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Nancy Grace
Drug Bust a Possible Connection to Missing Maine Toddler?
Aired February 02, 2012 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, live, Maine. 8:00 PM, Daddy puts his 20-month-old baby girl to bed. 9:00 AM, she is gone. Tonight, it is confirmed the blood found in the basement of Daddy`s home is that of toddler girl Ayla, that blood found in Daddy`s basement bedroom. Police say forensics prove somebody tried to wipe the girl`s blood away.
As Mommy and Daddy now appear to be friendly again, investigators say they have grave doubts Ayla was ever kidnapped. But did baby Ayla actually go missing long before cops were ever called? We uncover Daddy`s elaborate plan to keep Mommy away from the baby. Every time Mommy tries to see or contact the toddler, there was a new and different excuse to turn Mommy down.
Bombshell tonight. Is Daddy`s sleepover girlfriend connected to an oxycodone and cocaine police raid? In the last hours, we learn a drug raid goes down at 36 Pine Street, where the girlfriend`s sister goes down for intent to distribute the super-addictive painkiller oxycodone.
And tonight, we zero in on the potential witness to baby Ayla`s disappearance, the girlfriend. Is she the weak link in the chain set to crack and reveal the truth about baby Ayla? Insiders in Daddy`s camp insist a, quote, "third party" involved. And tonight, police set to start yet another forensic dive in the search for the baby, the fourth water dive we know of so far. Why are police focused on water? And is the mystery vehicle involved? As dumpsters are searched and bloodhounds brought into the home, tonight, where is 20-month-old baby Ayla?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A mother`s worst nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve never had a case (INAUDIBLE) like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is still no sign of the toddler.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ayla Reynolds is still missing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The toddler vanished from her father`s Waterville home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t want my daughter to ever think that I wasn`t doing everything that I could to get her home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police in Maine are searching frantically.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve canvassed the neighborhood. We`ve talked to neighbors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They discovered blood in the basement, or i.e., bedroom of the father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can confirm the blood was Ayla`s.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the neighbors` homes was also searched for Ayla`s body.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the discovery of that blood, this is a homicide investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police suspect foul play but have revealed virtually nothing about what they do know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has become more evident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police flat-out saying they don`t believe baby Ayla was abducted, as her father is claiming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the last thing somebody would want to do is take a baby with a broken arm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did not hear (ph) anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not -- I`m not here to answer any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not about me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These folks do not want to speak to anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who could not come out and say something? I mean, look at her!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the public`s help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. Is Daddy`s sleepover girlfriend connected to an oxycodone and cocaine police raid? What does this mean to the search for Ayla? Is the girlfriend the weak link in the chain set to crack and reveal the truth about baby Ayla`s whereabouts?
Tonight, we uncover a cache of revealing photos of the so-called girlfriend. Let`s see our shot of Courtney Roberts, a 24-year-old young lady from Waterville, Maine. There you see her whooping it up in a stretch limo. That is Courtney Roberts, according to our sources.
Here are more photos of her. Let`s take a look at extremely revealing pregnancy photos. We know the night baby Ayla goes missing, the girlfriend, the sleepover girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, age 24, is in the home with her son. We uncover photos, very revealing photos, starting here. Courtney Roberts, age 24, bares all during pregnancy, graphic photos of her tummy. Inside the tummy, the baby boy in the home the night baby Ayla disappears.
Now, according to their reports, their story is that the baby is in the bed, in the bedroom with this girlfriend and Ayla`s father the night Ayla goes missing, baby Ayla put in a different bedroom all by herself on another floor of the home.
Straight out to Bonnie Druker standing by there in Maine. Bonnie, what do we know about the drug raid that goes down there on Pine Street? I believe nearly 1,000 oxycodone pills plus bags of cocaine?
BONNIE DRUKER, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: What a doozy, Nancy! The sister of Courtney Roberts, 23-year-old Briana Roberts, was arrested for dealing. Now, cops busted her for 1,000 oxycodone pills. Nancy, that is a street value of about 15,000 bucks. It was also 19 grams of cocaine. She was charged with aggravated trafficking of oxycodone, Nancy.
GRACE: I want to ask you a couple more questions about this drug bust. Let`s go to John DePetro, WPRO host, joining us. John, thank you for being with us tonight.
We uncover revealing photos of the girlfriend, the so-called sleepover girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, age 24, her in a stretch limo, her partying with friends, her pregnancy photos, it goes on and on and on, her description of herself on line.
What do we know about the drug bust? What do we know about the girlfriend and her story to police?
JOHN DEPETRO, WPRO AM RADIO: Nancy, the bust took place two weeks ago, which is amazing, when you think about it, the magnitude of this case and this type of behavior still going on. We know very little about the girlfriend. She hasn`t spoken out. She wasn`t with Justin at the vigil.
And why is it in Justin`s mind it was so important that she was allowed to have her child sleep in the basement that night, yet Ayla is in a room upstairs in a room that Ayla has never stayed in? It`s time we hear from the girlfriend.
GRACE: Here are the shots that we know of, Courtney Roberts, age 24, in the home the night baby Ayla goes missing. To Christopher Cousins, reporter with "The Bangor Daily News," joining us. Christopher, what has been the extent of the sleepover girlfriend`s cooperation with police?
CHRISTOPHER COUSINS, "BANGOR DAILY NEWS" (VIA TELEPHONE): Police say that all three adults who were in the home of Justin DiPietro on December 16th have been cooperative. I was told today that that cooperation continues and that anything the police need to know from them, they are cooperating.
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Out to Cheryl. Hi, Cheryl. What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. My question is, I`m just curious as to what kind of relationship the father had with his mother. And if any of these people are found out that they knew and withheld information, what would happen to them?
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining us, Eleanor Odom, former senior attorney with the National District Attorneys Association, John Manuelian, defense attorney, LA, Peter Odom, defense attorney, Atlanta.
Eleanor Odom, the extent of the girlfriend`s cooperation with police in question tonight. But we know she`s very liberal with her -- let me just say facts, her personal information on line, and with others. But why not cooperate with police? Let me ask you this, Eleanor. If it is learned that these three in the home are holding back evidence, what penalty, if any?
ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: Well, they could be charged with obstruction of justice, Nancy, and that`s a very important charge. But you know what I also find interesting is what the girlfriend has told us. She said that baby Ayla was in another room. Both of them have said that. But you know what, Nancy? They`re the only people have said that. How do we know that that premise is even true? Baby Ayla could have been anywhere or even missing, if you want to use that term, for days before we actually learned of it. So I`m really interested in this timeline.
GRACE: I have with me the affidavit as to the drug bust there at the home, 36 Pine. There you see on the left, the girlfriend there the night baby Ayla goes missing.
Back to the lawyers, Eleanor Odom, Peter Odom, John Manuelian. I`m taking a look at the affidavit of the drug cop that made the bust. To you, Peter Odom. He finds 998 oxycodone pills, 15 milligram. Not only that, she volunteers, after Miranda, that she distributes oxycodone and cocaine, doesn`t personally use the drugs, but distributes them. A chemical field test is positive for cocaine. The penalty, up to 20 years.
Now, this is all going down in the home of Briana Roberts, sister of dad`s girlfriend. That is what`s happening, Peter. Now, what does this foretell about baby Ayla?
PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Is there any evidence that baby Ayla was ever exposed to these drugs? If not, then nothing. I mean, if this young woman is ever convicted of these things, and it doesn`t bode well for her, I don`t think it means a thing about baby Ayla`s experiences, Nancy.
GRACE: Manuelian, do you want to try to tell me that with a straight face? This has nothing to do at all with the baby? You`ve got the girlfriend there in the home! There`s a drug raid going down at Pine Street!
JOHN MANUELIAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Ninety percent of violent crimes are either (ph) attributed to drug use, especially cocaine is a problem. And cocaine could have been used in this case, and shown that it may have been an indirect or direct consequence of baby Ayla`s injuries or perhaps her death. This person could have went into an anger rage using cocaine or any of the other drugs. So it could be used.
GRACE: OK, to Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, author of "Dealbreakers." Bethany, let`s just cut all the legal BS. What does this mean? Here you`re seeing shots of what could be -- very revealing shots of what could be the weak link in the chain, the chain of knowledge as to what happened to baby Ayla, the girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, age 24. Now, if she`s willing to reveal this on line, why can`t we get the truth about what happened the night baby Ayla goes missing? We find out the sister is busted for cocaine and oxycodone!
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, everything she reveals on line is about herself! It`s narcissistically fueled. And what this tells me is there are three adults, the father of baby Ayla, the girlfriend and the girlfriend`s sister, and they are very self-involved parents. Drugs, tummy shots on line, explicit information about herself -- I don`t see a parental attitude towards the children in the household.
And I am so concerned that baby Ayla had a broken arm, that Dad missed an appointment for the doctor, a vital appointment so that baby Ayla could have a checkup. And one of the things he says is that when you go to those kinds of doctors` appointments, reports will be filed. This father may have been already abusing baby Ayla and avoided a doctor`s appointment so that a child abuse report would not have been filed. And that concerns me greatly. What all did these three adults see that was going on in that home?
GRACE: Back to John DePetro, WPRO host. Very revealing photos of the girlfriend partying with other women. I`m wondering where the photos were taken. I`m wondering where was baby Ayla at the time the photos were taken. It`s a treasure trove, in my mind, of evidence regarding who was taking care of baby Ayla. Liz, let`s see the Halloween photos that we were showing earlier.
Weigh in, DePetro.
DEPETRO: You know, Nancy, there`s a lot of questions that come out of this relationship between Justin and Courtney Roberts. How did they meet? Does anybody work? Justin lives in his mother`s basement. Where does she live, spend most of the time? And one other fact that can`t be ignored, people involved in crime hesitate to call the police to have them come into their residence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Ayla`s neighborhood. And you can see some friends of the family are clearing off the snow off of her memorial.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a story full of twists...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can confirm the blood is Ayla`s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, I`m not -- I`m not here to answer any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My reaction is I`m still trying to concept (ph) the fact that blood was found.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Questions about the blood evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the blood was visible. Some of it was detected by luminol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They bring in the luminol light, they shine it, and they find what, massive amounts of blood?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Making a personal appeal to Ayla`s father, begging him to share what he knows with police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had left the home after we spoke briefly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pleading for the truth about what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something solid that I knew, I mean, I would be sharing that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) questioned your parenting skills. It`s even been raised the question of an arm injury that your daughter has. She said that she worried Ayla wasn`t safe in your care. Your reaction to that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as I know, there was never any concerns. We had both agreed that me having her at this point in time was the best thing for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was Ayla`s father on NBC`s "Today" show. Tonight, we learn that more dives are in the works. This is the fourth water dive that we know of.
Out to Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer. Ellie, what can you tell me about the dives that have been conducted so far and the next dive that the state -- the Maine State Police have planned?
Everybody, you`re seeing shots of the girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, age 24. Tonight, we learn a drug raid goes down, her sister there charged with intent to distribute oxycodone. We also discover cocaine is there, and she tells police she distribute cocaine, as well.
Ellie, what about the dive?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, throughout this investigation, they`ve been focusing on bodies of water that are close to the father, Justin DiPietro`s, home. First of all, they searched the Messalonskee stream. It`s less than a mile. It`s just a couple of blocks from the dad`s house. This is a shallow stream. They actually lowered the water level so they could wade the banks, search very carefully, fly above in a helicopter, or a plane, rather, and check to see if there`s anything in the water.
They also checked the Kennebec River, Nancy. Even though it was partially frozen, there were chunks of ice in the river, they still put divers in to look for evidence. We hear that they are gearing up to do more dives like those. That is something police are working on right now, more searches, more dives in the area.
GRACE: With me is David Badali, police diving instructor. David, so many searches done and all of them in freezing temperatures. What is required to do a cold temp search, a forensic search?
DAVID BADALI, POLICE DIVING INSTRUCTOR (via telephone): Well, Nancy, these divers are going to be in drysuits that will use air from their tanks (INAUDIBLE) their suits (INAUDIBLE) They`ll rotate in and out on 30-minute dives so they`re not (INAUDIBLE) that long.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think they know more than they`re telling us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this is the house where Ayla lived in. According to her father, Justin DiPietro, she vanished from this house, abducted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened that night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot go out there and speculate and -- which is what a lot of people have done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police flat-out saying they don`t believe baby Ayla was abducted, as her father is claiming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not found one piece of evidence to back that up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know what happened to my daughter, and I want to know where she is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The haunting video has stuck with many of us, shots of baby Ayla dancing around to what we think is Christmas music. Here you`re seeing shots that have just been uncovered of the so-called sleepover girlfriend, there in the home the night the baby goes missing, police insisting that the baby was never kidnapped and the baby did not walk out of the home on her own.
Back to David Badali, police diving instructor. Let`s see the video of the dive ongoing. Police now planning yet another search of a local body of water. It`s very intensive, very exhausting to do cold water dives. Explain, David Badali. Yet Maine State Police are continuing the dive search effort.
BADALI: They are, Nancy. And they put out a statement that they were getting geared up to more do additional dives. I think they`re going to start doing some grid searching under water, to cover just about every square foot of sites that they`ve already visited.
These divers are going to have to circulate in and out every 30 minutes just to protect themselves from the cold water. It is extremely cold, so they`ll be using heavy neoprene gloves and hoods, the worst kind of conditions imaginable for diving.
GRACE: Is it more difficult to see under water under these conditions?
BADALI: Actually, no, Nancy. This weather here, they`ll have very good visibility. It`s just the cold water temps that will, you know, prohibit the divers from staying in for long periods of time. So they`re going to have to circulate in and out. But the visibility should not be an issue.
GRACE: I want to go back to you, Ellie Jostad. The bodies of water that have been searched so far, and if we know of the next body of water to be searched -- where are they in relation to Ayla`s home?
JOSTAD: Right, Nancy. Well, you can see there on the map that Messalonskee stream -- that is just a couple of blocks away from the dad`s house. The Kennebec River I believe is about 2, 3 miles away from the dad`s home. But those are the two locations that they`ve focused on at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) eyes. She`s got the bluest eyes and the longest eyelashes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m ready to go knocking at people`s doors myself because I want to know what happened to my daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hope from day one is that we`ll be able to locate baby Ayla safe and return her home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police in Maine say they are no closer to finding baby Ayla.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the public`s help.
TRISTA REYNOLDS, MOTHER OF MISSING 20-MONTH-OLD AYLA REYNOLDS: I`m ready to go knocking on people`s doors myself.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This family has gone through hell.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Her grandmother told detectives, some things around the house didn`t look the same.
PHOEBE DIPIETRO, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING 20-MONTH-OLD AYLA REYNOLDS: Some oddities that I had noticed.
CANDIOTTI: She wouldn`t reveal them to us.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Blood was found in the basement of Ayla`s father`s home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the blood was visible, some of it was detected by Luminol.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: DiPietro refused to comment about the blood that was found.
REYNOLDS: I think he does -- he knows where she is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t know anyone else that can confirm the last time that they saw baby Ayla.
REYNOLDS: Did she really go missing Friday night?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A key figure here is Phoebe, the grandmother. It was her house. When was the last time she saw baby Ayla?
P. DIPIETRO: I didn`t hear anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight disturbing evidence emerges that the so-called sleepover girlfriend there in the home the night baby Ayla goes missing is connected to a family drug den, 36 Pine. The focus of an intense drug raid that reveals nearly 1,000 oxycodone tablets as well as a quantity of cocaine. An amount that likens to intent to distribute. According to police records, the sister says that she was selling cocaine and oxycodone, if not a user herself.
What if anything does this have to do with the disappearance of a beautiful baby girl, Ayla?
We are taking your calls. Back to Bonnie Druker, our producer on the story.
Bonnie, what more can you tell me? You`re there on the scene.
BONNIE DRUKER, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, I can tell you that Courtney Roberts was a health science major. She got a BA. And I can tell you that the entire neighborhood, this whole community is obsessed with what is going on, Nancy. They watch us every night, they pay close attention, again we know that no one from Justin`s family is talking to us. We saw yesterday the trespassing sign. So we are trying to get more information. We are on the ground and we are talking to people.
GRACE: Well, if the neighbors are so willing to -- you know, are so involved in the case, have they revealed which neighbor`s home it is that was searched for blood evidence and anything related to the disappearance of baby Ayla?
DRUKER: No, they haven`t done that yet. But we`re getting close, Nancy, we`re getting close.
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Straight out to Mark in Massachusetts.
Hi, Mark. What`s your question?
MARK, CALLER FROM MASSACHUSETTS: Hey, Nancy, I just want to say that I love you on "Dancing with the Stars," and I hope they have you back this season.
GRACE: Thank you. What is your question, love?
MARK: I was wondering, if Ayla, it`s obvious she was probably killed, if she was killed in a drug-fuelled rage, the person who did it, are they just as guilty as someone if they weren`t on on drugs? Is there anything different like oh it was the drugs, and they`re OK, or what?
GRACE: Well, long story short, there`s no evidence drugs were found in Ayla`s home the night that she went missing, but now we have a drug connection with the sister, very disturbing. Very disturbing. But under the law, voluntary use of drugs or alcohol is not a defense.
Unleash the lawyers, Eleanor Odom, Peter Odom, John Manuelian. What about it, Elle? ELEANOR ODOM, FELONY PROSECUTOR, DEATH PENALTY QUALIFIED: Well, you hit it right on the head, Nancy, you can`t use that. You can`t say, oops, I took drugs so therefore I`m not responsible for my actions. You`re responsible for every action whether or not you voluntarily took those drugs or alcohol.
GRACE: Peter?
PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: But in the state of Maine, the jury is allowed to consider voluntary intoxication, in deciding whether someone was capable of acting purposely. In other words --
GRACE: Forming intent.
P. ODOM: Right. Exactly. It can reduce the level of intent. So it`s relevant but it`s not a defense as you suggest.
GRACE: You`re absolutely correct, Peter Odom. It is not a defense. What about it, Manuelian?
JOHN MANUELIAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Correct, it could actually lower the charges to voluntary manslaughter, especially if this was done under the rage of cocaine or any other type of drug. It may buy him out of the murder case and bring him down to a voluntary manslaughter case.
GRACE: Let`s just get to the brass tax, lawyers. Let`s take off our hats, prosecution and defense, and talk about how we can crack the case. All right? We know there`s three adults in the home that night. We know there`s three children. You`ve got the father of Ayla, his sleepover girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, 24 years old, the photos we`re showing of -- of her, extremely revealing, and we`ve got his blood sister and her child.
All right. Very often have you found, Eleanor, that one party won`t speak because they wrongfully believe that they`re helping by not telling police the truth, or they fear they`ll be implicated in some way.
E. ODOM: That happens all the time, Nancy. And then what happens is, they then face a charge perhaps of abuse of the child or murder of the child. If that comes on down the pike. But you know you`ve got to talk to everybody in the house. And when somebody is not talking to you, when they`re not being forthcoming, then, of course, you`re going to have suspicions. So that the most important thing to do when you`re looking at this type of case.
GRACE: Manuelian?
MANUELIAN: Yes, you know, these people might have cracked and told friends in privacy what really happened, so the police have to implore the friends to come forward or third parties to come forward if they have any information.
GRACE: Peter Odom, all three -- all four of us have seen this a million times, where several parties are on the scene of a crime.
P. ODOM: Right.
GRACE: Nobody wants to talk because they think they`ll be implicated when the reality is who talks first normally gets the best deal.
P. ODOM: Somebody here knows something. This kid was not abducted, that`s clear. The police are being smart, in my opinion. They`re not arresting anybody and throwing them in jail and trying to coerce them, that`s what happened in the Casey Anthony case, and we see how well that worked. But laying off and letting people decide to come to the police themselves.
GRACE: Back to John DePetro, WPRO. Either you or Christopher Cousins from "Bangor Daily News" earlier talking about how -- was anybody working in the home? How are they supporting themselves?
JOHN DEPETRO, HOST, WPRO AM RADIO: That`s what we don`t know, Nancy. I mean one thing about the girlfriend`s sister, who was arrested, admitted dealing drugs, she seems to be the only one that`s working. We don`t know much about -- about the sister, the girlfriend, other than she has a child. She stays overnight with her boyfriend, Justin, who lives in his mother`s - -
GRACE: Wait, are you`re saying the only one that worked was the drug dealer?
DEPETRO: The only one that we know of is the sister who was in fact the drug dealer. We haven`t heard any --
GRACE: And her job is a drug dealer? Well, this is what I know about the girlfriend other than the shots of her that she`s posted online. She says she`s single, trying to make friends online. She says she`s straight, she says she`s a Libra, a proud parent. We see all her colleges, Corey College, Southern Maine, during high school.
I don`t see anything about a job, nothing at all. All I see is a lot of party picks. Let`s see those picks from New Year`s Eve, I think that tells it all.
You know, to Christopher Cousins with the "Bangor Daily News." What more do we know about who was working in that home? How were they supporting themselves, and what do we know about this sister? I mean she`s living there in the home where the girlfriend lists her address.
How could the girlfriend not know when you got oxycodone and cocaine in the home, and the sister says she`s selling dope? How could she not know?
CHRISTOPHER COUSINS, REPORTER, BANGOR DAILY NEWS: Well, unfortunately for many of us following this case, people on Justin`s side of the family have not been talking a lot to the media. We know very little about what they do for day jobs, if anything, and as far as Courtney`s sister goes, police have stressed to me over and over again that, you know, her drug arrest has nothing to do with this case, with the Ayla case.
GRACE: You know, another issue is emerging regarding all the people there in the home that night and family.
To Mark Smith, polygraph expert, president of New Jersey Polygraphist.
Mark, we`ve learned that the mother`s side of the family, many of her relatives have taken polygraphs, including Ayla`s uncle, who passed his polygraph. They`re all willing to take polygraphs. The maternal grandmother took a polygraph, the mother took a polygraph, the uncle took a polygraph. What does that say to you, Mark Smith?
MARK SMITH, FORMER DETECTIVE AND POLYGRAPH EXPERT, PRESIDENT, NJ POLYGRAPHISTS: It says the only problem polygraph we`ve seen so far is the father`s, and that`s not surprising, given the facts of this case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: I want to know what happened to my daughter. And I want to know where she is, and who took her.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: DiPietro refused to comment about the blood that was found in his home.
JUSTIN DIPIETRO, FATHER OF MISSING 20-MONTH-OLD GIRL AYLA REYNOLDS: Again, I`m not -- I`m not answering any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were gathering evidence inside this home for about a week and a half. There were hundreds of pieces of potential evidence that was taken. Among them is blood that we found in the basement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day it`s hard. Every day it`s hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The frustrating part is that we have three adults inside that home that night. And we don`t think we`re getting the full story as to what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Ron Reynolds is making a personal appeal to Ayla`s father begging him to share what he knows with police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justin, if you, your brother, your mother, somebody in that family know something, be man enough to come forward and say something to the state police. Be man enough to bring her home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. We have been in close touch with Ayla`s mother as well as her maternal grandfather, the whole family devastated. Completely devastated. They have appeared here many times, answering the hard questions. The mom opening up about her rehab, about missing her child, about trying to reach baby Ayla in the days she -- before she goes missing. Every time daddy would put up yet another barrier to her seeing or speaking to the baby. Which leads us to the question, how long had baby Ayla really been missing, before police were really called in.
We are taking your calls, very quickly to Dawn Davis, case manager at Laura Recovery Center. They begged Ayla`s father to speak out.
Dawn Davis, thank you for joining us. What happened?
DAWN DAVIS, SR. CASE MANAGER, LAURA RECOVERY CENTER: Thank you, Nancy. Justin contacted us in the beginning of January to ask for assistance, to bring awareness to the fact that Ayla was missing. And we just encouraged him to act as an advocate for his child, be there for law enforcement, answer their questions, accurately and with honesty, and to get involved with the media, because we know that with the media, they can distribute that child`s flyer to the greatest number of people possible in the shortest amount of time.
GRACE: You know speaking of that, with me, Dawn Davis from the Laura Recovery, who begged the father to speak out and cooperate with the media.
But Dawn, when we go thereafter he invited me and our show to come spend a day, walk a mile in his shoes, we show up, and grandma plunks down a no trespassing sign and won`t answer questions. So there you go with that idea, Dawn Davis. But you`re -- I understand your heart is in the right place, it just never translated to daddy.
Joining me right now, special guest, physician, Dr. Ann Contrucci.
Dr. Ann, we know of four water dives so far in the search for baby Ayla.
DR. ANN CONTRUCCI, PEDIATRICIAN: Right.
GRACE: Another one planned, police won`t tell us why. But they are focusing on bodies of water, close to Ayla`s home. How quickly do you lose forensic evidence? How quickly does it degrade in water? I`m talking about a potential body.
CONTRUCCI: Well, Nancy, that`s a multifactorial question because there`s a lot of things that affect the decomposition of a body. However, the fact that this is Maine and it is the wintertime, that actually may help slow the decomposition because obviously as we`ve already heard, the water is very, very cold. So that actually potentially can help in terms of slowing down the decomposition. Since she`s been missing now for -- is it -- right at about six weeks, I think?
GRACE: Several weeks, yes.
CONTRUCCI: Five to six? Yes.
GRACE: Yes. Dr. Ann -- everyone, Dr. Ann Contrucci joining us.
Dr. Ann, now, a drug bust, a drug raid goes down. What is oxycodone? 998 oxycodone pills, is that the same thing as Oxycontin?
CONTRUCCI: It is. It`s -- that`s one of the trade names. There`s a couple other trade names but most people know it as Oxycontin. You know, big money on the streets. But what it is a narcotic, a very heavy narcotic, it`s derived from an opiod type narcotic. So it`s made for pain, moderate -- relief of moderate to severe pain. That`s the licit use for it. The illicit use, and why it`s become so popular is, it`s easy to get, you know, people get prescriptions for it, it sells big.
And the illicit effects in terms of the euphoria you can get is highly addictive, so you know you`ve got a highly addictive drug, easy to get, sell it on the streets, you know, recipe for disaster. And I mean, can I make the comment, the last time I checked, you know, illicit drug use, cocaine, selling prescription drugs and parenting don`t go along real well together.
GRACE: No, they don`t, Dr. Ann.
CONTRUCCI: Concerning. Very concerning.
GRACE: And everybody I met Dr. Ann Contrucci in the ER. She knows what she`s talking about.
Dr. Ann, one quickly question I want to talk to you about. The blood found in daddy`s bedroom, cops say it will reveal it is more from what comes from a cut that would arise from a cut. It is Ayla`s blood. Other police sources have stated it looks as though the blood were part of a cleanup. Someone tried to wipe it away.
To my knowledge, there`s no way to date blood like when was the blood left there. I mean you`ve got a carbon 14 test, but that is talking about -- you`re talking about dinosaur remains.
CONTRUCCI: Right.
GRACE: You know, centuries old to get a carbon 14, that`s not going to narrow anything down in those space of weeks. Can you date blood evidence?
CONTRUCCI: You really can`t. But, you know, again, we know it`s Ayla`s blood, I think one important point potentially, for the investigators was there any sort of pattern to the blood stain, although if they tried to wipe it up because, you know, it`s kind of like when we`re looking at patterns of abuse, patterns of trauma, patterns of bruising. You know there can sometimes be some clues for investigators that are trained in a blood stain type pattern. But if they tried to wipe it off, you know, that`s challenging.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Brenda in Utah. Hi, Brenda, what`s your question?
BRENDA, CALLER FROM UTAH: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call, I appreciate it.
GRACE: Yes, dear.
BRENDA: I want to tell you, I think you and Tristan were robbed on "Dancing with the Stars".
(LAUGHTER
GRACE: Thank you. I`ll tell Lyn that, maybe we`ll get a reversal on appeal. What`s your question, love?
BRENDA: Highly disappointed, I really was. So my question is, since there seems to be some kind of stress related with this sister or sister- in-law, could it be possibly that they traded the baby for drugs?
GRACE: You know what, there are always theories like that going around, but just how rooted in reality are theories like that, Eleanor Odom?
E. ODOM: You really don`t see that at all, Nancy. The only time we see trading babies a lot of time for sexual exploitation purposes so we don`t see it with the drugs.
GRACE: To Meghan in Michigan. Hi, Meghan, what`s your question?
MEGHAN, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN: My goodness, I can`t even believe I got through. I watch you every night. You are a role model, you are a wonderful mother. I am just ecstatic that I even get to speak with you.
GRACE: Meghan, I don`t deserve that, but thank you.
MEGHAN: Oh, I think you do.
GRACE: What do you think about this case, Meghan?
MEGHAN: Well, it makes me sick. All these people doing all these awful things to their children. And you can`t tell me that the dad did not do something to this little girl. I feel so bad for the mother, I feel so bad for everyone who loves this child, and this poor little baby is hopefully with God and won`t have to suffer with her father`s abuse any more.
I mean, you`ve got to look at it, if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it`s probably a duck. And I think that`s what`s going on. That`s what happened. And it`s sad, but you know it`s terrible. This is a homicide investigation --
GRACE: Well, you know, your theory, I have found out typically plays out in the courtroom. To Dr. Bethany Marshall, you know, as she said, it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, looks like a duck -- let me say daddy has not been named a suspect nor as anyone in that home. What about it, Bethany?
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": But it`s true. On today`s show, that clip you just played, did he plead for his little girl`s return? No, he did not. Has he gone out and asked what has happened to little baby Ayla? No. A lot could be gleaned from a forensic psychological evaluation. An evaluator should try to find out, does Justin have empathy for the -- for the child and did he have hatred towards her?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Breaking news tonight. Is a drug den of Oxycontin and cocaine connected to the investigation in the search for baby Ayla? This looks likes an all-American neighborhood and family. Baby Ayla now missing.
Out to the lines, Teresa in Pennsylvania. Hi, Teresa. What`s your question.
TERESA, CALLER FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Hi, Nancy, thanks for taking my call. Couldn`t they force the girlfriend and the grandmother to take a polygraph, and if so, couldn`t they hold them if they thought they --
GRACE: Were lying.
TERESA: They do something more?
GRACE: To Eleanor Odom, Peter Odom, John Manuelian.
Peter, you can`t force anybody to take a poly, yes, no?
P. ODOM: You`re correct, you cannot force someone to take a polygraph.
GRACE: Agree, Manuelian?
MANUELIAN: Yes, I do.
GRACE: Eleanor?
E. ODOM: Yes, you can`t force a poly.
GRACE: OK. Marlene in Maryland -- as much as I wish we could force a poly, not happening. Same with sodium pentathol, the truth serum.
Hi, Marlene, what`s your question?
MARLENE, CALLER FROM MARYLAND: Hi, Nancy, how you doing? I have only one question.
GRACE: OK.
MARLENE: Oxycontin, the cocaine, the blood smears, why aren`t these people in jail? I don`t understand it.
GRACE: You know what, good question. Ellie Jostad, is the girlfriend sister behind bars? Didn`t she bond out?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE CHIEF EDITORIAL PRODUCER: She did, Nancy, bonded out on $5,000, but she`s facing almost 20 years in jail on that federal trafficking charge.
GRACE: To Jason, hi, Jason, what`s your question, dear?
JASON, CALLER: Good evening, Nancy, how are you?
GRACE: I`m great.
JASON: That`s good. Nice talking with you again.
GRACE: Likewise. What`s your question?
JASON: Yes, I have two quick questions. Could this be a possible drug case and has anyone else taken a drug test?
GRACE: Interesting, to John DePetro, WPRO, no suggestion from Maine State Police that this is a drug case. Has anybody taken a drug test?
DEPETRO: They have not, Nancy. No, we heard no reports about a drug test, and we haven`t heard anything from Justin at all since he went to the vigil Saturday. Since then, he`s been silent, his brother has been silent. His sister who`s in the house has been silent, and grandma is putting a no trespassing sign on the front lawn.
GRACE: From what we know tonight, nothing, no word from this girlfriend, the sleepover girlfriend, Courtney Roberts, age 24. The more we learn, the more bleak it looked for baby Ayla.
Let`s stop and remember, Army Sergeant Robert Rapp, 22, Sonora, California, killed in Afghanistan. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, three Army Achievement Medals. Meritorious Service. Loved outdoors, skiing, cross- country running, a ski run, Vietnam vets chapter and elementary school annual race back home all named after him. Dreamed of getting married, buying a house down the street from his parents and raising a family. Leaves behind parents, Theodore and Jennifer, brother, Patrick.
Robert Rapp, American hero.
Thanks to our guests, most especially you for being with us. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
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