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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Could Bone Belong to Zahra Baker?; Casey Anthony Evidence Surfaces; Missing Teen Found Alive

Aired November 03, 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: Tonight, a stunning turn of events. Just hours after these desperate parents appeared here on ISSUES to plead for their daughter`s return, she`s found alive, thousands of miles away. How did this 16-year-old disappear from Georgia and turn up on the other side of the country? Did Shelby get involved in a dark vampire cult? I`ll talk to her ecstatic, yet perplexed parents tonight.

Plus, fierce accusations fly. In the latest document dump, an inmate claims Casey Anthony sought him out for a hit and asked him how to dispose of a body, even before little Caylee went missing. Is he using Casey Anthony as leverage to get out of jail?

And jaw-dropping letters purportedly from missing Zahra Baker`s step- mom. She points the finger at Zahra`s dad and claims he did something horrifying.

Oh, the humiliation. You won`t believe how this once "it" couple went from $10 million to less than zero.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM BAKER, FATHER OF ZAHRA: I appreciate everyone doing what they`re doing. And I just -- if they can just keep looking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fast-breaking news tonight in the search for Zahra Baker, cops now say they have found a bone -- that`s right, a bone -- that may be related to this very disturbing case. Could it belong to little Zahra, who is believed to be dead?

Plus, earth-shaking insight into the mind of Zahra`s step-mom. You will not believe what`s inside these jailhouse letters, purportedly written by Elisa Baker. While little Zahra remains missing, her step-mom, Elisa, allegedly starts corresponding with the owners of a Web site called SerialKillersInc.net.

These letters, obtained exclusively by Nancy Grace, are believed to be from Elisa Baker, the lady in the pink right there, behind bars tonight. The contents are very disturbing.

She writes, "He" -- meaning Adam, her husband, the father of the missing girl -- "knows what happened to Zahra. And yet I`m the one in here at least for now. We really didn`t kill her, but what he did after the fact is kind of horrifying. Makes me scared of him," end quote.

Meantime, Zahra`s father, Adam Baker, has been evicted from his home, and the neighbors are turning on him. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You ought to be in jail! You ought to be hung!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your own daughter. Your flesh and blood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m angry. Extremely angry. He deserves to be locked up. He deserves to be in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Could these jailhouse letters and the discovery of this bone give cops the break they have been desperately looking for?

I want to hear from you. Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst.

The significance of this bone?

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Jane, usually you don`t see law enforcement come out with a statement that says, "Hey, we might have found a bone that`s in reference to the Zahra Baker case." If they weren`t sure it was her bone, they wouldn`t have put it out in a statement. No, this is huge. But they`re not saying, Jane, where exactly they found this bone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, who could forget Adam Baker, crying about his daughter, with the cops by his side. Boo-hoo hoo. Watch this from "Good Morning America."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAKER: I think just about every officer in Hickory came to the house. I haven`t really seen my wife since then. I just hope I can get my daughter back. I miss her so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In one of Elisa Baker`s jailhouse letters, she writes, "Zahra isn`t missing. The cops know where she is and what he has done. That`s right, what he has done."

So Stacey Honowitz, you`re the Florida prosecutor. If so, why haven`t they found Zahra`s remains, and more important, why is Adam Baker still free when the step-mom, Elisa Baker, is still behind bars?

STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: Well, we know that she was arrested originally, or indicted on obstruction of justice, because she confessed to writing a fake ransom note. And now they`re doing what they`re supposed to be doing.

First of all, they have surveillance on him. They`re watching him 24/7 to make sure he doesn`t try to flee the country. But he is not only a person of interest, but he is a suspect, especially based on what she has said.

Now that this bone has been found, and as Mike said, they really wouldn`t have put it out there unless they knew, A, it was a human bone, as opposed to, you know, an animal bone, and, B, that it probably belonged to this child.

They want an air-tight case against him before he`s arrested. Certainly, they have been tracking him since day one. When he made that original phone call, you could hear it in his voice. He wasn`t frantic. He thought that maybe she was taken by mistake. He said that he hadn`t seen her in a long time, that she only came out of her room because maybe she was going through puberty. All of these clues with these seasoned veteran detectives are adding up. And so they want an air-tight case against him before he`s actually indicted.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And by the way, Elisa Baker, the step-mom, is now saying her husband, the missing girl`s father, wrote the ransom note, even though she`s in jail for obstructing justice, because she apparently initially told them she wrote it. Now she`s pointing the finger at him for the ransom note, too.

Tara Servatius, host of "The Tara Servatius Show," WBT, in Charlotte, you`ve been on top of this case from the start. Tell us about the discovery of this bone, and where was it in relation to the discovery of the prosthetic leg?

TARA SERVATIUS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, this is all in the same area around the house that Elisa Baker used to live in a while back. And so they`re sort of finding these things just scattered in the general area, they`re telling us.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Well...

SERVATIUS: So...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... what do you mean the general area? I mean, how far? A hundred miles away? Five miles away?

SERVATIUS: Oh, OK. No, I don`t know that exactly. But it`s the Christie Road house that they`re talking about. And they say they found the bone in an area where carcasses are usually dumped, you know, deers [SIC], hunting, that kind of thing. And the area smells absolutely terrible, they said.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it`s an area near where she used to live, the step-mom?

SERVATIUS: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Look, in these jailhouse letters, believed to have been written by Elisa Baker, she writes, quote, "We really didn`t kill her, but what he did after the fact is kind of horrifying. Makes me scared of him," end quote.

So here`s my big issue. Is Zahra`s body perhaps scattered? I know it`s a very gruesome thought. But let`s assume for the moment that this bone that they found do belong to Zahra. Cops also find the prosthetic leg. They found that in one place. They find this bone in another place. They search mulch piles, a wood chipper, landfill, pond.

So Dr. Dale Archer, you`re the psychiatrist. Could Elisa Baker be subjecting that Zahra`s father, Adam, mutilated the child`s corpse and then scattered it in bits and pieces? After all, he did have access to wood chippers as part of his job.

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I think the one thing that we know is that child abuse was suspected here for a long time. Neighbors, family, friends, they talked about it.

And I`ve got to say that in terms of the culpability here, anyone out there needs to understand, if you suspect child abuse, call child protection. It will be confidential, and you`ve done your duty to protect the child.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

ARCHER: But you put all that together in this case, Jane, you have, in my mind, two evil people that are now trying to position themselves for the other to take the fall.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, and remember, the father hasn`t even been named a suspect.

Now, Mike Brooks, I`m going to go to you, the same question. Could it be that, since she says what he did was kind of horrific after the child died, is she implying that perhaps he completely destroyed the body? Because what else would she be referring to, after the child died?

BROOKS: Right. And why would she be scared of him? So yes, you know, if what she`s saying is truthful, then yes, there`s a good -- there`s a very good possibility that he could have scattered it. There`s a good possibility he could have put it somewhere, and animals also, Jane, could have scattered it. But we don`t know for sure.

But one thing I do find interesting, too, in reference to this case, they were at their house basically tearing apart walls. What does that say to me? That says to me that they probably went in with some Luminol, sprayed it around, which detects traces of blood. Then they go ahead and take this wall out of there. So maybe they`re finding potential evidence there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK.

BROOKS: Also leaving with huge evidence bags, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gail, Florida, your question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes. Hi, Jane. I`ve been following this case, and I really enjoy your show.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: You kind of covered what I was thinking. I know this guy does wood chipping. I can`t -- if I was going to dispose of a dead body, if I was a psycho like I think both of these people are, I would probably put the body through the wood chipper. And then they claimed there was a fire, which I think they burned up her flesh. I don`t know that this bone is related at all. I think this man...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And OK. Good point. Now, I`m going to go to Mike Brooks back on this, because she raises some very, very important issues. But wouldn`t they have found the remains in that fire?

BROOKS: Oh, absolutely. Because it`s harder than people think to burn a body up, you know, just out in the open.

And in reference to the wood chipper, Jane, they cleared that wood chipper, because the area of interest that the dog hit on was the engine part of that wood chipper. But law enforcement also took some other tests around the inside of the wood chipper, and apparently that was not involved in Zahra`s disappearance.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And I`ve got to say that in her letter, she writes things like, "Goths rule. Vamps rule. Be part of the freak show. I always wanted to grow up and be a vampire." Are you kidding me? When your stepdaughter is missing, you`re writing about wanting to be a vampire?

BROOKS: Yes, real good.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. "Nancy Grace" has a team on the ground in Hickory, North Carolina. She will have the very latest. And she`s diving deep into the Zahra Baker case. Do not miss it at the top of the hour here on HLN.

All right. Up next, hours after desperate parents appear on ISSUES to plead for their daughter`s return, a stunning development.

Plus, you won`t believe the latest claim about Casey Anthony in the prosecution`s most recent document dump. Did Casey consult with a criminal for advice? How will the evidence stack up against her?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE ANTHONY, BROTHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: I just simply said, you know, "When the officer gets here, he`s going to ask you, or he`s going to say, Miss Anthony, how are you doing tonight?"

"Great."

"Where`s your daughter? OK. You know, let`s go get her. Your mom`s going to follow. We`re going to go pick her up."

So I mean, I was just trying to say, this is what`s going to happen. And what might fly with my mom, isn`t going to fly with a police officer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: There`s something wrong. I found my daughter`s car today, and it smells like there`s been a dead body in the damn car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: An apoplectic Cindy Anthony calling 911 on July 15, 2008. It had been a month since she last saw her precious granddaughter, Caylee. Will prosecutors play that chilling phone call at Casey`s trial in May? And if so, will it be even more significant in light of what we`re learning tonight in the latest massive document dump from Florida prosecutors?

Cindy writes to her jailed daughter, Casey, about her jaw-dropping belief that little Caylee is still alive. That`s right. Cindy says she hopes for a reunion with Casey and Caylee after the murder trial is over. What? Little Caylee`s remains were cremated almost two years ago.

Plus, did Cindy`s mother sense -- Cindy`s mother we`re talking about here -- sense that something was terribly amiss in the Anthony home even before little Caylee disappeared?

And there`s more shockers. A guy who calls himself a, quote, "criminal," tells prosecutors that Casey asked him about how to dispose of a body, about untraceable poisons and about how to hire a hit man. Is this guy just angling to get out of jail?

ISSUES reached out to Casey`s defense team but did not hear back before air.

I am taking your calls: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.

Leonard, we are also learning that cops tapped and traced the Anthony family`s phones. Including cell phones.

LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: That`s correct.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Were they aware when you were there that phones were being monitored, so when you were in their presence, when they were talking on the phone, were they aware that they were being monitored?

PADILLA: I don`t think the Anthonys knew it. We were pretty aware that there was taps on the phones. It`s something that law enforcement does in generality. And we were -- we were very aware of the fact that their phones were tapped. Or at least we thought they were.

But I don`t think that the Anthonys knew, because their -- their ability to walk out of the house was never curtailed. In other words, they`d walk out of the house, walk around the yard, talking on the phone, thinking that people weren`t listening to them, when it was obvious that I believe -- Rob believed that their phones were tapped at all times, and they had trackers on their cars.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, wouldn`t that indicate, then, that they had no idea where little Caylee was? Because obviously, they -- the body was found by Roy Kronk.

PADILLA: No, no, no, here`s the thing. Law enforcement covers all their bases. You know, I hate to keep banging on the same drum, but law enforcement knew where that body was back in August when Kronk went out there. Her girlfriend had told him she`d overheard it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right.

PADILLA: There was no doubt that law enforcement knew. But they`ve got to cover all their bases.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on. Who`s trying to get in there? Because we -- that`s your opinion, Leonard.

BROOKS: It`s Mike Brooks.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, go ahead.

BROOKS: You know, Leonard, I respect you. I think you`re a great guy, but I do not think that law enforcement would have let that body stay out there if they knew it was there in August. There`s just no way they would have.

PADILLA: Mike, and I respect you. But let me see if I can explain this. If you`d have seen the way that law enforcement acted towards us when we were at the Little Econ (ph), we were just one of 1,000 other searchers. We had divers in the water. Why did they come on so strong to say and state, there`s nothing in there? What led them to know there was nothing in there?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think it was because they didn`t want you -- you -- basically handling their investigation. And they saw you as an interloper. And they felt that they should be handling the investigation. But OK, we`ve covered that.

Here`s my big issue. Is Cindy deluded or is this deliberate? We were shocked back in July of this year when Cindy Anthony testified about how she thinks Caylee, the murder victim, is still alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to continue searching for a live kid?

CINDY ANTHONY: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you`re clear about that?

CINDY ANTHONY: Absolutely. I -- I still think Caylee`s alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Check out this letter sent to Casey days later. Quote, "When spring comes and your trial is over, we will find her together. I continue to seek her and continue to have hope that we will be reunited soon."

Stacey Honowitz, is this some kind of strategy to lay the groundwork for maybe we`re going to challenge the autopsy?

HONOWITZ: I don`t know. I mean, I`m not a psychiatrist. All I can tell you certainly she`s been through a lot of trauma. Her granddaughter is dead. Her daughter is in prison for murder, and certainly, she could be suffering from some kind of psychotic breakdown. I don`t know if it`s to set anything up.

Certainly, it`s not going to play well in the trial. It`s really not going to bear relevance in the trial. The fast of the matter is, the remains were identified, and the identification was that of Caylee. So, you know, to try to challenge the autopsy, that`s going to come into evidence anyway. We`ve already seen that Jose is going to challenge that autopsy based on the movement of the tape. I don`t know how it`s going to play with her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you so much.

A man leaves a Boston hotel and vanishes. His parents up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight. A joyous ending to a family`s nightmare. Sixteen-year-old Shelby Ellis has been found alive, three weeks after vanishing. This Georgia teen turned up all the way in Washington state. HLN`s been all over this story, and her family believes that contributed to this fantastic outcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to stay on this story. Thanks so much. We`ll show her picture. And again, folks, if you have any information, please let authorities know.

NANCY GRACE, HLN ANCHOR: I want to tell you about missing 16-year- old. Help us bring Shelby home.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We want to do everything we can to find your baby girl safe and sound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And she was found safe and sound.

Three weeks ago, Shelby got off the bus at her high school near Atlanta. She never came home. Her parents feared the worse. But at 4 this morning, they got incredible news. Police found Shelby in Lakewood, Washington state, more than 2,000 miles away. She was with a 27-year-old man. How and why did this 16-year-old end up there?

We are thrilled to welcome back Shelby`s parents, Rich and Wendy.

We`re so happy for you. Tell us about this 27-year-old guy. Who is he, and who provided the tip that led to this house where she was found, Rich?

RICH ELLIS, FATHER: Unfortunately, Jane, we don`t have any of that information about who he is or how the information was developed. All we know for certain is that Cobb County had contacted Lakewood, Washington, and asked them to check at a residence to see if Shelby was there, and she was. And we`re just so excited and happy that she was. And can`t wait to get this thing -- get her back home.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Wendy, you were crying yesterday. How do you feel tonight?

WENDY ELLIS, STEPMOTHER: Today I still have a lump in my throat. I still have tears in my eyes. But I`m just very relieved. I`m very happy. Relieved is not even the word. Still overcome with emotion. But the opposite end of what I was even just yesterday.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s my big issue. Did your daughter have a silent accomplice? A 16-year-old just doesn`t go 2,000 miles from home with 160 bucks and a cell phone. Did she have help?

I hope police do not consider this case closed just because she`s OK, because they need to dig deeper and find out what happened to her, and also those two other girls from her high school who went missing and turned up.

Rich, we know your daughter was into Goth and into vampires. Could she have been involved in some kind of underground cult of some sort?

R. ELLIS: I don`t know that I -- I don`t know that I think she was involved in an underground cult, per se. Certainly, she was on the VampireFreaks Web site. I think it`s a deviant Web site where people that have some sort of personal issues attend the Web site. And -- and certainly they`re secretive. And I think it`s very likely that whoever helped her, I think she probably met through this Web site. Or if not that one, a similar social Web site.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we invite VampireFreaks on anytime to explain themselves.

Washington state, does your daughter have any connection to Washington state? Is there any relative or friend? Why Washington state, Wendy?

W. ELLIS: You know, Jane, I have no idea. We don`t have any family in Washington state. No friends in Washington state that I`m aware of. Through a Web site, it had to be through either VampireFreaks.com, or some other Web site that she was on. It had to be.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is happening to so many kids. You`re so lucky that she didn`t get sucked into prostitution or kidnapped. I`m very happy for you. You`re blessed.

W. ELLIS: We are. We are. Thank you so much.

R. ELLIS: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Coming up, another mom and dad, the devastating story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, the humiliation. You won`t believe how this once "it" couple went from $10 million to less than zero.

But first, a massive document dump in the Casey Anthony trial reveals a shocking allegation. It`s made in a letter to the prosecutor from an inmate named Curtis Jackson. He claimed to be an associate of Casey and ex-boyfriend Tony Lazaro from back in 2007 and 2008.

In it he`s claiming to have known Casey before little Caylee vanished. He says, quote, "She asked me in coded language if I knew anyone who was willing to be paid to kill someone. She asked me for instructions as to how to properly dispose of a body. She discussed different types of poison and wanted my opinion on ones that are untraceable," end quote.

Joining me on the phone, the distinguished attorney, Cheney Mason, one of Casey Anthony`s lawyers who has called us saying he wants to clarify this. Take it away, Cheney.

J. CHENEY MASON, ONE OF CASEY ANTHONY`S LAWYERS: To tell you I hope this guy`s a state`s witness in this case because he`s -- to say unreliable would be at a minimum. I have a file in my office that we refer to as "that file" that we put this stuff in from all these letters we get from around everywhere.

The bottom line is there`s absolutely no truth to his claims. There`s no credibility to it whatsoever. And it`s just one of many of those people that would like to get themselves involved in the case somewhere.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So why is the prosecution putting this in a document dump? Are they trying to poison the jury pool?

MASON: Well, I don`t know if they`re trying to. We have a very bizarre interpretation of this Florida public records law that says everything that`s a public record has to be given out to you and everybody else. This stuff is obviously not public record. It has no relevancy to anything whatsoever.

But ok, so they put it out there. If they`re trying to poison the pool, so be it. We already got a change of venue. I really don`t think the state is doing it -- I think it`s our law that needs to be changed. And hopefully we can do that.

You know, these types of letters, these sort of claims are just -- you know, we get something every week from some nut somewhere claiming they knew something and write to lawyers to say, "I know the truth about what happened. I know how Caylee died and where she died, blah, blah, blah. And there`s no truth to any of it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Cheney, we want to thank you for coming on and again, you are invited anytime we discuss Casey Anthony. We want to be fair. Thank you so much for clarifying that. And again come back --

MASON: We appreciate you giving us the opportunity to tell our side. We`re kind of tired of everything veering (ph) the other way -- not from you, but from others. I appreciate it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, anytime you want to come on this show and tell your side, we are happy to have you, sir. So please do that often. Thank you.

All right. We`re going to switch gears now and talk about the parents of a missing student desperate for help in finding their son. Twenty-five- year-old Gene Losik has been missing since last February. He vanished during a visit to Boston with friends to go to a birthday party.

Losik and his girlfriend were staying at the Boston Marriott near Faneuil Hall. They had been out with friends until 1:00 in the morning. His girlfriend went to bed. He decided to stay up. The last anyone saw of this young man, Gene Losik, he was walking out of the back exit at 2:30 in the morning. Where is he going?

Police dogs hit on an area near Boston Harbor. Crews frantically search the water, they turned up nothing. Could he have been taking a walk and fallen into the water? Could it have been foul play? Was he pushed?

This young man was a college graduate who worked as an engineer Raytheon in Andover about 30 miles outside Boston. His family says none of this makes sense. He`s a clean-cut kid.

Straight out to my special guests: Gene`s devastated frantic parents, Vlad and Zhanna Losik.

Thank you so much for joining us. I can`t even imagine what you`re going through. I want to start with Vlad. What has life been like for you and your wife these past nine months since you learned your son had vanished in the dead of night, sir?

VLAD LOSIK, FATHER OF GENE LOSIK: It`s horrible, Jane. Every day, we`re talking about him, constantly thinking about him. We can`t do any normal activity without constantly including some thoughts about Eugene. We miss him terribly. And frankly, we don`t know how to live our life until we get some kind of resolution.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Gene and his friends returned from this popular Boston night spot Faneuil Hall about 1:00 in the morning on the morning of February 21st, 2010. His girlfriend and some of the others went to bed. Gene headed out with another friend about 15 minutes later.

His girlfriend says she woke up at 6:00 in the morning and was terrified, Gene wasn`t there. She starts calling around. There have been no pings from his cell phone. His ATM card has not been used. Friends say he had only $20 on him and was not familiar with the area.

So I have to ask, Zhanna, why would your son go out in the dead of night, in Boston in February with no coat? I`m just saying this to try to help you find him, not in any way to cast aspersions. He was at a party -- could he have been drinking, could he maybe have been intoxicated?

ZHANNA LOSIK, MOTHER OF GENE LOSIK: Well, they said he was intoxicated, but not to the point that he would fall down and wouldn`t know what he was doing. But unfortunately we don`t know why he went outside so late and by himself and without a coat. Unfortunately we don`t know today any more than we knew in the day when he disappeared.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Surveillance photos from the hotel where gene was staying show his last movements. Look closely. Losik went for a walk with a friend and returned to the hotel at 1:21 in the morning. Here they are going up the escalator. Then at 2:24 a.m. on February 21st, he was seen on hotel surveillance video walking out the back exit. We have him on camera. In fact, when he walked out, he set off an alarm and hotel workers saw him leave. They told cops they didn`t see which way he went.

Now, he wasn`t going out to smoke because his cigarettes were in his coat inside the hotel room. Once again, it`s cold in Boston in February. It`s the dead of night. Past 2:00 in the morning.

Vlad, do you have any idea of anything in your son`s history or behavior that would make him want to go out in the middle of the night in Boston in the cold with no coat and walk around and go out the back area of a hotel?

V. LOSIK: I think, Jane, that the fact that he went to the back door of the hotel was pure coincidence. It just happened -- the elevator happened to arrive on the bottom floor and that is the one, the door that is in his view. Apparently that it brought him to that door.

Again, as to why would he walk outside, I have really no idea. As far as not wearing a coat, I mean, exactly one week after his disappearance, we went to that very area and looked what`s going on there. It was amazing how alive and bustling Boston is at that time. Surprisingly there are hundreds and hundreds of kids who don`t wear any jackets. The bar is just closing and they`re pouring out on the streets catching the cabs, and none of them wearing jackets. It`s my understanding it`s a fairly common scene during Friday or Saturday.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure. These young guys, they`re strong, and if he was at a party, had a couple drinks, you don`t feel the cold as much. Yes, we all know kids go out in the night after they`ve had a few drinks and they`re not wearing their jackets. And I agree with you sir.

Here`s my big issue. Into the water, did Gene Losik somehow fall into Boston Harbor? In early March the dogs, search dogs hit on his scent near the dock of Boston Harbor. The police and fire departments conducted a massive search of the water. Boston Harbor is huge, about 50 square miles. It`s a very large area to search.

Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, this poor young man disappeared last February.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is there any chance you think of finding him?

BROOKS: Well, I tell you, Jane, there were over 50 divers from the Boston police and fire, Quincy Fire Department. They used sonar, scan sonar, underwater cameras because the water is clearer during the wintertime. But I would have thought if he had been in the water, Jane, that his body probably would have come to the surface sometime during the summertime when it got warmer. But they searched that harbor over and over again. But nothing was found. I`m baffled by it.

As I said, I would have thought, you know, it`s not easy to talk about, but that his body would have come to the surface this summer.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Vlad, did he have any enemies? Did he have a fight with his girlfriend? Anything?

V. LOSIK: I think as far as we know, they had a minor confrontation during this evening, but I don`t think it was a big fight. I don`t believe he was overly upset over it. And again, I think the fact that he walked outside through that particular door right to the waterfront was pure coincidence.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you`re giving us some good information there. Because if he had a fight, let`s just -- through deductive reasoning, you don`t want to sit around in the same room with somebody you just had an argument with. So I`ll go out and I`ll walk around and then maybe something happened to him on forth.

So we`re going to keep his face out there. We want you to come back. We`re not going to let this turn into any kind of cold case.

Our hearts go out to you. And we`re going to stay on top of this story and try to find your son and find out what happened to him, ok?

Z. LOSIK: Thank you so much.

V. LOSIK: Thank you so much.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m so sorry. I can tell that you are suffering tremendously. And it breaks my heart.

Z. LOSIK: Thank you Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, speaking of suffering, tomorrow and Friday, I`m going to talk to five courageous parents whose children were kidnapped, and in all but one case murdered. One of those parents is Erin Runnion. She lost her daughter, Samantha, her precious little girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You felt like you almost heard her say mommy, mommy? Tell us about that.

ERIN RUNNION, DAUGHTER ABDUCTED AND MURDERED: That was later in the evening. Honestly I think that`s when she died. I felt her go through me and I heard her scream, "mommy".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Erin and other parents tell their gut-wrenching stories of pain and survival, so no other parent will ever have to go through this. "Every Parent`s Nightmare" tomorrow and Friday here on ISSUES, it`s must-see TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": When you look in the mirror, in the morning, do you consider yourself, "I`m an obnoxious person"?

SPENCER PRATT, DISGRACED REALITY TV STAR: When I look in the mirror in the morning, I actually think about how amazing I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, amazing. How about amazingly dumb?

Celebrity wannabes, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt say they are beyond flat broke. They`re actually in the hole for millions. "Life & Style Weekly" is reporting details of how they frittered away $10 million. And now they`ve got less than zero because they reportedly owe $2 million in taxes.

So where did all the money go? And what`s next for the infamous reality prefix (ph), now that they no longer have a TV career to put those enormous bills. Wait until you hear about their not-so luxurious digs and not-so fine dining.

I`m taking your calls on this, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to Jessica Callan, news director for "Life & Style Weekly" which broke this story; Jessica, just how bad has it gotten? I`m so upset for this controversial couple.

JESSICA CALLAN, NEWS DIRECTOR, "LIFE & STYLE WEEKLY": Well, of course, they found fame on reality TV, and now they`re finally getting a taste of reality. This is a couple who used to dine in Nobu. They`re now eating My Crib meals and noodles and living at Spencer`s parents` house.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So apparently their parents give them like a bag of groceries every week and say that`s it, and they live in this sort of --

CALLAN: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, that`s it?

CALLAN: They live in a -- they live in a studio. They used to live in a $35,000-a-month huge home in Malibu. They`re now living in Spencer`s parents` studio apartment. Spencer`s parents now buy them one bag of groceries a week for them to live on. And things are pretty bad for the couple.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I can`t say that my heart is breaking. You know, we cover a lot of tragedies on this show, and this one is just making me grin. Does that make me a bad person?

What do you get when you combine wild spending habits with no talent? Well, check out this clip from Heidi`s music video found on YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Heidi gambled on a singing career, reportedly shelling out $3 million on music and such. She apparently paid $40,000 per song for brilliant lyrics I guess like this. Heidi and Spencer were also reportedly paying $35,000 a month on a luxurious Malibu pad. Plus let`s not forget the slew of Heidi`s plastic surgery procedures. She spent tons, ok, then to dress up her surgically enhanced body and this is the one that gets me, $10,000 to put jewelry on her bikini?

Dr. Dale Archer, I mean, what is wrong with these people?

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, Jane, you know what they say, a fool and their money are soon parted. So I think that that`s what we`re seeing here. But, you know, the funniest thing of all is there was an interview with Spencer a while back where they asked him, they said, are you addicted to fame? And he looked incredulous, he goes yes. I think -- I think it is what it is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, all addiction leads to profound and incomprehensible humiliation, which is my big issue. Oh, the humiliation.

Now, Heidi and Spencer admit, they admit they made a bad call by banking on a 20-episode season of MTV`s "The Hills". When the ratings tanked the network pulled the plug, which meant no more money for Speidi. Spencer says they never could have predicted the success of the "Jersey Shore." That`s what drove them out of business.

So I`m going to ask you to compare and contrast these two shows. And here are some clips from MTV.com. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A toast to -- to the new Heidi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it -- how does it make you feel now that you`re starting to become this person that you wanted to be?

HEIDI MONTAG, ACTRESS: I feel better than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This kid just hit her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. So Jessica, basically what they`re saying is they can`t compete with fisticuffs, which I just watched the "Jersey Shore" the other night, and all they do is fight and beat each other up.

CALLAN: Absolutely. I mean, as Spencer said, when we talked to him at "Life & Style" this week, they couldn`t compete with "Jersey Shore". He said he found "The Hills" boring in comparison to fights, couples hooking up. I mean, every week "Jersey Shore" has been consistently outrageous and "The Hills" just wasn`t exciting enough.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now I --

STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: Why are you even talking to this person? I -- I -- I`m sorry Jane that I have to interrupt, seriously.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes go ahead.

HONOWITZ: Because we do a lot of serious -- we do very serious things on this show. We talk about tragic things. Why is the media even talking to these people? I just don`t understand.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ll tell you why, Stacey.

HONOWITZ: -- because it sells magazines, I mean it`s the stupidest thing I ever heard.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Because they epitomize -- I`ll tell you why. I`m bringing out my big gavel for this. They epitomize our narcissistic, self- centered, materialistic, over-consuming culture. They are an extreme example of what we`re all doing, to a certain degree. And we could learn a lesson from them because they admit that they messed up. I`m trying to use clean language. And they say they wish they had saved their money. They wish they hadn`t just blown all their money on nonsense and plastic surgery.

(CROSSTALK)

HONOWITZ: And that`s what you believe then. They are such fame seekers. That is if you really believe that story. They said they were getting divorced.

ARCHER: It says it all. I think it says it all that they make $10 million in America. These people make $10 million.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s one of the world`s top super models and she`s on a crusade to save voiceless animals. Joanna Krupa has stripped down for what she believes in, PETA`s provocative campaign for animal adoption. She`s bared it all for the "I`d rather go naked than wear fur" ad.

Now as the weather cools, this super model has a message for fashion designers, models and consumers. Do not use fur. Do not buy fur. Do not wear fur. We`re going to show you some of the animals used for fur that are kept in cages.

This is not the footage of how they`re killed. We cannot show you one single frame of that graphic video, because it`s way too disturbing. Not even with a warning can we show you defenseless animals being beaten to death, skinned alive and anally electrocuted.

Joining me now, the fabulous model/actress, Joanna Krupa. Joanna, great to see you. You look fantastic. As a model, why did you decide to take a risk for calling out your own industry on this issue?

JOANNA KRUPA, ACTRESS/MODEL: Because there`s so many designers out there that are amazing, you know. You have Ralph Lauren, Paul McCarthy. It`s like why should people put so much cruelty and allowing this horrific thing to be happening? These animals are skinned alive. Most of them are conscious, even after they`re skinned. There`s a video on furandfuther.com where you actually see an animal after he`s skinned. He`s still weak like still moving his eyes at the camera. It`s just despicable that this kind of stuff is allowed in this industry. It makes me sick.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`ve seen that image and it has haunted me and given me nightmares. That`s why I wore this "no fur" button. The documentary skin trade says it has uncovered very deceptive practices inside the fur industry. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re now electrocuted by having a probe up their anus. It`s almost impossible to do but that`s what they say. Can you imagine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we be rest assured that the animals were in fact killed in very humane methods?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want you to know, I made a donation to the non- profit organization that helped produce "Skin Trade". Using undercover investigators, it exposes the shocking treatment of animals slaughtered for fur. Coyotes, minx, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, raccoon dogs, killed in searingly painful traps, raised on horrifically crowded fur farms.

Joanna, what would you tell Americans about what really happens to these defenseless animals?

KRUPA: A huge percentage of fur that is imported into the United States comes from China and there`s no federals laws to help these animals for their fur. They`re skinned alive, they`re beaten to death, they`re drowned, they`re suffocated, they`re electrocuted. These people are despicable, disgusting human beings. I can`t stand it and I will never support it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have to leave it right there. But I want to show you a picture of my dog. For all of you guys who have pets at home, they`re no different than the animals used for fur. Would you want somebody wearing your pet?

We reached out to the Fur Information Council of America for comment on skin trade and they said, quote, "The fur industry is a highly regulated industry under international, national and regional laws and guidelines. Methods of feeding, housing, care and euthanization have been developed and continue to evolve as a result of extensive research done in partnership with international veterinary medical scientists," end quote.

Fur Council, you are invited to come on our show and tell us exactly how you kill these animals for fur.

Remember, tomorrow night and Friday, five courageous parents whose children were taken from them tell their heart wrenching stories of survival here on ISSUES. "Every Parent`s Nightmare"; it`s a show you must watch, parents.

END