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Nancy Grace
Murdered Marine`s Mother Says Corps Failed to Protect Daughter
Aired January 29, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: (CNNH SOUND DROP-OUT) -- remains of 20-year-old Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child found in the back yard of suspect Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean. Headlines tonight. The gender of Lauterbach`s unborn child revealed. In the last 24 hours, another alleged sighting of Laurean in Mexico, while international police, Interpol, issuing a "red notice" for the fugitive Marine. And tonight, flanked by lawyers, the mother of murdered Maria Lauterbach speaks, blaming the Marine Corps for her daughter`s death. She tries to explain away her own comments about Maria that many believe slowed down the search for her own daughter. Tonight, the clock ticking down on results from an unprecedented second military autopsy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mother of murder victim Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach speaking out. Mary Lauterbach says a lot of misinformation about Maria Lauterbach is out there. She does admit telling investigators her daughter had a history of telling lies but says the information was taken out of context and blames the Marine Corps for failing to protect her, 20-year-old Maria Lauterbach, 8 months pregnant when authorities say she was bludgeoned to death by a fellow Marine, Cesar Laurean. Tonight, a false arrest in the case. And Laurean remains on the run, an arrest warrant by Mexican authorities and an Interpol "red notice" issued in the manhunt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight: We know Nevada not one, not two, but three attacks on young coeds, at least two attacks now linked by DNA to a single suspect still on the loose. The latest, 19-year-old coed Brianna Denison falls asleep on a sofa, only to vanish while she was sleeping. Left behind, purse, cell phone, clothing and blood. The mystery attacker becoming bolder with each assault. Tonight: Police say he will strike again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A possible big break in the abduction of a Reno, Nevada, college student. Police say they have made a DNA match between Brianna Denison`s kidnapping and a sexual assault in December in the same area. In the earlier case, the victim was abducted, sexually assaulted and then returned home by her attacker. Police now hope that details that they have will lead them to the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a shaved pelvic region. He has facial hair about a quarter inch long, below the chin, is very soft. He`s muscular but not a body builder. He`s very strong. He has a -- when seated, has kind of a belly roll, but when standing, he does not. And we know that he is somewhere between 5-foot-6 and approximately 6-foot-2.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. First tonight, another sighting of Cesar Laurean in Mexico, and the mother of murder victim Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach goes on the defense while at the same time, blaming the military for her daughter`s death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New and revealing details from the mother of Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, Lauterbach and her unborn child found buried in the back yard of murder suspect Cesar Laurean. Mary Lauterbach says the Marine Corps did not protect her daughter and says a small piece of the now murdered Marine`s history was taken completely out of context, that being Maria Lauterbach lied to the Marines that her brother was killed by a relative, a story Mary Lauterbach believes made investigators doubt the rape allegation and made her daughter a victim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mexican authorities now have the go-ahead to find and arrest Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean. The court there issued a warrant for the fugitive. It`s believed he fled to his native Mexico to avoid charges in the death of fellow Marine Maria Lauterbach. Investigators in North Carolina say Laurean killed the pregnant woman and buried her charred remains in his back yard. A North Carolina grand jury last week indicted Laurean for murder and several other felonies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Lori Mack, North Carolina correspondent. Lori, I understand the gender of the unborn child has been revealed.
LORI MACK, WESTWOOD ONE METRO NETWORKS: That`s right. Now, "The Dayton Daily News" is reporting the autopsy said that Maria Lauterbach was carrying a boy, to be named Gabriel Joseph. However, authorities here in North Carolina have not confirmed the gender of the baby. But according to "The Dayton Daily News," it was a boy named Gabriel Joseph.
GRACE: Lori, wasn`t that in the obituary that ran in the paper?
MACK: Yes, it was in the obituary.
GRACE: So this is coming straight from the family, the gender of the unborn baby killed there along with its mom, Maria Lauterbach, a baby boy to be named Gabriel Joseph.
Out to Harris Whitbeck, CNN`s Mexico City bureau chief. Harris, a false sighting of Cesar Laurean, but it turns out this guy was a bad guy to start with, one of the U.S. Marshals` top 15 most wanted, correct?
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That`s correct, Nancy. The news came out of Guadalajara this morning. Local reporters there tipped people off, saying that they had heard from the authorities that Cesar Laurean had not only been sighted but had actually apprehended.
Obviously, it took some scrambling to confirm that, and several hours later, the U.S. embassy told us that it was a case of mistaken identity, that, in fact, the person who was apprehended and extradited to the United States was a gentleman by the name of David Sauceda, who last October escaped from a prison in Texas where he was being held to face charges of murder. He came into Mexico and was living in the state of Michoacan with his girlfriend. He was put on the FBI`s top 15 list. The Mexican authorities actually got him on immigration violations and did not extradite him formally but simply deported him back to the States on immigration charges.
So that`s what had us running around this morning, Nancy, but again, it was not the Marine that we`ve been covering for the last several days.
GRACE: So Harris, what -- let me get this straight. Did authorities actually confuse him with Cesar Laurean, or were we simply told it was Cesar Laurean?
WHITBECK: No, no. The authorities did not confuse him with Cesar Laurean, the local press thought that it was Cesar Laurean, and that`s how all this got started.
GRACE: So once again, Cesar Laurean slipped through the fingers of authorities there in Mexico.
Out to the lines. Patty in Ohio. Hi, Patty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. How are you this evening?
GRACE: I`m good, dear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, since Cesar Laurean is in the Marines, is he not -- does he not belong to them? Does AWOL not stand out as something that they can go after him for?
GRACE: Excellent question. Let`s go to Meg Strickler, an international law attorney and extradition expert. Meg, can the military seek him for AWOL?
MEG STRICKLER, INTERNATIONAL LAW ATTORNEY, EXTRADITION EXPERT: They sure can. And no one`s talking about the Marines. You know, why aren`t we talking about the Marines and how they handled this entire case? He absolutely is AWOL. Where is he? Why aren`t the Marines even remotely talking about looking for him?
GRACE: But they cannot actually go into Mexico and get him on AWOL.
STRICKLER: No, but he is AWOL as we speak, is what I was answering...
GRACE: Well, what`s amazing to me, Meg Strickler, is that we keep talking about, Why aren`t Mexican authorities finding him? Why are they dropping the ball? The reality is, it`s our problem. He`s our problem. And not only did he cross the border, aided by a U.S.-based bus company who probably gave him a military discount, but he crossed the whole country on public transportation. You know what? I can`t even write a check at the grocery store without three types of ID, and this guy crosses the border, apparently, with a fake ID, Meg!
STRICKLER: This is embarrassing. Our porous border patrol, oh, my God, it`s embarrassing. I mean, I`m embarrassed to say that our country -- we`re supposed to have immigration issues, talks (ph) about with, you know, passports and whatnot when you cross our border. How did he get across the border? He`s a wanted fugitive! This is crazy!
GRACE: Back to Harris Whitbeck, CNN Mexico City bureau chief. Harris, you stated that this guy, one of the top 15 most wanted, is simply being deported. Then why can`t Cesar Laurean simply be deported so we can seek the death penalty?
WHITBECK: Well, there are a couple questions about the nationality of Cesar Laurean. It still hasn`t been made clear whether he is only a U.S. citizen now or if he still holds U.S. and Mexico citizenship. We do know that, of course, he was born in Mexico, so he does hold Mexican citizenship, and he became naturalized U.S. citizen. But there`s a question there, if a Mexican citizen can be deported on immigration charges to the U.S. We need to speak to somebody on immigration law.
One point about that porous U.S. border that was mentioned just before -- I`ve crossed that border several times when I`ve done stories up on the border. When you leave the United States to travel into Mexico, you are not stopped at all. You do not have to show any form of ID.
GRACE: Whew!
WHITBECK: Your car is never checked. There is no checkpoint at all. The first checkpoint that you come to is once you cross the border into Mexico, and it`s a Mexican checkpoint. It`s not a U.S. checkpoint.
GRACE: So the U.S. is not in any way monitoring who is leaving the country.
Back out to the lines. Bonnie in Kansas. Hi, Bonnie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Since Cesar Laurean had several aliases and everyone`s looking for him in Mexico, couldn`t he be back in the United States?
GRACE: Let`s to go Susan Candiotti, CNN national correspondent joining us on the story. Susan, what`s the likelihood that he`s going to come back to the U.S.?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it`s possible, Nancy. Of course, anything is because, as the FBI will tell you, fugitives often tend to want to go back home in a place where they are familiar. In this case, I am told by U.S. authorities that they continue to get people calling in to the tip line saying that they think that they have seen Laurean in the United States. None of those tips has panned out as yet. However, authorities are still encouraging people, if they think they have seen him, to please continue to contact them.
On the other hand, if someone is crossing the border from the United States into Mexico -- and also talking with other U.S. authorities today, my understanding is that customs and border protection was attempting at the time that Laurean left Raleigh to put out his photograph, to try to alert people along the border, including train stations, including trying to reach bus companies, as well. But obviously, that`s a huge job, and no one was able to get the word out in time before this ticket was sold to this man.
GRACE: Back out to the lines. Mary Jane in Wisconsin. Hi, Mary Jane.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I`m wondering about the wife of this Marine. You know, this was a very -- just a horrible, horrible thing that happened, but it took a lot of passion to do what was done, a lot of passion. And being married myself, I can tell you, I mean, it`s not something that I could possibly do, but the anger that was shown to this poor girl that is now gone, for her to be so far along in her pregnancy -- I`m thinking, you know, how involved was the wife in this whole thing?
GRACE: Good question. Out to Lori Mack with Westwood One Metro Networks. Lori, any more speculation the wife is eventually going to be charged?
MACK: Not that we know of, Nancy. At this point, they still refer to her as a cooperating witness. And it`s funny because, like I told you before, she actually had a confrontation. According to Maria Lauterbach`s mother, Mary, she actually had a confrontation. Maria had a confrontation with Christina Laurean on the base at Camp Lejeune, where Christina Laurean called Maria Lauterbach a B-I-T-C-H.
GRACE: So a lot of her story is full of inconsistencies and conflict. I find it very difficult to believe this guy leaves at 4:00 AM and his wife happens to find this letter he writes, saying Lauterbach died of suicide by slitting her own throat. It seems to me she gave him a head start. She helped in painting the home that covered up blood spattering on the wall. She helped paint, even told neighbors they planned to paint the garage next. What else did she do? She sat by and watched her husband dig a pit in the back yard and have a three-day cookout over Lauterbach`s body and that of her unborn baby boy, set to be named Gabriel Joseph, that little baby this close to being born. She was set for delivery in January, according to reports, her life taken mid-December, just weeks away before the birth of her first baby boy.
I want to go to a special guest joining us tonight, Jim Schield. He is the chief of international branch of the U.S. Marshal Service. Mr. Schield, thank you for being with us. What authority does the U.S. Marshals have in Mexico?
JIM SCHIELD, CHIEF, INTERNATIONAL BRANCH U.S. MARSHAL SERVICE: The U.S. Marshals, as well as any other federal agency, has no power in Mexico. We rely on the working relationships that we establish with the Mexican law enforcement, Mexican government officials. When we`re down there, we`re guests of their country.
GRACE: How can you engender more cooperation in finding Cesar Laurean?
SCHIELD: Well, you know, obviously, there`s work that`s got to be done up here and there`s work that`s got to be done anywhere where they believe he may go. It would be improper for me to comment on what`s happening now because -- you know, we`re currently not involved in that investigation, but you know, it would be improper of me to comment.
GRACE: Is there a typical MO -- method of operation, modus operandi - - in capturing criminals wanted in the U.S. in Mexico?
SCHIELD: Well, there`s two ways of getting people out of a foreign country. You can have the formal extradition route, which is detailed in the treaties between the two countries. There`s also the use of immigration authority. The 15 most wanted that was mentioned earlier in the program was one of the U.S. Marshals` 15 most wanted. This individual, Mr. Sauceda, was a very violent individual. He was a U.S. citizen. In that case, we were successful in working with Mexican immigration to make him quasi-illegal in Mexico...
GRACE: I see.
SCHIELD: ... and then summarily deport him back to the United States. This is something we do on an ongoing basis every day in Mexico.
GRACE: Today also, a lot of developments in the Lauterbach case. Lauterbach`s mother speaks, goes on the defense, yet blaming the military for her daughter`s death. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY LAUTERBACH, MOTHER: There`s been so much information floating around about Maria, largely for people that don`t even know her, also a lot of speculation. And it seemed important at this time -- normally, I would never be here. But at this time, someone needs to stand up and speak for Maria.
We want to change the climate so that any time a woman is attacked, and you know, feels -- wants to report it, that she can do so without the fear that the repercussions from reporting it will be far worse than the rape itself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That she`ll be chastised.
LAUTERBACH: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was Maria Lauterbach`s mother, Mary, on the "Today" show over at NBC.
Out to Lori Mack. But it was the mother who first told the police her daughter was a compulsive liar.
MACK: That`s right. The Onslow...
GRACE: Slowed down the investigation, according to many people.
MACK: Right. The Onslow County Sheriff`s Department asked Mary Lauterbach to send an e-mail with all the information that she could. And Mary Lauterbach says she was so upset and just trying to get as much information out as she could, she indicated that Maria Lauterbach had a problem with, you know, telling the truth.
GRACE: Well, right there, Lauren Howard, psychotherapist joining us tonight, a lot of the military and the local sheriffs, based on what the mom said, discounted her rape allegation.
LAUREN HOWARD, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, you know, Nancy, I have to take that worth a grain of salt. I`m sorry. I understand that`s what they`re saying that`s the reason they discounted it. But you know, people lie. A mother says that their daughter lies, and so you don`t investigate an allegation of rape? I don`t know, that doesn`t sound right to me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITBECK: The cousin, when we finally tracked him down, was very open about it. I mean, I asked him, Have you heard from your cousin, Cesar, back in the States? And he said, yes, he was here just a week ago. He was very, very nonchalant, very casual about the whole thing. Many of us here in the bureau in Mexico City have been wondering what might have really been going on. Some speculate that the family might know a bit more than it`s saying. On the other hand, if they knew more about what`s going on, knew his whereabouts or were even involved in hiding him, they certainly wouldn`t be telling the media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Welcome back. A sighting of what was believed to be Cesar Laurean in Mexico goes to a bust, although it was one of the top 15 wanted by the U.S. Marshals.
Out to Concetta in Georgia. Hi, Concetta.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I love your show.
GRACE: Thank you. What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know about Laurean`s wife. Has she been given a polygraph or -- and if not, shouldn`t she be given one?
GRACE: Susan Candiotti, do we know if she was given a poly?
CANDIOTTI: We don`t. We don`t, Nancy. All we know is that she is said to be talking, and that wouldn`t be surprising, given the amount of knowledge she obviously has about what happened.
GRACE: Out to Pat Brown, criminal profiler and author. Pat, typically, on the run, where do fugitives go? Where do they head?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: They go where they`re most comfortable, where they know they can blend in. And that`s why Laurean would go to Mexico. He`s going to match the population. It`s going to be easy to disappear. He`s got relatives down there who may feel sorry for him. They may buy his story that, you know, I was -- I went into a rage because I was forced into this. And they may say, Oh, you poor guy, you know, just like his wife, who probably thinks that he`s -- well, I can`t say innocent. She knows he killed her. But maybe because he had to. So he`ll get a lot of support. He can also get criminal contacts down there. And he`s already done that with his wife, and so he can be down there moving around through criminal communities and may hide very, very well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An arrest warrant has finally been issued for Mexican police for the Marine accused of murder. This comes a week after the media reported that Cesar Laurean fled across the border. He`s wanted for the murder of pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach. A cousin of the fugitive corporal says he saw Laurean near Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this month.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight back out to the lines. Let`s go out to Rebecca in Florida. Hi, Rebecca.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I`m real suspicious.
GRACE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t imagine Maria going to a bus station on the 14th and buying a bus ticket to Texas, being eight months pregnant, when she owns a car. I`m wondering if somebody posed as her going into this bus station and buying this ticket to Texas. She has no business going to Texas. She doesn`t even have any family there.
GRACE: Are you referring to Laurean`s wife?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that could be.
GRACE: Possibly? Let`s go to the lawyers, Michael Mazzariello, Penny Douglass Furr and Meg Strickler. Out to you, Michael Mazzariello. If that scenario is, in fact, true, the wife has got to face charges. She can`t just be a cooperating witness anymore.
MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good evening, Nancy. Absolutely. This woman knows a lot, Nancy. She`s either cooperating under the threat of arrest or cooperating because her husband killed somebody in front of her and buried her in the back yard. So absolutely, if she went and bought that ticket, she will definitely be charged as an accessory.
GRACE: Penny Douglass Furr, what about the possibility of an immunity deal?
PENNY DOUGLASS FURR, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She could do that, Nancy. That would be a very good possibility. So she is the person they can use to put pressure on him because nobody`s bringing this up. But if you`re Mr. Laurean, why would you stop in Mexico? Why not go to South America, to a country where you cannot be extradited at all?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New and revealing details from the mother of Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach. Lauterbach and her unborn child found buried in the backyard of murder suspect Cesar Laurean. Mary Lauterbach says the Marine Corps did not protect her daughter and says a small piece of the now murdered Marine`s history was taken completely out of context.
That being, Maria Lauterbach lied to the Marines that her brother was killed by a relative. A story Mary Lauterbach believes made investigators doubt the rape allegation and made her daughter a victim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight we learn that the gender of the unborn child of Corporal Marine Lauterbach, a little boy. His name said to be Gabriel Joseph. Gabriel Joseph lost his life. He would have been born in less than a month from the day his mother was murdered and buried in the backyard of a colleague, a fellow corporal there in the Marines. Cesar Laurean now on the run in Mexico.
Out to the lines. Carey in North Carolina. Hi, Carey.
CAREY, FROM NORTH CAROLINA: Hello.
GRACE: What`s your question, dear?
CAREY: Since Laurean cannot face the death penalty for murder if he`s expedited, would he be able to be charged as a deserter during a time of war and face the death penalty that way?
GRACE: Excellent question.
To Meg Strickler, international law attorney, what about it?
MEG STRICKLER, INTERNATIONAL LAW ATTY, EXTRADITION EXPERT: No. If we take the death penalty off the table, we take the death penalty off the table. Mexico will not extradite him, period, if the death penalty is going to be an option here. So it doesn`t matter what you charge him with, we have already taken it off the table or else Mexico will not let him come out to the United States again.
GRACE: To Michael Mazzariello and Penny Douglas Furr, the reality is, lets you, if you can`t enter through the front door, you can`t enter through the back door when you`re seeking the death penalty. If there is a way around the extradition treaty with Mexico or their policy, it would have been done over and over and we would have no more treaty, right, Penny?
PENNY DOUGLASS FURR, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That`s right, Nancy. But another thing to consider is, if he is a citizen of Mexico, they can refuse to return him at all.
GRACE: Yes..
FURR: .and they can say, we will try him for the crime right here in Mexico. And that`s why I keep saying, he had two attorneys before he left. I don`t doubt he`s continuing to go south and he is looking for a country where he can`t be extradited at all. An important thing to look for is to look on his computer. I would like to know if there are any searches on his computer reviewing this before he killed her.
GRACE: Speaking of attorneys, today Maria Lauterbach`s mother appeared on NBC`s "Today" show, where she not only went on the defense regarding her own derogatory comments regarding her daughter that she was a compulsive liar and attacked the military, blaming them for her daughter`s death. Take listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAUER, HOST, NBC`S TODAY SHOW: Your daughter reported the alleged rape by Cesar Laurean in May of last year. How do you both feel that the Marines responded to that accusation?
MARY LAUTERBACH, MOTHER OF MURDERED PREGNANT MARINE: You can tell just in a very general way no one seemed to believe her. There was an underlying assumption that we don`t think that that really happened so it was taken rather lightly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Well, the fact that the mom told the police her daughter was a liar, her own mother, may have had a little bit to do with them being skeptical about her rape claim. Of course, a liar can be raped, but many people believe the mother`s comments slowed down the investigation.
The reality is, at the time she was reported missing, Maria Lauterbach was already dead. Bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument.
But speaking of attorneys, back out to the lawyers, Meg Strickler, Michael Mazzariello, Penny Douglas Furr, I noticed that she was flanked by two attorneys.
Michael, why does the mother of a murder victim need lawyers to answer softball questions on the "Today" show?
MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think she needs lawyers. I think she gathered the lawyers to try to do something about -- so this -- to prevent this from happening again to a woman in the military. They are latching on to her, giving her advice, and she is trying to do the right thing here. And I just don`t think the credibility of this victim, Nancy, should have been suspect, considering that the mother told her that she lied when she was a teenager.
I mean this woman was raped and the military should have.
GRACE: I think she went on to another incident where there was an alleged lie when she was in the Marines as well. But you`re right regarding the teenage lying. But why, if it had nothing to do with it, why bring it up? When your daughter is missing and has made a rape claim, why would you bring up something that happened in adolescence? So to me, if it was so unimportant, why bring it up?
I want to go back out to Penny Douglas Furr. I think that there is a possibility, judging on the number of lawyers that were with her today, maybe she is planning to sue the military for dropping the ball. And I don`t blame her for such a lawsuit.
FURR: Exactly. Oh exactly, Nancy. There are a lot of things to research there. Number one, if they have immunity and how much coverage they have. But I`m sure that`s where they`re going and I feel very confident that the mother is now complaining about the military.
But as to the Marines, even if the mother said she`s a liar, I believe they should err on the side of caution. And if this woman alleges she`s raped, they should do something to keep them apart.
GRACE: Out to the lines. Ashley in Wisconsin. Hi, Ashley.
ASHLEY, FROM WISCONSIN: Hi, Nancy. I really love your show a lot. And I.
GRACE: Thank you.
ASHLEY: I was just wondering if anything is going to happen to the Tornado Bus Company.
GRACE: Man, that`s a great question.
Out to you, Meg Strickler. We believe -- hold on, let me ask Susan. Susan Candiotti, is it confirmed that that was, in fact, the correct bus company that carried him across the border likely with a fake I.D.?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That`s been confirmed to me, yes. The question is if they lawfully sold him a bus ticket and had no prior knowledge that anyone was looking for him, then I don`t see how they can be charged.
GRACE: Long story short, have we confirmed or not whether he got a military discount, Susan?
CANDIOTTI: I have not been able to confirm that. I`ve asked the lawyer representing the bus company for an answer. Haven`t received one yet.
GRACE: When we come back, will DNA evidence crack the disappearance of a 19-year-old co-ed, Brianna Denison?
And tonight, APB. All points bulletin for special moms and dads. If you know a parent who is an inspiration, get that camcorder, go to CNN.com/Nancygrace. Click on "i-Report" and enter that mom or dad in the "Extraordinary Parent Contest."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: She was taken away from that location and sexually assaulted in an unknown location and then returned home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The December abduction happened only several blocks from the home where Brianna Denison disappeared and DNA found at that house has connected the cases but not identified any suspects.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We have (INAUDIBLE) actually quite a while with the DNA samples soon in the hopes that we`ll find a suspect and to date none of the boyfriends or acquaintances matched up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: DNA of the scene was also compared to a database with no matches. Still, since the December incident also happened near the University of Nevada, police say the suspect may know the area.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We do believe that the suspect either resides in or has intimate working knowledge of the neighborhood immediately the rest of the DNR.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: This suspect knows the neighborhood. We are talking about a missing co-ed, 19-year-old Brianna Denison. Tip line 775-7453521, a $100,000 reward in the case of missing person Brianna Denison.
Now police are seeking to connect two other attacks in the same area. One definitely linked by DNA evidence. That was based on a sex attach on another young lady, a petite young lady, there in the same area.
Out to Jaclyn O`Malley with the "Reno Gazette Journal." What`s the latest?
JACLYN O`MALLEY, CRIME REPORTER, RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL: Well, Nancy, today was the first day of civilian volunteer searches that were coordinated through two national centers for missing children. About 175 citizens showed up to do what they could to search the area, looking for Brianna or clues to her disappearance.
GRACE: Jaclyn, what centers for missing children are helping to look for Brianna?
O`MALLEY: The KlaasKids Foundation based in California.
GRACE: Marc Klaas, yes.
O`MALLEY: Right. And the Laurel Recovery Center for Missing Children in Texas.
GRACE: Yes. So the Laurel Recovery and Marc Klaas`s outfit.
O`MALLEY: Right.
GRACE: They`re volunteering their time to try to find this girl. But they`re not the only ones.
Lieutenant Robert McDonald with the Reno Police Department is with us. I understand that your people are coming in on their time off. Cops who already worked long shifts, underpaid, very often have to buy their own uniform, are out there volunteering on their time off looking for this girl.
LIEUTENANT ROBERT MCDONALD, RENO POLICE DEPARTMENT: That is correct. We have the detectives that are -- I tried to send them home to get a little sleep. They showed back up in three hours there. I asked them what`s going on and they said, "Boss, I just can`t sleep. I got to be here working on the case."
GRACE: Where is this girl? A 19-year-old girl goes out to kind of a college get-together party. A ton of people are there. They get a ride home. She gets home, falls asleep at her friend`s home in front of a glass door. She is sleeping with a big stuffed animal. She is using it as a pillow there on the sofa. While she was sleeping, someone entered that home. She is gone. Left behind her purse, her cell phone, her clothing she was wearing to the get-together. And blood. Her blood mixed with mucus in three silver dollar size drops there left behind on the sofa.
Let me go back to Lieutenant Robert McDonald. Lieutenant McDonald, you have definitely matched up the DNA from a prior sex attack to DNA found at the Brianna Denison`s scene, correct?
MCDONALD: That is correct.
GRACE: Lieutenant, refresh our recollection. What more can you tell us about the identity of the perpetrator?
MCDONALD: We know he is probably a white male, that he is about 30 years old to 40 years old, described as having a long face with a square chin. He is taller than 5`6" but as tall as 6`2". We know that he has somewhat of a beer belly but when he is standing, it`s not -- you don`t really see that. We know that he`s got a little tuft of hair on his chin that`s -- to the point where it`s soft. Not stubbly anymore.
GRACE: Like a goatee?
MCDONALD: Like a goatee. Maybe a small beard. She didn`t remember a mustache. She knows that he has a shaved pubic region. We know he`s not wearing any jewelry or bracelets or rings or watches. He doesn`t have any noticeable odors. No smoker`s breath, no alcohol, no scent of decaying teeth or no cologne or aftershave.
GRACE: And the vehicle. Lieutenant, what about the vehicle?
MCDONALD: We know the vehicle is probably a pickup truck with maybe an extended cab or some type of SUV. But we`re leaning more toward a pickup truck (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: Lieutenant, in the first attack -- well, in one of the attacks where he took the lady from her home -- I`m not talking about Brianna -- takes a lady from the area of her home, attacks her, brings her back, that`s a very odd.
MCDONALD: That is correct.
GRACE: .very odd indeed. What -- did the attack take place in the vehicle?
MCDONALD: Yes, it did. The attack was in the vehicle. We know it was somewhere close to the proximity of the -- where she was abducted with three to five-minute car ride at city street speeds. Some turns made and it was an uphill grade from the location.
GRACE: I was wondering, Lieutenant, because I kept noticing all the description I was getting was of the vehicle which said to me the attack took place in the vehicle.
Out to the lines, Gladys in Ohio. Hi, Gladys.
GLADYS, FROM OHIO: Hi, Nancy. You look great.
GRACE: Thank you. Thank you so much. I`m just happy to be alive and the twins are alive and we`re all home together. So thank you.
What`s your question, dear?
GLADYS: I`m beginning to wonder, didn`t she have say like an ex- boyfriend or something? I mean this sounds awfully familiar.
GRACE: What about it, Lieutenant McDonald? Robert McDonald, joining us from the Reno Police Department. I assume one of the first things did you was check out the guy that gave them a ride home. I understand he came in voluntarily and he cooperated. And all boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, husbands, lovers.
MCDONALD: Yes. We talked to the individual that gave -- actually a girlfriend a ride home from the (INAUDIBLE) casino. We talked to him. He provided us voluntary DNA and we eliminated him as a suspect in that regard. Also, the boyfriend. We have talked to him personally. He has been eliminated by way of DNA and by his cell phone records. That was one of the very first things that we did was go talk to him, confirmed that he was at the time of the attack in the state of Oregon.
GRACE: Lieutenant McDonald, how far away, and I don`t mean to rush you but I want to get as much information out there as possible. We`re helping in the search for 19-year-old Brianna Denison.
Lieutenant, how far away from Brianna`s location when she went missing, her kidnap, were the other two attacks?
MCDONALD: They were just within blocks of each other. One was relatively very close. The other one was only about two blocks away.
GRACE: Out to Pat Brown, criminal profiler and author of "Killing for Sport." Pat Brown, give me your best profile.
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "KILLING FOR SPORT": Well, this man is extremely bold and he`s very comfortable with the area. So I agree that he is a local. Somebody ought to know who this guy is because he is going to be right around there and he is controlling the situation extremely well in his own mind. He doesn`t have any problem taking a woman, putting her in his own vehicle, his own vehicle, and letting her see it and then letting her go. And then going to somebody`s house and abduct another person.
He`s extremely controlling, extremely manipulative. Somebody out there is probably his girlfriend or his wife, because he seems to think he can manage women quite well. So I`m not going to guess that this guy is not in a relationship. I think he is. So I would be looking out there women (INAUDIBLE).
GRACE: Yes. Because there was a baby shoe.
BROWN: Right.
GRACE: .in the front, in the cab part of his vehicle. And Pat Brown, the shaved pelvic area. Out of all the years I prosecuted, all the rape cases I`ve handled, child molestation cases, you name it, I`ve never seen that in an adult male perpetrator.
BROWN: Well, the -- some of them do that to prevent any kind of DNA from hair falling into the scene, which is really odd to me because if he did that, then why is there DNA at the scene from something else. That`s very peculiar. It`s almost a contradiction. So I`m not sure I understand that myself.
But the woman out there who knows this man, not to many people have shaved pubic areas. So think, ladies, who do you know who`s very controlling and very manipulative who lives in that area who looks like that?
GRACE: To Lauren Howard, psychotherapist, where does the shaved pelvic region fit into a rapist`s frame of mind?
LAUREN HOWARD, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, it`s, you know, there`s a slightly effemination to that, I mean, it`s a slightly effeminate gesture. It`s a peacock gesture. It`s a sort of grooming, it`s a little bit narcissistic. If it is a DNA issue, and the fact that we`ve found DNA from some other source, says to me that he`s escalating, becoming more reckless, wants to get caught. He definitely is right in the community under foot. He is known. So there`s a little bit of a game going on. He is playing cat and mouse.
GRACE: To Lieutenant Robert McDonald, do you believe he was wearing gloves?
MCDONALD: No. We do not believe he was wearing gloves.
GRACE: OK.
I want to go to Howard Oliver, former deputy medical examiner, forensic pathologist. What type of DNA would you be looking for in the home where she was kidnapped?
HOWARD OLIVER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST, FMR. DEPUTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: Good evening. The DNA I would be looking for would be from either body, too, I think, roots of hair follicles or from cells left behind. I understand that`s somehow there was mucus. I don`t know if the mucus from him or from her. But there should also be skin cells and possibly hair follicles.
GRACE: Doctor, scientists say that there`s a huge backlog entering DNA profiles into the system. Why?
OLIVER: There is just a lot of a backlog of material to enter and very few people to enter the material.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: To "HEADLINE PRIME`s" Glenn Beck. Hi, friend.
GLENN BECK, HOST, HEADLINE PRIME: If you watched the president`s final State of the Union address last night, maybe you noticed what I did. That is, that the parties are starting to self-destruct and eat their own. And poor Ted Kennedy has managed to piss off the national organization of women. Really? I`ll tell you how in just a minute.
And President Bush says he wants to pass an executive order against earmarks. Why didn`t you do that before? And can you even do it?
And some couples have chemistry. Others have electricity. Find out how a husband accidentally killed his wife. Details coming up.
GRACE: Where is 19-year-old Brianna Denison?
Out to the lines. Paul in Colorado. Hi, Paul.
PAUL, FROM COLORADO: Yes. They said that Brianna had a teddy bear the night that she was missing. Do they know who gave her the teddy bear?
GRACE: To Jaclyn O`Malley with the "Reno Gazette Journal," what do we know?
O`MALLEY: The friend that Brianna was staying with that night gave her the teddy bear because Brianna`s pillow was thin and she used it for extra support. And it`s still missing.
GRACE: To Penny Douglas Furr, Michael Mazzariello, Penny, highly doubtful this guy is going to turn himself in. He hasn`t been caught yet.
FURR: Nancy, I believe there is a significant other out there that`s in grave danger because these are very personal identifying characteristics. And that person will be the mother of his child or his significant other. I`m in fear that he will kill her to avoid being identified.
GRACE: Hmm. Michael?
MAZZARRIELLO: I think he`s close to home, Nancy. He`s right around. He knows the area. He knows what he`s doing and he`s looking to get caught.
GRACE: And to Lieutenant Robert McDonald, any word? Getting a lot of tips?
MCDONALD: We`re getting a lot of tips, Nancy. We`re receiving calls 24/7 and we`ve -- and prioritizing those tips into priority ones, twos and threes, and of course, the ones being the most likely to have some validity. So we`re sending detectives out 24/7.
GRACE: Right.
MCDONALD: .to work on those.
GRACE: There`s a $100,000 reward. Tip line 775-7453521.
Let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant Derek Stenroos, only 24, North Pole, Alaska, killed in Iraq. A military policeman on a second tour. Awarded the army`s service ribbon, Purple Heart and National Defense Service medal, loves playing and coaching hockey, hunting, computer games, movies and playing cello. Leaves behind grieving parents Terrance and Kenita.
Derek Stenroos, American hero.
Thanks to our guests and especially to you. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
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