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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Misty Croslin`s Cousin Arrested; Police Expand Search for Evidence to Terri Horman`s Friend
Aired August 09, 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): Tonight, an explosive new update in the search for Haleigh Cummings. SWAT teams swarm the Tennessee home of Misty Croslin`s cousin, Joe Overstreet, hunting for drugs and stolen goods. Does Joe know what happened to little Haleigh? Could putting yet another member of this dysfunctional familiarly behind bars solve this mystery?
And a heartbreaking gathering in Texas as family and friends of Lisa Stone hold a tearful vigil for the missing woman. Two months have gone by since she vanished from her home. Dallas police are still insisting there`s no evidence of foul play. But we`ll talk to her outraged friend.
Plus, a tragic role for famous leading man Laurence Fishburne`s daughter Montana. The 19-year-old wants to be famous, so what`s her grand plan for making it in Tinsel Town? A career in porn. It`s the talk of Hollywood. But Montana Fishburne insists she`s not ashamed. She wants everyone to see her X-rated movie. Reports claim her famous father is furious. Will Laurence Fishburne try to block the release of his daughter`s DVD?
And breaking news in the Kyron Horman case. You will not believe the latest developments. ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, breaking news. SWAT team storm Cousin Joe Overstreet`s Tennessee home, conducting a massive raid and arresting a man at the very center of the Haleigh Cummings mystery.
Cousin Joe is related to Misty Croslin, the teenager who was baby- sitting Haleigh the night the little girl vanished.
Police showed up at Joe`s house last night, looking for suspects in an aggravated assault. And when they got there, cops say they found a stolen car and marijuana plants. Joe has now been charged with manufacturing a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.
Misty and her brother Tommy have both allegedly pointed the finger at Joe, claiming he is the one who kidnapped and killed 5-year-old Haleigh. He has vehemently denied that.
Misty and Tommy are both behind bars for drug trafficking. Tommy Croslin actually broke down in jail and made this chilling phone call to his grandma Flo, insinuating Joe had killed little Haleigh. Listen carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLORA HOLLARS, GRANDMOTHER OF TOMMY T. CROSLIN: Do you know, Tommy?
TOMMY CROSLIN, BROTHER OF MISTY: What`s that?
HOLLARS: Do you know?
T. CROSLIN: All I know is he`s got to pay. He can`t get to none of us, so it don`t matter.
HOLLARS: Is it the story that Misty`s saying?
T. CROSLIN: Yes, but it -- yes, that`s it.
HOLLARS: Joe?
T. CROSLIN: Yes.
HOLLARS: OK. That`s what I`ve been thinking all along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Grandma Flo tells us Haleigh was thrown into the St. John`s River. Police conducted a massive underwater search there. They found cinderblocks and a blue cooler but no body, and they made no arrest.
Joe has been questioned in the Haleigh case, but he has not been named a suspect.
Tonight, will this arrest of Joe on the drug charges lead to any answers? What happened to this adorable little girl?
Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.
Mike, what is your analysis of this arrest, given the timing of it all?
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You know, what did we -- what did say just the other day, Jane? I said, well, he`s the only one that hadn`t been locked up. Well, now he is locked up, but he`s out. He did get out.
Is this going to -- is this going to put any pressure on him? I don`t know. Because so far, everything they`ve been doing hadn`t put any pressure on him. But once you get locked up, it might put a little bit of pressure. But there`s nothing involved with this arrest that I think right now that points to the Haleigh disappearance.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I mean, come on. Cops show up at his house. There`s cop cars all over the place. I don`t know...
BROOKS: Sure, because it was an -- it was ag assault, attempted robbery, so you`re going to have cops show up at your door -- you know, with the SWAT team. Absolutely. And then they come in, and they find all this. So -- but am I surprised? Absolutely not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t know. This SWAT team looks like a slight overreaction...
BROOKS: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... unless they`re trying to put the squeeze on Joe.
BROOKS: No, no. Not necessarily. I don`t think so.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, some reports claim Cousin Joe allegedly got into a heated battle with Haleigh`s dad, Ron, over a gun, showing up at Misty and Ron`s trailer home to steal it on the very night Haleigh went missing. Misty and her family have said they are terrified of Joe, and that`s why they kept quiet.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. CROSLIN: His (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is crazy.
HOLLARS: Yes.
T. CROSLIN: He tried to kill all of us. Don`t be telling them until they get his (EXPLETIVE DELETED), because they`re going to get his (EXPLETIVE DELETED). We`ve got people doing that. I don`t want him getting to my kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In April, cops interviewed Cousin Joe Overstreet at length, and they did not arrest him. And they will not call him a suspect in Haleigh`s disappearance. But Wendy Murphy, you`re the prosecutor. Do you think cops were looking for an excuse to arrest him now, because they don`t think Joe told them the whole story of what happened to Haleigh?
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. And you know, doesn`t mean she -- that he killed her or caused her to disappear, but it sure sounds to me like they think he`s involved at least somewhat and that he knows something.
I don`t care if it`s Grandma Flo or Cousin Joe or whatever. This whole cast of characters all knows something.
And what I worry about, though, Jane, is what I call the cross finger pointing problem. This one says that one did it. That one says this one did it. You get such a big pile of lies that law enforcement, at the end of the day, if they -- if they force these people into too many lies, you make a mess of the case that, in a sense, if they even find her, it becomes an unprosecutable case, because the evidence is just such a mess.
And caused by cops who are running around saying, "We`re putting the heat up. We`re putting the heat up." And that person needs to say something to put the heat down. So I`m worried that sometimes -- it`s a good strategy. I like keeping the squeeze on, but sometimes it can make a huge mess. It`s like with Joran Van Der Sloot. How many lies did he tell? I mean, at some point they`re going to have to find this child`s body to prove or disprove that one of these liars is actually telling the truth.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Art Harris, investigative journalist, you are all over this latest arrest. What do you know?
ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Jane, I can tell you that Joe Overstreet was arrested late Sunday night, and he bonded out early Monday morning. And the question is how can they use that to leverage information in the Haleigh case?
Now, maybe it will psychologically play on Tommy and Misty. But the question is they have not had enough to charge Joe Overstreet in that case. No prosecutor is going to take this case unless it`s solid.
And right now Misty and Tommy have no credibility. In fact, an FDLE agent on the case testified that Tommy had not been cooperative, that he had acted like it, but they had found nothing from the river search or anything else Tommy had done that gave them any hard evidence forensically. No body, nothing. And right now, they don`t have much credibility to stand on, Jane.
So Joe Overstreet is there hanging in the background. And if they can bring him in, that would be terrific. But right now all they`ve got are these drug charges. And he`s out on that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. My big issue tonight, drugs. Drug clan. It seems like everybody in this family keeps getting arrested for drugs. You`ve got Ron. You`ve got Misty and Tommy arrested after an undercover sting. Then you`ve both of Misty and Tommy`s parents arrested on cocaine charges. Now Cousin Joe on pot charges.
Tommy`s dad testified at his son`s trial and admitted his kids were exposed to drug use their entire lives. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANK CROSLIN, TOMMY AND MISTY`S FATHER: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long have you been a drug addict?
H. CROSLIN: Started doing drugs when I was about 12 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the atmosphere that Tommy grew up in?
H. CROSLIN: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. There`s also claims Misty was on a three- day drug bender leading up to little Haleigh`s disappearance. Now, one theory is that Haleigh got a hold of pills and OD`d.
Levi Page, you`re the blogger on this case. How likely is it that Haleigh`s disappearance is in some way connected to drugs?
LEVI PAGE, BLOGGER: I think it`s very likely connected to drugs, Jane, because that`s what all of these people are involved in. That`s what all of them do. They`re drug dealers. They`re drug users. They`re drug addicts.
But what I think is interesting here is that -- the fact that they are now pinning the finger on Joe. They`ve been pinning the finger ever since they`ve been behind bars. They never did that before. They`ve always thrown around these little innuendos that he may be involved.
But I happen to have more information from this group of liars. Misty has failed a polygraph. Tommy`s failed polygraph. They told multiple stories. They`re not trustworthy. They`re not credible. We can`t trust what they say.
What I thought was interesting is when Misty gave the voice analysis, and they asked Misty, "Is Ronald involved here?"
And she said, "No, he`s not involved." It showed that she was hiding something, and it came back inconclusive on that answer.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Shelly, West Virginia, your question or thought, ma`am.
CALLER: Hey, Jane, I`d like to know if Cousin Joe has taken a polygraph yet.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, great question. Art Harris?
HARRIS: No evidence that he has. He has a lawyer, and he has been present. After the first time police talked to him he insisted on being there. I cannot imagine he would allow him to take a polygraph, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I mean, if he did nothing and he`s totally innocent why not take a polygraph and set the record straight forever?
HARRIS: Well, no lawyer will ever allow their client to take one unless they give them a private one, which is what Tommy`s lawyer did. The only problem was he flunked that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Uh-oh. All right. More on little Haleigh Cummings. We`ve got to solve this mystery, people. We`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Plus, the search for Kyron Horman continues in Oregon, based on a tip from one of his step-mom`s friends. New developments tonight. We`ll bring you the very latest in a second.
But first, a raid on Joe Overstreet`s house in Tennessee raises lots of questions about whether he could be involved in the disappearance of little Haleigh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
H. CROSLIN: Don`t be holding nothing back from nobody.
MISTY CROSLIN, FORMER WIFE OF RON CUMMINGS: Daddy, I`m not.
H. CROSLIN: Just get it out there. Let it out. Tell the truth.
M. CROSLIN: I swear on everything I`ve told the truth, Dad. There`s nothing else to -- I don`t know. And that`s the truth, you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE OVERSTREET, MISTY`S COUSIN: I can`t imagine what they`re going through. I didn`t do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn`t do it?
OVERSTREET: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know who did?
OVERSTREET: If I knew who did, I would straight call the police and tell the cops who did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Boy, he is clinching his jaw as he speaks. That is Cousin Joe, Misty Croslin`s cousin, Joe Overstreet, charged with manufacturing a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, Joe arrested last night after a SWAT team swarmed his Tennessee home. Tonight he`s free on bail.
Joe has long been linked to the disappearance of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, but he maintains his innocence. Will this arrest put the squeeze on anybody, Joe or any of the others, to say what they really know?
Sherry, California, your question or thought, ma`am.
CALLER: Hi, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey.
CALLER: Pleasure to talk to you. Could you think -- think of any reason that they would want to get rid of this child in the first place? Why would they want to hurt her?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Art Harris, that`s the mystery. There doesn`t seem to be any motive, per se.
HARRIS: Well, a couple of theories. I talked to a neighbor who had talked to Misty. And she said that she was tired of taking care of other people`s children. Whether that is a motive -- I know that police are aware of that. This is the same neighbor Tommy stole the gun from. And, you know, who knows? But she is getting or was getting all of Ronald`s attention. Some hold that as a theory. It has not been enough to charge Misty with.
MURPHY: Oh, cut it out. Cut it out. Come on. Misty doesn`t -- what`s her I.Q., 46? She`s not capable of the kind of sophisticated crime that would trick the cops into not being able to solve it at all. Are you kidding me?
BROOKS: Wendy -- Wendy...
MURPHY: Let`s remember Ronald Cummings had a drug debt. Getting rid of children in exchange for drug debts is not exactly unusual. Ronald Cummings had a drug debt. That`s a theory. I didn`t say it was real. It`s a theory that makes a lot more sense than some dim-witted teenager killing a child and tricking the cops so well that nobody can find her or any clue.
(CROSSTALK)
PAGE: And also, there are a lot of theories. That`s just one of them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time. One at a time.
PAGE: Also, Jane, we have to realize that there was allegations of domestic abuse, allegations of child abuse. Many neighbors that live near Ronald Cummings when he was living with the mother of Haleigh, Crystal, say that he was abusive, verbally abusive, physically abusive. So we can`t rule out that this was some sort of domestic violence situation.
And Ronald Cummings is a menace to society. And I wouldn`t put it past him to do something like that.
HARRIS: Jane, I interviewed...
MURPHY: Everybody involved in this story is a drug dealer. But let`s make it a domestic violence case? Can we just pay attention...
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on, guys. You know what? I`ve got -- hold it, hold it, hold it. OK. I`ve got all these different size gavels here. I`ve got to bring out the big gavel when everybody talks at the same time because the viewers tell us they don`t like to hear that.
I`ll let Wendy Murphy make her point.
MURPHY: Look, I`m making a very simple point, which is that sometimes -- what is it Ocsam`s [SIC] razor, the point is that the obvious is sometimes the truth. There was a lot of drug dealing. There was a lot of drug debt. There was a lot of ugly criminal activity going on a bunch -- among the cast of characters.
Misty is a convenient dupe, but she is the least likely to have killed this child. And let`s not make up stories that distract us from the reality of what drug dealing and drug debts cause people to do: sell children to make up their debt, not exactly news.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say this. In just seven days it`s going to be a moment of truth for Misty Croslin. She has a looming deadline. Misty faces seven counts of drug trafficking that could send her away for 25 years, most of her adult life. Her last chance to make a plea deal in those cases is a week from today.
And Ron Cummings, you`re looking at him right there, her ex-husband, Haleigh`s dad, is negotiating a deal to testify against her in exchange for leniency.
So Mike Brooks, I find the timing of all this very odd that suddenly, with this deadline looming, they go in and bust Joe on drug charges. To me it says do they think maybe they`re all involved, but the story just isn`t the story that they`ve told?
BROOKS: There`s a possibility, but I think the overriding charge for Joe Overstreet was that aggravated -- ag assault and attempted robbery, and that`s why they got the high risk warrant and went in there and then found drugs. Do they think he probably had drugs in there before? Yes, probably somebody -- somebody told them there were drugs inside.
But look, Jane, I still say -- one of -- my theory -- one of my -- just another theory, though, is they were all so screwed up, they really don`t know what happened to little Haleigh, and that`s why everybody passes -- is failing the polygraph, and everybody gives a different story. Because they really don`t know. They might -- everybody have been so screwed up that they just don`t know.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me point out...
PAGE: Misty sounded sane on the 911 calls.
MURPHY: Misty knows.
PAGE: it sounded like she`s not on drugs.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me just say one thing.
BROOKS: Who knows how long the girl had been gone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ron was at work, OK, so we can`t accuse him at least at that moment in time.
PAGE: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. We don`t know whether or not the child died before he went to work.
MURPHY: Of course you can. Wait a second.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Levi...
HARRIS: They`ve the cell phone pings to confirm he was there, Levi. And that is what law enforcement tells me.
PAGE: What about before? What about before?
HARRIS: Well, they say he`s got an excuse. I`m just telling you they don`t have enough to charge him. They don`t have anybody coming forward...
PAGE: I think they should charge him.
HARRIS: Well, you know, fine, Levi. But you`re not going to make that stick in court. You know, they need to satisfy the state attorney.
MURPHY: That`s a different issue.
PAGE: Maybe they can make him talk.
HARRIS: They need to have enough on...
MURPHY: That`s why they need Misty to tell what she knows.
HARRIS: That`s right, but you`re not going to get her to tell it. She`s got...
MURPHY: Misty knows.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, guys, one at a time!
HARRIS: ... captive (ph) on her back.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Please, how many times? All right.
MURPHY: Misty knows what happened. She`s -- she`s up -- she`s up now under the hottest heat she`s going to face because of -- I don`t know how many years it is, but it`s...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Twenty-five.
MURPHY: ... decades and decades for the charges she faces. She better get to the truth now, and she`d better get there quickly, because she`s the one who I think could break this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But -- but -- but, Wendy, I`ve got to -- I`ve got to call you on something.
MURPHY: Go ahead.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You say, oh, she`s got an I.Q. of 49? How could a girl with a low I.Q....
MURPHY: I`m being sarcastic.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second -- confound police and withstand withering interrogations and still, looking like a 12-year-old, withstand all the force of the world demanding answers from her?
BROOKS: Jane -- Jane, I can tell you...
(CROSSTALK)
MURPHY: Let me answer. Let me answer. Let me answer Jane. That`s a fair point. But the fact that she is a bit dim-witted is also why she would have been easily intimidated by the thugs around her.
Let`s assume for a minute someone said to her, "You better say nothing or we`re going to blow your head off." I mean, she`s certainly capable of submitting to pressure. But what if the bigger pressure isn`t the government but these nuts around her?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there.
MURPHY: That`s something to make her stay silent.
PAGE: And Ron made 90 phone calls to her that knight.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Uh-oh, OK. Thank you.
Actor Laurence Fishburne`s daughter becoming a porn star? A total shocker next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In the "Spotlight" tonight, stunning new developments as the search for Kyron Horman is renewed.
We`ve heard that DeDe Spicher, a close friend of Kyron`s step-mom, Terri, disappeared for an hour and a half right around the same time little Kyron vanished. This weekend, police focused their investigation on an area where DeDe was gardening on the day the 7-year-old went missing. And now the question is, could cops be wondering whether little Kyron ended up there in the wake of his disappearance?
Joining me now, Bruce McCain, an attorney and former captain in the same sheriff`s office that is investigating this case.
Bruce, what is the very latest in the search?
BRUCE MCCAIN, ATTORNEY/FORMER CAPTAIN IN SHERIFF`S OFFICE: Well, Jane, as you just mentioned, there is a renewed search, a physical search on the ground here in Portland, and it`s kind of focused on about a two- mile area called Old Germantown Loop. It`s near the area where DeDe was allegedly gardening on June 4. It`s in the vicinity of the school. At the same time, this grand jury is still hearing testimony.
So it really kind of makes you wonder whether or not these two parallel tracks are going to end up leading to an indictment or they`re still investigating. But we should not confuse the search now with the search and rescue effort of nine weeks ago. This is an on-the-ground forensic search, looking for physical evidence of a criminal activity.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now DeDe, we have to say this very clearly, is not considered a suspect. And her attorney says she is cooperating fully with authorities.
The search follows grand jury appearances last week from Kyron`s parents, his principal and friends of the step-mom, Terri Horman. The step-mom was the last person to see Kyron and has been at the very center of this case.
It`s been reported that a tip from DeDe is what sparked this latest search. She has been one of Terri`s closest friends for about seven years. There`s been reports that DeDe actually bought Terri an untraceable cell phone and that she stayed with Terri for weeks after her husband, the little boy`s dad, moved out.
Now, Bruce, is it possible that they`re not looking for Kyron, per se, but some evidence that might have been buried? Let`s say, one of these untraceable phones?
MCCAIN: Absolutely, Jane, because, again, they could be looking for Kyron. But the events of June 4 is really what they`re zeroing in on. Not only is DeDe -- again, this tip, we don`t want to misconstrue that she`s being a good Samaritan necessarily. She actually may be under a lot of pressure from the prosecutors to start fessing up, especially with a potential grand jury indictment herself.
So these phones could be absolutely critical, because it looks like there`s more than one of these disposable, prepaid phones involved in this. And a lot of the areas are certainly within throwing distance of a vehicle. It`s very heavily wooded, so a cell phone in the woods is like a needle in the haystack.
This could be the key, because right now it appears there`s a surveillance intelligence hole in the middle of information that they have. And if Terri and perhaps others -- and again, don`t forget, Jane, we talked about this issue of trying to reconcile these two theories of Terri being involved in the disappearance, and yet Kyron is somehow stashed alive by some unknown third-party kidnapper. There`s never been able to connect those two ideas. But these cell phones might be the key if, in fact, there`s communications between Terri, perhaps DeDe and some unknown third party.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. Because why would you want an untraceable cell phone, unless you want to make sure that cops couldn`t find out who you were talking to? Right, Bruce?
MCCAIN: No. Absolutely. And there may be more than one person besides DeDe involved in the cell phone business, because as you know, the forensics are very, very good about tracing down the sims and everything else that`s going on there.
But again, Terri could have, in fact, been using these phones well before June 4. That`s another concern. Because again, you and I have talked about this. Trying to figure out who this mystery person is who might have Kyron stashed alive if, in fact, he is alive.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you for that update. And that`s Terry right there.
Lisa Stone has been missing from her Dallas home for two months. The latest from her friends, who held a vigil.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The heartbreaking gathering in Texas as family and friends of Lisa Stone hold a tearful vigil for the missing woman. Two months have gone by since she vanished from her home. Dallas police are still insisting there`s no evidence of foul play. But we`ll talk to her outraged friend.
Plus, a tragic role for famous leading man Laurence Fishburne`s daughter Montana: the 19-year-old wants to be famous. So what`s her grand plan for making it in tinsel town? A career in porn.
It`s the talk of Hollywood. But Montana Fishburne insists she`s not ashamed. She wants everyone to see her x-rated movie. Reports claim her famous father is furious. Will Laurence Fishburne try to block the release of his daughter`s DVD?
Tonight we`ve got fast breaking news to tell you about; ISSUES has been on top of this story for weeks now. We can report that cops have just upgraded missing Dallas woman Lisa Stone to an endangered missing person. Police tell issues they do not think 51-year-old Lisa just walked away on her own.
Lisa`s friends held a very emotional vigil. Friday night dozens of people gathered to demand answers. That`s the video right there of the vigil. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMYE MARKLE, FRIEND OF LISA STONE: I am feeling hopeful tonight because we do have some leads that have been coming up in the last couple of weeks and the police are following up those leads and they`re confident they`re going to find a conclusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa mysteriously disappeared more than two months ago on June 4th and her friends have been frantically looking for clues ever since. Their search led them to a dumpster behind a local 7-eleven of all places where they discovered all the sorts of precious items -- some of her most prized possessions buried in the trash.
Friends say they were shocked that Lisa`s partner of 15 years didn`t report Lisa missing. At least that`s what they say. In fact, they tell us she insisted she was picking Lisa up from work the day they found all the stuff in the garbage. Lisa`s partner was also allegedly the one seen tossing Lisa`s belongings. Yet she insists she has absolutely no idea where Lisa went.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONI SHANNON, FRIEND OF LISA STONE: You don`t throw away somebody`s birth certificate. You don`t throw away someone`s death certificate -- her brother`s death certificate is in there. Just very -- bibles, you know, pictures -- very personal memories that Lisa would never have thrown away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cops search Lisa`s home and they found a disturbing filthy mess. Lisa and her partner had allegedly been hoarding 26 cats and 2 dogs, something Lisa`s friends say is way out of character.
Investigators searched a rural area near Greenville and nothing was found. They questioned Stone`s partner but say she is not a suspect.
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel. But first to Joni Shannon, Lisa`s good friends; now, you`re the one who found her prized possessions in the dumpster. What led you to that dumpster?
SHANNON: I was actually talking to Tina on chat and Tina was talking to the partner on the phone and the partner told Tina that she knew where Lisa was. At 9:00 she was going to go pick her up. So, I jumped in my car, was going to go follow her and I looked over to my right and there she sits at a red light right next to me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And?
SHANNON: So I followed her and I followed her to a trash dumpster at a 7-Eleven and I hid behind a gas pump and I watched the partner driving Lisa`s car, pull up in front of a trash dumpster and take Lisa`s precious belongings out and dispose of them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you confront her?
SHANNON: And it was heartbreaking. No, I did not. I actually followed her to a Walmart and watched her go in and buy groceries. And she stayed in 20, 30 minutes, came out with a cartful of groceries. Then I followed her to her home.
When I knew she was in the house, I went back to the dumpster. I talked to the manager at the 7-eleven and she assisted me and told me I could get in the dumpster and take the belongings out. And it was heartbreaking.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You found all these things like what again?
SHANNON: I found -- the thing that bothered me the most was Lisa`s birth certificate. Her brother, Dennis`s death certificate; he died many years ago; and the bibles.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And bibles? Oh, my God.
SHANNON: Yes, bibles.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you go right to the cops?
SHANNON: Plus, those pictures.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you go right to the cops and say, hey --
SHANNON: I actually called --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look what I found?
SHANNON: I called them immediately and they didn`t seem too interested at that point. And it was a little devastating. So I kept the items for a couple of weeks. And the detectives finally came to my office and interviewed me and they took the items.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. Well, here`s my big issue tonight. Peculiar partner? Lisa`s partner has talked to police. We want to stress she`s not considered a suspect and she`s invited on this show any time, any time to tell her story -- standing invitation. But her behavior seems bizarre to the couple`s acquaintances.
She did not attend this vigil for her missing partner. She`s not been seen according to all the people we`ve talked to, searching for her partner of 15 years. So why?
Tina, you`re Lisa`s friend, a lifelong friend. The last time you were on this show, you mentioned Lisa was worried that her partner might have a new girlfriend. Let`s listen to what you said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA WILEY, FRIEND OF LISA STONE: She believed the partner had another girlfriend. The partner has become very secretive, she said. And I don`t know what to do. She closes the door, is on long phone conversations and won`t reveal who she`s talking to. So there were a lot of issues going on at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, Tina, have you found out anything more about who this mystery woman could be?
WILEY: We have found some clues. We have found a Web site that the partner has visited and has mentioned this new girlfriend. We don`t have a full name, but we do have some clues that, yes, there definitely is another girlfriend.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what? This is an astounding story. The animals, ok, that were found inside the house -- 26 cats and 2 dogs found inside Lisa`s home were seized by Dallas animal services. But now Lisa`s partner, who also lives in that same home, is fighting to get them back.
So I`ve got to ask Wendy Murphy, why don`t they charge her with animal cruelty? Because if cops arrested her on that, they could hold her and perhaps pressure her to find out if she has anything she hasn`t revealed so far about Lisa`s disappearance.
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. You know, take a lesson from what`s going on in Haleigh Cummings` case, right, squeeze her? I think they should. I think they should charge her with whatever. I don`t think there`s any psychological meaning between being a hoarder and being a killer or having violent tendencies, but it is something they can use because what I read said that they did a search warrant in the house where they both lived in. There was no evidence of foul play.
So they need something. They need information from someone who knows something. And that means squeezing not only the partner but this mystery woman as well. You can bet they`re doing exactly that.
In fact, calling her an endangered woman at this point suggests that they have lots of good leads. That`s the good news.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, Lisa left her purse inside the house. No credit card activity last we heard.
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why do you think that this partner is basically not participating in the vigils and not coming out and saying, hey, I want to find out where she is just as much as anybody else?
BROOKS: It`s very strange. When law enforcement first went over there they asked if they could come in and she said no, I`m not letting you in the house. So then they went back and got a search warrant to come in and search the house.
So she`s not been cooperating at all with law enforcement. So I -- what law enforcement is saying that they`re not making any progress, but they`re still trying to contact other people that may have known Lisa. But still -- I still say her partner is the key in this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Lisa had health and money problems and she reached out to her friends. But then they stopped hearing from her. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILEY: We were very close. We have tried repeatedly to get answers from her partner. And she has not been forthcoming with any answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tina Wiley, what about the money issue? What do you know -- quickly?
WILEY: Yes, Lisa was pretty down on her luck the last several months before her disappearance. She had inherited a large sum of money over the years from family. And they had gone through that money, some into the business and other avenues. She had been borrowing money from me and some other friends to help her with groceries and bills and things like that. There was --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When you say the business, is the business involving the partner as well?
WILEY: Yes. Lisa funded the business. And the partner pretty much - -
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What kind of business?
WILEY: -- ran the day to day.
It`s a political -- T-shirt company with political statements called Paula T`d.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wendy Murphy, do you think cops are doing more behind the scenes than we know?
MURPHY: Yes, absolutely. Just because they`re not calling people suspects or revealing motives doesn`t mean that they don`t have a theory; they`re just checking it out which is exactly what they should.
Let`s not forget this partner also lied because she said she was going to pick her up and in fact she was dumping stuff. There`s a reason why, there`s no question about it. You mix together money, sex and a third party in the relationship, you know come on, it`s not going to be some stranger who showed up off the sidewalk.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. But let`s say, we don`t know; for all we know, she was suicidal. I have no idea. This woman -- the partner is not considered a suspect. And we tried to reach her numerous times without success. She is invited on this show any time to tell her side of the story. We want to be fair.
Thank you fantastic panel and we`ll stay on top of that story.
Actor Laurence Fishburne`s daughter Montana has made up her mind. She wants a career in porn and has made a porn film. We`re going to have the latest on her shocking debut. And we`re taking your calls on this one.
Her dad none too pleased, as you might expect. 1-877-JVM-SAYS. Why is she doing this? 1-877-586-7297.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have been getting fabulous responses about how you at home are working to save the environment.
Today a great e-mail from Betty. She says, "My son and I began about three years ago making shopping totes from parcels of fabric we purchased at our local thrift store. We use them when we go shopping. Have given a lot of them away and have some for sale. Also designed a lunch pouch to take lunches to school and/or to work."
Betty, thank you for doing your part. We`re getting rid of this plastic, too. Your eco canister -- an ISSUES eco canister is in the mail.
So do you have a green improvement? Please send them to me at CNN.com/Jane. And let`s all be part of the solution. Let`s all go green.
All right. We`ve got some stunning and I mean stunning news out of Hollywood. The daughter of a respected actor and leading man is going into porn. Montana Fishburne, the daughter of Laurence Fishburne, says she wants to be famous like her dad but unlike her dad she`s going into porn to do it.
The 19-year-old even told TMZ she is proud of her porno movie and wants her family to be proud of her too. Check this out -- shocking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONTANA FISHBURNE, LAURENCE FISHBURNE`S DAUGHTER: I want my whole family to be part of anything I do. Whatever career I chose I want them to be proud of me whether it was -- I was being a doctor and you know. I mean know why its taboo but I think everyone should be proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Proud? Going into porn just to become famous? I don`t think this is something many parents brag to their friends about. Oh, yes, my daughter, she just did a porn movie.
I`m taking your calls on this; 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to my fabulous panel: Wendy Murphy; Hollywood director Duncan Roy who was on "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew"; and syndicated radio host, Carlos Diaz.
Carlos, dude, whatever happened to becoming famous by, let`s see, accomplishing something?
CARLOS DIAZ, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: Or using the connections your dad has? I don`t know. He`s on "CSI"; it`s still one of the highest rated shows on TV. Maybe talk to his agent or something.
And think about, I mean, first off, any father who has to watch his daughter do porn, it`s unimaginable. But think about Laurence Fishburne going to any Red Carpet or any function where the press is going to be hounding him with questions about this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you know what she named her porn film? Montana Fishburne.
DIAZ: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is the worse -- that`s --
DIAZ: Her -- her porn name, by the way, is Chippy Dee if you were wondering -- Chippy Dee.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chippy Dee? Oh, boy. Chippy Dee. Maybe -- Chippy F., I was going to say, you know, give her an "f." Not, not going down to a dirty mind.
Ok, here`s my big issue tonight. Is this just another case of fame at any price? I mean, seriously, Montana Fishburne says she is following in the footsteps of reality star Kim Kardashian. Kim was just another Hollywood party girl until a sex tape with her old boyfriend was leaked. And there is Kim.
Now look at her. She`s got a hit reality show, endorsement deals and four million followers on Twitter who track her every move. So instead of a sex tape, Montana is just taking it one step further with a porno through Vivid Entertainment.
Now, we`re going to show you some stills from that movie. Ok? Of her porno movie. Check this out. Well, I guess that was the still. We can`t show you the good stills obviously or the bad stills.
Wendy Murphy, what the heck is going on with our culture that a young woman who has had every opportunity thinks selling her body essentially is the way to become famous?
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: You know, I don`t know whether to laugh or cry about this story. It`s also just disrespectful to her father.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
MURPHY: That you know, he is a famous person. And if -- and if she cared about him, she should care about his reputation. She clearly doesn`t, shame on her.
Look, the answer is, there`s a tremendous amount of money in sexual exploitation of woman. There always has been, even more now because of the Internet. Supposedly we have the capacity to raise our children to think better of themselves, but sometimes the culture is bigger and stronger than even the best parents.
You know, I just -- I hope she gets outs of this because I read that she was also in trouble for prostitution. She was arrested in the recent past. That doesn`t come from nowhere.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
MURPHY: People -- people who think of themselves as stuff worth selling, they need therapy more than they need to make money selling themselves --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think --
MURPHY: -- and I hope somebody does that, force therapy -- force therapy on her. That`s what I would do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think that you raise a very good point. And we`re going to ask. Is it possible that this porno stunt has actually nothing to do with fame, if that`s a red herring? Is Montana Fishburne actually a sex addict? She doesn`t need the money. Her dad is rich and famous.
But Montana was, as Wendy just mentioned, arrested last year for alleged prostitution. She avoided jail and the court gave her this order. Quote, "Do not engage in any form of sexual activity for money."
But here she is on TMZ in her porn shots for Vivid Entertainment. So I`ve got to ask, Duncan Roy, you were a cast --
DUNCAN ROY, FORMER CAST MEMBER, "SEX REHAB WITH DR. DREW": Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- member on VH1`s "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew", all right.
ROY: I was indeed, with many -- with many porn stars.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. So do you think -- you`re an acknowledged sex addict, right, sir?
ROY: I am acknowledged sex addict who is in recovery, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you think this girl is a sex addict?
ROY: Well, I think it`s up to her to say whether she`s a sex addict. But I`m kind of like -- why shouldn`t she make a decision to -- to exploit her own sexuality or to use her own sexuality.
I think we come from a position where we think people that go into porn are kind of desperate for money and have no other choices open to them.
Why can`t a woman who has lots of choices open to her make the same kinds of decisions and I think there`s kind of weird morality issue --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have you watched a porn movie lately? Do you know what happens to women in these porn movies?
(CROSSTALK)
ROY: I have no -- and I think --
MURPHY: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you -- I mean, we can`t discuss it here but I think we all know what we`re talking about.
ROY: I totally agree.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There`s something called the money shot. I`ll leave it at that. Ok?
ROY: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And every porn movie has a money shot.
Barry, Pennsylvania, your question or thought, sir?
BARRY, PENNSYLVANIA: Yes, hi, Jane. How are you? I love your show.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi. Thank you.
BARRY: And my thought is that she`s young and she beautiful and her father is very talented with a very long career in the movie industry. And it`s a shame that she didn`t go to him for guidance. And even if she didn`t feel that she could reach out to her father, she could have reached out to other professionals like Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith or you know, even --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re making a good point. Carlos, in fact, she tried to avoid allowing her father to stop this.
DIAZ: Yes. You know, I mean her dad apparently wanted to stop this, talked to Vivid Entertainment. They said, sorry, the DVDs have already gone out.
You know she hasn`t spoken to her father. And think about this. Laurence Fishburne is not some guy who came along when "The Matrix" hit. He`s been in -- he was in "Apocalypse Now" when he was Larry Fishburne. He has decades of career that are going to be ruined as he`s only thought of as the dad who is now the father of a porn star.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang in. More on this right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Actor Laurence Fishburne`s daughter going into porn and proudly. One of the worst parts about all of this, what are Montana`s actions doing to her poor dad, Laurence Fishburne? Doesn`t Montana realize how much she`s hurting her dad? And I`m not just talking emotionally. This negative attention could hurt his career.
Laurence is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy award winning, very well- respected actor for work in movies like "The Matrix".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM "THE MATRIX")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He -- he`s an incredible actor. And Carlos, I got to ask you, could this impact his career?
DIAZ: It has to -- I mean you can`t ignore this. This is going to become the question de jeure (ph) -- this is going to be the question for the next six months on every Red Carpet that he`s on. It`s a negative effect.
Here`s the crazy thing. She`s not doing this because she wants to become a serious actress. She says it`s been her lifelong ambition to be a porn star. She`s only 19 years old.
ROY: So that`s perfectly reasonable.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, it`s not reasonable.
(CROSS TALKING)
DIAZ: I`m sorry, but Duncan --
ROY: I believe it. I just think it`s a perfectly reasonable thing for somebody to do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here I go again, the big gavel. One at a time.
ROY: Don`t care about your big gavel.
(CROSS TALKING)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh. Ok. Duncan -- let Duncan talk. He`s not scared of my gavel.
ROY: Let`s talk about Paris Hilton for a minute. Let`s talk about Paris Hilton. Do you think her antics have made her father poorer? Because you know, there`s no difference between Paris Hilton`s sex tape and this girl`s sex tape simply because --
(CROSS TALKING)
MURPHY: That`s not true.
ROY: It is true.
MURPHY: Can we stop? Stop with the sex tapes.
Let me say something. Let me say something, please. Can I have a minute?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. 30 seconds.
MURPHY: There`s a difference between sex tapes. Private sex tapes leaked -- ok, maybe on purpose. Somebody wants to get a thumbs up in celebrity. Between that and the business of pornography that destroys women`s bodies, exploits women as a class.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
MURPHY: And let me tell you this. The average porn star today lasts only three months in the business because her body becomes ravaged and unusable after three months.
ROY: Well, I`m sorry, my best friend is a porn star.
(CROSS TALKING)
MURPHY: You should not glamorize pornography.
ROY: And you know what? She lasted many, many years in the porn industry. You just have very skewed ideas about porn.
(CROSS TALKING)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, wait a second -- let me ask, Duncan. You say you`re a recovering sex addict. But you don`t think porn is degrading to women?
ROY: Well, I`m a gay sex addict. So you know what? That`s a different issue. But the point is --
MURPHY: That`s no excuse to be disrespectful to women.
ROY: You asked me what I think about porn. I`m going to tell you. I think that people make choices -- make different kinds of choices to go into porn. I think there are legitimate choices and there are other problems with Thai girls being forced into it. I think that`s another kind of choice.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me just say something -- hold it.
(CROSS TALKING)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wendy.
ROY: She`s made a choice. I don`t think it`s going to reflect on her father`s career. I think it`s going to be about empowering her. I think she`s a feminist`s dream, actually.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Let me just say this.
(CROSS TALKING)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Excuse me. There are different levels of porn. There are triple-x rated and there are kind of -- you would call it maybe celebration of loving sex porn that maybe is less objectionable. Do we need to see, Carlos, what this porn is in order to judge for ourselves?
DIAZ: Porn is porn. No, porn is porn. I`m not going to take -- I`m not up on a soap box here. But Duncan, you are naive if you think this is not going to --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to have to continue this another day.
END
