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Nancy Grace
Golf Pro Erica Blasberg Found Dead
Aired May 11, 2010 - 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, live, Nevada. A 25-year- old pro golf beauty, a rising star in the LPGA tour, found dead in her upscale home in the Nevada desert just a stone`s throw from Vegas, blond beauty turned pro golf star found dead in her bed Sunday afternoon. Police find her bags packed for her next tournament, packed complete with a brand- new golf bag, prepped for play, even dinner plans with friends for the tournament`s first night.
After a mystery 911 call, police refusing to release who found that body or made the 911 call. Police say she looked as if they simply went to sleep. Was the 25-year-old golf beauty smothered to death in her own bed?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At just 25 years old, Erica Blasberg was a standout golfer. Ranked number one in college, she was "Golf Week`s" 2003 Player of the Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police in Nevada are investigating the death of a 25-year-old pro woman golfer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something happened. She was supposed to leave for a tournament that morning. She didn`t leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say they responded to a 911 call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Erica`s body was found inside of her Henderson home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Details of her death haven`t been released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s devastating. We`re going to have to bury our 25-year-old daughter. That`s sad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He believes Erica wasn`t alone when she died and says we haven`t yet learned the whole story. An autopsy on Erica Blasberg is being conducted, and Henderson police are so far remaining tight-lipped on their investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they`re being tight-lipped, rumors are swirling here in the Las Vegas area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What exactly happened is for now a mystery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a story about how you raise a kid and they came out OK, and then something happened. We have to find out what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And breaking news tonight, live, rural Michigan, 7:30 AM, Mommy in pajamas goes to the mailbox in the front yard to mail a letter. Mommy never seen again. In the front yard, clear signs of struggle in the grass, driveway gravel, where Mommy kicked and fought, kidnapped at the mailbox 7:30 AM in her pajamas?
After specialized crime scene techs fly from Michigan to Virginia to comb the estranged husband`s vehicles and apartment, bombshell tonight. In Daddy`s pick-up, police find an Ohio Wal-Mart receipt, a receipt for a shovel, a tarp, a cap, gloves, the Wal-Mart receipt placing Daddy just two hours away. And also discovered, an alleged bloody smear on the driver`s side door just above the handle in Daddy`s silver Mercury Sable, another alleged blood smear on the back seat driver`s side floor.
Is more than one person implicated? This after tire tracks in a field where the truck and mystery man crouched nearby at the time Mommy goes missing. Investigators also get DNA, fingerprints and evidence from Daddy`s Virginia apartment. And did Daddy lay out of work the day Mommy disappears? We obtain Mommy`s handwritten letter detailing why she packs up her children and leaves her home and husband without so much as a toothbrush. With her little girls in hiding at this hour still, no sign of Mommy. Tonight, where is gorgeous young mom of two Venus Stewart?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know what`s going to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Search warrants reveal apparent blood stains found in both cars belonging to Venus`s husband, Douglas Stewart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sure that he took her as I am of my name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What appear to be blood stains from inside the driver`s side door in Stewart`s gray pick-up and the rear driver`s side floor of Stewart`s silver Mercury were recovered by forensic investigators.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cops say there are signs of a struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inside the pick-up, authorities found a Wal-Mart receipt that included purchases of a shovel, tarp, cap and gloves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person who did this had to be outside the house, surveying the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Located in the truck bed of Stewart`s car, rope and twine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does indeed say that he was in Newport News, Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He claimed to be in Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Claims he has witnesses proving his alibi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... two witnesses that know he was there...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On that day, he never called.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot be alone even for one minute, even to go out to the mailbox.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cops calling Venus`s estranged husband their only person of interest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s the only day he`s missed is the day that Venus came up missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doug Stewart is the man that took my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. A 25-year-old golf pro beauty, a rising star in the LPGA tour, found dead in her upscale home, the Nevada desert. Was the 25-year-old golf beauty smothered to death in her own bed?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) 2009 (INAUDIBLE) season?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to go out and have a good year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking news. Professional golfer Erica Blasberg is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... striking looks and skill...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her father last practiced with her on Thursday. Two days later, the emerging superstar found dead inside her own home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He describes Erica as a great girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... seemingly had a great future ahead of her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... a straight-A student, a role model for young golfers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then this shocking discovery. She`s found dead in her home in Las Vegas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police are being very tight-lipped on their ongoing investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her dad says there were no obvious signs of trauma to her body. He can`t begin to imagine what may have happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cops say they responded to a 911 call but won`t say who called.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of questions here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We spoke with the coroner`s office. They`ve sent away for toxicology tests. The rumors over what may have happened to Erica continue to swirl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now law enforcement and the coroner`s office investigating. Just who called 911, and what happened to a beautiful golfer who had so much promise?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Brian Ping, reporter with Newstalk 720 KDWN. Brian, what can you tell us tonight?
BRIAN PING, NEWSTALK 720 KDWN (via telephone): Well, Nancy, what you heard there at the top, when they say they`re tight-lipped, I mean, that`s putting it lightly. Authorities really aren`t (INAUDIBLE) any information at all about this current situation. Like you said, they won`t say who made the 911 call. This was placed about 48 hours ago. Since then, no news conference, no press release. And they`re not even saying whether the caller was male or female, if you want to somehow examine whether it was her that made the call or if somebody else was in the home at that time. They`re not saying if she was alone at that time.
She was supposed to be picked up for a golf tournament that she was supposed to begin yesterday, qualifying for, in Alabama. The bags were packed. Her car was packed. She was ready to go. Of course, she never made that flight. And we don`t know why -- we don`t know why (INAUDIBLE) She didn`t make that because, of course, she was found dead in her home at that time. But we don`t know who made that 911 call, whether it was the person that was giving her the ride, whether it was her herself or anybody else.
GRACE: Or whether it was the killer. We are taking your calls live. Breaking news tonight. A golf pro beauty, 25-year-old Erica Blasberg, a star on the LPGA tour, had been named Rookie of the Year, found dead, possibly smothered to death, in the bedroom of her desert home there in Nevada, just a stone`s throw from Las Vegas.
Unleash the lawyers. Gloria Allred, victims` right advocate, LA, Raymond Giudice, defense attorney, Atlanta, Mickey Sherman, criminal defense attorney, author of "How Can you Defend Those People?" joining us out of our New York studios.
First of all, to you, Gloria Allred. Gloria, I thought 911 calls are public property?
GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIMS` RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Should be, Nancy. And I think the public is entitled to know who called and exactly what was stated on the call. It could be relevant to the criminal investigation, and it could mean that the public could help in finding the person who called.
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing Erica Blasberg in action, Rookie of the Year. That`s from Golf Channel. There she is playing. She`s world- ranked, very well respected in her field, and a beauty, to boot. She had once been the face of Puma and many other endorsements, her star now just rising, just found dead, smothered to death possibly -- cause of death has not been officially released -- in her desert home a stone`s throw from Vegas.
Raymond Giudice, why is her 911 call being kept secret, when if it were you or me, they`d be playing it on every radio show, good morning shock jock that you`ve got. Why is her case being treated differently?
RAYMOND GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They are usually subject to Freedom of Information requests. It is possible that law enforcement may have gotten some type of an order from a judge to hold that from being released because of the nature of the evidence that it may relate to. That`s the only thing I can think of, Nancy.
GRACE: OK, Put Giudice up!
GIUDICE: Yes?
GRACE: Put Giudice up! Don`t be mysterious. What do you mean?
GIUDICE: They may...
GRACE: What are you trying to say, evidence pertinent to the nature, what?
GIUDICE: Law enforcement may want to talk to that person before it`s released to the press so as not to interfere with an ongoing investigation. This is a potential, potential homicide investigation.
GRACE: What about it, Sherman?
MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, I agree with Ray. You know, we`re used to the bar being so low, like, in these Florida cases...
GRACE: You agree with Ray. My, that`s a surprise.
SHERMAN: I mean, maybe...
GRACE: Second verse same as the first!
SHERMAN: Maybe just the police know what they`re doing here and they`re trying to act responsibly by not letting the possible killer know what they know. I mean, you know, let the cops do their job.
GRACE: Well, here`s a shocker for the two of you. I agree with you. If this has anything pertinent to an ongoing investigation, if there`s anything to be lost by making that 911 call public, I don`t need to hear it. I can hear it tomorrow, next week, next year.
GIUDICE: For a reasonable period of time.
GRACE: If there`s anything about it -- but I guess my point would be, What`s the purpose? Why do we -- you know, we`ve all been to law school. We`ve all practiced in criminal law. We know the deal. This is not our first time at the rodeo. Why would they keep that 911 call secret?
I want to go out to Rolonda Watts, investigative journalist joining us tonight. Rolonda, what more can you tell us about this case?
ROLONDA WATTS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, I know that she had brought such a fresh breath -- a breath of fresh air to the golf arena. I mean, puma had seen her as someone so young and so promising -- everyone had promise for her. She had no reason to commit suicide, even though they originally thought that this might be a suicide case. But here`s a woman who was making six figures. She was at the top of her game. She`s the biggest hopeful.
One of the things I find interesting, also, as you do, Nancy, is that that 911 call has not been released. We hear 911 calls all over the place when there`s criminal behavior involved.
GRACE: I mean, we`ve even had...
WATTS: This one we haven`t.
GRACE: ... people die on 911 calls, which is excruciatingly painful. Everybody, you are seeing Erica Blasberg`s Puma commercial from EricaBlasberg.com. There she is. The 25-year-old golf beauty found dead in her Nevada desert home. She was lying there as if she had simply gone to sleep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police in Nevada are investigating the death of a 25-year-old pro woman golfer, Erica Blasberg.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Erica Blasberg died suddenly in her Las Vegas-area home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who was there? What did the house look like? There`s a lot of things you need to look at on this death investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At just 25 years old...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Erica Blasberg was a stand-out golfer...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did everything right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... striking looks and skills...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is devastating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was "Golf Week`s" 2003 Player of the Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... sad...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Erica`s body was found inside of her Henderson home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her death...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... autopsy...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The death...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coroner...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The death...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What may have happened...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tough (ph) hit (ph)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to Erica...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to bury your 25-year-old daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what exactly happened...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... 911 call...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... wasn`t alone...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... lifeless...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... in her home...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... is for now a mystery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a budding star on the LPGA tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, she`s not immune to the pressures of golf.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her father last practiced with her on Thursday.
-- a professional golfer who hadn`t yet reached her peak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two days later, she was gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her death now being investigated by police and the Clark County coroner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was supposed to leave for a tournament that morning. She didn`t leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Twenty-five-year-old golf beauty Erica Blasberg found dead in the bedroom of her desert home there in Nevada. She was set to leave to go on tour to a tournament the following Monday. She never made it. Her bags already packed, including a brand-new golf bag set for play. She`d even made dinner plans with friends on the tour circuit for that Monday night.
You are seeing right now video of Erica from ESPN 2. Take a look. Very well known, Rookie of the Year, already having been named the face of Puma.
We are taking your calls live, but a couple of more questions to Dan Wetzel, Yahoo sports columnist, joining us out of Detroit. Dan, what can you tell me about Erica Blasberg? Who was her coach?
DAN WETZEL, YAHOO SPORTS COLUMNIST (via telephone): Well, she had a number of different swing coaches, and she had played collegiately and been a star at the University of Arizona for two years, an All-American both years, and then turned pro early after her sophomore year.
GRACE: So she didn`t finish college, she became a pro after two years?
WETZEL: Yes, that`s how promising her career was expected to be.
GRACE: And you`re telling me that she had several different coaches, right?
WETZEL: Yes. It`s not uncommon to have a number of different swing coaches and trainers and things like that in golf.
GRACE: You`re seeing photos from the Blasberg family, obtained by KTNV. Dan Wetzel, do you know if she had any stalkers?
WETZEL: There`s been no reports of that, and it wasn`t -- certainly wasn`t anything that has come out publicly. And the police haven`t revealed anything like that and none of her friends have said anything like that.
GRACE: To Brian Ping, reporter with Newstalk 720 KDWN, joining us out of Vegas. Brian, what is your information? Any stalkers, lovelorn boyfriends, guys that were rejected, anything like that?
PING: Nancy, the personal history is rather unclear at this time. There`s no word whether she had any boyfriend or really any close friend that may have been in close contact with her. She was an only child, and from what we know, she was not romantically involved.
The relationship with the father is interesting here. He`s a golf instructor in southern California. And he`s been interviewed by the press. You actually saw him in some of your clips that you were playing. He was quoted by "The Riverside Press-Enterprise" saying that it first appeared like she took her own life. Then he hedged on that, and he said something, quote, "very, very strange" about this whole thing. Now he`s going and saying that he`s adamant that she, in fact, did not commit suicide.
Now, she had come on some kind of hard times professionally as far as the tour. She wasn`t performing as well as she may have liked. That was only her first tour appearance was two weeks ago in Mexico, she finished 44th. And reports from her father saying that, you know, she`s very competitive...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Well, it`s my understanding, Brian Ping, that the reason the father said that about the first appearance is because she`s lying there so peacefully, almost as if she looked like she had gone to sleep.
I`m going to go straight out to Dr. Howard Oliver, former deputy medical examiner, forensic pathologist, joining us out of LA. Dr. Oliver, thank you for being with us. Dr. Oliver, if you go and you find a body lying in bed, a woman`s body lying in bed, and there are no outward signs - - you don`t see a gunshot wound, which is very obvious -- you can immediately determine it`s a gunshot wound -- you don`t see a stabbing, there`s no bleeding, there`s no blunt force trauma that would induce internal bleeding, you only have a few more choices. You`ve got intoxication by drugs or alcohol, to poisoning, or you`ve got smothering, asphyxiation, because if she had been manually or ligature strangulation, you would have seen at least bruising, if not distortion of the neck. Yes or no, Dr. Oliver?
DR. HOWARD OLIVER, FORMER DEPUTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: That`s correct. And with smothering, you`d also see petechial hemorrhages, small little dots...
GRACE: But those -- under those, wouldn`t you have to take a very close examination of the eye itself?
OLIVER: That`s correct -- the eye, the skin around the ears, the skin over the neck and the skin over the chest.
GRACE: And therefore, would you conclude, Doctor, that to the naked eye, if she had died by smothering or drugs or alcohol, that would not be visible to the naked eye?
OLIVER: That`s pretty much correct, except you might see a few petechial hemorrhages. But generally, it would not be obvious to the naked eye. That`s correct.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a budding star on the LPGA tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five-year-old pro woman golfer...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Erica Blasberg...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... a professional golfer who hadn`t yet reached her peak. But now she`s dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police said they responded to a 911 call from her home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five-year-old Erica Blasberg died suddenly in her Las Vegas-area home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They won`t say who made the call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her death now being investigated by police and the Clark County coroner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Details of the death haven`t been released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Erica`s agent says investigators are being tight- lipped. Why?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. You are seeing a shot of 25- year-old golf beauty Erica Blasberg, just found dead in her bed there in her desert home in Nevada.
Straight out to the lines. Martha, Tennessee. Hi, Martha.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, my dear friend. How are you?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question? And thank you for calling in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, first of all, I`d like to say you certainly do your job well. You certainly are amazing Grace.
GRACE: Thank you very much. I haven`t heard that name in a long time. Hey, by the way, Martha, you`re seeing video of Erica from YouTube. Take a look at her, absolutely stunning in every shot. But aside from her outward beauty, this was a golf pro with a world ranking at this young age of just 25.
What do you think, Martha?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s beautiful. She`s beautiful.
GRACE: What is your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to know -- first of all, I wanted to say I love you, and your twins are just precious and -- but my question is, was she alone in her house when this happened?
GRACE: Martha, you know what? That was my very first question. We`re going to go to the reporters when we got back. But right now, police refuse to say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Straight-a student, a role model for young golfers.
ERICA BLASBERG, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I worked really hard this offseason.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Professional golfer Erica Blasberg is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A death investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police are trying to figure out what happened to a young golf pro found dead in her home.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Erica`s body was found inside of her Henderson home.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Her bags were packed, she`s ready to go to a tournament in Alabama.
BLASBERG: I`m not holding up. I`m always busy.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Terrible tragedy. Father saying he`s puzzled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is devastating.
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST; FMR. D.C. POLICE DET., FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Any sign of a struggle? Was there anything inside? Was the door open?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Cops say they responded to a 911 call, but won`t say who called.
BROOKS: Either they don`t know who made it or they`re not saying who made it. They know it did come from the house. Someone who discovered her there? They`re not saying.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Henderson police are so far remaining tight lipped on their investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Now law enforcement and the coroner`s office investigating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something happened. We have to find out what it is.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: I just don`t see the suicide. I don`t see it. This woman had everything to live for. A 25-year-old girl at the top of her game, already with a world ranking?
Right now you`re seeing video of golf beauty Erica Blasberg from the Golf Channel. No history of mental instability, no mental illness that we know of, no drug addiction, no alcohol addiction. Nothing.
She`s too young to have an addiction, for Pete`s sake. She`s just 25.
Out to the lines, let`s go to Donna in Mississippi. Hi, Donna.
DONNA, CALLER FROM MISSISSIPPI: Hi, Nancy. Thank you for taking my call.
GRACE: Yes, ma`am.
DONNA: I have two questions. One is, did she have any prior medical problems that may or may not have been disclosed by her family? And number two, did she have a physical prior to her last tournament?
GRACE: That`s a great question. First of all, to you, Dan Wetzel, don`t they have to do drug and alcohol tests before they play or do they?
DAN WETZEL, YAHOO SPORTS COLUMNIST (via phone): They do take some tests, mainly for performance enhancing drugs. She was injured last year at times, and so she didn`t have a great season. But she had recovered from that. Played two weeks ago and played very well in her first tournament back with a finishing 44th. And there was no indication there were any health concerns at this time.
GRACE: Well, she looks as if she`s the picture of health.
To Dr. Patricia Saunders, clinical psychologist. Dr. Saunders, I know people can have mental illness or be depressed and other people may not know about it. But let`s talk about suicide, Dr. Saunders. That`s a whole different animal from depression.
Think, Patricia. She already had -- this is Sunday. She`s leaving the next day, Monday. She already had all her bags packed. She wanted to go. She was ready to go. She was looking forward to it.
She had this brand new golf bag she was going to break in at this tournament. She already had it prepped, ready for play. She had made dinner plans with other friends on the ladies tour circuit for that Monday night when she met them there in Alabama.
That does not sound like a person who`s going to commit suicide.
PATRICIA SAUNDERS, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, absolutely not. She`s future oriented, she`s made plans, she`s described as highly competitive athlete. And they don`t give up.
People who are going to commit suicide, even if it`s on the spur of the moment that they decide, will give things away, will not be future oriented, they`ll leave notes.
No, I really doubt that this was a suicide.
GRACE: I`m hearing in my ear she was anxious to leave on Sunday, is that right, Ellie? Leave that day, the same day she was found. Yes, you`re right. She was going to be starting to play, to qualify on Monday morning. You`re right.
To Bill Majeski, former NYPD, now Majeski Associates, joining us out of New York.
Bill, thank you for being with us.
Bill, I don`t get why cops aren`t releasing anything. I don`t know if there`s a pill container beside the bed. I don`t know who made that 911 call, what`s the relevance.
BILL MAJESKI, FMR. NYPD DETECTIVE, MAJESKI ASSOCIATES, INC.: OK, there are a number of possibilities here. One is that they have the person that made the call identified. They want to speak to that person because perhaps that person is a suspect in their own minds.
Or, two, they do not have an I.D. on that person. They`re trying to get that I.D. If that person made that call from inside the house, their fingerprints are all over the house. So that may be the situation here where they`re trying to first find that person and have an opportunity to speak to them before it becomes made public.
But it seems like -- the police in that area have a very good reputation in terms of their investigative skills and solving crimes. And it seems that they`re keeping things close to the vest for a specific reason.
And that is that they`re hot on the trail of whomever they are looking for and I wouldn`t be surprised if we serve a successful conclusion to this very soon.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Sherri in Colorado. Hi, Sherri.
SHERRI, CALLER FROM COLORADO: Hey, Nancy, how are you?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?
SHERRI: Well, I just have a comment about your little twins. They look just like you.
GRACE: You know what? I hope they don`t. I think they look like my husband, and Lucy to me look just like my mother Elizabeth and my grandmother Lucy right through here, exactly.
SHERRI: Oh really? They look just like you.
GRACE: Well, that`s a big compliment to me because I`ve never seen anything so beautiful. And you know what? When you say that, when you say that, Sherri in Colorado, it makes me think about this girl`s parents. They -- this was their only child.
SHERRI: Yes.
GRACE: And you know the father helped her become the great golfer that she is. They have sunk all of their love, all their hopes, all their dreams into Erica.
SHERRI: OK. My question is, was she found in bed after a night`s sleep or did she go out to breakfast with someone?
GRACE: Oh, that`s a good question. And you know, the medical examiner should be able to determine that, right, Howard Oliver?
HOWARD OLIVER, FMR. DEPUTY MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: That`s correct. One of the parts of a medical examination is the contents of the stomach. So you`d easily determine if she`d been out to breakfast before her death.
GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Gloria Allred, L.A., Raymond Giudice, Atlanta, Mickey Sherman, New York.
First of all, back to you, Gloria, what scenarios in your experience - - and you`ve handled plenty of cases similar to this -- are police considering right now?
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY, VICTIMS` RIGHTS ADVOCATE: You mentioned the issue of romantic partner. And you mentioned she didn`t have a boyfriend. Didn`t mention whether or not she might have a girlfriend.
GRACE: A girlfriend, yes.
ALLRED: And so that -- that`s something also to be considered, her circle of friends, her circle of romantic partners as well as her family and, of course, the scenario of a complete stranger.
GRACE: Gloria Allred, Lady Justice has on a blindfold. Lady Justice does not care if she had a boyfriend, a girlfriend or no love interest, but it`s interesting that you bring that up because how could that play out in this scenario, Gloria?
ALLRED: Well, the way it could play out is was there a breakup of a relationship? Was there violence? Was there a sex game involved? We don`t know. We have absolutely no facts. But I think at this point, nothing can be ruled out.
GRACE: Weigh in, Raymond Giudice.
RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree with Gloria. Everything from homicide to suicide and everything in between, which would include accidental death. Every spring high school football players across the country die of heart failure. They are young, healthy athletes. There could have been some --
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Put Giudice up. And those athletes would typically be track stars.
GIUDICE: Correct.
GRACE: Football stars.
GIUDICE: Correct.
GRACE: Playing out in the heat.
GIUDICE: But the point is --
GRACE: You don`t die of exertion on the golf course.
GIUDICE: The point is there could be some --
GRACE: Name one person, Giudice.
GIUDICE: She didn`t die in a golf course.
GRACE: Yes.
GIUDICE: She died in bed.
GRACE: I know that.
GIUDICE: And there could be a latent hidden heart defect that this was her day. All I`m saying is, I`m agreeing with Gloria, nothing should be ruled out. But the autopsy and toxicology reports will narrow the search.
GRACE: OK. You`re right, Raymond. But, Mickey Sherman, wouldn`t we know cause of death by now?
MICKEY SHERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, AUTHOR OF "HOW CAN YOU DEFEND THOSE PEOPLE?": I would think so or have a pretty good idea. Her death, she looked like she was sleeping. That would kind of rule out a homicide.
I think it`s going to be an accident. I think something like a Heath Ledger kind of thing where she took a combination of --
GRACE: Heath Ledger, you take dope for years on end and OD. It`s not necessarily an accident.
SHERMAN: No. An Ambien or Xanax or some dying (ph) combination. And totally an unintentional --
GRACE: Well, Ledger had more than Ambien and Xanax. I`ll get that coroner`s report for you, Mickey Sherman. Wake up, Mickey, wake up.
Everybody, as we go to break, I want to say a heartfelt get well to Hardwick Butler, a local Boy Scout leader for years. He helped me as a little girl with my 4-H project. After brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic, he has been now moved to rehab, praise the Lord.
And I want to wish him to get well soon, Mr. Butler.
And our thoughts and prayers tonight with Mary Claire Blackshaw. I was approached to ask you for your prayers. She is a young mom in the fight of her life battling bone cancer.
Mary Claire, we are joining together tonight and we are praying.
And prayers for high school boy Trey Rudd (ph) battling stage four melanoma. He`s a high school senior football star and he says he will beat cancer.
Trey, stay strong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESE MCCOMB, MISSING MOM VENUS STEWART`S MOTHER: We sit by the phone waiting for answers all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Authorities executed search warrants on both vehicles and the home belonging to Venus` husband Doug Stewart.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The mother to 3 and 5-year-old girls vanishes.
LARRY MCCOMB, MISSING MOM VENUS STEWART`S FATHER: I call him a murdering so and so and slammed the phone down.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: In both Stewart`s pickup truck and his silver Mercury, stains believed to be blood were found.
T. MCCOMB: He could call us every day.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A scuffle in the gravel in the yard.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A receipt from a Wal-Mart for a shovel, tarp, cap and gloves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear plastic packaging in the driveway that may have been used to cover a tarp.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He denies he has anything to do with his wife`s disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a yes-no answer. Either you`re there or not.
T. MCCOMB: Don`t do anything to hurt her, please.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A white male crouching about the time of the disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Other items were also collected from the vehicles including rope, twine and a GPS device.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walked out to the mailbox to kidnap her.
L. MCCOMB: No, he couldn`t have been at work. He was busy kidnapping my daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Investigators say a missing persons report in western Michigan led them to a series of discoveries but not the missing woman, Venus Stuart, a mother of two little girls.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: All that`s left behind are signs of a struggle in the front yard.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: According to court documents found in Virginia, a Michigan detective had concerns Venus, quote, "may have been abducted and may have been killed."
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Even more disturbing, Venus wearing only pajamas and slippers.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police realize there was a protection order on file. Police said Venus had told several people she was afraid that if she left her husband, "he would take me, kill me and come back for the kids."
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Bombshell tonight. In daddy`s car, the estranged husband, police find a receipt from Wal-Mart, an Ohio Wal-Mart.
Dana, let me see the map. He says he was in Virginia. The disappearance --, the abduction, mommy at the mailbox in her PJs is in Michigan. Show me the scenario.
There you have, Newport News, Virginia. You`ve got Michigan in the middle. Six hundred miles away. There sits Ohio. About two hours away from where mommy last seen alive.
Jean Casarez, what is on that Wal-Mart receipt from Ohio?
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": The Wal-Mart receipt includes the following items purchased. A shovel, a tarp, gloves and a cap.
And Nancy, remember, Venus Stewart`s father said that shortly after she was abducted there was packaging of a tarp. The packaging from a tarp was found in their front yard. So Nancy, this concludes that the vehicle has a link to the home that Venus Stewart was in with her family.
GRACE: Yes, because, John McNeill, news director, WKZO, joining us from Kalamazoo, Michigan tonight.
John McNeill, there is no coincidence in criminal law. They find a receipt for a tarp in daddy`s car -- in his truck, and there is the cover, part of that plastic packaging of a tarp there in the driveway.
JOHN MCNEILL, NEWS DIRECTOR, WKZO NEWSRADIO (via phone): Pretty damning evidence, I`d say. Of course, they have to connect Doug to that purchase, which I understand they`re attempting to do by going through the surveillance tapes at the Wal-Mart in Ohio.
They refuse to say where that Wal-Mart is, but they know where it is.
GRACE: And there`s more than just that way, Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer. You can look at the receipt and sometimes tell, did they use a credit card? Did they use a debit card? Was it his or did they use cash?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Right.
GRACE: Then we definitely have to get that Wal-Mart surveillance video.
JOSTAD: Yes, that`s right, Nancy. And we did learn from these search warrants that they did find a debit card in the car. So it`s -- we don`t know of course if that is the debit card that was used.
GRACE: To Clark Goldband, our producer, go inside the pickup truck with me. Show me what we found and where?
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: OK, Nancy. As you can see behind me, we have that 2005 Dodge pickup and a lot of potential evidence taken out of that truck. For example, apparent blood swab stains found here on the driver`s side door. Also --
GRACE: Blood on the driver`s side door. Now we don`t have the forensics back. But it appears to be a smear just above the door handle, driver`s side door, right?
GOLDBAND: And there were swabbings that were taken.
GRACE: OK. Go ahead.
GOLDBAND: Also, Nancy, swab of the steering wheel. Some other items of interest. A left glove and a right glove. You guys were talking about gloves just a few moments ago.
Also I found black Brama shoes. Those are steel-toed work boots, Nancy. Those also found on the passenger side floor and also lint tape was used. Now we don`t think they found lint tape. We think they used --
GRACE: What? What are you saying lint tape?
GOLDBAND: Lint tape.
GRACE: You mean like a lint brush?
GOLDBAND: Yes. And we believe they may have used that to find certain potential fibers inside the vehicle.
GRACE: Oh, they used a lint brush.
GOLDBAND: Exactly. It was labeled as a lint tape but we believe it was --
GRACE: Got you. I thought you were saying a lint brush was found. OK, back to you, Jean Casarez, what`s interesting is we were told by Venus` parents that the husband, the estranged husband had a 9 to 5 job Monday through Friday, but the receipt from Wal-Mart was on Sunday, the day before she goes missing on Monday.
And I`m not saying he did it. He is not, you know, been formally charged, but he was off on Sunday. He was free to go wherever he wanted to.
CASAREZ: That`s right. He worked for U.S. Foodways as a delivery driver and the family is also saying that he packed it up in the Virginia home and moved back to Michigan since Venus has disappeared.
GRACE: OK, back to you, Clark Goldband, what was found in the Mercury Sable sedan? This is the estranged husband`s other vehicle. It was searched. What did they find if anything?
GOLDBAND: Yes, Nancy. It`s a 1998 Mercury Sable sedan and there was an apparent blood stain in that vehicle as well. Also lint tape used as you can see behind me. Now if we advance on to the next screen, guys, we can also see lint tape was used on the front side of the vehicle there.
Also, Nancy, there was a search warrant for the person of the person of interest. Three samples were taken. Fingerprints, if we can queue that up, palm prints and two swabs from the inside of the cheeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police believe she was taking her mail to the mailbox around 7:30 in the morning and say there was evidence of a scuffle in the yard.
L. MCCOMB: MALE: She had hard-soled slippers on, and there were prints from her slippers on the side of the propane tank. Like somebody had picked her up and she was kicking against the tank to get away.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The search continues for 32-year-old Michigan mother of two, Venus Stewart, after a stunning disappearance.
T. MCCOMB: They told me that mommy went outside.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Apparent bloodstains found in both cars belonging to Venus` husband belonging to Douglas Stewart.
T. MCCOMB: So I went outside and she wasn`t there.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. So back to you, Jean Casarez, we have daddy, two hours away, the Sunday, the day before she goes missing, 7:00 a.m. Monday morning. All right? We don`t know what time he was in Wal-Mart, do we?
CASAREZ: No, we don`t, but the receipt --
GRACE: OK.
CASAREZ: -- has a time for checkout.
GRACE: All right. I didn`t hear that last sentence. What?
CASAREZ: The Wal-Mart receipt, it has a time for checkout.
GRACE: Oh, yes, it does.
CASAREZ: So that the time is there.
GRACE: Yes. It`s on that receipt. They`ll even know what clerk. You know, rang it up. They can even have an I.D. They know if he paid cash or credit, if he paid by check, you name it, it`s all on there.
Out to the lines, Sheeba, Illinois. Hi, Sheeba.
SHEEBA, CALLER FROM ILLINOIS: Hi, sweetie. I have a question for you.
GRACE: OK.
SHEEBA: My question is -- oh, gosh -- I`ve heard of rape kits, I`ve heard of burglary kits.
GRACE: Mm-hmm.
SHEEBA: I`m going to agree with the parents on this. This sounds like he had a murder kit with him. A shovel, a tarp --
GRACE: You know, if that receipt is to be believed, it suggests to me, and tell me if you agree or not, Mickey Sherman, that she, if she is deceased, has been buried.
SHERMAN: The only thing they didn`t find was homicide for dummies. I don`t mean to make fun of it. The fact that he kept the receipt of all those items is part and parcel of any murder is amazing to me.
It`s not only like they could (INAUDIBLE) the astronaut --
GRACE: Another thing -- another thing, Gloria, you can do a field test on a stain and tell right there on the spot whether it`s blood or barbecue sauce. So they know whether it`s blood.
ALLRED: They do. And also, interesting they may very well be interested in the motive, although of course it doesn`t have to be proven. It`s very helpful. After all, the mother had won custody of the two little girls the week before, and that combined with the fact that she`s alleged abuse in the past and fear of her husband or ex-husband is something that is going to interest investigators.
GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember Marine Corporal John Corey Tanner, just 21, Columbus, Georgia. Killed Iraq. Awarded the Purple Heart. Loved muscle cars, video games, football.
Had a smile that lit up a room. Leaves behind parents Henry and Melanie, a proud Gold Star mother. Brothers Lee and Brandon. Widow, Rihanna, and baby boy he never got to meet, Tavian.
John Corey Tanner, American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you. And May 16th CNN Espanol plans a special program on handicap children. Included the story of Sensory Therafun. A huge indoor play space for children with special needs, Atlanta.
Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.
END
