

T.J., sheriff's deputies are looking for two murder suspects at this point.

HOLMES: Yes, and the thing we're not clear on just yet is exactly why maybe in this area of the schools, I guess what prompted the shutdown of these schools, this lockdown, or partial lockdown as they're calling it; why they think these suspects may be in this area, because the murder actually happened over the weekend, and it actually happened a little south, in Mooresville, over the weekend, which is a little south of Statesville, North Carolina, where the lockdown has now happened.

You're looking at this pretty vast wooded area here. Several schools in the area, at least two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, now been knocked down, as the authorities look for the suspects. Orazio Ryan Fava and John Lowell Hermanson are the two names. Both of those men are from Mooresville, where the man's body was found over the weekend in a wooded area. But now in Statesville, again, just north of Mooresville, where that murder happened, police have locked down or recommended locking down, and school have apparently complied to lockdown the schools for the time being while the suspects are being sought. Also, two other suspects in connection with this crime are already in custody. Don't know what role they think those two might have played, but two other people already in custody. But, again, you see new video here we're seeing, of one of the schools at lest that is in partial lockdown.

Again, the word we're trying to find out is why they think the suspects are in this area. Don't know. It's possible that they even think that the suspects are somewhere close by. Don't know if they think that Maybe the suspects are even trying to use these schools for hiding or anything like that. That word not coming to us just yet. But five schools in partial lockdown. We'll work this, try to get more information. And as we get it, we'll certainly pass it along. And if they happen to find the suspects as well, we'll certainly get that word to you, if we get it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, great. T.J., thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: Demonstrations and diplomacy -- a new push for change in Myanmar coming from the United Nations.

And a survival story -- a couple of compelling chapters: Plane crashes into tree; two men aboard dangle for hours.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More news just into the NEWSROOM here that we want to share with you. We are getting word about a track star by the name of Rodney Lydale Lockhart. He's a member of the University of Mississippi track team. He was apparently found dead at 10:00 in the morning on Saturday, at his apartment there, near the campus of the University of Mississippi. This was just about an hour from Memphis, where we were telling you about the other story that involved the death of a football player there.

So once again, we have learned that 20-year-old track star Rodney Lockhart was found dead Saturday in his apartment. You see some video now of that location. He was pronounced dead by the coroner at the scene. Apparently shot to death.

All we know is we've got a bit of a quote from the head track coach, that says, "We're deeply saddened by Rodney's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rodney's family and friends. Our coaches and our student athletes offer our deepest sympathy to his family.

Something to know about him, he was a junior psychology major. He also was a member of the gold-winning U.S. four by four -- that's four-by-400 relay team -- in the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing. He looked to have a very promising track career ahead of him. We'll continue to watch this one and bring you any more information about how and why that may have happened.

(NEWSBREAK) COLLINS: In about 15 minutes or so "YOUR WORLD TODAY" will be up. Hala Gorani is going to be on the program today.

Hi there, Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Heidi.

Yes, in about 15 minutes time join Michael Holmes and myself for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." We will literally take you around the world today. We will be looking at those Myanmar protests.

But also, has Vladimir Putin found a way to stay in power in Russia? That is the big question today. He has not excluded taking a prime ministerial role in Russia that would keep him at the head of the government. We'll be analyzing that and going live to Moscow.

Also, we will be talking about Darfur. African Union peacekeepers killed there. What is the future like for residents of that troubled Sudanese region? We'll be talking about that as well.

And, we will be staying right here in the United States. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider, who will run out of money? Certainly not one of these two on either side of your screen there. And also, Rudy Giuliani, if he wins the nomination, what does this mean for GOP members who might submit a breakaway independent candidate? we'll be looking at all the ins and outs and the drama of the U.S. presidential race.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming right up -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Hala. Thanks so much. We'll be watching.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In North Carolina we've got two murder suspects on the run, and five schools are on what they're calling partial lockdown. T.J. is watching the story for us.

T.J., anything new on this one?

HOLMES: No, just want to let people know what's happening here, give folks an update. That's the area we're looking at; Statesville is where the lockdown is happening now with those five schools you just mentioned -- two elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Partial lockdown is what they're calling it, because they're looking for two murder suspects that are apparently somewhere they think in this area, this wooded area, surrounding these schools.

These two murder suspects are on the run after a murder over the weekend in another area, Mooresville, which is just south of Statesville as well. A body was found there over the weekend.

Two people already in custody, but also two now on the run. Not clear. The word we're trying to get is exactly why they've locked these schools down, and why they think the suspects may be in this particular area. The two suspects, Orazio Ryan Fava and John Lowell Hermanson, are the two that are right now -- police are searching for. Another two in custody.

But again, the murder over the weekend, just south of this area in Mooresville. But now here we are up in Statesville on Monday. Five schools locked down, and for some reason the authorities think that the suspects may be in this area. Those are the details we are trying to work to get. We will stay on it and continue to give you the updates, and certainly if major developments on this come in we'll certainly bring those to you -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, very good, T.J. As we continue to follow this story, we're trying to get a little more information for you. In just a few minutes, we hope to be speaking with someone on the phone.

Meanwhile, we continue to look at those live pictures now coming in from our affiliate WSOC, once again, out of Statesville, North Carolina. Police looking very hard, sheriff's deputies, I should actually say, in this area, for as T.J. said -- pardon me just one minute.

Darren Campbell, Lieutenant Darren Campbell is actually on the phone with us right now from the sheriff's department there in Statesville to try to give us a little more information.

Lieutenant, if you can hear me, we are looking at some live pictures here of quite a bit of police and sheriff's activity on the ground. Can you tell us what you know at this point?

DET. DARREN CAMPBELL, IREDELL CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Actually right now I'm not where I can see a TV, but we are looking for one suspect that's involved with a homicide.

COLLINS: You're looking for one suspect, not two?

CAMPBELL: No, we're looking for one. We have three in custody. We just took another one in custody this morning. We have one that we're looking for now.

COLLINS: OK. Are you getting information from the community or from the other three, or how are you trying to track this person down?

CAMPBELL: We are getting information. We actually are working on some good information right now. But we're getting it from the community and from other people involved.

COLLINS: All right. Tell us, if you would, what you know about what happened, and also why these schools are on partial lockdown this morning.

CAMPBELL: As far as what happened with -- I'm not going to get into particulars of it. Right now we just have a suspect and we have good reason to believe he's there in the community...

COLLINS: Forgive me, lieutenant, but just in case people have just tuned in, can you tell us about the crime and why you're looking for anybody at all.

CAMPBELL: It was a homicide. We were working on a homicide. We have three in custody and one that we're trying to locate now.

COLLINS: OK. We know that victim's name has not yet been released.

CAMPBELL: That's correct.

COLLINS: So we perfectly understand that very well. And I'm sorry I interrupted you, but we do know that there are those five schools that are on partial lockdown. Is that just because of their location?

CAMPBELL: It is because of the location, and it's just a safety precaution.

COLLINS: OK. So just repeating what you said here now -- you do have three of the four suspects in custody, and you are still looking for one more that are wanted for -- or at least to be questioned anyway as suspects in a murder that happened over the weekend.

CAMPBELL: That's correct.

COLLINS: All right. We appreciate your time here.

CAMPBELL: Thanks very much.

COLLINS: Lieutenant Darren Campbell of the sheriff's department, near Moorseville is where all of this happened, in case we had that map up just a little while ago, near Statesville, North Carolina. If you happen to know the area better, we of course will follow this. It looks like there's a lot happening with that story. We'll give you all the latest information just as soon as it happens.

Meanwhile, pushing the limit. That's what it says, but what's this T-shirt for graduating seniors really saying? Some say they don't like the message. We'll tell you about it after a quick break.

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COLLINS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next with news happening across the globe and right here at home.

I'm Heidi Collins. Have a good Monday, everybody.

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