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Nancy Grace
Security Video Missing From Michael Jackson`s Home
Aired July 15, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. The mystery surrounding the sudden death of music icon Michael Jackson intensifies, questions mounting as to his sudden death, his half-a-billion-dollar empire, and more important, custody of the star`s three little children. After murder charges leveled in the death of Jackson, his family publicly claiming Jackson was murdered, bombshell tonight. A massive cover-up? Reports emerge the possible murder scene was sanitized, with a so-called "cleaner" cleaning Jackson`s living quarters before police could process the scene.
A highly sophisticated, high-tech security system allegedly monitoring every inch of Neverland (SIC) inside and out, including Jackson`s private living quarters, that secret video of Jackson`s final moments gone. Sources also claim a huge black leather bag full of drugs, an IV pole, syringes and IV bags also gone. This as we learn of an alleged chilling plot to steal Jackson`s body. Reports the body now hidden and protected by armed guards to stop the would-be body snatchers. Jackson`s body moved from hiding at the family crypt of Motown founder Berry Gordy after the Jackson`s gold-bedecked "Promethean" casket seemingly lost as thousands looked on when it exited the arena. But was the body ever even in the casket, or had it been smuggled out in an unmarked van? A portion of Jackson`s brain missing from the body.
And tonight, just released video of Jackson himself going up in flames during his `84 Pepsi commercial. Significant? Was this the inception of the star`s addiction to prescription drugs, an addiction that culminated in a second autopsy, revealing fresh needle marks in Jackson`s neck -- that`s right, his neck -- other veins riddled with track marks, many actually collapsing from IV use, his skin paper white, his body emaciated, all in contrast to private video of a dress rehearsal just hours before his death?
Drugs banned for consumer use, only found behind locked doors in an operating room, found in the home. Jackson reportedly ingesting up to 10,000 pills in just six months, including 40 Xanax a night. Reports Jackson even wanted to be put under with an IV drip for days on end, essentially lying there like a living corpse for up to 72 hours at a time.
And is father Joe Jackson now reportedly set to force Jackson`s children on the stage under the name the Jackson 3? Jackson himself often discussing physical abuse, beatings at the hand of his father, Joe Jackson, always keeping his own children far away. But now Joe Jackson boasting he himself will raise the children.
And in the last hours, a stunning statement. Joe Jackson actually blames 79-year-old grandmother Katherine for all the beatings. Has Jackson`s worst nightmare come true?
And of course tonight, the payoff. Is a secret deal in the works where bio mom Debbie Rowe drops the custody battle for Jackson`s three children? Pay-off, $4 million for Rowe to just go away? Well, Rowe vehemently insists it`s not true. The LAPD chief mulling criminal charges over who drugged an addict who happened to be a superstar. As the vultures circling Jackson`s dead body, the fate of his three children unknown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shocking never-before-seen footage of Michael Jackson, the accident that really changed his life -- we know about it -- filming a Pepsi commercial back in 1984.
You`re looking at a picture here, a photo of that incident. Fireworks on the stage went off too early. You can see Michael Jackson`s hair is on fire. He continues dancing for a moment.
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S FATHER: I have a lot of concern. I don`t like what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The LAPD hasn`t ruled out homicide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knowing what we know, what we`ve learned about possible doctor shopping, all of these different prescription drugs...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The LAPD police chief said that they are looking for the coroner`s report to corroborate the cause of death -- "corroborate," which clearly implies that they have a strong belief that something was involved, and that something in this case is clearly drug abuse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The L.A. County chief coroner went to the office of Jackson`s dermatologist. He says Dr. Arnold Klein has been completely cooperative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Klein has cooperated with us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not investigating the doctors. We`re investigating Mr. Michael Jackson`s death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told me, quote, "Jackson and I spoke of his addiction and how hard he was working and how he was trying to do everything in his power to avoid having a need to be on drugs." So this was really the first time we were hearing from someone who says that Michael Jackson admitted that he had an addiction and was actually talking about it. He said Jackson was taking lots of prescription medicines and that he, quote, "didn`t like the way it made him feel."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, breaking news. A couple with 16 children, 12 of them adopted, many of them with special needs, handicapped, murdered in their own home, part of it caught on video. We have the video. The suspects in full ninja garb invade the home with military-like precision. Who gunned down this beautiful couple, leaving 16 children orphaned? And tonight, why are police searching for a blond beauty for questioning?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking news surrounding the killing of the Florida couple, Byrd and Melanie Billings. Police want to question this woman. Her name is Pamela Laverne (ph) Long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me emphasize she is a person of interest, a realtor. She rented the property occupied by Lawrence Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., and his family. She`s also known as Pamela Long Wiggins, Pamela L. Malden, Pamela Long Link, Pamela Laverne Long Coco, and also Pamela Long. We want to emphasize that it`s imperative that we speak with her as soon as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that she was associated with Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., up until the day of the murders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Drug Enforcement Administration confirms that it is assisting in this probe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven suspects dressed in ninja garb plan an incredibly elaborate and precise break-in. But investigators now say the person assigned to turn off the surveillance cameras never showed up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Detectives say the hunt is on for at least one more person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve identified the seven people that entered the complex. We have those folks in custody. I believe that they entered that compound with the belief that they were not under surveillance. We are now looking at anyone that may have had an involvement with the security system. So we`re wondering, again, why was this system left on in an otherwise perfectly executed murder? Obviously, there is an eighth or ninth person that we get to identify.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Tonight, the mystery surrounding the sudden death of music superstar Michael Jackson intensifies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the video from that ill-fated Pepsi commercial back in 1984.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A swarm of people come on to help put out the fire. As we know, he suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp and body. And there you see him in the hospital after that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, the pyrotechnics go off as planned. Michael Jackson dances down the stairs. He joins his brother, sings and dances. The sixth take is when thing go horribly wrong, and the fireworks go off as he`s still at the top of the stage. He`s dancing down, his head is on fire and he`s just -- he`s unaware.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The inquiry into the death of Mr. Jackson is continuing. Are we dealing with a homicide? Are we dealing with an accident, an overdose? What are we dealing with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A source involved in the investigation said the singer`s arms were riddled with marks and veins in both arms had collapsed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chief investigator for the L.A. County coroner`s office showed up at Dr. Arnold Klein`s office in Beverly Hills.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know Jackson was at Dr. Klein`s office just a few days before his death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He also told me that Jackson had serious trouble sleeping. He said he had a, quote, "constant beat" in his head. He said they stayed up all night on many nights, so sometimes until 5:00 in the morning, because Jackson, quote, "could not shut off his brain."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Jackson went to the front door on many occasions, she told me. He went to the front gate. They wouldn`t let him in. When La Toya called the house, she couldn`t speak to her brother. This is all very suspicious.
MICHAEL JACKSON: I`m doing well and I am strong. As you may already know, after my tour ended, I remained out of the country, undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication. This medication was initially prescribed to soothe the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Tonight, video has emerged of what could be the inception of Michael Jackson`s addiction to drugs. Take a look. Here you see Jackson and his `84 Pepsi commercial. This was at what many believe to be the height of his abilities, his talent. He continues dancing, unaware he is on fire! The singer is mobbed by security trying to save his life, his head totally burned. Scars remain for the rest of his life, and according to insiders, he remained in intense pain after this.
You are seeing a clip obtained by "US Weekly" of that Pepsi commercial taping, showing how severe Jackson`s injuries were when he actually caught on fire. I want to go straight out to Albert Lee, deputy editor of "US Weekly." This is emerging now why?
ALBERT LEE, "US WEEKLY": Well, we obtained the footage recently. And you know, there is a great deal of talk right now surrounding Michael`s abuse of prescription drugs and what role that played in his death and in his cardiac arrest. You know, when this was shot -- remember, this was 1984. This was "Thriller" era Michael. He was at the peak of his fame, 25 years old.
And I`m glad you showed that video again because, you know, it is really hard to watch. And you know, this was not -- we`ve heard so much talk about it, but this was not just a few couple of sparks in his hair. His entire head was engulfed in flames. And you know, for five long, excruciating seconds, this guy`s head is on fire before they realized what happened and the crew bum rushes him.
What happened immediately -- he was rushed to the hospital. This was the day that he began taking prescription pain-killing medications, including Demerol, you know, to treat the second and third degree burns that were all over his scalp and his face.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON: I`m doing well and I am strong. As you may already know, after my tour ended, I remained out of the country, undergoing treatment for dependency on pain medication. This medication was initially prescribed to soothe the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the first time, we`re getting an up-close look at the Pepsi commercial, the ill-fated Pepsi commercial that change Michael Jackson`s life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that there were second and third degree burns which were just horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pain associated with burns is just horrific. I`ve talked to experts in that field and they describe it as just the worst pain you can imagine.
MICHAEL JACKSON: As you may already know, after my tour ended, I remained out of the country, undergoing treatment for dependency on pain medication. This medication was initially prescribed to soothe the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson had legitimate pain and he needed medication for that pain. Unfortunately, the medication then overtook him and he became addicted to it.
JOE JACKSON: Michael was never beat, as they called it. Everyone spanks their kids when they`re wrong. (INAUDIBLE) not beat. Katherine spanked Michael more than I did because I was working two jobs and she was at home with him the most.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was father Joe Jackson on ABC`s "Primetime" actually blaming 79-year-old Katherine Jackson for all the beatings that Michael Jackson suffered as a youth, beatings that he went public about and painfully revealed to Oprah on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
we are taking your calls live. Out to Lucy in New York. Hi, Lucy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. My question is, is that Michael Jackson and other family members have always spoke of extreme abuse by the father. Their mother never removed the children from this abuse. Shouldn`t that be a factor in this custody hearing?
GRACE: In my mind, absolutely, yes. Let`s unleash the lawyers, Susan Moss, family attorney, child advocate out of New York, Renee Rockwell, veteran trial lawyer out of Atlanta, and Alan Ripka, attorney out of New York, as well. Susan Moss, weigh in.
SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Oh, say it ain`t so, Joe! I can`t believe he`s throwing his wife under the bus because you know what that`s going to mean? More power to Debbie Rowe to try to get these kids. And Debbie Rowe is amazing. So let me get this straight. She breeds horses for a living, but now she allegedly sells her children to make her cash? What is this, backwards day? He is doing the worst possible thing for the Jackson family by speaking up like this.
GRACE: Renee Rockwell?
RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Somebody needs to put a -- just put a dot on that, what you said, Susan Moss. He doesn`t need to say anything. He doesn`t need to be pointing the finger at his wife because it`s going to get more and more complicated if he makes Katherine look like a person that should not be the guardian.
GRACE: Well, let`s go to the caller`s question. Let`s address Lucy in New York`s question, Alan Ripka. Statements like the one Joe Jackson made to ABC`s "Primetime," essentially admitting that there were beatings but blaming them on Katherine Jackson -- is that going to play a role in custody?
ALAN RIPKA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It`s absolutely going to play a role. What the court is going to do is always look at the best interests of the child, and these factors and these statements are all going to come in because the court is held responsible for making the person who`s going to take care of these kids.
GRACE: I want to go out to Dr. Keri Peterson with internal medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, joining us out of New York. Doctor Keri, thank you for being with us. Dr. Keri Peterson, what is your opinion regarding the video that has never been released before that we have just shown you, the `84 Pepsi commercial, the infamous Pepsi commercial? Jackson was at the height of his ability. This has been released by "US Weekly."
Could that have such a long impact on Michael Jackson to lead him up to the point, Dr. Peterson, where he wants a continuous IV drip, essentially rendering him a living corpse, out with an IV drip up to 72 hours at a time?
DR. KERI PETERSON, INTERNAL MEDICINE: It is possible. Burns are known, as was stated earlier, to be extremely devastatingly painful. But this is a very gradual process. Initially, he may have been just maintained on oral medications. And over time, over years, you develop a tolerance so that you need more and more to get the same high or euphoria. And over that time, it`s going to be a gradual increase, more and more and more until the point where these drugs aren`t working -- I need something stronger, I need something intramuscular, something intravenous. So this was a gradual process over probably decades to get to the point where he needed intravenous.
GRACE: I can`t hardly stand to even look at that video. When you think, Dr. Keri Peterson, about the most painful things your body can endure, pain around your neck and your face and your head...
PETERSON: It`s awful.
GRACE: ... is almost unbearable. I assume it`s because it`s getting to the regions near the brain, near the mouth, near the nose that help you live, so that pain is intensified.
PETERSON: In particular, it`s -- burns are particularly painful because the nerve endings are damaged. The skin surface is a protective barrier, and when you break it down, these nerve endings are exposed, and so it`s like raw nerves.
GRACE: Oh, and right now, Doctor -- Doctor, you`re seeing ABC News exclusive photos of Michael Jackson`s legs that were showing a serious wound, signs of vitiligo, the skin discoloration illness, and needle punctures. Look at that, Doctor.
PETERSON: I see that.
GRACE: Even I -- I`m just a JD, I`m not an MD like you -- can see all those needle punctures on Jackson`s legs.
PETERSON: Well, we don`t know if it`s needle punctures. What we`re seeing there are red, raised lesions. And needle punctures are one cause of those, but there are other things that can look exactly the same way, for example, bug bites, trauma. Apparently, Michael had -- there was some claim that he had lupus and lupus can cause lesions like this..
GRACE: Well, Doctor, I appreciate the bug bite suggestion. But Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI, I hardly think Michael Jackson was out in nature getting bug bites. But what I want to talk to you about is the claims that the scene of the death had been clean up, sanitized.
MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, they`re going to be able to tell that, Nancy. And you know, the first responders who were interviewed by LAPD homicide, they`re the ones who are going to give a lot of information on what they saw, what they heard when they first arrived there. And Dr. Conrad, you`ve got a lot of explaining to do!
GRACE: Is secretly held video kept on monitors within Jackson`s security system now missing, along with a black bag containing drugs and IV pole and IV use bags?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JACKSON: He was the biggest superstar in the world and they`re just now recognizing now. I recognized it from -- matter of fact, I developed Michael into what he is, and not just Michael, the whole family, Janet and all the rest of them. And so I hope that people will understand some of the problems they were (INAUDIBLE) the family and everybody (INAUDIBLE) I never beat Michael in my life. I did spank the family (ph) once in a while. Yes, Katherine spanked them more than I did. Don`t blame it all on me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Oh, yes, poor, poor you! There`s Joe Jackson taking every opportunity to advance his own new record label and blaming all the beatings suffered by Michael Jackson as a young boy on his wife, now 79- year-old Katherine Jackson.
We are taking your calls live. I want to go back to Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI. Mike, very disturbing reports are emerging that there -- I said Neverland earlier. I meant his Holmby Hills home...
BROOKS: Right.
GRACE: ... the $100,000-a-month rental where he and his children were living, had an elaborate security system that even videoed up in Jackson`s private living quarters. Every room, essentially, had videocameras in it, including the outside. Now, all of that apparently, the video of his private living quarters, is gone, that would have revealed the last moments of his life. How do you do that?
BROOKS: It`s very simple, Nancy. A lot -- most of the systems now are digital. It`s all on a CD. All they have to do is go to the master control room where the CD is being played, where all the cameras come into, take that disk, get rid of the disk and you get rid of the evidence.
GRACE: And to Dr. Jeff Gardere, psychologist and author. Dr. Gardere, are people so under the influence of his entourage that while they are cleaning off a disk, they don`t realize it`s wrong?
JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, they know that it`s wrong, but they`re trying to protect the king of pop, and so they convince themselves they`re doing the right thing, even though it is the wrong thing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: AEG told CNN Jackson passed a five-hour medical exam in preparation for his tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I know is the Michael Jackson that hugged me and said good night was a healthy, vibrant human being.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I hear people saying that Michael was in great shape and that he was raring to go, I know this is untrue. And they know it was untrue as well. Michael was not in good physical shape and Michael was not raring to go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In response to allegation that`s AEG refused to make his schedule easier, Randy Phillips told us Jackson had agreed to 50 shows, adding, he need the money.
Rowe believes Jackson was weakened by what he calls the singer`s addiction to prescription drugs. Rowe told me just one week before Michael Jackson died, he spoke with some of his family members about getting him help including his father, Joe Jackson, and his brother Randy.
He said they all agreed to get Jackson into rehabilitation but they never had the chance. He died before they could even make a move.
MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP: I`m doing well and I am strong. As you may already know after my tour ended, I remained out of the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication. This medication was initially prescribed to see the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: We have just shown you very disturbing video of that `84 Pepsi commercial where Jackson actually caught on fire across the top of his head. He continued dancing, spinning around and around, unaware that he was actually on fire.
Many claimed this was the onset of a drug dependency that culminated in him demanding to be hooked up to an IV drip that would knock him out for days on end. Essentially rendering him a living corpse.
Now amid claims that there was a clean-up there in his rented home, video even being erased of his final moments. Is it all true? Reports say yes. We are waiting to confirm that.
I want to go out to Natisha Lance, our producer, who has been on the scene from the very beginning. What can you tell me about threats to the Jackson family to actually steal Jackson`s body?
NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: You`re right, Nancy. There are reports coming in that people are throwing notes over the gate at the Encino home, threatening to steal Michael Jackson`s body.
We put a call out to Forest Lawn today to ask them about the security measures they are taking to protect Michael Jackson`s body. They won`t give us any details regarding that. But the Jackson family allegedly was so concerned about Michael Jackson`s safety -- the safety of his body that his body may not have even been in that Promethean casket that went to the Staples Center for his memorial.
GRACE: To Stacy Brown, co-author of "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask," former Jackson family friend. We understand that there are guards, armed guards, protecting his body right now. What do you make of their plans to go forward with a Jackson burial theme park like Graceland? Or will they stick with Forest Lawn? What are their plans? Do you know?
STACY BROWN, CO-AUTHOR, "MICHAEL JACKSON"; FMR. JACKSON FAMILY FRIEND (via phone): Well, Nancy, from what I understand, the plan for Neverland have officially died. They never got permission to do it there and it was never unanimous that the family wanted him there. There were members of the family who did want him at Neverland and there were others who wanted him at Forest Lawn.
There are security guards, as your producer said, there at Forest Lawn because there have been threats, as I understand, against his body. And it doesn`t surprise me. With Michael, nothing surprises us anymore.
GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers again. I never thought as I was attending law school and practicing in court for all those years that I would be discussing grave robbers, body snatchers, but here with the music icon, and no, I`m not negating the child molestation charges, the trial, and the many other charges against him.
But those are over now. The time to discuss that is done.
To Susan Moss, Renee Rockwell, Alan Ripka, there are reports that there are actually fans who want to lie next to his body. That want to get a lock of his hair. Reports that swing to the other end where the pendulum swings, to some wealthy patrons wanting to have his body as some type of a freaky trophy.
What would penalties for grave robbing or body pampering be? Rockwell?
RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, in Georgia, you cannot tamper with a dead body. You cannot steal it. It`s a piece of property beyond anything else.
I`m not a California lawyer but enough said about that. You have enough obsessed people that you can imagine, if they decided to cremate the body and sprinkle the ashes in the Pacific Ocean that people would be jumping in, killing themselves after it.
GRACE: And Susan Moss, as I understand, the family is considering entombing his body in feet of cement, concrete to make it more difficult to get to the body.
SUSAN MOSS, CHILD ADVOCATE, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Absolutely. That`s what they`re going to do. And I wouldn`t be surprised if they don`t use that opportunity to try to raise more money for the estate.
GRACE: You know, Alan Ripka, although Stacy Brown is telling us that the plan to bury him there at Neverland has died, state officials say they have been in the last week contacted by the Jackson family about burying him there. You know, you just can`t put a dead body in the backyard, Alan Ripka.
ALAN RIPKA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You certainly can`t, Nancy. The state permits that you have to have that allow for places for people to be buried. And certainly, the state would be involved if they went in that route.
GRACE: I want to go out to Mary Margaret, senior news editor with RadarOnline.com. Mary Margaret, we see with the "Us Weekly" report and the just released video of the `84 Pepsi commercial, there was intense interest as to why Michael Jackson died.
You know, you don`t normally have a criminal investigation when somebody simply has a heart attack.
MARY MARGARET, SENIOR NEWS EDITOR, RADARONLINE.COM, COVERING STORY: Right. Right. Well, I mean that`s one of the reasons the DEA is investigating, is the fact that yes, it`s definitely rare and obviously sudden that Michael Jackson died, even though that insiders felt like it was imminent.
The reason is this is someone who has a long history of drug abuse, and it`s a question of what got him to the point that he overdosed. The toxicology reports haven`t been brought out but the reason investigators are treating this as a criminal investigation is there is suspicion that the people around him who have been entrusted with his health failed somehow.
GRACE: Out to Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI, what`s the latest on the criminal investigation?
MIKE BROOKS, FMR. DC POLICE DETECTIVE SERVED ON FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Well, Nancy, you still have a death investigation. We all heard from Chief Bratton, chief of LAPD, not ruling out anything right now because the coroner has not determined cause and manner of death.
But you do have the DEA brought in. And if the DEA is there, they are looking at the drugs. They are looking at the doctors. Because Nancy, every prescription that`s written, every doctor has a particular DEA number. They can trace that back to say who, what, when and how many prescriptions he has written.
And they also regulate the pharmacies that distributed the drugs after the prescriptions are written. So you`ve got two parallel investigations going on here right now.
GRACE: Right. Right.
Out to the lines, Sarah in Mississippi, hi, dear.
SARAH, CALLER FROM MISSISSIPPI: Hi, Nancy. It`s so great to talk to you. I just wanted to say I love your necklaces. Every time I watch you, you have nice necklaces on.
GRACE: Thank you, Sarah in Mississippi. What`s your question, dear?
SARAH: Well, actually, I have a comment. I am a mortuary student and I hear the frustration in your voice when you say, part of his brain was missing. I just wanted to comment that say it is common practice when an autopsy has been performed not to put the brain back into the skull for the fact that you will have leakage.
They put the brain in a biohazard bag, along with the chest cavity, you know, intestines and stomach, and they put all of that stuff in a bag so it`s back up in the stomach when the embalmers get the body to take the bag out. And we disregard it. So there won`t be any leakage coming out of the body.
GRACE: OK. Let me ask you one question before we have to go to break, Sarah. What happens to that bag when the body is buried?
SARAH: It is the same as what happens at a hospital when they`re trying to get rid of their biohazard things. It is.
GRACE: OK, so bottom line, Sarah, you`re saying it`s not typically buried with the body.
SARAH: No. It`s not.
GRACE: Sarah in Mississippi, thank you for the enlightenment.
To tonight`s safety tips. With nearly 314,000 people filing identity theft complaints in just last year, here are tips to help protect you and your family. Only give out your Social Security number when you have to. Always shred mail with your personal information on it.
Place passwords on your credit cards, your bank and your phone records. (INAUDIBLE) your credit report regularly. Make sure there are no mistakes. If you think you are the victim of I.D. theft, report it to the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission. For more information, please go online to onguardonline.gov.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson`s family was apparently worried he had a drug problem. CNN has learned they even attempted an intervention two years ago. It apparently started with Michael Jackson`s sister Janet. Two sources close to the family telling CNN that Janet visited his Vegas home in early 2007 and was shocked.
One source said the house had almost no furniture, looked a bit creepy, and Michael himself appeared very thin and disheveled at that time. That February, Janet then attended the NBA All-Star Game with two of the brothers. She asked them to go to Michael`s house with her to try to convince him to get some help but Michael reportedly ordered security not to let them in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Out to the lines, to Maurice in Kentucky. Hi, dear.
MAURICE, CALLER FROM KENTUCKY: Hi, Nancy. The twins are gorgeous. They`re just gorgeous.
GRACE: You know, God heard my prayers and answered them 10,000 times over. Two children, not one, healthy, a boy and a girl. And you know, stories like this, not necessarily Michael Jackson, but his children being left behind. And this tug-of-war between all these crazy characters about raising them is very disturbing.
MAURICE: Yes. I agree. My question, Nancy -- can you hear me?
GRACE: Yes, dear. Go ahead.
MAURICE: OK. My question is concerning Michael Jackson`s father and the abuse that he suffered at his father`s hands, can his father be prosecuted? Can charges be brought?
GRACE: Good question. I imagine, Renee Rockwell, that the statue of limitations has long since run will. Explain.
ROCKWELL: And -- well, first of all, Nancy, there is nobody to cross examine in any trial. And these allegations are for many, many years ago. So I don`t see any prosecution.
GRACE: So I.
ROCKWELL: But there will be consequences.
GRACE: I guess your answer is no.
ROCKWELL: No. No prosecution.
GRACE: It`s too late. OK.
ROCKWELL: But there will be consequences.
GRACE: Thank you. Oh, right. Yes. There are consequences. What? He`s going to make more money off a new record label? He`s going to use Michael Jackson`s dead body to make more money? That`s a consequence.
Out to Amy in Georgia. Hi, Amy.
AMY, CALLER FROM GEORGIA: Hello, Nancy.
GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?
AMY: Well, my question is, as far as the kids go, it would be terrible for them to get attached to Katherine and live with her and then experience another loss. Is it possible the judge would suggest that, you know, maybe someone like Janet who seems to be very doting on the children, maybe share custody of them?
And you know, that way it would be terrible for them to go through another loss.
GRACE: I agree.
AMY: And I think.
GRACE: Out to Stacy Brown, co-author of "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask."
Stacy Brown, his will specifically says Katherine Jackson. Now, we all think Janet Jackson is so close to them but she actually live on the other side of the country and rarely sees them.
BROWN: Well, Nancy, you`re right. And look, Katherine has had a hand in raising her other grandchildren as well. This is not anything that`s foreign to her. I`ve seen those kids many times and those grandchildren of hers are very happy with her.
And the other thing about it is, we saw a really good thing on Sunday. The pictures of Katherine taking them to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah`s Witnesses. They`re getting religion. Something that they probably didn`t get with their father. And that can only be a good thing.
GRACE: Yes, you know what, Stacy brown? There`s nothing wrong with a dose of religion. With that I can agree with you.
But to you, Dr. Jeff Gardere, the point made by Amy in Georgia is that the grandmother is 79 years old. But you cannot subvert the will.
JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTHOR OF "LOVE PRESCRIPTION": That`s right. And here`s the issue. What you said is absolutely correct. What happens if now they are taken away from Katherine? It`s going to be a real problem, another major loss in their lives. And that`s why Katherine needs other family members in there helping her, too.
GRACE: Very quickly, I want to switch gears and tell you the latest in a double murder investigation. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Working a complex case over numerous counties and coordination with many federal agencies, and again, trying to assess the entire spectrum of motives that may be involved in the case. That`s a humdinger.
Having to pass that information on to other federal agencies because of information developed during this case, that is a humdinger. You`ll see the many different avenues and the breadth and depth of this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Out to CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera standing by the Pensacola Sheriff`s Office.
Ed, what is the latest in the double murder investigation?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nancy, believe it or not, authorities here have told us they`ve scheduled another press conference. 9:30 Eastern. We`re told to expect the announcement of yet another arrest, which who this is, we`re not exactly sure yet.
But there has been several people of interest that authorities have told us about throughout the day. If that turns out to be one of those people, we`ll find out shortly.
GRACE: You know, out to Sergeant Ted Roy, the PIO, public information officer, there at Escambia Sheriff`s Office.
Sergeant, thank you for being with us. A lot of people are writing and calling in wanting to know where the 16 children are. Where are they?
SGT. TED ROY, PIO, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, SHERIFF`S OFFICE, ON THE CASE: Well, a lot of them are grown. The nine that were in the house were young and they`re with other family members right now.
GRACE: They`re with other family members. Are they still together or did they have to be separated?
ROY: The latest we heard today was that they are staying together and they will be staying together throughout this ordeal and even after.
GRACE: Is the home still a crime scene or has it been released back to the family?
ROY: That I do not know. I haven`t been up there since the night of the occurrence.
GRACE: Right.
To Clark Goldband, our producer on the story from the very beginning.
Clark, why are police looking for a blond realtor? What does she have to do with a bunch of men dressed in full ninja garb, creeping across this couple`s front yard?
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: She was the first person of interest, Nancy, and now at a press conference this afternoon, in fact, there are two persons of interest.
What I can tell about Pamela Long is, in fact, she was the landlord of Gonzalez Jr., the alleged ring leader of the crime. Now there`s also a second person of interest that has been announced but police haven`t said who or even a gender of this person.
They believe that second person of interest in fact knew about the security cameras and alarm code. But for some reason, may have gotten cold feet and bailed on an otherwise perfect crime.
GRACE: To Sergeant Ted Roy, the public information officer there at the sheriff`s office.
Sergeant, again, thank you for being with us. So this whole thing. This double murder and this robbery, including the family`s safe taken out of the home, was handled with military-like precision, but one of the idiots forgot to cut off the security camera?
ROY: That`s what we believe now. The lady -- the lady you talked about Pamela Long? We actually have her with us right now. She`s upstairs and speaking with investigators.
GRACE: Excellent. Excellent, Sergeant. Thank you.
ROY: And the other -- OK.
GRACE: Go ahead, dear. Finish. Sergeant, go ahead.
ROY: Oh. And the other person -- that`s just a speculation, you know, some of the suspects. They`re all trying to, of course, save their own hide right now, saying that someone else.
GRACE: What about it, Mike Brooks?
BROOKS: A possibility, though. The sheriff was also intimating today at the last press conference that it could be someone who might have installed the alarm, that it was -- most likely would be done remotely and that they had been looking at databases and these kinds of things. You`d need an access code to be get into the system to cut it off.
GRACE: We`ll be right back with Sgt. Ted Roy, Ed Lavandera and Mike Brooks. But a special happy birthday, happy 99th birthday to Louisiana friend of the show, Mimi. Isn`t she beautiful? She goes to church every single Sunday. She never misses. And she likes to go to the Louisiana riverboat to gamble. Her secret to health. Don`t take life too seriously and drink your margaritas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: We have information that indicates that there was an amount of practice that was involved. There are a couple of individuals that have prior military backgrounds in this group. And so, again, as we stated early on in this investigation, with really only one element, it was a very well planned and well executed operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Back out to Sergeant Ted Roy, joining us from the sheriff`s office. I understand that this realtor rented to one of the people that you believe is involved in the plot. What could she possibly know?
ROY: Well, that`s what we`re talking about right now. But she knew Gonzalez Jr.
GRACE: And what can you tell me about one of the suspects running a martial arts studio?
ROY: Yes. That`s also Gonzalez Jr. There some tape of him today helping -- helping little children and women in self-defense.
GRACE: And Sergeant, why so many people involved in this plot? I mean, Sergeant, isn`t it your experience that the more people involved in a criminal plot, the more likely you`re going to get caught? They can`t keep their traps shut.
ROY: Absolutely. Yes, you know, the more people that are involved, you`re exactly right. The more people that know about it, the worse off that you`ll probably end up and this is how this ended up right now.
GRACE: And Sergeant, is it true that whoever was to cut the video, the surveillance video recording off, got cold feet and didn`t show up?
ROY: That`s just a theory right now. According to some of the suspects, that was supposed to happen. And some of them are saying that, you know, they don`t know anything about that. So we`re still just -- that`s just a hunch.
GRACE: With us tonight, Ed Lavandera, Sgt. Ted Roy, and Mike Brooks on the story.
But let`s stop and remember. Staff Sergeant Ryan Haupt, 24, Colorado Springs, Colorado, killed, Iraq, just days before his trip home, a member of the army`s elite sniper team. Awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Loved photography, computers, hiking.
Leaves behind beloved wife Nanette, parents, Lynn and Lance, stepfather Jay, three sisters, one brother.
Ryan Haupt. American hero.
Thank you to all our guests but especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp. Until then, good night.
END
