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Nancy Grace
House Key at Center of South Carolina Kidnapping Investigation
Aired September 07, 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: Tonight`s mystery, to South Carolina. A 15-year- old high school cheerleader, Ridge View High, asleep in her own bedroom when Mom happens to check on her, 3:00 AM. At 7:30 AM, she`s gone, Gabbiee never seen again.
Tonight, stunning new leads emerge, and in the last hours, investigators reaffirm they have rock-solid evidence Gabbiee did not leave her home willingly. Tonight, we chase the leads. Where`s the cheerleader, 15-year-old Gabrielle?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sheriff`s deputies spent much of the day searching the home of 52-year-old Freddie Grant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still looking for Gabbiee. We have not found her. We are actively looking for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If anybody does see her or know her whereabouts, I am pleading to come forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man charged with kidnapping 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheerleader at Ridge View High School.
GRACE: No windows broken. It leads you to think that someone could have had a key.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been given a key to go in and out of the house during the daytime while he was doing work. There was a nail with a keyring hanging on it, keyring right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every minute Gabbiee is missing matters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had something to do with Gabbiee`s disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quiet and reserved, kind of kept to himself a little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators have collected blood in Gabbiee Swainson`s bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now, I can`t even believe I`m going through this. I really hope, you know, that wherever she`s at, she comes home. And I hope, you know, that nothing happens to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. We are live, South Carolina. A 15-year-old girl, a high school cheerleader, Ridge View High, asleep in her own bedroom. Her mother happens to check on her, 3:00 AM. By 7:30 AM, Gabbiee is gone, never seen again.
Stunning new leads emerge in the last hours. Where is the cheerleader, 15-year-old Gabrielle?
We are taking your calls. I want to go straight out to Ellie Jostad. Ellie, a lot has happened in the last couple hours in the search for Gabbiee. Explain to me what we now know about a potential key to the home.
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right, Nancy. Well, the big question has been how did the suspect, Freddie Grant, gain entry into the house. We knew there was no sign of a real break-in there, no sign of a struggle or a broken window, anything like that.
Police now say that Freddie Grant had a key that he was given to by Gabbiee`s mother. He got this key so he could go into the house and do some flooring work, some remodeling.
He told her about six weeks ago, according to police, that he lost this key. They say he repeatedly lied, said he couldn`t find the key. However, when police searched his home, right inside the front door they found this key. And they say not that that is how he was able to get into that house in the early morning hours and abduct Gabbiee.
GRACE: I want to confirm something. Out to you, Dave Mack, talk show host, Clear Channel. Dave, is there absolutely no surveillance cameras? Are we positive about that?
DAVE MACK, WAAX CLEAR CHANNEL: As far as we know right now, there are no surveillance cameras anywhere. They`re looking for anybody who saw the light blue car that Freddie Grant owns in the hours between 3:30 and 7:30 in the morning, any witness they can find out (ph).
GRACE: Let`s see a shot of the handyman, the guy that did the yard, 52-year-old Freddie Grant. Have you hired this guy? Do you know him? Police desperately need your help. The tip line, 1-888-CRIME-SC. Freddie Grant is right now the prime suspect in this case. He`s immediately clammed up. He`s not cooperating at all.
We are taking your calls in the search for the missing cheerleader. Out to Joe Gomez, investigative reporter joining us from KRLD. Joe, I want to take it from the top. How did it go down? When Mom checked her at 3:00 AM, give me the sequence of events.
JOE GOMEZ, KRLD: Well, Nancy, it`s a terrifying story, indeed. While little Gabbiee lay asleep in her bed in the early morning hours, police say this 52-year-old neighborhood handyman snuck into her bedroom, snatched her up, then took her back to his ramshackle house.
Now, what happened after that is still a mystery. That`s where the scent kind of dies down, Nancy. But we do have some disturbing, gruesome new leads and evidence. In the meantime, Gabbiee`s parents are pulling out all the stops and hoping to find this beautiful teenage girl alive, Nancy.
GRACE: Well, you know, A lot people were saying, Did she run away? No, she didn`t run away. There`s blood evidence in her room, blood on her bed, blood in a mystery spot in her bedroom- police are not revealing the exact location -- that shows there was a struggle in her bedroom.
Honor student, magnet school for children interested in going into medicine, cheerleader, the works, played an instrument in the Praise Band at her church, Gabbiee missing from her own bedroom.
Everybody, we are taking your calls. But first, I want to go to a special guest joining us. It is Morgan Daniels. This is Gabbiee`s cheerleading coach at Ridge View High School. Ms. Daniels, thank you for being with us.
MORGAN DANIELS, GABBIEE`S CHEERLEADING COACH (via telephone): Thank you.
GRACE: I know that everyone at Ridge View is devastated and holding out hope that Gabbiee is going to come home alive. I understand she was a fantastic student, just an enthusiastic cheerleader, literally scrubbed in sunshine. How long have you known Gabbiee? Describe her personality for us.
DANIELS: OK. Gabbiee came to us in May at our tryouts for the 2012- 13 season, and that was the first opportunity that I had to meet her, was during that tryout week.
And she definitely is a beautiful young lady. She is one of the most respectful children that I`ve ever coached, very polite. Her mannerisms, everything about her is the type of child that, as a coach, you`d want to be involved in your program., the type of child that you want to work with.
GRACE: With me is Morgan Daniels. It`s Gabbiee`s cheerleading coach. Can I ask you a question? What were those tryouts like? Were they before the whole school? Were they before the cheerleading advisers? Who were they in front of?
DANIELS: We have a closed process for our tryouts. So it`s a week- long process, where the kids come in Monday through Thursday and they`re evaluated for several hours each day. And then on Friday, we`ll have the actual tryout, where they come in and sit before a panel of cheer judges, which will include the cheerleading staff. But we also bring in several other members -- staff and faculty from the school that we are familiar with had a background in cheerleading, as well.
GRACE: Well, I got to tell you something, Ms. Daniels. I tried out all different ways for cheerleading -- in front of the whole school, in front of the advisers, in front of the faculty. There were different ways different years that I tried out.
She must have had a lot of guts to do that, to hang in there. And she made it. Out of all the girls that tried out, Gabbiee made it, and apparently, her mother so proud that on top of her being an honor student, she made the cheerleading squad, as well.
Morgan Daniels is with us, everyone, taking your calls, along with the pastor of the man now suspected in Gabbiee`s disappearance.
Morgan, have you been in touch with Gabbiee`s mother?
DANIELS: Early on, when we first found out that Saturday morning that Gabbiee wasn`t at home, when Ms. Elvia came in, we were in touch with her immediately that day. She contacted us, you know, also to try to get in touch with the other cheerleaders to see if anyone had seen or heard from her.
We were speaking to her every couple of days early on. Now it`s been a little difficult for us. We see her occasionally and I send her a text message every couple of days to let her know that the program, you know, is still thinking of Gabbiee, we`re still praying for them, and you know, we want to be involved.
We have parents in the program that are working to get meals together to take over to her family to help with the family.
GRACE: Oh, you know, Morgan -- do you have children, Morgan?
DANIELS: No, ma`am. We have one on the way.
GRACE: You look and sound -- oh, really?
DANIELS: Yes, ma`am.
GRACE: Well, congratulations. God bless you. I was just listening to your voice and you seem so -- you sound so young. And I was going to say, When you have children -- oh, my stars, I can`t even imagine what Gabbiee`s mother is going through.
With me is Gabbiee`s cheerleading coach, who has worked very carefully and closely with her, nurturing her all the way to making the team. Right now, our hopes and prayers that Gabbiee somehow is still alive.
We`re taking your calls. Ashley in Florida. Hi, Ashley. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I was wondering -- from what I heard, the mother checked on the daughter around 3:00 AM and then checked again around 7:00 AM, and she was missing. And then they said that she had went to work. And I was wondering what kind of job she had. I mean, that`s not a long work, you know, schedule, like, three or four hours.
GRACE: Well, Ashley in Florida, that was my original reaction. I went, Why did a mom go to work from 3:00 until 7:00? Well, as it turns out, she works at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and she processes all of those claims that everybody files, millions of claims. And she was trying to get work done while Gabbiee was asleep so she could spend more time with Gabbiee when she was awake and be there for her.
Ellie, explain it.
JOSTAD: ... Nancy. Well, that`s what police said. From the get-go, they said what does sound strange, that she would be gone in the early morning hours. But they said that this is something that Gabbiee`s mother did all the time. She would go in, catch up on paperwork, and for the reason you said, Nancy, so that when Gabbiee was awake, they could spend that time together.
GRACE: You know, Ellie, another question. About that key -- so the yard guy, as the mom first described him, had a key to the place. We later learn that the two had dated at some time in the past...
JOSTAD: Right.
GRACE: ... that when his place was under renovation, he was allowed to live there. Now I`m showing Sheriff Lott holding up the key. Explain to me the significance of this.
JOSTAD: Right, Nancy. Well, police were trying to figure out how he was able to gain access to the house. Apparently, Gabbiee`s mother had given him a key in the past so he could come in, refinish her floors. About six weeks ago, she asked for that key back, and the suspect, Freddie Grant, said that he had lost it.
Police say that he told her he couldn`t find it. Apparently, the subject was dropped. They say he repeatedly lied about that key. They go into his house, they find it hanging from a nail right inside his front door.
GRACE: Out to the lines. J.C. in Ohio. Hi, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. My question is, the suspect that they think took Gabbiee, was that her mom`s boyfriend?
GRACE: OK, J.C., we have been around and around on this. Pull that sound for me, Liz, when we had Sheriff Lott on. And this was a couple of days into the investigation, and he was still under the belief that the mom was just friends with this guy -- his name, Freddie Grant, age 52 -- that he did her yard work, that he had done some remodeling in her home. Listen to what the sheriff had to say, J.C.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRACE: Sheriff Leon Lott, I`m getting inundated, overwhelmed with calls that -- tipping our show off that the mom, Gabbiee`s mom, and this guy had been dating for some time? Is that true?
SHERIFF LEON LOTT, RICHLAND COUNTY (via telephone): That relationship hasn`t been described that way to us. It`s more of an acquaintance than it was a girlfriend and boyfriend, a family friend and acquaintance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Where is Gabbiee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help us find Gabbiee!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still looking for Gabbiee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The man accused of kidnapping Gabbiee is Freddie Grant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a monster!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A monster.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s not a violent person. He keeps to himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He holds the key to finding Gabbiee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This key opens the door to Gabbiee`s house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They found blood in her bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found her blood on her bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Blood, her DNA and her hair found on duct tape.
We are taking your calls. Back to you, Ellie. I understand what happened that morning. She`s checked on her at 3:00 AM. At 7:00 AM, she`s gone. The mom had gone in to process some files, comes back, her daughter`s gone.
But what about his history? What do we know about his timeline?
JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, Sheriff Lott says that this man, Freddie Grant, came back into the mother`s life just this past October. And he says that this other woman -- and there`s another woman named Adriana Laster. She`s 28 years old when she disappeared in September of last year. So he says -- sheriff says, you know, Adriana Laster goes missing. A month later, Freddie Grant is back in contact with Gabbiee`s mom. He says, I don`t think that this is a coincidence.
GRACE: OK, Ellie, what do we know about his relationship with Adriana Laster?
JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, I -- we just today got this stack of police reports, a lot of them, at least six of them, involving Freddie Grant and Adriana Laster. She says that he abused her on numerous occasions. She describes one time being at Freddie Grant`s mother`s house with him. She says he beat her there, dragged her into the car. On the car ride back to his house, she claims that he poured some sort of fuel on her.
Then when they got home, he smashed her head against the brick wall. She had lacerations all over her body. And she says this was just one of a continued pattern of abuse by Freddie Grant.
GRACE: Ellie, I`m a little confused. That is an aggravated assault.
JOSTAD: Correct.
GRACE: Why wasn`t he prosecuted?
JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, he was convicted of one assault against Adriana Laster, but there were five times that we could find records of where she claimed abuse. Sometimes either she then decided not to cooperate with the investigation -- another time, they couldn`t find Freddie Grant.
But there`s this ongoing history going back two years up until the time of her disappearance that she was claiming and telling people, people who have since talked to the media, that Freddie Grant was abusive to her.
GRACE: Well, Ellie, what were the circumstances surrounding her disappearance?
JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, she was last seen in September of last year. Her mother was trying to get into contact with her, was not able to do so, told police in September that she couldn`t find her. Police were able to briefly locate her before she went missing again.
Nancy, then her mother finally called and reported her missing. Other people in the neighborhood said they do believe that Freddie Grant had something to do with her disappearance because they were all aware of what she claimed to be this ongoing pattern of abuse, and then suddenly she disappears. And that is still unsolved. No idea where that woman is.
GRACE: Liz, I want to see a side-by-side of Gabbiee compared to Adriana Laster, his last girlfriend before he hooked back up, reconnected with Gabbiee`s mother.
Everyone, we are taking your calls. Unleash the lawyers, Eleanor Odom, Joey Jackson joining us out of Atlanta, Peter Odom, defense attorney. All right, Eleanor. Weigh in.
ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: Well, Nancy, I mean, it`s clear that Freddie Grant -- first of all, we know he`s been charged with a kidnapping. But remember, a leopard doesn`t change his spots. We say this time and again. He kidnaps and is suspected in the disappearance of Laster, and now in Gabbiee, it makes sense that he is just perpetuating his same pattern of behavior.
GRACE: Peter Odom?
PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Sounds a little hysterical to me, Nancy. I mean, it sounds to me as if what the police have is a key and a suspicious statement about that key, not even...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: You left out the duct tape in his home with her hair and blood on it!
PETER ODOM: Near his home. Near his home, Nancy.
GRACE: I`d like to see Peter Odom, please!
PETER ODOM: Near his home.
GRACE: No, it was in the home...
PETER ODOM: Across the street.
GRACE: ... as well. It was also across the street in a junk pile.
PETER ODOM: Well, the police -- have the police made an arrest, yet, Nancy? Because if they haven`t...
GRACE: I`m sorry. I can`t hear you. Repeat?
PETER ODOM: Have the police made an arrest yet?
GRACE: Well, as a matter of fact, they have, Peter. He`s the prime suspect.
PETER ODOM: Prime suspect and arrest are two different things, Nancy. And it sounds to me as if their case...
GRACE: He`s been arrested, Peter!
PETER ODOM: ... is pretty thin. Well, it sounds to me as if the evidence is pretty thin at this point, and it sounds as if what the police are using...
GRACE: He`s been arrested on kidnapping charges.
PETER ODOM: Sounds to me...
GRACE: Are you talking about arrest on a murder?
PETER ODOM: ... pretty thin evidence so far, Nancy.
GRACE: OK, weigh in, Joey Jackson.
JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: ... as it relates to the other evidence in terms of him being a bad person, that concerns me because it`s propensity evidence. And what I mean by that, Nancy, is that we have to evaluate each case independently. And so if he`s going to be prosecuted...
GRACE: Joey Jackson...
JACKSON: ... I certainly would object...
GRACE: ... that`s in court!
JACKSON: ... to other things...
GRACE: We are not...
JACKSON: ... being used against him.
GRACE: ... in a courtroom right now. Those are rules for in court. This is the NANCY GRACE show. We talk about the truth!
JACKSON: But we talk about...
GRACE: We don`t talk about what a judge...
JACKSON: ... rules of court...
GRACE: ... is going to rule out!
JACKSON: ... and evidence.
GRACE: I`m telling you that Adriana Laster went missing, too, his last girlfriend. Now Gabbiee`s missing. And you tell me what? Am I supposed to pretend I don`t know that?
JACKSON: No, you`re not supposed to pretend, but we have to understand that in terms of it being used, it should not be used to show he did something else.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, LA. According to Joey Jackson and Peter Odom, I`m supposed to pretend I don`t know his last girlfriend went missing, too. Now the daughter of his other ex-girlfriend gone, duct tape with her blood and hair on it in his home.
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Nancy, not only did the last girlfriend go missing, but his abuse against that girlfriend was prolific. He broke her anger -- her ankle. He poured some fuel over her. He smashed her head into a brick wall. Before he abducted the last girlfriend, he knocked her unconscious. When witnesses came to her aid, he ran away.
So now we know a lot about this man`s offending pattern, so we can figure out what happened in the current kidnapping.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sheriff`s deputies spent much of the day searching the home of 52-year-old Freddie Grant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still looking for Gabbiee. We have not found her. We are actively looking for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If anybody does see her or know her whereabouts, I am pleading to come forward.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Man charged with kidnapping 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheerleader at Ridge View High School.
GRACE: No windows broken. It leads you to think someone could have had a key.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been given a key to go in and out of the house during the daytime while he was doing work. There was a nail with a keyring hanging on it, keyring right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every minute Gabbiee is missing matters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had something to do with Gabbiee`s disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quiet and reserved, kind of kept to himself a little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators have collected blood in Gabbiee Swainson`s bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now, I can`t even believe I`m going through this. I really hope, you know, that wherever she`s at, she comes home. And I hope, you know, that nothing happens to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls.
We are taking your calls, where is missing cheerleader, 15-year-old Gabbie, an honor student, junior varsity, a cheerleader, she was in a special magnet school for children interested in going into medicine. And not only that, she played an instrument as part of her church`s praise band.
For information or if you have a tip, 888-CRIME-SC. There`s a 6,000 reward.
We are talking your calls. Joining me right now is a special guest. Pastor William Woodard, he was the pastor to the prime system, Freddie Grant, aged 52.
Pastor, thank you for being with us.
WILLIAM WOODARD, PASTOR (via phone): You`re welcome, Nancy.
GRACE: Sir, when you knew Freddie Grant as a participant who visited your church, what was he like?
WOODARD: At first he was quite -- seemed to be a quite nice fellow. He joined the church, came to church very regular. Came to the programs like bible study and so forth, seemed very interested in being a member of the church and being, you know, being a Christian.
GRACE: What happened?
WOODARD: Oh, maybe a year or so after this, I got a call from a young lady that was a member of this church and she informed me that he was continually calling her, calling her, and she did not want him calling her and she had told him this. And I talked with him, I was kind of surprised that this happened because now I`m questioning his motives.
But anyway, I talked with him and he neither denied it nor confirmed it, showed no emotions whatsoever. Said not a word. And --
GRACE: Can I?
WOODARD: I`m sorry.
GRACE: Go ahead.
WOODARD: Two weeks after that, his wife confront the young lady and I informed her that the problem was not with the young lady, but with her husband. And again, he was standing there again, no emotions, no denials, no confirmations or anything.
GRACE: And then after that, did he continue coming to Ft. Clark Baptist?
WOODARD: Yes, he continued coming, started slacking off his attendance a little bit, but he was still coming at that time.
GRACE: You know, Pastor -- everyone, with me, pastor William Woodard. He was the pastor to the prime suspect in Gabbie`s disappearance, Freddie Grant. You know, in this case when cops first approached him about Gabbie, he did the same thing you are talking about. He gave no emotional response whatsoever. He said nothing. He did nothing. He just was completely stoic, as if he weren`t even hearing what they were saying, Pastor.
WOODARD: They were saying is right. That`s what he did with me.
GRACE: Did you ever consider him to be dangerous?
WOODARD: No, I didn`t consider him to be dangerous, I really didn`t. He gave me no reason at that time to think he was dangerous and I really didn`t hear anything about this abuse to the Luster until after this took place. I seen it with her several times, but I didn`t know of abuse.
GRACE: What did you know about their relationship? And what were the circumstances surrounding her disappearance?
WOODARD: I have no idea about the circumstances of her disappearance. After I had retired, I`ve been required for years now. I did see them at the church, because I still attend the same church. I did see them there on several occasions together. So I know that they were a, I guess you would say a couple or something. I noticed he was kind of young to be with him, but she was an adult, so, you know, I didn`t say anything because it was none of my business.
GRACE: Really? What was the age different.
WOODARD: Well, she was 28, and he is 52.
GRACE: That`s a good point, Preacher.
Everybody, we`re taking your calls, to Mel in Florida. Hi, Mel. What`s your question.
MEL, CALLER, FLORIDA: Nancy, I love your show. Thanks for taking my call.
GRACE: Thank you.
MEL: My question is did Gabbie ever tell anyone that she was uncomfortable around this guy, did he ever do anything weird around the house? I`m not blaming the mother, but did the mother , but does the mother not see her daughter, I`m usually be compel when our children are reacting strangely to adults So, I`m wondering, is she ever felt uncomfortable.
GRACE: Goo question.
To Dave Mack, morning talk show host, Clear Shallow. What do we know?
DAVE MACK, MORNING TALK SHOW HOST: She actually did post something on her facebook page, Nancy, where at she made a comment on the creeper on the couch. She was bothered by his presence there and made mention on facebook, that people take notice, as soon as she was gone, they tied up Freddie Grant.
GRACE: What did they say about the creeper on the couch.
MACK: She actually - she made a post on her facebook page, that there was a guy asleep on the couch, I assume it was day bed that he was on day two of the search for her. And she just made a comment on her facebook page that she was uncomfortable with him being there.
GRACE: So, you know what? There`s a big red flag right there. Who`s the caller, Liz?
Jane in Florida. Hi, Jane. What`s your question?
JANE, CALLER, FLORIDA: Nancy, hi, I just wanted to tell you I hope you`re still dancing because you inspired all of us.
GRACE: Sweet.
JANE: But my question is, did they find anything other than blood? What other evidence did they find inside the suspect`s home other than the blood.
GRACE: Let`s go through it, Ellie what do we know?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, police say they have blood on duct tape, blood and hair, Gabbie`s hair, Gabbie`s blood on duct tape in the suspect`s house. They say they also found duct tape with Gabbie`s blood at that junkyard, it`s like an auto junkyard right across the street from the suspect`s house.
They also said, Nancy, that they have seized his vehicle, they are processing that for DNA. They have obtained his DNA. So right now we`re waiting to find out if there was DNA in that vehicle.
And the other important thing to remember, no forensic evidence but police say that Gabbie`s cell phone, her iphone that she had with her that morning, the phone that her mom put in her hands while Gabbie was still half asleep. They say that phone moved from Gabbie`s home to the suspect`s home. They believe he took her in his car and took her back to his house.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Deputies and other law enforcement tracked around with dogs throughout various locations searching for anything that could bring Gabbie home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God knows, I pray that baby`s OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grant is a career criminal with a very lengthy record.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re finding her DNA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Duct tape with Gabbie`s blood found in the junkyard across the railroad tracks from his house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE: A master that he holds a key to finding Gabbie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn`t see her in my bed. And I panicked, I froze.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: The community searches, the vigils, the flyers, the visitors. Frank Grant, seen here in this video assisting in the search just days after she was reported missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE: We have not found her, you know, actively looking for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Right now a couple of forensic questions.
To detective lieutenant Steven Rogers with Nutley police department, former member, FBI. Detective, thanks for being with us. We know cops were able to trace Gabbie`s phone back to the suspect`s home. But since they haven`t located her, does that mean to you the cell phone trail is dead?
STEVEN ROGERS, DETECTIVE LIEUTENANT, NUTLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, not exactly, Nancy, what they can do is actually triangulate that phone, it actually, they`ll be able to track where that phone came from and where it went. As far as it being alive, that trail being alive right now, I would say it could be cold, but we have electronic devices and technology that can prove differently.
GRACE: Detective, do you think police would ever consider sending Gabbie`s mother in to talk to the suspect, Freddie Grant, I mean they did date, they did live together for a period of time?
ROGERS: I tell you, Nancy, as law enforcements officers we never allow that because a lot of emotions come into play obviously with the victim`s mother. And when a suspect is being questioned, as you know, we look at body language, we look at movements, so they probably will not allow that.
GRACE: Joining me is Dr. Michelle Dupre, medical examiner and forensic pathologist joining us out of Columbia, South Carolina.
Dr. Dupre, thank you for being was. Doctor, police are now saying they believe there`s a chance that Gabbie`s still alive, even know we know that her blood and hair has been found. What does that tell you about the type of forensic evidence that was left behind?
DOCTOR MICHELLE DUPRE, MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Nancy that can actually tell us that there wasn`t enough blood or hair or other signs of evidence that would suggest that she was not alive. So we really don`t have enough evidence to surmise that she may be dead.
GRACE: Another issue is going to be, Dr. Dupre, that we know he had remodeled in the home and therefore if cops find his fingerprints throughout the home, his defense team is going to say, well, that means nothing, he was rightfully in the home prior to Gabbie`s disappearance, that`s why his fingerprints are there. So that`s not going to be of any use.
DUPRE: Not necessarily, Nancy, it`s going to depend on where was the remodeling was done, and if his evidence is where it should not be, he should not be in those locations and that will say something also.
GRACE: Or also, if there was a bloody fingerprint, which is often the case.
We`re taking your calls. To Pete in Illinois. Hi Pete, what`s your question?
PETE, CALLER, ILLINOIS: Yes. I don`t understand just because he was arrested for kidnapping, why do you think that he murdered her? I mean, I don`t -- just because he may have kidnapped her, doesn`t mean he murdered her. I agree with that guy, Pete.
GRACE: OK. Pete in Illinois. Keep him. Don`t hang up on him.
So, what would your theory be, Pete of Illinois, that somebody - that he kidnapped her, and then somebody else came in during the kidnap and murdered her, is that your theory, Pete?
PETE: Yes. He could have had an accomplice. It could have someone else, maybe that`s why he`s staying quiet because everything just assumed it was him.
OK. Unleash the lawyers, Eleanor Odom, Peter Odom, Joey Jackson.
Eleanor Odom, if that farfetched scenario is true, both of them would be responsible for her death and her kidnapping. They would be acting on concerts, they would be co-defendant, just because one may have killed her, the other one is responsible. It is as if, two people going to rob a bank, and one of them starts shooting and killed somebody. They are both responsible that murder.
ELEANOR ODOM, DEATH PENALTY-QUALIFIED PROSECUTOR: Right. It`s under a party to a crime theory, Nancy, and it`s just as crazy. Buy you hear theories like this these desperate theories being put forth as desperate as they are, theories all the time.
Nancy, you did - nobody has mentioned this, but have you noticed how this guy hooked up, started dating Gabbie`s mother again in what, October of last year? Isn`t that convenient that he decided to go after her again knowing that she had a young daughter who was vulnerable. That`s what I would like to look into as well.
GRACE: We`ll be back but right now CNN heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: New details about the evidence investigators have collected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Where is 15-yeard-old cheerleader Gabbie? We are taking your calls, Richard, New York. Hi Richard. What is your question?
RICHARD, CALLER, NEW YORK: Hi, Nancy. Just was to let you know that the victims of this country, I don`t know what they would do without you.
Here is my question, did they interview the suspect as soon as Gabbie was missing? We know he is close to the mother?
GRACE: Good question. I want to go out to you, Joe Gomez. What do we know about how quickly they interviewed Grant?
JOE GOMEZ, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: We know, Nancy, that Grant has been completely uncooperative with authorities. He clammed up as soon as he started asking questions, in fact, he told them to talk to his attorney. So, we haven`t been able to really get anything from this guy.
What really concerns me is the amount of blood that was found in Gabbie`s bedroom and also, Nancy, these holly-point bullets found in this guy`s house. Initially some shotgun shells in his house. He was arrested for cocaine distribution and cocaine possession before. He shouldn`t have had any kind of weapons in his house. What was he doing with weapons, Nancy?
GRACE: You know, you`re right. What was he doing with weapons? And what I want to clarify, Dave Mack is about the key. Cops found the key to Gabbie and her mom`s home hanging on that rope that chain in his home. But what did he tell Gabbie`s mom?
MACK: Well, he told her he had lost it and for six weeks, she was trying to get it back. Gabbie`s mom had to know something hunky about this guy. That`s why she was trying to get the key. They were not this tight, tight thing. That`s what people keep missing out on. That key did not belong to him. She loan it had to him to work on the house and when she didn`t get it back, it freaked her out a little bit that`s why he lied about it, repeatedly, according to police.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: The man accused of kidnapping gabby is seen in this video assisting in the search just days after she was reported missing.
The missing child flier in his hand has his number on it. This is the same flier that was passed out to hundreds of people. (END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We know there`s blood there but here`s the whole run, knowing that it was forcible, the blood in her home and isn`t it true, Sheriff Lott that there is DNA in his home of Gabbie`s?
LEON LOTT, SHERIFF, RICHLAND COUNTY That`s correct. And multiple plates not only on the duct tape, which also had - he had his hair and blood, but her DNA was found other places in this house also.
GRACE: Let me see Joey Jackson and Peter Odom and Bethany Marshall.
Bethany Marshall, he was actually walking along in the search for Gabbie.
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR, DEAL BREAKERS: Yes. Because that tells about his sociopathic personality disorder. He feels he was in charge of the investigation just like he felt he was in charge of this girl and in charge with the girl`s mother that he could just walk into the home, hit her, abuse her, render her unconscious and then take her. In his mind, he is in charge of everything.
GRACE: Peter Odom, you know that he was just marching along to make sure he didn`t get too close to the evidence.
PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I mean, you assumed, Nancy, they tied evidence to his house, they haven`t tied evidence to him yet.
GRACE: Well, he lives the house, Peter Odom.
PETER ODOM: Well, I`m always interested also when prosecutors talk about suspect`s clamming up and lawmaker up.
GRACE: I guess you didn`t hear me. I just said that you --
PETER ODOM: I heard you.
GRACE: Maybe Joe Jackson, your hearing is better. He said he has evidence in the house but not connected to him. He lives in the house Joey. It`s his house.
PETER ODOM: It`s not connected to him.
GRACE: I`m talking to Joey Jackson.
PETER ODOM: As the caller suggests.
GRACE: Joey, can you answer.
JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I can`t. I mean, there is evidence that is incriminating in the home. We have to remember couple of things. First, as to the key itself. The key suggests he has it does it suggest he used it? He entered the home or otherwise did anything improper? It does not in of itself suggest that.
GRACE: He lied about the key. That`s improper. But thanks, Joey Jackson.
Let`s stop and remember army sergeant first class Severin Summers, III, 43, Bentonia, Mississippi. Purple heart, army commendation medal, LSU grad, loved the outdoors, riding his chopper. Leaves behind parents, West and Charlene. Sister, Andrea. Three brothers serving special forces, widow, Tammy. Three daughters. Severin Summers, American hero.
Thanks to our guest but especially to you for being with us.
Special good night from the New York control room. Good night, Brett, Liz, who`s hiding? Stacy, Dana, Amy.
Everybody, Jane Velez-Mitchell up next. I will see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern and until then, good night, friend.
END
