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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Love Triangle E-mails Released; Ex-NBA Star Works to Get Kids Healthy
Aired April 22, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): "Survivor" murder mystery. A reality show producer is the prime suspect in his wife`s murder. We now have personal e-mails sent from this producer to his alleged mistress. Tonight, we`ll examine the e-mails. You won`t believe what he purportedly says.
And dramatic new twists and turns in the desperate search for little Haleigh Cummings. Grandma Flo now says jealousy for Ron`s affection could be the motive for little Haleigh`s death. And tonight, a new brouhaha over bones. What exactly did cops pull out of the St. John`s River?
Plus, the runaway mom. An Ohio wife and mother of a 1-year-old daughter vanishes over the weekend, sparking a national manhunt. Well, it turns out she wasn`t abducted at all. In fact, she ran off to Florida with another man to, quote, start a new life. So will she be arrested? We`ll hear what her betrayed husband is saying. You won`t believe that.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news off the top. Fast-breaking developments tonight in the brutal murder of a mother of two. Monica Beresford-Redman was found dead, strangled to death. Tonight, we have got e-mails purportedly between the prime suspect, her Hollywood producer husband, and his alleged mistress. What they reveal could blow this case wide open.
Monica`s family is in Mexico right now as we speak, desperately trying to bring her body back to the United States. She was found dead in the sewer of a lavish Cancun resort exactly two weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you confident you`ll get justice here in Mexico?
JEANE BURGOS, VICTIM`S SISTER: Yes, I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has it been like for you and your family?
BURGOS: Hell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What message would you say to Bruce?
BURGOS: No comment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The victim was reportedly there to fix her marriage to former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman. Bruce worked on four seasons of the popular CBS reality show "Survivor," leaving "Survivor" in 2004.
His dead wife`s family says Monica had evidence Bruce was cheating on her with this woman, casting director Joy Pierce, shown here in a picture from TMZ.com.
Tonight, Radar Online says it has obtained never-before-seen e-mails between Bruce and that alleged mistress. Bruce reportedly wrote, "Clearly, I am is piece of bleep. What I did to Monica was lousy and, as you know, it required me to lie to her for months," end quote.
Mexican cops took the husband into custody after the wife`s body was found. Cops say he was covered in scratches, but he was released and ordered to remain in Mexico. Why still no charges against the husband?
I`m taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to my phenomenal expert panel: former criminal investigator John Lucich; clinical psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer; CNN producer extraordinaire Alan Duke; and we also are delighted to have with us CNN correspondent Ted Rowlands, who is in Cancun tonight.
But we begin with Radar Online`s senior editor, Maxine Page, who broke the e-mail story exclusively.
Maxine, tell us the significance of these purported e-mails.
MAXINE PAGE, SENIOR EDITOR, RADAR ONLINE: Well, the e-mails show he was very conflicted about his relationship with the mistress and with his wife. They show motive. They show that he was really angry. They show his character. And I would say they really show that he`s pretty calculating, and he`s capable of pretty much anything.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, again, he hasn`t been charged with anything. Important to stress.
But here`s my big issue. Was this a love triangle? Because if it so, the players did a good job of keeping it from their friends and neighbors. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIZA ALYRIO, FRIEND OF MONICA: She was loved. I don`t want to say that she passed away. I really don`t want to believe that. Knowing her, her marriage, it seems very happy. She -- you know, she can never wait for him to come home when he goes to his things. I -- I -- you know, if there is any trouble in their marriage, I have no idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The flurry of purported e-mails from Radar Online between Bruce and his alleged mistress seemed to point to a nasty behind- the-scenes battle.
Bruce wrote about his wife, "She had denied me access to my children and continues to do so. She has shut me out of my home. She has liquidated all my money. She has alleged at my daughter`s school that I am abusive and unfit and should not be allowed to pick up my daughter. I am devastated and broken by not being able to see my kids, and even the hint that I might have to prove that I am not abusive in some future custody battle is terrifying to me. So I was right about who I was dealing with and what I was facing," end quote.
Ted Rowlands, it seems his money, his family and his personal reputation are being threatened. You`re down there in Cancun. Do you think Mexican authorities are aware of these e-mails? And could they consider them as a motive?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, they`re absolutely aware of them. They met with the family yesterday -- or Tuesday afternoon well into the evening. They provided these e-mails.
I did talk to the -- basically the attorney general in this state earlier today, and basically he said, "You know what? These e-mails do show that this relationship was in a certain state," but they`re more concerned with the forensic testing. They`re expecting that back within days out of Mexico City. They say they`re going to pull the trigger one way or another after they get those test results.
And we`re talking specifically about blood results from the room, from the body itself. There were scratch marks, as you mentioned, on Bruce Beresford-Redman. And also at the grave site, the sewage area where her body was found.
Once they get those tests back, they`re going to make a move and most likely arrest Bruce Beresford-Redman.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, just a few minutes ago, we got a statement from the lawyer for Monica`s family who says, quote, "The Burgos family did not sell or authorize the release of any e-mails to the media. We have been aware of their existence for some time now and have shared them with the proper authorities."
Dr. Dale Archer, you`re the psychiatrist. As we hear those e-mails, I think we hear a man -- if they`re true, if these are purported e-mails -- that is in tremendous conflict, feeling guilty, feeling resentful and feeling rageful at his wife.
DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: Absolutely. And remember, he is the one who suggested going down to Mexico to try to patch this up.
Well, here is a message for America. If you were involved in an infidelity, you don`t want to go to a foreign country, an exotic resort to patch up a raw and emotional situation in your life. You need to be on home turf and address it with family, friends and, hopefully, a trained therapist.
But putting the motive all together, he suggested they go down there, she went. He clearly had a motive if the e-mails are true. So I don`t think it looks good for him at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Monica`s sister Jean says she knew something was wrong and begged her sister not to go to Cancun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLA BURGOS, VICTIM`S SISTER: She was saying everything was fine, but I could feel she wasn`t happy at all.
J. BURGOS: I had the last conversation with her. And she was not saying that everything was fine. She was extremely sad. I was reinforcing with her, you cannot have a relationship with this man, because there`s no trust.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In hindsight, that might have been good advice, because these e-mails show a husband and father all over the map. At one point, he is promising his alleged mistress to stay in the marriage, saying, "Our relationship was a mistake and is over. I am committing myself to being a husband and father and am making a number of changes in my life."
He also wrote, "I am going to write to many women who I am inappropriate with and tell them that I am making changes, too. I am going to get therapy for being a liar."
Alan Duke, this -- you`re in Hollywood. This story has really caused shock waves in Hollywood, because he was a very well-known producer. And what do we know about this alleged mistress?
ALAN DUKE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, the mistress was a casting director. She worked with him. If you read the e-mails, this even entered into the office when Monica apparently visited the office and upset the mistress. So it was a very close work situation. And, yes, she was a casting director.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we invite that woman or her representative, her attorney, on at any time to give her side of the story. In fact, any principal in this case and their attorneys, you have an open invitation to come out and set the record straight, if you don`t agree with anything being said here.
According to these e-mails, there was a tug of war over the kids. Monica`s sister told "GMA" Monica did not trust her husband to be alone with them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. BURGOS: My sister would never in one million years leave her kids a whole day with the father without her cell phone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The e-mails from Radar Online indicate Monica communicated with the alleged mistress. Bruce wrote, "Monica is texting you again with questions and details, and you are on her side. Why does she deserve some special consideration from you?"
This is bizarre, Maxine. I have not heard very many cases where the wife and the alleged mistress are texting each other, except it does remind me of when Tiger Woods` wife purportedly ended up talking to alleged mistress No. 1 on the phone. We`re talking beyond awkward here.
PAGE: No kidding. They`ve apparently communicated over a period of time. Joy, the alleged mistress, was very apologetic. She wrote a long e- mail to Monica, which got Bruce very unhappy.
When at the end, though, Monica responded back to Joy, she said, "Look, I`ve had enough. I wish you luck. I`m sorry for what`s happened, but please don`t contact me anymore."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, in game theory, they say three is one of the most unstable numerical combinations.
Everybody, stay right where you are.
Do these e-mails give cops a motive? We`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Plus, is anybody telling the truth in the search for Haleigh Cummings? We`re going to talk to experts and analyze Grandma Flo`s commentaries here on ISSUES last night in our hunt for answers.
But first, hot-shot producer, the only suspect in his wife`s murder. Now we have purported e-mails to his mistress. Is this enough to put him behind bars?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Monday morning, she went for the shopping on Cancun. And she never come back. They noticed that she did not make for the shopping, because they went through her credit cards, and they didn`t see anything. So she did not purchase anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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J. BURGOS: She`s an American citizen. And she has a lot of people that love her. And we need to bring the body there so all the people that love her can really, you know, say good-bye and have a place where they can go and, you know, bring their -- their love to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A chaotic scene down there in Mexico as the dead woman`s family -- you see her sister there with CNN correspondent Ted Rowlands. She is trying to get answers about her precious sister`s death. Monica Beresford-Redman, her sister. Trying to secure the release of her body so they can bring her home to bury her.
Phone lines lighting up. Cindy, South Carolina, your question or thought, ma`am?
CALLER: Hi, Jane. How are you?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good. How are you?
CALLER: Good. I`m wondering. Did they check the video cameras to see if he carried anything out or left the resort with his wife?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, interesting, John Lucich, criminal investigator, there`s a lot of circumstantial evidence according to Mexican police. Cops say he said his wife went shopping. There`s no record of her leaving the hotel. Then people saw them allegedly arguing that night at the restaurant and heard them arguing in the room. And then apparently the hotel room door was opened numerous times -- numerous times -- the night she disappeared.
JOHN LUCICH, FORMER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR: There`s going to be a lot of electronic evidence, whether you`re looking at the -- how many times your door was open and when it was open or the videos. Even the computer that`s sitting back here in the states. I would love to see the Mexican authorities work with the attorney general`s office and get that computer. I think what you`re going to find is this guy chose this hotel for a reason.
Remember, it`s been reported that there have been several fatalities at this hotel. That may be a reason we chose that. That computer is going to be crucial.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is a messy situation, Alan Duke. Apparently, here`s also a custody battle and a battle over the body itself. Tell us about it.
DUKE: Well, whether they release the body to the family and bring it back. One of the problems you`re going to have is paying for it. There`s a difference in income between the family of Monica and the family of Bruce. I was talking with a spokesman for Monica`s family today. And they said that they really can`t afford right now to bring the body back, so they`re trying to raise money. They`ve got a fund-raiser planned at her restaurant this weekend to do that.
The family of Bruce apparently is rather well off, and there was a little bit of posturing there over that. But -- so we`ll see. And I think Ted Rowlands might be able to tell you the chances of them getting permission to bring the body back.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I had heard a report, Alan, that the husband had wanted to cremate the body. Is that just one of those speculative rumors that`s out there that we want to shoot down? Or have you heard anything on that?
DUKE: Well, while the -- the public relations firm for Bruce wouldn`t comment on that, we have been told by the attorney general, the prosecutor down there that, that is something that he was told Bruce wanted to do. But...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Interesting.
DUKE: We`ll see how it shakes out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, interesting. Because John Lucich, if you want to cremate a body, that could be something you do if you don`t want evidence in the body to be revealed.
LUCICH: Yes. This is a murder investigation. That body is not going anywhere until they get all the evidence off that.
This guy had scratches on his face. There`s no doubt about it. They`re going to find her DNA under his fingernails. This is more than just a circumstantial case, but it`s going to get bigger. And I think that an arrest is imminent once they come down with finishing up the processing of the body. But that body ain`t going anywhere.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have to point out, right now, he has not been charged with anything. He has simply been told to remain in Mexico until authorities finish their forensic investigation, autopsy, et cetera, and get all the results back.
At one point, these e-mails from Radar Online indicate that Monica and the alleged mistress, Joy Pierce, almost aligned against Bruce. He reportedly wrote to Joy Pierce, "You said to Monica and clearly believe that I am not a man of my word. Perhaps you are right."
Joy Pierce even apologized in one e-mail to Monica, saying she thought she was acting out of what she believed to be pure love.
Maxine, is it your understanding that the affair was -- the alleged affair was still going on at the time of Monica`s death?
PAGE: No. No. From what we understand, the affair had ended around about a month before her death.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, what is this "ride or die" that`s referenced to in the e-mails?
PAGE: They have like a number of little pet names for each other. He calls her Little Wing. He calls himself something else, Thunderhead. And then there`s this "ride or die." We have no idea what that is. It`s something that`s between the two of them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you make of this husband, Dr. Dale Archer, after reading all of these purported e-mails?
ARCHER: Well, what, are we supposed to think that he is a man of his word? I mean, he was out there cheating with at least one woman, probably more. You cannot carry on an affair when you`re married without lying. You have to explain where you are. So he has the nerve to be able to say, "Oh, they`re aligning against me and they`re saying I`m a liar." Well, you are a liar.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. But beyond that, do you see resentment in these e-mails that could possibly lead to rage?
ARCHER: Well, I think that there`s rage on both sides, Jane, clearly. Clearly on her side, you can understand why. On his side, though, she has taken steps, I think, looking at the fact that probably a divorce is imminent, to protect the finances, to protect herself with the kids, and he is enraged about that. And also enraged about the fact that she is partnering up with the mistress. So, yes, rage on both sides, no doubt.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Messy situation. We`re going to stay on top of it. Thank you, fantastic panel.
What happened to little Haleigh Cummings? Cops say they found no bones, so what were they pulling out of the river?
Plus, a very extraordinary guest, next. Former NBA superstar John Salley is here to celebrate getting healthy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In tonight`s spotlight, four-time NBA champ John Salley, we is a superstar athlete, a talk show host and a vegan. He is here on Earth Day with us on ISSUES on a mission to get America`s kids healthy and combat obesity. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN SALLEY, NBA CHAMP: Your food choices affect everything: your life, the food workers and our environment. What can you do? Take part. You can turn the tables. Do yourself a favor. Skip the meat. Eat some veggies. You are the consumer. You have the power. Vote with your fork three times a day. If we all overeat, let`s know what we`re eating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I am so thrilled to welcome basketball superstar, wellness guru and fellow vegan John Salley.
John, great to see you. You, today, hosted a bunch of school events with kids in honor of Earth Day. Tell us all about it. You just arrived from that event.
SALLEY: Well, Jane, thank you for having me on the show. And I just came from the Nokia Center, downtown Los Angeles, and they got to see "Avatar." And they -- what they would pledge from James Cameron and FOX, that 1 million trees are going to be planted from today until the end of 2010.
So my friend Richie Green put together a great thing he had. It`s called Eco Warriors. It started in Brooklyn, where I`m from, Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn Tech. They sent out all these different notices to the principals and saying, "We want an essay on how you`re going to be better in eco." None of them answered back except Brooklyn Tech. So it started there in November.
Today was the second day here in Los Angeles. Five thousand children wrote all kind of essays on how they were going to be better and they were invited. They got to see the movie.
It`s funny. They put vegetarian food in front of them when they were hungry. Some of them booed; some of them ahh`d. But at the end of it, they all was fed well.
And so we just finished talking. I`m going to run back out after with this wonderful show, and we`ve got questions and answers with James Cameron on how we`re going to effect a change on the planet.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fantastic. And look at you, dude. You`re -- you`re one of the most fit human beings. I saw you last weekend. Everybody would love to look like you. And you just eat fruits and vegetables and nuts and grains, right?
SALLEY: All I eat is things that God put -- just like in the garden of Eden. I`m just not eating an apple. I mean, everything. No animals, no animal by-products. You can go to my Web site. I`m not going to mention it. Just check out John Salley, and you`ll see how we`re pushing this lifestyle because it saves the planet.
Fifty-six billion land animals were killed last year, just to feed 3.6 billion people. And as we know, we have, what? Poverty. We have famine. So obviously, all that meat that`s being murdered is not really being fed. We`re using all of the different by-products.
So I`m teaching people. I`m helping people. I`m not being a preacher. I`m saying. I said, "This is what I did. I`m not here to convert or condemn. I`m here to convince." And I`m glad I convinced you, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. I`ve been convinced for a long time.
You know, first lady Michelle Obama is desperately trying to get America`s kids to eat more vegetables. For the last two springs, he first lady has invited kids to help plant a vegetable garden at the White House, part of her campaign against childhood obesity.
It`s an epidemic. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years. Nearly one in five kids is obese. That is a crisis, John. Your message to parents out there?
SALLEY: My message to parents is this. One thing: if you eat things that are alive, you stay alive. When you eat things that are dead, that`s the way you`re going to push it. One out of every two children in the black community are going to -- if they`re born after 2005, they say, will be diabetic.
I work with a great company, PCRM, as you do, well physicians for responsible medicine, and we talk about how you can be responsible. I`m working with Lynwood hospital, trying to help the doctors become better doctors by making them healthy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: John, we`re out of time but -- we`re out of time, but I love you. Come back soon.
Could jealousy be a factor...
SALLEY: Whenever you need me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... in this next case? Love you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dramatic new twists and turns in the desperate search for little Haleigh Cummings. Grandma Flo now says jealousy for Ron`s affection could be the motive for little Haleigh`s death.
And tonight: a new brouhaha over bones. What exactly did cops pull out of the St. Johns River?
Plus, the runaway mom: an Ohio wife and mother of a 1-year-old daughter vanishes over the weekend sparking a national manhunt. Well, it turns out she wasn`t abducted at all. In fact, she ran off to Florida with another man to, quote, "start a new life". So will she be arrested? We`ll hear what her betrayed husband is saying. You won`t believe that.
Mind-blowing new developments in the case of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings. Investigators say the little girl is dead, but there is still no sign of her body. Was 18-year-old Misty Croslin, who was babysitting Haleigh on the night she vanished, somehow involved in her death?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MISTY CROSLIN, RONALD CUMMINGS` FORMER WIFE: If I have something, she wants it. So we -- if we buy something for me, we buy the same thing for her. Our shoes, me and Haleigh has the same pair of shoes. She wanted me have pink and white Jordans just like hers. So me and her, like -- we must do -- we try to do everything together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, more bombshells from Misty`s very own grandmother, who is here for two nights in a row on ISSUES and said some extraordinary things. We`re going to analyze that tonight.
Flo Hollars claims Misty was insanely jealous of Haleigh. She claims Misty resented the love her boyfriend, Ronald, had for his own daughter. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD CUMMINGS, FATHER OF HALEIGH CUMMINGS: Please if you have my daughter, bring her home, please. All I want is Haleigh. That`s all I want. I want nothing else but Haleigh. That`s it.
Please, if you have her, bring her home. Haleigh, if you`re watching, you know you`ll always be daddy`s little girl. I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Flora Hollars told us right here on ISSUES that Misty is madly in love with Ron still and that jealousy might have been a motive for murder. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLO HOLLARS, MISTY CROSLIN`S GRANDMOTHER: I`m saying Misty was jealous of Ron and Haleigh.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Misty`s jealous of Ron?
HOLLARS: Ron and his daughter. I`m saying she was --
JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Of Ron`s attention.
HOLLARS: -- jealous of them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why?
HOLLARS: The attention that he gives his daughter.
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh. And you think that was a motive of some sort?
HOLLARS: Yes, ma`am, I do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Motive for what?
HOLLARS: Getting rid of the little girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Explosive stuff. Misty maintains she was not involved and woke up to find the little girl gone.
Plus, brand new insight into this investigation. Tommy Croslin`s attorney tells HLN it was Tommy, it was, in fact, Tommy who led investigators to this very specific dock on the St. Johns River that you`ve been seeing over the past few weeks.
What else did Tommy, who you`re looking at right there, tell them?
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: all experts on the Haleigh Cummings case. But I want to begin with you, Jayne Weintraub. You were here on our ISSUES show last night. You heard everything Misty`s grandma, Flo, had to say.
What is your take on this jealousy as a motive theory?
WEINTRAUB: You know, I just don`t buy it. It very well might be true that she was jealous of the affection towards the daughter, but Jane, I don`t see that as a motive for murder by an 18-year-old girl who was already living with the child and in the relationship. I just don`t see it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Misty`s grandma says Misty wrote secret letters to Haleigh`s dad, Ronald, from behind bars. This was another bombshell she laid on us last night. Misty allegedly sent these letters to her own family and then begged them to mail them back to Ron in jail. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLARS: She has mailed letters to her mother mainly to be sent -- put in another envelope and be sent to Ron under her mother`s name. And I told her mother, I says that you better not do it because you`re sticking your foot in too deep. And she didn`t do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Investigator John Lucich, could Misty have used that same letter system to get in touch with Tommy who was also behind bars? I believe they were in separate institutions. I mean, could they have gotten together and somehow gotten in contact through this letter system and then fabricated this story that Haleigh`s body was dumped down by the river? Because, remember, it all started at the river after Tommy first calls grandma Flo and says Joe did it. And then Misty, 15 minutes later, calls grandma Flo and says Tommy and Joe went down to the river and threw Haleigh in the water.
JOHN LUCICH, FORMER POLICE INVESTIGATOR: former Sure, anything is possible, Jane. I have a quick question for you. Didn`t Flo last night say that it`s possible that this little girl got a hold of a pill and OD`d? Didn`t she say that last night?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Here`s what I know. There are three possible versions that Grandma Flo offered, ok?
Here are the three. Haleigh OD`d on a pill, Misty hit Haleigh with a plank, and Joe took the child after an argument with Ron over a gun and was angry and then took Haleigh.
LUCICH: I read that last night on a transcript. My question for her, if she heard this from somebody, like she said she did on that transcript, which version did she hear? Or is this just supposition going down many different roads that she`s making up in her mind?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well --
WEINTRAUB: No. She`s not making it up. She heard -- this was what she was told -- I`m sorry Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
WEINTRAUB: She was told three different stories. And that`s the problem. She`s been given inconsistent statements. She`s just reporting what she heard and what she was told by Misty and by Tommy. And they are not saying the same thing.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Levi Page --
LUCICH: Well, if -- this is why the cops may not be returning her call because they`re all inconsistent. You leave information that`s not consistent and they`re not going to return calls.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. But guess what John? Everybody is saying there has to be some truth here. Otherwise, why would have cops gone down to the river and had dive teams at extraordinary expense for days on end searching the murky waters of the St. Johns River?
LUCICH: They`ve run out of leads. They`ve run out of leads.
WEINTRAUB: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time. One at a time.
WEINTRAUB: No. And there`s a polygraph that Tommy Croslin`s lawyer claims was passed. And that`s what led them to the river. If that`s true, and not only do the police have a polygraph and not only does Tommy`s lawyer have the polygraph, but there`s a private investigator, Steven Brown, and he`s said to have had this polygraph as well.
I`m interested in seeing when we can get a copy of that from someone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: By the way, word to our viewers, we`ll have Tommy Croslin`s attorney here on ISSUES tomorrow. We`re going to ask him about this case and some statements that his client has made.
Now, Levi Page, you are the host of the Levi Page Show on blog talk radio. You know a lot bout this case. Here`s what I`d like to ask you.
Three theories: Haleigh OD`d on a pill. I don`t know that somebody would keep that quiet this long since it`s an accidental overdose and that`s not as severe as being accused of murder.
Joe took the child. Ok, in a fight over a gun. Ron, the child`s father, has said there never was an argument over a gun.
So guess what, that leaves the third option. Misty hit Haleigh with a plank. What do you think?
LEVI PAGE, BLOG TALK RADIO HOST: I don`t believe any of those. I think what happened was that Ron was involved; that maybe Ron lost his temper and Misty was covering up for Ron. Maybe -- we remember that Ronald called Tommy that night to go over to the house when he called Misty 90- plus times. Why was he calling her 90-plus times?
I think that he called Tommy to go over there. Tommy went over there. Tommy has seen something that he wasn`t supposed to see. And that`s whenever Ronald -- we remember during the summer when Ronald put a decapitated rat in the mailbox of the Croslin family. He was saying, "I`m trying to intimidate you. I don`t want you to talk. Don`t talk or I`ll decapitate you," is what Ronald Cummings was saying.
I think when you look at the joint interview that Misty and Ronald have done together, in one interview Ronald -- Ronald is going -- Misty is going over statements of what happened that night. She says that Haleigh was in bed with me, Haleigh and Junior were. Then she says, oh, they were four inches away. And Ronald immediately jumps in and says, no, no, they weren`t four inches away. They were four feet away. How would Ronald know that if he wasn`t at home?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it`s -- a couple of things.
PAGE: He was giving her a script to read, in my opinion. She messed up on the script. He was correcting her. I think Ronald is involved and Misty is covering up for him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say that police have exonerated Ron, the father.
PAGE: I don`t think that`s true. I don`t think they`ve exonerated him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When they did their initial examination, they said he is not a suspect. Ok? So I just want to make that very clear.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And again, everybody`s lawyers are involved on this show to tell their side.
Jayne Weintraub, give us some -- you know what? Actually, Dr. Dale, very quickly, ten seconds -- give us some closure on this.
DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I mean, this reminds me of my poker-playing days. There`s a saying. How do you know that a poker player is lying about his hand? When his lips are moving.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fascinating stuff. We`re going to keep on it and tomorrow, Tommy Croslin`s lawyer right here on ISSUES.
All right. We`re going to get his side of the story.
Now, Lindsay Lohan`s downward spiral. Why did cops stop by her house? We`re going to hear from her dad, next.
Plus, a missing Ohio woman. She`s been found but it turns out she wasn`t missing at all. We`re going to tell you why she disappeared, with whom and her wild explanation. It`s right up there with the balloon boy and the runaway bride.
We`re taking your calls on these crazy story; 1-877-JVM-SAYS. You will not believe it, 1-877-586-7297.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A desperate search for a missing mom. You won`t believe how it turned out. That`s next.
But first, "Top of the Block" tonight.
Lindsay Lohan is reportedly on a downward spiral and her dad says he is doing everything he can to stop it; today, Michael Lohan and the LAPD busted into Lindsay`s apartment to check on the welfare of Lindsay`s 16- year-old sister, Ali. Cops say Ali was in no danger. If this was a ploy by Michael to get Lindsay some help, it didn`t work.
Cops searched the apartment and they say they found no reason to make an arrest, but that is not stopping her dad. Listen to what Michael told TMZ.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LOHAN, LINDSAY LOHAN`S FATHER: I have to do what I have to do. I`m her father. I love her and I`m not going to stand here and watch Lindsay go downhill and possibly have Ali spiral downhill with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This did not sit well with Lindsay, to put it mildly. She went off on her dad on Twitter, of course. "My ex-dad just walked into my apartment like the devil`s advocate with officers," she said.
Tomorrow night on ISSUES, right here, we`re going to have Lindsay`s dad, Michael Lohan, live. He`s going to talk about his desperate, desperate battle to save his daughter. You do not want to miss that riveting interview.
That is tonight`s "Top of the Block".
Turning now to a family`s desperate search for a missing wife and mom: it turns out Tiffany Tehan was never really missing in the first place. She abandoned her life in Ohio to start a new life in Florida with another man, leaving behind her husband and their precious 1-year-old daughter.
Tiffany`s husband reported her missing last Saturday when she didn`t come home from a shopping trip. The next day, her car was found abandoned at a park. It had a flat tire and the keys were in the ignition. Everybody was terrified. Her family became hysterical, begging for information about her whereabouts, fearing she was kidnapped.
Then the next day, surveillance video surfaces of Tiffany and some other man, Trey Hutcherson (ph). Here they are at a convenient store. Police wow, they looked at this and they thought, "Is this the person of interest? Did he kidnap her?" Police say the pair had been to that store several times in the last few weeks.
But then came this stunning announcement just this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiffany has been found safely in Miami, Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. So he was no kidnapper. He was the boyfriend, apparently, of this married woman. Miami is about a thousand miles from her home. Tiffany talked to her parents and the husband on the phone. She told them she wants to come home. And they say they will welcome her with open arms. Why?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID TEHAN, TIFFANY TEHAN`S HUSBAND: She may have made some mistakes, but everyone does. And I can`t blame her for any of them. She`s a person like everyone else. You know, getting through life, and it`s not always easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, that`s one nice husband, I got to tell you.
We`re taking your calls on this. 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. What do you think of this runaway wife and mom?
Back with me, Dr. Dale Archer and investigator John Lucich but let`s start with Holly Samuels, reporter for WDTN. Holly, what is the very latest?
HOLLY SAMUELS, REPORTER, WDTN: Well, we have learned -- we`re waiting for them to come back to Dayton for Mr. Hutcherson and Tiffany Tehan to come back to this area and meet up with her family. Right now, we have rumors that they may be headed to Cincinnati. We`re working on that. But right now they`re just rumors. We don`t have anything confirmed.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I don`t understand. She left to start a new life with this other guy, who is her apparent boyfriend. But then we hear reports that she wants to go back home to her family. She`s not going to go back home to her family with the boyfriend, right, because the husband is there at home waiting for her.
SAMUELS: That`s right. And that`s one thing we`re looking into, where will she go when she gets home. We have heard reports that Mr. Hutcherson`s wife now was talking about going back home to California. That`s where they were originally from before they moved to Ohio.
But like you said, they -- her family said they will welcome her back with open arms. And so we`re just waiting to see where she goes once she gets here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. She`s a mysterious character. Tiffany and Trey were returning to their Miami hotel room last night when police found them, pulled them over. Tiffany told detectives they were romantically involved and they had run away to start a new life.
Her husband`s reaction to that? Astoundingly understanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEHAN: I`m so glad to know that Tiffany is safe. That she`s been found and that she is safe. Obviously moving forward, there are going to be other things that we will be dealing with. I appreciate sensitivity to the fact that they`re private matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Dale Archer, if somebody wants to get away from their family that badly that they stage possibly their own disappearance by leaving their car abandoned with the keys in the ignition and the tires slashed, why wouldn`t they just say, "Hey, honey, I want a divorce?"
DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: This is America; instant gratification at its worst, Jane. I mean, this is the most selfish act I can imagine.
I mean, what about the family? What about the friends? What about your church group that did a prayer vigil for your safe return? She didn`t think about anyone or anything except what she wanted and obviously left stunned parents, husband, and her child all back at home.
So it`s -- it makes no sense, though.
One thing I will say about the husband is I suspect there is more to this story than meets the eye. For him to be that calm and accepting about this, I think there`s something else going on either with him or between the two of them where he feels that he has to be understanding.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here is my big issue. Is this a case of phony foul play? Did Tiffany try to stage her own kidnapping by leaving her car at a park with a flat tire and the keys in the ignition? And let`s look at some of her, well, charter members of her club. Let`s put it that way. Another phony disappearance was uncovered this month.
Olivia Newton-John`s boyfriend -- ex-boyfriend found alive and well in Mexico. We all know about balloon boy, we all know about the runaway bride. John Lucich, did these people really think they`re going to away with this? A couple of seconds
LUCICH: I hope not, because they never do get away with this. If they do anything to this woman, I would like to see them her charge criminally, but I would not like to see them have to pay for the fine -- for the searching. The reason being, it will hurt the family more than her.
Everybody, stay right where you are. More on runaway mom next. What was she thinking?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSIE TABOR, TIFFANY TEHAN`S MOTHER: Honey, your dad and I and your husband and your child need you to come back home. And if you can make a phone call just to let us know that you`re there, that you`re safe or whatever, we will make the way for you to come back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Tiffany Tehan`s mom, just hours before her daughter was found alive and soaking up the sun in South Beach. Tiffany was a thousand miles from home with another guy. What would possess a wife and mom to run away, leaving her family to believe she possibly has been abducted? Question.
Shannon, Louisiana, your question or thought?
SHANNON, LOUISIANA (via telephone): Hi Jane. Thank you for taking my call. I just wondered if it might have been considered that this might be a new mom suffering from post-partum depression.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you think Dr. Dale? The child`s only one year old?
ARCHER: Yes. Not even close. Obviously this had to be well planned out for her to go down there and take a lot of forethought with the flat tire on the car, where they were going in Miami. The boyfriend had to structure it all with his side. So I don`t buy that at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tiffany told her family she wants to come home. Her parents and husband say they`re ready and willing to welcome her back. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEHAN: I spoke with her last night. She is fine. She`s doing well. Beyond that, I suppose I would prefer not tot elaborate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you forgive her?
TEHAN: Absolutely. Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you find so easy to forgive, given everything that`s happened?
TEHAN: I don`t know. It`s supernatural.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So John Lucich, apparently she`s not going to face any federal charges. We don`t know yet about state charge, but what about restitution, like balloon boy`s family?
LUCICH: That`s the one thing they don`t lump on this family, because if they do, it`s going to hurt the husband who seems to be very, very forgiving and wants to put this behind him and it`s going to hurt the child.
This is probably a family like everybody else who`s struggling in America. While I would like to see this woman charged criminally, I don`t want to see the rest of her family have to suffer through a financial burden.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Holly, what do we know about the dude in this case? The guy in the red shirt who`s her apparent boyfriend?
SAMUELS: Well, as far as Tiffany`s family knows, they`ve never seen the guy. They don`t know who he is or what connection he would have to Tiffany is. Witnesses said that they did see the two of them at that convenience store that we saw the surveillance video there multiple times in the month leading up to the time that they disappeared.
Now as far neighbors -- I talked to neighbors in his neighborhood -- they tell me that he and his wife pretty much kept to themselves. He was known for complaining about noise in the neighborhood and that sort of thing. But otherwise, a pretty quiet guy; no criminal background, nothing that we could find.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Didn`t she work near this convenience store and he lived near this convenience store? I`ve heard of hooking up at like a TGIFridays, but at a convenience store? Holly?
SAMUELS: That`s right. She worked just down the block. And it was within walking distance. And from what witnesses have said, they met there for coffee. I don`t know if this was before work or after or during. But they met for coffee quite often, almost daily in the months leading up to their disappearance.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. Dr. Dale, 10 seconds, infidelity is a theme in our show tonight.
ARCHER: Yes. I think that it`s a message to all of America that there are cameras everywhere. Be careful where you go, if you are cheating. .
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And if you don`t want to be with somebody, call a divorce lawyer.
ARCHER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Or go to a peaceful mediator.
Thanks to my fabulous panel for joining me tonight.
Tomorrow night, I will take to Tommy Croslin`s attorney about the Haleigh Cummings case.
You`re watching ISSUES on HLN.
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