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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Warren Jeffs Found Guilty of Having Sex with Minors
Aired August 04, 2011 - 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, judgment day for the polygamous cult leader accused of sexually assaulting young girls and audiotaping the sexual assaults. Emotional jurors get the case after incredibly bizarre behavior by Warren Jeffs. What`s next for the man prosecutors call a manipulative sicko?
Then my exclusive interview with the entire family of missing Holly Bobo, including her brother, who says he saw her being led into the woods by a mystery man. Now the investigation takes a terrifying turn, to a missing sex offender. Is this 44-year-old man linked to her disappearance?
ISSUES starts now.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`d like to announce the rest of FBI`s top ten most wanted fugitives, Warren Steed Jeffs. Jeffs is wanted for the alleged sexual assault of a minor in 2002.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The volcano has erupted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was some of the most disturbing evidence I have ever heard or seen in a courtroom in 25 years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was beginning to touch me on -- on my private parts and under my clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At one point he tells them to take their clothes off and then gives them instructions, very graphic instructions on how they`re to shave their bodies.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What`s very interesting about the tape he played is that Warren Jeffs during this trial has not denied the allegation. He`s not saying he didn`t have sex with a 12-year-old or a 15- year-old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Jeffs, did you rape those two girls?
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news. A bombshell guilty verdict in the Warren Jeffs trial.
Good evening, everyone. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you live from New York City.
A jury has just found the polygamous leader guilty on both counts of sexual assault of two underage girls, ages 12 and 14. Well, you see the photo there. That tells the story, so-called spiritual brides. Jeffs could serve a maximum of 119 years.
The penalty phase has already begun. They`re moving fast. It`s underway as we speak, and we have been told we can expect, in that punishment phase, even more revolting horror stories about the behavior of that man right there.
This is the very sick man who tape-recorded himself raping innocent young girls. Listen to the voice of the man who had sex with a 12-year-old girl in a room full of adults and, quote, trained young girls to become his sex slaves, all under the guise of religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN JEFFS, CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS: The woman, if she`s not careful, will be overbearing and always ask permission or what she wants. And ladies, build up your husband by being submissive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that doesn`t even begin to cover the disgusting audiotapes played in court. On the tapes, Jeffs can be heard not only having sex with a 12-year-old, but saying, quote, "Take your clothes off. Do it right now. Each one who touches me and assists each other will have my holy gift. Just don`t think about the pain; you`re going to heaven."
We`re taking your calls on this. Is this the beginning of the end of this cult that this guy ran? Is it the tipping point? Will it now crumble from within, or will it go on as it always has? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to Mike Watkiss, investigative reporter with KTVK. Mike, you were inside the courtroom as the verdict was read. Take us there. What was it like? What was Jeffs` action?
MIKE WATKISS, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KTVK: Well, it was a packed courtroom, as it was has been throughout this proceeding. And I think it was beautifully ironic that it was the judge herself, Judge Barbara Walther, who has shown such infinite patience in this bizarre trial and great judicial wisdom, she was the one who actually read the verdict, guilty on both counts: aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl, sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl who Mr. Jeffs had fathered a child with when she was only 15 years of age.
The drama was palpable. You could feel it in that courtroom. Mr. Jeffs, as he has throughout this trial, a 6`3" long, gangly man, stood hunched over, looking at the floor, looking in the distance as the judge read the verdict. A very dramatic scene indeed, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Now the punishment phase has already begun, we are told. And the bigger question tonight, will putting Jeffs away be the beginning of the end for the FLDS?
Last night on ISSUES, a caller told us about her aunt`s experience with the FLDS. Listen to this, because it`s horrifying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLER: My husband, two of his aunts were married down there in Colorado City by Warren Jeffs at 9 and 11 years old. I sat down with these women, and they told me about their wedding night, how they were, you know, raped, too small to -- I mean, these women hadn`t even menstruated yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re very delighted and honored to have tonight Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
Sir, the FLDS compound just 45 miles away, that`s where hundreds of identically dressed women and children continue to live. We`re being told by those in the know that they won`t even get to understand what just happened. There have -- they have been ordered not to watch television, not to read the newspaper.
So what happens to them? Do you think this is the tipping point, Mr. Abbott, the beginning of the end, possibly for this cult that calls itself a religion?
GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think this is a turning point. But a very important point and that is that we have not prosecuted this case based upon it being a cult, based upon the religious beliefs. What we have prosecuted this on all along has been the sexual assault of minors.
But here`s the important point. And that is the conviction that we obtained today is the eighth conviction. There have been seven prior convictions of seven other men who have engaged in illegal behavior at the YFZ Ranch. And here`s the key takeaway from that. And that is, even though there is a crackdown on information being fed to the people at the YFZ Ranch, it`s becoming increasingly clear to all of them that there`s been a lot of illegal conduct by more than one person. And I think their eyes are beginning to open about some of these bad behaviors.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Laurie Allen, you`re the producer of "Banking on Heaven." You are the forefront in a crusade against Warren Jeffs. You escaped a polygamous cult. Your reaction to the guilty verdicts tonight?
LAURIE ALLEN, PRODUCER OF "BANKING ON HEAVEN": I can tell you, Jane, that I`m very pleased. All our -- the hard efforts that we`ve been going through for years are paying off here in Texas.
And I have something very important that I want to say to the media and the American people. All these years, the FLDS propaganda machine has been out there bashing my film, "Banking on Heaven," saying that I`m lying, that everybody in my film was lying. But now we know that everything on my film was true.
And they`re going to send that same propaganda machine out there now to tell the media that, "Oh, Warren Jeffs betrayed us. He was a false prophet, but we`re not this way." Well, let me tell you they are this way. They`re all involved, because even Warren`s father was impregnating underage girls. Many of them out there are doing it. Everybody knows about it, and please don`t anybody believe anything they have to say.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And of course, Warren Jeffs kept the incriminating audiotapes of himself having sex with a 12-year-old, which certainly helped convict him. The jury asked to listen to that right before they came back with their guilty verdicts. So you have to ask, why would he keep these audiotapes of him having sex with a 12-year-old girl? The same reason why any pedophile keeps pornographic evidence of their crimes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: That`s why these kinds of men do that. They tape it, audiotape it, and they videotape it so they can watch it and masturbate to it and really continue their fantasy. This is a fantasy that he is having.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Christi Paul, you have covered this for "In Session" from the beginning. We understand the penalty phase, the punishment phase is under way. What could he get? And why are people saying that, wow, we`re going to hear horror stories that will make what happened in the trial sound like a tea party?
CHRISTI PAUL, TRUTV`S "IN SESSION": Well, because apparently, the prosecution has all kinds of other evidence that they`re going bring into play here as aggravating factors, trying to make sure that he gets the maximum sentence possible, which is 99 years on that aggravated sexual assault of the 12-year-old, and up to 20 years on the sexual assault of the 14-year-old.
Now we don`t know specifically what they have up their sleeve. They`re going through it right now. But we do understand that some people are also going to be taking the stand again to talk about their experiences, one of whom we believe may be Rebecca Musser. She was married to Warren Jeffs`s father, Rulon. She got out and refused to marry Warren, by the way. As I understand it, Warren married most of his father`s wives once he passed away. And she was one who refused and said, "I absolutely won`t do it." He did not marry his biological mother, we should say also. But...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it.
PAUL: ... as we understand it, Rebecca is going to take the stand again, and she is the one who identified his voice on those audiotapes. She`s the one who talked about all those priesthood records. And it was very interesting. When you think about it, how his own documentations and writings essentially did him in. He went from prophet to rapist in a matter of ten seconds.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He sure did. Well put. Well put.
Diane, Michigan, Your question or thought, Diane?
CALLER: I want to know why the women who held her down and the men who were watching aren`t going to get convicted of anything.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Greg Abbott, Texas attorney general, that`s our caller saying, "Why aren`t those women who held that girl down while Warren Jeffs raped her, the 12-year-old, what`s going to happen to them? Why won`t they be prosecuted?"
ABBOTT: All I can tell you at this stage is that neither our investigations nor prosecutions have concluded. I mentioned that this is the eighth conviction we have obtained so far. There are several other people who are under indictment. Our investigations and prosecutions have not been closed yet. Everything remains open. We will continue our efforts until we are assured that every person who has done wrong is going to be behind bars.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But I just have to ask you a follow-up. We know that there are these people behind those compound walls. The women are reportedly brainwashed into doing things that are very self-destructive. They have no will, apparently, to stand up for themselves, because they`ve been brainwashed since birth. We`re hearing horror stories about waterboarding events and about drowning of deformed children.
Now I have no independent confirmation of this. I`m not behind there. But you know that these women themselves can`t report it, because they`re locked up there, so how do you investigate that? How do you get in there without another raid?
ABBOTT: Well, you raised an important issue, and that is that, in part maybe because they`ve been raised from birth with regard to their belief system. They are reluctant and, in fact, don`t provide any kind of testimony or evidence themselves. We have a very challenging time in getting them to say anything. And so that`s one of the challenges with regard to going after some of these women.
But what I can tell you is that, in our initial investigation, we uncovered countless documents that revealed all the information that tells the inside story about how Warren Jeffs, how the YFZ Ranch and how this particular sect operated. And all that information is coming out here in the punishment phase of this trial.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I can`t wait to hear it all, and great work, sir. Keep it up.
We are taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Plus tonight, my exclusive live interview with missing Holly Bobo`s devastated family. The entire family joins us.
And more on Warren Jeffs. Guilty, guilty, two times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFS: The woman, if she`s not careful, will be overbearing and always ask permission or what she wants. And ladies, build up your husbands by being submissive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISSA WALL, FORMER FLDS MEMBER: He started to undress me and undress himself. I was crying and I was like, "Please, I don`t want you doing that. It doesn`t feel right. Please stop. Please quit. I can`t do this." Just begging him to stop or at least explain to me what he was doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Elissa Wall, a former member of this cult, who escaped. She at one point testified against Warren Jeffs in a previous trial, but this is big news tonight, breaking news. Warren Jeffs found guilty, two counts of sexual assault of his so-called child brides, girls ages 12 and 14. The 14-year-old had a baby when she was 15. The DNA showed it was 99.999 percent likely to be Warren Jeffs`. And as far as the 12-year-old, there was a tape recording.
Now, I want to go out to Laura Dunn, who is a courageous woman who speaks out. She`s a survivor of sexual assault in a totally different context, in the context of being in college, but is this a victory for all women, Laura?
LAURA DUNN, SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVOR: Most definitely, Jane. I mean, this is a morally abhorrent crime. This purported man of God is nothing more than a rapist and a pedophile. And I`m hoping that he gets the maximum sentence of all 112 years for what he`s done.
And I`m just in shock that the parents of these children and the community stood by while this happened. So this verdict is a big deal. I think it sets things right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I think that`s the big question, is that, yes, the breaking news, the big moment today is the guilty verdicts and fact that the punishment phase is beginning and he could get 119 years.
But the bigger question, the bigger picture is, what does this do to this entire cult that -- and I`ve got to go back to the attorney general, Greg Abbott. We`re hearing they have compounds popping up all over the country -- Colorado, Arizona -- and in some of these places, they claim that it`s lawless. That unlike you, sir, the local authorities are afraid to prosecute and, in fact, they are under the control of the cult.
ABBOTT: Well, the conviction that we obtained today of the leader of the FLDS, as well as the seven prior convictions and the additional prosecutions that we have, for one, begin to eliminate a lot of the members of the FLDS. But secondly, provides evidence that other prosecutors may be able to access and use in the prosecution of other cases including details of information about not only how the YFZ compound operated but how the entire FLDS operated.
And so I think that anyone who tries to continue this organization in any way that operates in the sexual assault of children...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it.
ABBOTT: ... they`re going to face stiff prosecutions around the country.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me just get to, there are claims that some police are actually controlled by the cult. So listen to this. This is a shocker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: If a woman is being beaten or her daughter`s being raped, if she calls the police in that town, the police is FLDS, and he follows the orders of the prophet, not of the state. So that woman is reported to her husband and her sister wives and is even more abused than she was abused before she made the call to the police. There`s no protection. It`s nothing but corruption. It`s a cult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, we are praising the Texas attorney general and the law enforcement that prosecuted this particular case. And what`s happening, this is -- the trial`s in San Angelo, but the actual compound is 45 miles away, approximately, in El Dorado, Texas. And it`s like a fortress. It`s -- if you see it, it`s unbelievable. And it`s massive, and it`s like a city unto itself.
So I want to go back to Laurie Allen. What`s going to happen now to these other compounds around the country, where up until now it was open season? They can do whatever they want. It`s lawless.
ALLEN: Jane, that`s exactly why they have all the compounds now in West Cliff, Colorado, South -- the Black Hills of South Dakota. They`re branching out into smaller pieces of property, because after the raid in Texas they got all those people in one fell swoop. The FLDS are smarter than foxes.
Now they`re starting -- they`ve got six or seven little branches up in West Cliff, Colorado. They`re branching out into smaller areas where they can`t be all in -- aren`t all in one compound where they can all be captured at one time, so there`s no accountability.
They`re outmaneuvering everybody. We`ve got to get the feds on this, Jane. We`ve got to get some laws passed in this country, targeted specifically at those cults to shut them down and get them off welfare.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side, we`re going to bring in the lawyers. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: If a mother doesn`t protect her child, what chance on earth does that kid have of any kind of a decent life? These women will literally hand their children, their daughters over to the prophet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Joey Jackson and Mark Nejame are two attorneys. Now that Warren Jeffs is found guilty, we`re going to hear even more disgusting, disgusting behavior in the sentencing phase, what message -- and I`ll start with Joey -- does this send to the prosecutors and law enforcement in these other parts of the country where these compounds are popping up?
JOEY JACKSON, ATTORNEY: I would say, Jane, and to go back to your earlier point about whether it`s a tipping point, I really think it is. And I say that for two reasons.
No. 1 is the deterrent effect. It definitely has an effect of deterring this type of behavior. That is why the people at the ranch have instructed the women not to look at the press, not to look and see what`s going on on TV. Because if they see the leader has been taken down and, more importantly, they see the interests of the state are paramount to any religious beliefs which would suggest that you could abuse children. So I really think that it is a tipping point here. And as a result of that, I think it will spread.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mark Nejame, do you see it as the beginning of the end for this cult?
MARK NEJAME, ATTORNEY: I don`t think it`s enough. I don`t understand how it`s been allowed to perpetuate so long. These kind of things can`t exist unless somebody somewhere is allowing it to exist in some way, shape or form. Why has there not been fuller investigation? Why have they not used racketeering RICO charges? This seems to be a criminal enterprise. It`s a breeding ground for rapists.
I mean, my heavens. You`ve got to go ahead and take the heart out of the monster. Otherwise, if you just cut the head off, you`re going to have more sprouting up, and that`s apparently what`s been happening.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Laura Dunn, you are a victim of sexual assault. You have often said that women aren`t believed, that there is an institutional bias against prosecuting men for crimes against women. What would you say to law enforcement, to the feds?
DUNN: Well, I think in this case, as much as all those reasons definitely hinder prosecution and other situations, I think in this case, it seems that the women of the community are being complacent in allowing these crimes to happen.
And to them I would say, do not be fooled. God is the god of justice and of peace. And what is happening right under their nose is not of the Lord. And they need to stand up. They need to protect their daughters. And I think if we have women in the community realizing and stepping up and speaking out and being brave for their children, we will also have law enforcement be sought out and successful prosecutions from their courage to speak out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You have said something very, very profound. And I just pray these women who are walking around in lock step have access to a television or a newspaper, and they can start thinking for themselves.
Now Joey Jackson, we see this with so many victims. That they don`t even know, especially victims of domestic violence. There`s a parallel here to women who are victims of domestic violence who literally protect their batterer.
JACKSON: Yes, there certainly are parallels, Jane. And I think what happens here, though, is there`s such indoctrination. I mean, if you don`t know any better or any different, then you`re inclined to live with what you`re comfortable with and what you know. And I think when it starts from birth and they just raise them in this fashion, I think that`s the culture it breeds. And as a result of it, that`s what we get here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s why...
JACKSON: Hopefully, it will change.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... it is up to law enforcement to step in. And it`s going to be hard to go undercover, because you see the outfits. So I think we need to have more raids. I think we need to raid these compounds and find out what`s going on behind closed doors.
Holly Bobo, the story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you so much. Please try to get home to us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have reason to believe that that suspect is probably from this community.
DANA BOBO, HOLLY`S FATHER: It might have been somebody close, somebody that kind of knew her routine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Victor George Wall, a convicted sex offender seems to have disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s not registered in Tennessee. He`s not registered in any other state in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can only imagine what they go through.
CLINT BOBO, HOLLY`S BROTHER: At the time, I`ve just seen the two walking towards the woods.
K. BOBO: If anybody knows anything about her, please -- please help us find her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Where is Holly Bobo? That is the question everybody`s been asking for months now.
Good evening, everyone, I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you again live from New York City.
And my very special guests tonight are Holly`s own frantic, devastated family. We are interviewing them exclusively tonight.
The beautiful 20-year-old went missing this past April. She was last seen being led away into the woods near her home by a man wearing camouflage. It all happened about 100 miles from Nashville in the small town of Parsons, Tennessee. Search crews and teams of volunteers scoured the area, while her desperate family begged for help and prayers.
The pleas also came from her famous cousin, country singer, Whitney Duncan seen here on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(WHITNEY DUNCAN ON YOUTUBE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight a possible break in the case. Police are now searching for this man, Victor George Wall, a registered sex offender that lived in nearby Clary County. They went looking for him when Holly went missing and he had disappeared.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was contacted by TBI and said, "We don`t have this guy." He`s not registered in Tennessee. He`s not registered in any other state in the United States.
With me tonight, an exclusive primetime interview with Holly`s mother Karen, her husband Dana and her brother Clint. Thank you all for being here. I know this has to be incredibly difficult for you.
We here at ISSUES want to help, maybe jog somebody`s memory, maybe encourage somebody to have the courage to come forward and tell what they know.
I have to start with Holly`s mom, Karen. Karen, what has life been like for you and your family since your precious daughter vanished?
K. BOBO: It`s just like a nightmare that you live over and over every day.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How did you stay strong?
K. BOBO: With prayer and scripture, faith and hope.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We want to help. That`s why we`re talking tonight. So let`s go over the timeline and then we`ll talk to Clint about what he saw because Clint, the brother is the last person to have seen Holly alive.
Holly Bobo was abducted from her home on April 13. A man in camouflage was seen leading her right into the woods. This was about 7:30 in the morning; she was headed to her nursing classes -- studying to be a nurse.
Three days later, April 16th, Holly`s lunch box is found near a creek, eight miles away from home. Investigators confirm there was also blood found near the home.
Let`s listen to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials talk about the blood specifically.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN HELM, SPOKESWOMAN, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: There was a small amount of blood at the scene where she was taken from. That blood has been sent to the Memphis Crime Lab to be analyzed. We don`t know now if it`s related to this case at all or whose it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Clint, it was about 7:30 in the morning. Where were you? What vantage point and what did you see?
C. BOBO: I was asleep in my bedroom and I was awoken by the sounds of our house dog barking.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what did you see?
C. BOBO: I saw the silhouette of two people in our garage. At the time I had no idea who either one of the people were. And then come to realize later that that was my sister and her abductor.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait, in the garage?
You were -- how do you -- when you`re asleep -- I`m just trying to get a picture. You`re asleep and then how do you see what`s going on in the garage? Ok, the dog barks, you wake up. Are you on the same level -- it`s all one floor.
C. BOBO: Right. Yes, we have a one story house?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you walk into the garage?
C. BOBO: No, I saw them from inside the house and they were outside the house in the garage.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They were in the garage or outside the garage?
C. BOBO: They were inside the garage.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok so as you watched, it was a man inside the garage with your sister and then what happens?
C. BOBO: And then I got in touch with my mom and found out that Holly was supposed to be in school that morning and realized that that must have been her at the house and then I looked back out and saw Holly and a male walking towards the woods and that`s the last time I saw her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, now, ok, is the garage attached to the house or is it a separate, detached garage?
C. BOBO: It`s attached to the house.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is attached to the house.
C. BOBO: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you`re saying you were able to call your mom before they left the garage and after you called your mom you see them walking towards the woods?
C. BOBO: Right. And I told my mom that once I realized it was Holly, I said well, Holly and Drew which is her boyfriend were out in the garage talking.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So where did you find the blood?
C. BOBO: It was in the garage, under where I saw the silhouette of them kneeled down in the garage.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When you saw them kneeling down did you think to ask them or approach them? How far away were you?
C. BOBO: No, I assumed -- I was inside the house and I assumed that that was Holly and her boyfriend Drew and he was dressed in full camouflage so I thought that Drew had been to the woods and killed a turkey and brought it back to the house and the two were sitting there over the turkey talking. After I saw the blood, I thought that was blood of a turkey that Drew had killed.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you see the turkey? Or there was no turkey.
C. BOBO: No, it was gone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But you thought they had done that when you initially saw them, but you hadn`t seen the blood yet?
C. BOBO: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So --
C. BOBO: Didn`t see it until later.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. All right. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations said something very interesting. They say the person responsible for her disappearance lives in the area. They believe this person lives in the community, and it`s a very small community, only 2,500 people. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HELM: The area that this home is located in is fairly remote. It`s not a really busy area. It`s not a place that receives a lot of traffic, that sort of thing. But it`s a tight-knit community, people know each other. People are familiar with other people`s routines, that sort of thing.
So this is possibly somebody who knew her routine, knew what time she left for school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now I want to go to Holly Bobo`s father, Mr. Bobo, your daughter`s lunch pack or lunch bag was found eight miles away in the woods. What about the blood? Have authorities told you that the blood is that of your daughter? And what do you make of the lunch pack being found eight miles away?
D. BOBO: Yes, they did tell us -- after a few weeks they did tell us that that blood did belong to our daughter. And as far as the lunch bag found that far away and some more stuff, I believe that was just more likely thrown out for a decoy. Might be to lead them away from where that really went, maybe.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I want to talk about this person who`s a sex offender who`s missing. I understand, Clint, you said that the man you saw leading Holly into the woods was about 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds. Here`s the problem, Victor George Wall, this sex offender who`s disappeared is only 5`5 and 130 pounds. So what are your thoughts on that, Clint?
C. BOBO: Well, I stated originally and never wavered from the description of the man being approximately 5`10 and 200 pounds.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, Karen, do you think that this sex offender might be involved or does he not fit the description?
K. BOBO: No, I don`t think he fits the description.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are the police or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation -- what are authorities telling you?
K. BOBO: The way I understand it, it`s a Tennessee law that actually the TBI doesn`t have to share any information with you as long as the case is ongoing, so we don`t receive much information at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I know that there were enormous searches. I mean the good people of your area and you are just a very, very loved family in this area, people went door-to-door, you see them here on these vehicles. There were searches with dogs. There were searches with people on horseback. There were searches with helicopters, there were grid searches.
Did anything else turn up, Dana? Because I had heard that there were some other tiny pieces of evidence that may have turned up. What do you know about that, Dana?
D. BOBO: There were several small pieces that had been found by searchers, local people here in Parsons.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What did they find, Karen?
K. BOBO: We`re not really sure. They don`t share that information with us. And actually mainly when we hear things like that, none of those -- none of those things have been confirmed. That`s just searchers that have found things and have told us that they have found things. But whether or not those are actually Holly`s things, none of that`s actually been confirmed.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What a beautiful young lady with her life ahead of her. And a home body, a shy, a good student, studying to be a nurse. On the other side of the break, we`re going to continue to talk to Holly`s devastated family and hear from her mom who`s going to issue a plea for anybody who knows any information, stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HELM: We are trying to develop a suspect, of course. We have reason to believe that that suspect is probably from this community. It`s a small community, tight knit, where people know each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K. BOBO: I love you so much. Please try to get home to us and if anybody knows anything about her, please, please help us find her. She`s just so precious, you just don`t even know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That poor woman, what she has been through since April when her daughter disappeared. And we are very honored to have her on tonight as we try to get some solutions, find out what happened.
Karen, tell us about Holly.
K. BOBO: Holly is -- she`s just, I guess, basically your typical 20- year-old. She was in nursing school and quiet, shy, and unless she was in her comfort zone around her friends; loves being outside, riding four wheelers and pretty much a home body. Loved doing things with her family; Sunday was always our day, go to church and have Sunday lunch together and then sometimes a movie or ride four wheelers or something like that. We were together all day long usually on Sunday.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It must be disturbing to you to go about your life knowing that authorities believe that somebody in your community is responsible for taking her. They say that this area is heavily wooded. That a stranger could not navigate it; that it has to be someone who knows their way around it. How does that impact you, your daily life going about your daily life?
K. BOBO: Every day we get out and do things; pass out flyers, talk to people in the community. You know, someone saw something and someone knows something. And we`re asking them to please come forward with that information because somebody knows something.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Speak from the heart. What would you tell somebody who is holding back?
K. BOBO: Please come forward, because there are four of us in our family and one of us is missing. And, you know, if it was someone in your family, you would want -- if someone knows something, they need to tell us so that we can get Holly home where she belongs.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You have suffered so much.
In terms of this lack of resolution, you say that law enforcement hasn`t told you much, but have they eliminated people as persons of interest? Have they said, well, we can put this person aside, we can put that person aside? We know that -- I believe, that they have said that -- it`s not her boyfriend. She had no enemies per se. Tell us what do you know about any of that?
K. BOBO: I`m sure there are people that they have been able to rule out, but of course we don`t know those people. They don`t tell us their names. Of course, none of us are suspects or ever have been and neither has her boyfriend and that`s pretty much all we know. I`m sure they have ruled people out, but we don`t know who those people are.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Are you frustrated, Karen?
K. BOBO: Of course, you know, it`s almost four months and so we still don`t have Holly. So, yes, it`s very frustrating.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now I`m still trying to understand exactly --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell me that. Tell me what you were going to say?
K. BOBO: I said it`s just a daily nightmare that you live over and over every day.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Does it get any easier?
K. BOBO: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It gets more difficult I`m sure.
K. BOBO: It gets more difficult each day it goes on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh. How can you withstand that? Prayer I guess, not knowing. The worst part is not knowing.
Clint, I want to get back to you, you were the last person to see your sister alive. You say you saw this guy, a big, tall, 6-foot guy, 200 pounds approximately, in your garage with your sister. They`re leaning down and you think they`re looking at a turkey that they`ve killed. But there is no turkey there.
And then, you say you go to call your mom, and then you see him leaving through the woods -- him leading her into the woods?
C. BOBO: Well, the information that has come, as far as leading, I saw the two walking towards the woods, there was no leading, there was no dragging. They just looked like they were casually walking towards the woods. And it wasn`t until later they realized that my sister went to the woods in fear for her life. That she must have been threatened with a weapon.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But you called your mom in between when you saw them in the garage and when they walked out into the woods? Why did you do that?
C. BOBO: I spoke with mom -- I spoke with mom initially to find out who the people -- I heard two voices outside our house and I called mom to try to find out who these people were outside our house. But I had no idea who they were.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, you`re saying they. We`re going to get to more on the other side.
Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. BOBO: It might have been somebody close, someone that kind of knew our routine. When I left, when she left, when my daughter left to go to school; what I have in my mind -- but I don`t know that to be true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is Holly Bobo? We`re interviewing exclusively her family tonight. They`re desperate for answers. They are appealing for help. Anybody who knows anything, come forward.
Right now we`re joined by the pastor Kevin Bromley (ph), who is a spiritual adviser and family friend. Pastor, what is this family going through?
KEVIN BROMLEY, SPIRITUAL ADVISER: Well, obviously as Karen already stated. This is the worst nightmare that any parent, any family could ever go through. It`s waking up every morning with this on your mind, going to bed every night with this on your mind. It`s never ending. Every day brings on new challenges. And it`s just a very difficult situation for this family.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Karen, there is a reward. Tell us about the reward.
K. BOBO: We have a reward of $85,000 and $50,000 was given by the governor of Tennessee, and -- that`s for any information leading to --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have you heard anything? Do you have any theories? What do you, Karen, think happened?
K. BOBO: I have absolutely no idea who or why anyone would want to do this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nothing? I mean, four months has passed. You have looked everywhere; there`s been searches. I`m sure that they probably interviewed everybody -- there`s only 2,500 people in the whole community. They have not come up with any leads, is that what you`re telling me?
K. BOBO: I`m not sure about that. Like I said, you know, that will have to be answered by the authorities.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But they`re not talking to you?
K. BOBO: Yes, they -- they talk to us, it`s just they can`t share any information pretty much about the case, as long as the case is ongoing. I know they`re working hard, but, of course, to a mom, it`s not hard enough because nearly four months into it, we still don`t have Holly.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did the blood trail lead anywhere?
K. BOBO: No.
C. BOBO: The trail in the woods leads to a logging road.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a logging road, is that what you said?
C. BOBO: Right.
K. BOBO: So she goes into this logging road, and then eight miles away her lunch pail shows up. What do you make of that, Karen? What do you make of the lunch pail showing up eight miles away from the home? That`s a long distance to walk, that would have to involve some kind of vehicle, I would think. Do they have any vehicle they`re looking for, Karen?
K. BOBO: As far as I know, if they do, I`m not sure what kind of vehicle that is. But, yes, I do believe a vehicle was involved.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you would think that where they found the lunch pail, they would have some kind of tire tracks or something. What about -- her cell phone was left at home?
K. BOBO: No, she had her cell phone with her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did they ever find it?
K. BOBO: I`m not sure about that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have they been able to track it, the pings?
K. BOBO: I`m not sure about any of that?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to stay on top of this. We`re going to call law enforcement. Our hearts go out to you. Thank you, Bobo Family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY, ACQUITTED IN THE MURDER OF DAUGHTER: I just wanted to let everyone know that I am sorry for what I did. I take complete and full responsibility for my actions, and I`d like to sincerely apologize. I wish I had been a better friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Will Casey Anthony be forced to serve probation for her check fraud case? It all comes down in tomorrow`s crucial emergency hearing in Florida.
Her lawyers will argue she already finished her probation while she was in jail. If the judge disagrees, Casey will be forced to come back to Orlando. It will be nearly impossible for her to stay out of the media spotlight.
A court official tells us Casey will not be at tomorrow`s hearing. But I have to tell you, she could be watching all this unfold from a TV somewhere -- somewhere in Ohio, perhaps.
We will have the very latest for you tomorrow, right here on ISSUES. It will be an explosive day, so join us tomorrow for ISSUES.
"NANCY GRACE" is up next.
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