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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Teacher Missing in Montana

Aired January 12, 2012 - 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 the FBI jumps into the frantic search for a missing Montana mother who may have been abducted while out on a morning jog. Now fear and tension grip her small town. Could her disappearance be linked to temporary workers just passing through? I`ll talk to Sherry Arnold`s husband and to a man who lives very near to where her shoe was found.

And is Casey Anthony`s world-famous defense team in full meltdown as Casey`s most appalling accusations against her own family make headlines?

Bounty hunter Leonard Padilla was there from the start. What does he think about the astonishing claims Casey made to two shrinks? We`re taking your calls.

Plus, as the ball marked a new year, was a 14-year-old girl abducted? Morgan Hernandez was in downtown Houston on New Year`s Eve with her family one minute. The next she was gone. Her grandmother believes she saw a man shoving Morgan into a silver car. Now cops say she`s been spotted. I`ll talk to her parents tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Saturday morning Sidney teacher Sherry Arnold went for a jog and never returned home. She was last seen around 6:30 a.m. Saturday as she left her home for a morning jog without her cell phone.

BOB BURNISON, ASSISTANT CHIEF, SIDNEY POLICE DEPARTMENT: We just feel that there`s something drastically either happened to her or something to that effect.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: A thousand of her friends and neighbors have volunteered to help find Sherry Arnold, but so far police have only turned up a single running shoe.

GARY ARNOLD, HUSBAND: Sherry is a fighter. She will do anything it takes to get through this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorities say time is of the essence in this investigation.

BURNISON: We`re going to keep going until -- until we can get some answers here.

G. ARNOLD: Keep trying. We need to find Sherry. Badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good evening. Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live from New York City.

A very popular math teacher still missing tonight, and now the FBI is taking over this case. But with no real leads and the temperatures plunging into the single digits, they`re calling off most of their searches, and her family is begging tonight for any information at all.

We`re going to start in Montana. A family in the small town of Sidney, population 5,000, frantically searching for their mother. Forty- three-year-old Sherry Arnold went for a jog Saturday morning along one of her favorite routes, and she simply vanished. Two witnesses believe they saw her running along a truck route at about 6:30 in the morning.

Listen to this from ABC`s "Good Morning America."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pretty sure it was Sherry?

LONNIE LYTTLE, BELIEVES HE WAS LAST PERSON TO SEE SHERRY ARNOLD: I`m not 100 percent sure, but I have a strong feeling it might have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: There is one ominous clue, and you are looking at it. A single running shoe found in a ditch on the edge of town. Police now fear she may have been abducted along that busy truck route.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just feel that there`s something drastically either happened to her or something to that effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to hear from you. Do you have any theories? Do you live in the area and know something? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1- 877-586-7297.

Straight out to my very special guest, Gary Arnold, the husband of this missing woman.

Gary, thank you again for joining us. We know you`re going through hell, and our hearts go out to you. We want to be helpful. We`re showing your wife`s photo here. We`re going to show video of her in a second, because that is the key. This is a race against time. We want people to look at that face, and perhaps it will jog their memory about her or something they may have seen. We last spoke to you two days ago. You were at the time very calm and courageous. How are you coping right now? What`s running through you?

G. ARNOLD: Well, it`s not so much how I`m coping, but it`s how Sherry`s coping. Our thoughts are focused on her. We want -- we want her to return. We want to get her back. That`s what keeps hope alive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we have a clip of Sherry when she was named teacher of the month. Listen to Sherry in her own words. This is the missing woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRY ARNOLD, MISSING TEACHER: I learned early on in teaching that, if you expect the best out of your students, that`s usually what you get. And they`re just doing really well and having a lot of fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know that Sherry is extremely popular as a high- school math teacher. I know that the entire town has turned out to try to find her. What are police telling you? Because our understanding from the FBI is that, essentially, they determined the prudent course of action is to scale back the ground search for your wife. What do you know about that, and why did they do that?

G. ARNOLD: Well, I know as much as you know. And I`m sure they have their good reasons for doing that. I think they`ve gone as far as they can with the massive search, and now they`re going to lead more focused searches as -- as their tips come in. I trust their judgment.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, have they said anything to you? Have they revealed anything to you, beyond the shoe, that they may know?

G. ARNOLD: No. And I don`t really expect them to, because I may compromise what they`re trying to do. We just want anyone who might have any knowledge of where Sherry might be to call the city police department in Sidney, Montana, or the FBI tip line.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And we`re going to put that number up so that people know exactly where to call. Now, as we do that, there`s the number. Call with any information.

Let`s look at this little town, Sidney, Montana. It`s 16 blocks by 22 blocks. Male population, 2,800, but here`s something very shocking. It blew me away. There are 41 registered sexual and/or violent offenders, all male, in this community. Two percent of the male population offenders. That`s four times the national average. Several of them are listed as violent rapists. One is a level-three offender, meaning the risk of repeat sexual offense is high, and there`s a threat to public safety.

And this is what really upset me, Libby Burn, the publisher of "The Sidney Herald," ten of them are reportedly noncompliant, which means they haven`t updated their information. And they have left their location, but all of these offenders are within one mile of the jogging route, almost all of them a quarter mile of the route and Sherry`s home. Libby, what do you know about this?

LIBBY BURN, PUBLISHER, "THE SIDNEY HERALD" (via phone): I guess I know exactly what you do. You know, we -- it`s what is reported to us through the law enforcement, and that`s what we report on is when...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you are the -- you are the publisher of the local paper. Can you put it into context for us? Why four times higher than the national average?

BURN: I can`t give you an answer for that, you know. I just can`t. We have a lot of people moving into our area, because of a lot of activity with -- with the oil industry. And I do not have an answer for that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I have to say that this is some breaking news. We have received here at ISSUES a very ominous e-mail from somebody who wants to remain nameless. And it alleges that, ever since the oil companies have come to town, there have been transients coming through, which kind of dovetails with what we`ve been telling you. And they claim that crime has gone up. And this even goes on to say, they claim that there`s some kind of drug smuggling ring going on in the vicinity.

I want to bring in Steve Moore, former FBI agent. We`re going to talk to somebody in a moment who actually lives in the area who might have more information on this, but I have no idea if this is a kooky conspiracy theory. No independent confirmation, but this person went out of their way to e-mail us. What does it tell you?

STEVE MOORE, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, it tells me that there`s fear in the community about the new people coming into town. It is a small town. We`re talking, what, 5,000 people? Just a few years ago it was 4,700.

So, what you`re getting is a large influx of people they don`t know about. In a way that`s helpful for this investigation, because people will recognize strangers. There`s only going to be, like, three hotels in this town. You can start canvassing anybody who had been in there.

There is, though, obviously a fear of what`s going on in the town and the fear that they`re losing control of it.

And guys like the predators and the violent people, you`re not going to have them moving into Beverly Hills. They want to move to a place where they could disappear, and Sidney, Montana, you can usually disappear from most of society.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I want to bring back Gary Arnold, the husband of the missing woman, Sherry Arnold. And, again, I want to stress, by the way, law enforcement says that the husband -- because they always look at those closest to the missing person, absolutely not involved whatsoever, not a person of interest, not a suspect. He is a victim, as well, by extension, because he`s being put through hell as we search for his wife.

Gary, we`ve been talking about this impression that people have gotten, first of all, a large number of sex offenders, dangerous people, four times the national average, as well as this sort of reputation now that the nature of the town, the character of the town and the surroundings have changed with the oil industry in there, and that has encouraged transients, people living out of trailers.

Have you discussed this with Sherry at all? Does this ever come up in conversation about maybe it wasn`t safe to run in this area?

G. ARNOLD: Well, you know, Sherry and I -- we talked about a lot of things when we walked, and we talked a little bit about how the nature of our town has changed. But, you know, I`m not going to cast stones of accusation anywhere. I just want her found, and I think the FBI is doing a fantastic job of finding that -- of working that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re not casting stones, sir. We understand that you live in that community, and you love that community. We`re just trying to look under any stone that might help find your wife. And that`s why we`re wondering, do you think the nature of the community has changed recently with this increase in the oil industry?

G. ARNOLD: I don`t want to comment on that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. All right. I understand that there`s a reward. Is that true? And can you tell us about that?

G. ARNOLD: I can`t tell you much. I think there`s been a reward discussed, and that`s about all I know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And the searches thus far have not revealed anything but the shoe, correct, Mr. Arnold?

G. ARNOLD: As far as I know, that`s all that has come up.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And briefly, how are your kids faring at this point? It`s got to be very difficult.

G. ARNOLD: It is very difficult for them, but their mother raised them well. They are -- they`re troupers. They`re hanging in there and they`re not giving up hope either.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, our hearts go out to you and your children. And we continue on the other side of the break to try to find your wife. We`re going to talk to somebody who owns a restaurant in the area and who really knows it well, so stay right there.

Coming up, growing outrage, we`re going to cover in a little bit, over what Casey Anthony told psychiatrists about how her daughter was conceived and how she died. What do you think about these mind-blowing allegations that Casey Anthony made to two shrinks? Call me, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: George has got to be the most mortified father in the world, to sit there and listen and see some of the things that she has said about him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

S. ARNOLD: I learned early on in teaching that, if you expect the best out of your students, that`s usually what you get. And they`re just doing really well and having a lot of fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That woman is missing tonight. She is a beloved high-school math teacher in her town in Montana, a very tiny town named Sidney. She`s got children. Her husband is on the phone with us right now. He is frantic but staying very calm, trying to keep it all together.

Early Saturday morning Sherry went out for a run, one of her favorite routes. She was out on Ninth Avenue, which is on the very edge of town near factories, referred to as the truck route. We`re showing you Google Maps and Google Images. We`re told thousands of large trucks pass through this area to nearby oil fields and to factories. Beyond that the road to town just ends, and it`s vast open space. How do you search that?

Now, we talked to somebody who owns a restaurant in the area, and, yes, truckers going through, these truckers are often transients. Also, the people who work in the oil fields nearby, Mark Eiglarsh, criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, I would think that the FBI, which is involved, would be at one of those -- not only the truck stops, all the restaurants along the route, as long -- as well as the oil fields and going into the oil fields and finding out if any of these oil workers -- and they do the fracking, you know, the natural gas, which is also controversial in and of itself -- and find out if any of these workers have done anything strange. Have any of them not shown up for work. Are any of them just walking off the job, not to come back?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. I agree with you, Jane. And you don`t need a warrant to have a consensual encounter with someone. You get a list of these people, and you go up and talk to them. You say, "Hey, can we talk to you for a second," and just engage in dialogue. It`s a more concentrated effort in terms of searching.

The other thing is, with the increase in sexual offenders coming from that town, I would go down that list and have these consensual encounters with them. Go to their homes, knock on the door, "Hey, are you willing to talk to us?" Anything they see, law enforcement sees, is in plain view -- there may be a yell. There may be something that they can see that can be helpful. I think that`s probably a better use of their resources than just waiting around for tips.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, I totally agree with you, and I got to wonder if they`re doing that. They called off the ground search, and that`s because the temperatures are just plunging in the area. I think zero was what they were expecting. January 10, it was a frigid zero degrees, and I think the high today is 17, but it`s rain. It`s snow. I mean, this is not an easy, easy environment to do these searches in.

I want to go to the phone lines, Robin in Hawaii, a far better climate, at least temperature-wise. What is your question or thought, Robin?

CALLER: Aloha, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey.

CALLER: I was just wondering if they extended the search further out. Say, for example, if somebody was driving down the road and they actually hit her, throw her in a car, throw her in the back of a truck, and maybe go take her to a hospital or -- besides the transient problem. I`m just wondering if they extended it further out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Gary Arnold, I know you say that you haven`t really heard anything from the police, but, my gosh, they`ve got to give you some kind of overview of what they`re doing. Have they searched the local hospitals? They said that there was a possibility maybe she -- she got into a car accident, a hit and run. Is there sort of a precipice where she ran, where she might have fallen off a ledge or rolled down into some area where she wouldn`t be seen?

G. ARNOLD: No. The area was very, very thoroughly searched by the people that turned out, in organized search teams. There`s a small ditch there, but it was walked. There were people down in the ditch looking, you know, I know that that has been searched well.

And I think the FBI is on top of it as much as they can be. They are -- they`re out there looking. They`ve extended their search, I`m certain, and they`re going to do the right thing and ask the right questions of the right people. We just need to get that one tip, that one thing that somebody thought that didn`t quite look right, and we need that person to call in. You call into the city police department or the FBI tip line.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Now, Steve Moore, former FBI agent, the one clue that they`ve had so far is the single running shoe found in a ditch, and it was just over a mile away from her home. And the assistant police chief is telling us that there was, quote unquote, "stuff" found on that shoe that is now evidence. What does that tell you?

MOORE: Well, it could be -- it could be just anything. God forbid it could be blood, but it could be hairs, fibers, anything that would be left behind by somebody who was taking -- taking Sherry where she didn`t want to go.

And, you know, as far as the FBI searching, they have assets that they would not talk about, that they could cover from the air with infrared and with photo mapping. In an afternoon they could cover hundreds of miles. So, they are using high-tech equipment. They`re just not going to be talking a whole bunch about it.

And, you`re right, Jane, hitting the restaurants, hitting the hotels, finding out who came through town during that time...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, let me jump in. Let me jump in for a second. Not to interrupt. But, Gary, did she have her cell phone with her?

G. ARNOLD: No, she did not. When she jogs, the cell phone is too clumsy for her to carry, so she was -- she did not have it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s a shame, because if she`d had her cell phones, maybe the pings, that`s what often leads authorities to somebody`s location.

Mark Eiglarsh, all of this happening just 100 miles from the Canadian border. How do authorities on the U.S. side work with Canada to make sure she hasn`t been taken across the border?

EIGLARSH: That`s a tough question, Jane. They meet together. They discuss things. And hopefully they have a common interest in finding her, and they just work together. I don`t think it`s the first time they`ve encountered this scenario. I expect both sides to cooperate in this important cause.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Dan in Georgia, can you say something in ten seconds?

CALLER: Yes. I wanted to know how they know what she was wearing. If the husband got home and she was already gone jogging in the morning. How did he know what she was wearing?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, I have to answer that. Probably, jogging clothes that you always wear. Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, ANTHONY`S DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR MURDER TRIAL: The truth is the truth, and depending on who`s asking the question, whether it`s this laughing guy right here or whether it`s myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection.

BAEZ: This child, who at 8 years old learned to lie immediately.

George began to yell at her. "Look what you`ve done! Your mother will never forgive you."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is Casey`s defense team abandoning ship? TMZ reporting Jose Baez has quit as Casey`s lead attorney. Jose, I know you`re watching. Call me. The number`s on the screen. We want to get your side of the story.

But according to the Orange County court, he`s still listed as Casey`s lawyer. Giving credence, however, to the claim is a fact that another of Casey`s lawyers has officially resigned. There you see her with kind of the reddish-blond hair. You remember Dorothy Clay Sims, the den mother, the one who hugged and cradled Casey after the verdict was read. There they are hugging. Well, den momma has said, "Hasta la vista, baby." As of yesterday, she has resigned from the Casey team.

Is it all over this? These video diaries of Casey, talking about how she rescued a dog and got her nose pierced. And they started popping up online in the last few days, sparking an uproar. Take a look at them from YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY ANTHONY, ACQUITTED OF MURDER: I just couldn`t -- yes, very excited. A little scary because I hate being on camera.

And touch my ear, boom. Very, very exciting.

Even if I get out of probation early, I`ll still be here at least until February.

Again, the first of many, and I`m looking forward to this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course, you hate being on camera. She`s like a method actress, my God.

"The New York Post" claims Casey was planning to fire Jose for hobnobbing with celebrity journalists while failing to land her, Casey, a book deal, and a lot of money. Here`s Jose on ABC talking to Barbara Walters. But claims are that Casey wants to be the one being interviewed by Barbara, and she wants to this when that`s going to happen.

So that leaves attorney Cheney Mason the last man standing. Cheney, of course, best known for giving the finger in public. You can see it right here. He did it a couple of times. Once when I was right there watching him, covering the trial.

Call me 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

Mark, we`re going to go straight out to Mike Walters, news manager for TMZ, but first, we`re going to go to Mark Eiglarsh. You are down there in Florida. You have covered this entire case. And I want to know what the heck you`re hearing. I mean, you have your ear to the ground, as they say. Do you think Jose quit or is she trying to get rid of him, or neither?

EIGLARSH: Well, I was talking to Casey yesterday -- Jane, I have no idea! I mean, come on. You know, this could be a lot of things. This could be, "Look, my work here is done. I did a phenomenal job," meaning Jose did, "for you during your trial. This is all gravy. This is all extra."

There could be now her tasting her freedom, and now she gets to run the show a little bit. There could be a lot of things. Jose probably has other offers. He`s moved on. I don`t think that we can narrow it down to one thing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, of course, he has. He`s representing Gary Giordano for one, the guy who was accused -- well, actually, who just got out.

EIGLARSH: Well, how much work is really involved in that case right now? He`s out. I mean, there`s not much going on right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I disagree with you. I think that the Gary Giordano case is far from over, and I certainly think the loved ones of the woman who went swimming and never came back agree with me.

Next, more jaw-dropping details from Casey`s psychiatric profile.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is disgusting. The baby, what about her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice for Caylee. Justice for Caylee. Justice for Caylee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As to the charge of first-degree murder, verdict as to count one, we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.

GEORGE ANTHONY, FATHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: I never would do anything like that to my daughter.

CASEY ANTHONY, ACQUITTED FOR DAUGHTER`S MURDER: I just want to let everyone know that I`m sorry for what I did.

JEFF ASHTON, PROSECUTOR: Casey`s lies fit the audience.

CASEY ANTHONY: We`re going to see Caylee, I know she`s coming home. I can feel it.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: She is public enemy number one.

CASEY ANTHONY: Can someone let me -- come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, more backlash from Casey Anthony`s psychological evaluation. In new, eye-popping depositions that were just unsealed she told psychiatrists she was date raped and that was how little Caylee was conceived.

Good evening, everyone. Jane Velez-Mitchell, back with you live from New York City. This is a girl who just made headlines accusing her own father of disgusting, demeaning intercourse, oral, everything. Something George, of course, unequivocally denies.

We`re going to analyze these beyond-disturbing claims that Casey made to two defense shrinks with an independent psychologist tonight. Did those defense psychiatrists ask the right questions? Or did they perhaps just accept without question the outrageous stories of a known, pathological liar who cops had already nailed as a liar?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URI MELICH, DETECTIVE: Everything you told us is a lie. Every single thing, and what happened to Caylee?

CASEY ANTHONY: I don`t know.

MELICH: Sure you do.

CASEY ANTHONY: I don`t know.

MELICH: Something happened to Caylee. (INAUDIBLE) When was the last time you saw her. I`m guessing something bad happened to her some time ago, we haven`t seen her. That part is true if you say you haven`t seen her, because she`s somewhere else right now.

CASEY ANTHONY: She`s somewhere else.

MELICH: (INAUDIBLE). I`m sure that now she`s buried somewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Perhaps these shrinks should have pressed Casey for the truth when she accused her father of murdering her daughter. One shrink reported that, quote, "She believes George took Caylee out of bed, some sort of sexual experience with her daughter, and in order to cover it up, killed her," end quote.

Explosive claims. Outrageous claims. And they`re all coming on the heels of those supposedly hacked video diaries from YouTube featuring Casey. The ones that seem to be promoting some kind of upcoming YouTube show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY ANTHONY: Again, the first of many and I`m looking forward to this. So, here`s the thing -- the end of the first, just the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was this all planned from the start? Give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, that`s 1-877-586-7297.

So, I got to ask you, people, people watching at home -- is this a calculated campaign to take control by Casey Anthony? Is Casey essentially saying, oh, you think you got me, even though I was acquitted, I don`t know why she shouldn`t be celebrating that and waiting out her probation nice and quiet so that she can try to become an upstanding, productive citizens and be of service to someone.

But I got to wonder, Leonard Padilla, bounty hunter, if in fact as some have claimed this is her way of kind of taking the power back, these videos, taking the power back? She`s purportedly, reportedly unhappy with Jose Baez for not giving her a big money TV deal or a book deal. So she comes out with the videos. What do you say?

LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: Well, she is upset because there`s been no big bucks coming her way. One of the things that a lot of people don`t realize is that she`s got a lot of people talking to her right now. She`s got a gentleman that`s a very wealthy man in his own right that`s advising her. She has communication with Cindy constantly. And these are people that are telling her she better make some money off of this thing right now and strike while the iron is hot. And that Jose is not doing anything good for her, that he`s just out there motivating his own life, trying to make his own way into the big bucks.

I think that`s what`s happening right now and she`s sitting there listening to this and saying, hey, I got to do something for myself, otherwise it`s going to go by and I`ll be penniless again.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brad Conway, another who has been up close and personal with all the principals, criminal defense attorney, former lawyer for Cindy and George Anthony, you have reportedly said that this is her way of taking the power back. What did you mean by that?

BRAD CONWAY, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE AND CINDY ANTHONY: I`m sorry, Jane, pushing the --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You reportedly said that this was her way of taking the power back, all of these things, that this is the tip of the iceberg, that we`re going to hear more stuff, we`re going to see more videos and it`s Casey Anthony`s way of taking the power back.

CONWAY: Yes, Jane, she wants to get back in the public eye and she thinks that she`s going to get rich off of this, and she has absolutely not one foot in reality, and she`s looking to make a bunch of money and doesn`t realize that people don`t want to see her. They don`t want to hear about her. And there is a morbid curiosity, but nobody at this point is willing to pay to see her tell more lies.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, especially when we have really way too much information, major TMI for free.

Let`s get back to some of the revelations, the claims that Casey Anthony made to these two defense psychiatrists, psychologists, while she was still behind bars that are now making headlines. First of all, listen to what Jose Baez said during his opening statement, because this became the prime defense for Casey Anthony, and many say this is -- these words are what got her acquitted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR CASEY ANTHONY: Crystal Holloway will tell you that one day they had a conversation, her and George Anthony, and George began to break down and cry. And she asked him, what happened to Caylee? And he said, it was an accident that snowballed out of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Casey told these shrinks before the trial the exact opposite, quote, "She didn`t think it was possible it was an accident. The ladder wasn`t attached to the pool, it was too heavy. I couldn`t move it. A child couldn`t move it," end quote.

Mark Eiglarsh, criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor out of Florida, had we known this, well, the defense couldn`t have effectively used that argument that you just heard in opening statement which obviously --

MARK EIGLARSH: Well --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, that`s why they didn`t want it out. So your thoughts, first of all?

EIGLARSH: Well, first, I`m glad we didn`t know about it. We shouldn`t know about it. I mean we`re the public and we think that we`re owed everything. But the reality is a defendant, whether it be my client, Casey Anthony or anyone out there, who meets with a psychiatrist, that information given to the psychiatrist at that time should be held extremely confidential.

The fact that it was released -- I`m still questioning why that was done; the information that she told to those doctors were told for the purpose of them determining solely whether she was competent to proceed. They`re not there to cross-examine her to determine whether any of this is true or not and they noted some feelings about, you know, how they felt when they met with her. But that`s it.

Jose Baez could take a liberal view of what he believes she`s telling him and do what he can because his job is not to seek the truth. His job is to acquit his client.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Listen, we`re very lucky to have a Skype caller tonight, something we`re trying that`s new. It`s a little high tech. Jason from Nova Scotia; your question or thought, Jason?

JASON, NOVA SCOTIA: Hi, Jane, how are you doing tonight?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m doing great. How are you doing?

JASON: Good. Yes, I just have one quick question. I wanted to know do they have proof of the date rape even happening to her?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, of course, not. And Michelle Golland, that`s one of the things that I wanted to ask you about, as a clinical psychologist. These doctors reported that they were very troubled because they felt that innocent people would be tainted and accused, quote, "I have lost much sleep. I`ve lost weight. I want to do the right thing. I feel troubled." These are the psychologists saying essentially they did not want to even be the mouthpiece for repeating what Casey Anthony said because it was so horrific and it trashed her family and accused all their family of the very worst. Do you think they did their job and asked enough questions?

MICHELLE GOLLAND, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: You know what; I have to say, I`ve been looking over all the deposition and reading everything and reading their history and -- those psychologists were very well trained. They`re forensic evaluators. They did their job, I believe, very well, Jane.

And I have to say they also didn`t say that those people were innocent. They said that these were claims that were unsubstantiated. That`s a very different thing. And as a clinical psychologist --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but let me ask you this -- but, wait, wait, all right, finish up and then I`ll ask you.

GOLLAND: I think it`s really, really important that what we need to be understanding in this situation is the interpretation and how we look at these clinically when we`re interviewing someone and dealing with these sorts of issues, is these -- the issues that Casey was presenting, meaning she was detached emotionally. She was reporting these events.

That doesn`t mean that she was acting. That also could lead to what I have felt all along that she is a woman who has been traumatized. I believe she was sexually abused from what I have seen of that family and their response throughout this entire case --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, Michelle, I got to jump in and tell you a couple of things. One, I don`t think it`s fair to George or Lee to say, well, I think they were sexually abused when that`s coming out of the mouth of a pathological liar who has made up a story about Zanny the nanny, who led the police into Universal Studios claiming she had a job that she didn`t have. She`s a pathological liar and we can`t cherry pick certain horrific allegations that she --

GOLLAND: Well, I could say -- I have to say, I could say the same thing about George Anthony. He stood -- he sat on that stand, Jane, you saw him, and he was bald-faced lying about having that affair. And --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We don`t know that he didn`t have -- we don`t know that he had that affair, didn`t we? Our gut tells us -- our gut tells us - -

GOLLAND: I would say -- yes. Absolutely. Our gut tells us that he lied.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All I am saying if a girl says I was date raped and I had a couple of beers and, oh, I think I might have been drugged, I woke up and I was pregnant, maybe you should ask her, well, who was there before when you had the two beers. What party were you at? Where was this party located? The shrinks have said reportedly, well, we`re not investigators. But, my gosh, you`re dealing --

GOLLAND: Right, they`re not.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- with a pathological liar. Pin her down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 14-year-old Morgan Hernandez hasn`t been seen since New Year`s Eve.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see it on the news and you`re praying for them because you are hoping that they get their babies back and then it started -- it happened to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big thing that we can do right now is get all of Houston aware of the fact that we`ve got a 14-year-old girl missing. That was at Discovery Green on New Year`s Eve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She sees us and we don`t know where she`s at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want her home and, you know, praying to God, you know, that nothing bad has actually happened to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is a parent`s worst nightmare. It`s a cliche, but it`s a horror that a family is actually living tonight.

Never in a million years did Morgan Hernandez`s family ever imagine their precious daughter would just disappear while at a New Year`s Eve party. What happened to Morgan? We`re going to talk to Morgan`s father in just a moment. And there he is, he`s trying to keep it together. He wants to bring his daughter home.

14-year-old Morgan, her two brothers and her grandma wanted to ring in the New Year at Houston`s Discovery Green Park which is a very famous area, but then in an instant everything changed. Morgan vanished in that crowd. That was nearly two weeks ago. Her grandmother frantically searched for Morgan and thought she caught a glimpse of some guy, some man, putting this beautiful young woman, 14 years old, into a car.

Now, Discovery Green Park is located very close to major freeways -- there you`re looking at the area. I mean, imagine how difficult that is to search and then the surrounding areas, the surrounding freeways, her parents fear Morgan could be anywhere by now.

Joining me now is Morgan`s father Ruben Hernandez. Thank you so much, Mr. Hernandez, for joining us tonight, and I know this is so difficult for you. Our hearts go out to you. We want to do what we can to put your daughter`s face out there and to talk, because maybe somebody there knows something and heard something, saw something that night; there were so many people there celebrating New Year`s Eve.

What can you tell us about the moments before your precious daughter, Morgan, disappeared? Tell us about what happened.

RUBEN HERNANDEZ, FATHER OF MORGAN HERNANDEZ: All I know is my kids were having a good time. Their grandmother surprised them. She wanted to go watch the fireworks and the concert. Later that night we got a phone call that she was missing, that she`d been missing. My mother-in-law got one of the police who were there. They tried to search for her as far as I know. And just nowhere since then on anything about her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know your wife is too upset. She was going to appear with you, and she`s too upset to even appear on camera.

I know this is heart-wrenching for you. Do you have your extended family around you tonight to help you emotionally?

HERNANDEZ: We have family at home. They`re watching. They`ve been very helpful.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m so sorry. I really am. I`m so sorry. I know this is so difficult for you and --

HERNANDEZ: Go ahead.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know. It`s the worst possible thing. But we hope -- look these people are out there, your friends and your relatives are out there.

HERNANDEZ: Yes. My cousin Angie -- they`re helping. So -- they are passing out flyers (INAUDIBLE) for her. I`ve had people call me from Louisiana. They`ve got posters out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s go over some of the facts, Mr. Hernandez. Morgan did have her cell phone with her. That`s good news. Unfortunately police say there`s been no activity on the phone since she vanished. Police are treating Morgan`s disappearance as a missing person`s case.

Right now they`re saying there`s no sign of foul play which I find really hard to believe because I definitely think this should be considered foul play especially if the grandmother is saying that she turned around and thought she saw Morgan being placed in a mysterious silver vehicle. We have no idea what model, but we just put up a silver vehicle to give you an idea.

Joe Hernandez senior investigative reporter KTRH News Radio, what do you know?

JOE HERNANDEZ, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KTRH NEWS: That`s right, Jane. This is a very strange case. Apparently Morgan was a very good student. She was a very good family member. She didn`t have any Internet social networking activities. She did have -- the cell phone, by the way, was her grandmother`s cell phone. The grandmother reports she was pushed into a car by a stranger. Why are police still treating this like a missing persons case?

It`s clear to me that some foul play may be involved. Was she taken, Jane? We need to pull out the stops here to find this beautiful 14-year- old girl.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re putting her face out there. She is indeed beautiful. She`s 14 but she kind of looks a little bit older. We pray, Hernandez Family, we are going to find her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Science can really change our world.

Science has a stigma that if you are not really smart and not Albert Einstein then you can`t do anything, but once you are involved in it, then you`re going to grow a lot faster than you ever thought you could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sometimes I hear a story of such remarkable triumph over incredible odds that I just have to tell you about it. And tonight, I want to tell you about it, right now. And you`re going to meet the girl at the center of this, the young woman who is truly amazing.

Samantha Garvey is a high school senior from Long Island and -- get this -- she is a semi-finalist in one of the most prestigious science competitions in all of America. Great accomplishment, right? Amazing. Fantastic. Any teacher or parent would be proud.

But there is a back story that makes it more fascinating. She is homeless. This high school senior and her family live in a homeless shelter.

Samantha Garvey first became homeless when she was just a little girl. Her family bought and had a place to live for years, but a car accident led to missed work and then the rent got late and, you know how it is in today`s economy. And the family is living in a shelter.

But Samantha`s living situation did not stand between her and her ambition. She just became the semi-finalist in one of the most prestigious science competitions, the Intel Science Competition, grand prize is $100,000, a scholarship for that amount.

I cannot wait to meet my very special guests; Samantha Garvey and her dad, Leo. First of all, I know that everybody here in the studio, and behind, we want to say congratulations.

I have to start, Samantha, with you. First of all, what went through you? How did you feel when you heard that you, you got the semi-finalist brass ring?

SAMANTHA GARVEY, FINALIST, INTEL SCIENCE COMPETITION: I was absolutely ecstatic. It was completely amazing. You know, I was in complete disbelief. I just -- it is the most amazing feeling, and you just can`t believe it when it is happening.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, you spent 2 1/2 years on a marine life study which I would think would be challenging, you know, under the best of circumstance, and much less, how did you do your home work and do all this work in a homeless shelter?

S. GARVEY: Well, it is just -- it`s been more recently that I have been in the homeless shelter. In high school, I am glad to say that I have been in a pretty stable situation, but it just, you know, it is, you just get through your work, and you just keep striving to do your work. That is just the bottom line.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, one thing your story can teach us is that being born into a certain lifestyle or being lucky enough to be born with money has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence or ambition or ability and certainly not the ability to overcome obstacles.

This story reminds me of the movie "Good Will Hunting". You remember that movie?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a problem on the main hallway chalkboard that my colleagues and I have had more than two years to prove, and I am hoping that one of you might prove it by the end of the semester.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most gifted mind could ever --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Leo Garvey, you are Samantha`s dad; what do you think makes your daughter special?

LEO GARVEY, FATHER OF SAMANTHA GARVEY: She`s -- she is very special. She`s a hard worker, very driven and dedicated to anything and everything that she does.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, look at her. And she looks like an executive right now. More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: During the break Samantha was telling me about her extraordinary science project that won big. What are your plans for the future, Samantha?

S. GARVEY: I have a lot of plans for the future. I plan on attending either Brown or Yale University and I want to pursue a degree in biology or marine biology. And I`d like to either be working in a government agency such as NOAA with what I am learning now and I`d like to continue what I`m doing now and continue with science research and just get a doctorate and keep on trucking.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I keep looking back at my wire copy saying she can`t just be 17. You are so mature and so well spoken and so well-dressed. I have to say that you have made me feel so good. We have had a lot of tough stories to night. And we have talked to some people going through real pain and suffering. And it makes me so happy to speak to you and to end this broadcast on a happier note.

Good luck to you.

Nancy next.

END