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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Lunsford Family Copes with Loss; Youth Baseball Game Turns Deadly; Silicone Implants Recommended for Approval
Aired April 14, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Lou, thanks very much.
Sometimes stories seem to come in waves, so perhaps we seem to notice them in waves. As we sit here this evening this Thursday, a 14-yard-old girl is missing in California, a 16-year-old girl is missing in Alabama and in Florida which is far from over the trauma of the abduction and the rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, the search is on for another young girl. It is hard to believe but it is true.
This young girl is just 13-years-old. We have been following her story since this weekend. Her name is Sarah Michelle Lunde.
Now she has not been seen in her hometown of Ruskin since Saturday. There is a massive police investigation underway. They have been interviewing a number of people of interest, but at this point they have not named any suspects in particular. Police and in the bay side town of 8300 have been questioning, in particular, a local sex offender in the case.
Now, you might be surprised that so small a place has a registered sex offender. But the truth is you shouldn't be surprised given all the stories that we have seen and what we are going to see tonight.
The really shocking news is that this man, this man who police have been questioning is just one of a couple of dozen registered sex offenders in this small community, some 4800 people.
Susan Candiotti has been looking into the story. Tonight she takes us beyond the headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the 100 plus volunteers searching for Sara Lunde, a familiar face, Mark Lunsford still reeling from the murder of his daughter Jessica allegedly at the hands of a sex offender.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: People I never met before helped me, so you know it's just another way to me to give back and show my appreciation.
CANDIOTTI: Like Lunsford's hometown of Homasassa Springs, population around 12,000, Ruskin about 100 miles away also is home to about two dozen registered sex offenders. Among Ruskin's 8,000 residents, those 24 sex offenders are well scattered around Sarah Lunde's home circled in blue.
When children are reported missing sex offenders are the first possible suspects. Police so far have not linked her disappearance to any of them.
Why sexual predators choose to live in a particular location is not known. Experts say no definitive studies have been done. Police in other authorities suggest Florida's climate and relatively low cost of living attracts some. And rural areas can sometimes be a good place to lie low and not get noticed.
Whenever a child disappears, police routinely check on sex offenders.
(on camera): When Sarah Lunde was reported missing, one of the 24 sex offenders police tracked down lives right there in that trailer. He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.
Now it's not known how many people in this community are aware of his background, but we did find one woman there who does know about him.
JAN MCCORMICK, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: He doesn't really bother anybody. He mostly works and stays around his place.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The man who lives here served three years of an 8-year sentence. For another 7 years he has to wear an ankle monitor as part of his probation. His neighbor says those monitors should be required for every sex offender.
MCCORMICK: I think they should put bands on them so they know where they are all the time and keep updating them.
CANDIOTTI: Yet one neighbor's comfort is another's fear.
We stopped by another address listed by the state for another offender in the area. And, again, no one was home.
This man was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior on two children and is out on probation without an ankle monitor.
This young mother of two with one on the way found out about him from us.
LUIVA ARIAS, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: No, I did not know that. I didn't have a clue.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): What do you think about it?
ARIAS: Oh, God, it scares me.
CANDIOTTI: Luiva Arias moved here only a month ago. And says she wouldn't have if she knew about her neighbor.
ARIAS: Oh, my God. I'll be more careful, you know. Or probably find somewhere else to live.
CANDIOTTI: Mark Lunsford says if only knew his daughter's accused killer, John Couey, was living across the street.
LUNSFORD: I would have made him move, yeah. I'm not telling anybody else to do that, but I would have.
CANDIOTTI: How would you have done that?
LUNSFORD: There's some many different ways that we can be nice about it and ask someone to move.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Sex offenders who is not moving anywhere for now is David Onstott, he's being held without bond on an outstanding warrant from Michigan. Police say they are very interested in him in part because of his past relationship with Sarah Lunde's mother.
But for now, police appear no closer to solving the disappearance of Sara Lunde -- Anderson.
COOPER: Susan Candiotti, following the story for us tonight. Thank you very much, Susan.
You know, a lot of times media focuses on these stories and it seems like they are worse than they are. So, we wanted to look and try to find some actual statistics and facts to tell you about. The good news is that according to CDC from 1993 to 2001 sexual violent crime rates have gone down for all age groups across the board.
The bad news -- and this is remarkable -- is that according to the Census Bureau, in 2002 children between the ages of 12 and 19 were victims of sexual assaults more often than any other age group. Children the biggest victims.
Jessica Lunsford was taken in late February. Her father Mark joins us from Ruskin, Florida, tonight. Mark has been involved in the search, as you saw in Susan's piece.
Mark, it was less than two months ago Jessica was taken. You searched for her then. Now, you are helping the Lunde. How is the search going for Sarah?
LUNSFORD: It's going well, I imagine. I mean, everybody is out searching. I haven't had any contact with the sheriff, or anything about anything. I just went out this morning and then stayed out till noon. And then we came back and I talked to the family a lot.
COOPER: Yeah. I understand you spoke with Sarah's mom today. How is she holding up?
LUNSFORD: She is a strong woman. She's doing the best she can. And she just needs the support of her community.
COOPER: What do you say? You have been in that situation? What do you say to her? What do you say to people in the situation?
LUNSFORD: Well, I just -- like I told Sarah's mom and sister, and the same goes for the rest of her family, you know, if you want someone to talk to that knows how you feel, I'll talk to you, I'll listen. But otherwise, I'm just going to stay right out here and continue to help with the search.
COOPER: For you personally, what is it like? I mean, we're seeing pictures of you searching, going through the underbrush. You now, given what you have gone through, what your family has gone through, this has got to be extraordinarily difficult for you.
LUNSFORD: Yes, it is. It was at the beginning when I first got here this morning. But as the day progressed and I started receiving support for being here, it got real easier. And then eventually I am now at the point that I'm glad to be here and I feel good about being here.
COOPER: Mark, what do people out here in our audience need to know about what is happening in these communities about registered sex offenders who are in their communities? Because a lot of people just don't know who is living next door to them.
LUNSFORD: That's right. They don't. And there's a -- Senator Argenziano and Sheriff Dawsy are working together on putting a bill -- put a bill together trying to get it passed through. It will cover registration and penalties for people who allow sex offenders to live with them. I think it would be a third degree felony if they are not registered and no one lets anybody know.
Senator Dorgan has got a federal registration bill put out for tracking them and keeping track of them.
COOPER: I know have you become an activist on this. And now are searching for Sara. And that, of course, our thoughts are with her and her family tonight.
Mark, appreciate you joining us tonight. Mark Lunsford, thank you.
LUNSFORD: Thank you.
COOPER: Quick news note to tell you about, we mentioned two other missing teenagers earlier this evening. We want to tell you their names, show you their pictures. They are Ashley Markley of Citrus Heights, California, who has not been seen since March 29. The 14-year-old disappeared while visiting her father in Lincoln, California, leaving her cell phone and other belongings behind. Police don't believe that she ran away.
16-year-old Jade Sophia Pedgett of Sand Rock, Alabama. Take a look at her. She has been missing since Wednesday afternoon. Authorities think she may be with a man she met through the Internet.
We're tracking all those stories tonight.
A 13-year-old...
(voice-over): tonight on 360, a 13-year-old little leaguer accused of a heinous crime: clubbing another player to death. Tonight, was he a victim of bullying or was this a kid simply out of control?
A terrified hostage held by a gun wielding man without hope. Tonight, we take you inside the negotiations. How cops talked down a suspect ready to kill.
Does your size matter when it comes to career and love? Tonight we put the myth to the test. Find out why short people may be short changed on salary, status and respect.
The FDA lifts its ban on silicone breast implants, but under strict guidelines. Tonight, one woman tells her story. She lost her breast to cancer and had to make a decision she says she will never regret. 360 continues.
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COOPER: Well, normally when a team loses a baseball game, there's some hurt feelings, perhaps a little jabbing, but nothing like the horrific turn of events Tuesday night in a California town northeast of Los Angeles. Tonight, a 13-year-old pitcher whose team lost a Youth League game that night is in juvenile hall, charged with murder, accused of killing, of all people, his 15-year-old friend with a baseball bat. CNN's Brian Todd explains how it all happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Los Angeles County sheriff's officials tell CNN there were plenty of witnesses close to where 15-year-old Jeremy Rourke were beaten to death. But those at the scene say the incident happened so quickly no one had time to intervene.
SAM CORDOVA, WITNESS: I was in shock. I didn't -- I, like -- I deep in my heart, I knew there was no saving that boy.
TODD: Saving the 13-year-old boy who allegedly killed Jeremy is another matter. He's being investigated for murder.
On Tuesday night, as Pony League baseball games in Palmdale, California were wrapping up, Jeremy Rourke and the 13-year-old got in line at a concession stand. Witnesses say the 13-year-old's team had just lost to the team Jeremy Rourke used to play on. Some witnesses say there was a dispute over their place in line. Others say Jeremy teased the suspect over the loss.
CORDOVA: Seeing, you know, the boy pulled out a bat, and he like kind of hit him once in the side and once up around the neck, and then he just hit him really with tremendous force to the head.
TODD: Jeremy Rourke, later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The void in this community is certainly not filled with any comfortable answers for this crime, or any deeper meaning. This league takes kids of all ages and abilities, is not considered ultra- competitive. No reports of so-called stage parents or coaches out of control. Locals say the suspect is a competitive kid, but he has no criminal record and is well liked.
TONY TREVINO, PONY LEAGUE COACH: This is a good kid that made a bad decision. He was a good athlete, a good student.
TODD: A reputation reinforced even by the victim's mother, through a friend.
RICK SHADE, ROURKE FAMILY FRIEND: She made the comment that by no means was the kid a monster. Don't make him -- he was a very good kid. They were friends, believe it or not.
TODD: The league has suspended games. Sheriff's investigators are still trying to piece everything together. But what we appear to have is a momentary lapse that has destroyed two lives, devastated two families, and has no other answers.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, joining me from Los Angeles is the coach of the team that won the game in question, Tony Trevino. Didn't coach the suspect or the victim, but he knew both of them and he was at the field where the attack happened.
Tony, appreciate you being with us. You know, you didn't see this tragic incident, but you were on the scene immediately afterwards. Can you describe the suspect's demeanor in this?
TREVINO: Yes, when I came around to the snack bar, the first child that I came upon was the suspect. He was distraught, in shock. I asked his parents, what was going on? And I turned my head and I noticed another young boy laying on the floor. I went over. One of my coaches followed me. He took hold -- took a hold of the situation. We got the bat. He...
COOPER: Where was the bat? Was the young boy still holding the bat?
TREVINO: No, no, another adult had the bat at this time. And once I identified that one of my coaches was an officer, then some -- there was -- you know, things started to be coming in order. We started getting -- you know, we had to take care of some business right then and there. There were people helping -- trying to resuscitate the boy.
COOPER: Tony, help us try to understand this, because I mean, several people have said the alleged murderer is a good kid, including the victim's mother, as we saw in this piece. And the reporter in that piece said, you know, that it was sort of a momentary lapse for a kid.
But my understanding is, this kid hit the other boy at least twice with a baseball bat, once in the knee and then in the head. I mean, that doesn't sound like a momentary lapse.
TREVINO: No, no, no, no. You know, this is a story of two boys -- maybe one razzing the other; the other child not able to deal with the social situation that was presented to him at that time.
And this just doesn't happen. Things were said, you know. People are describing what happened. But you know what, my first question was, where were all these kids at? There's some big kids out there. There were some parents around. How could that happen? I work in -- I ran a maximum security prison program a while back. I know how fast violence can happen. And it does happen in seconds. But you are talking about a kid, the suspect, maybe a -- weighs 95 pounds. The other boy maybe a good 130. This just didn't happen. There was things going on.
COOPER: So you think adults who were around should have seen nothing, should have known something, or perhaps should have been able to intervene?
TREVINO: Well, you know, me, the way I was trained, working in institutions, you know, I would have spotted it and noticed it right away. The message that I share with my boys and my parents is responsibility. You take responsibility for your actions. You become accountable. You show nothing but respect. And this is baseball.
COOPER: But, you know, we continually get these stories of adults who aren't really taking -- whether they are, you know, principals or school officials not taking bullying seriously. And whether or not bullying played a role in that, you know, listening to you talk, it is certainly something, you know, all adults around should take all these things very seriously, especially, you know, young people with bats in their hands. Things can change in the blink of an eye.
Tony Trevino, I appreciate you talking with us tonight. Thank you.
TREVINO: You're welcome.
COOPER: Thousands of fugitives have been rounded up by U.S. marshals. Tonight, Erica Hill from "HEADLINE NEWS" joins us with that and other stories at about 18 past the hour. Hey, Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey, Anderson. Yeah, a record number of arrests, actually, following a massive fugitive round-up, as you mentioned. Today, law enforcement officials announced details of Operation Falcon. U.S. marshals coordinated the nation-wide effort which nabbed more than 10,000 fugitives. Hundreds of them were wanted for violent crimes, including murder and rape. Congress beefed up the Marshal Service and gave it more authority to go after wanted criminals after 9/11. That also helps the FBI to focus its efforts on fighting terrorism. Three thousand marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples in Oregon last year are now invalid. Today, the state supreme court ruled Multnomah County, which issued those licenses, violated the state constitution, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Last November, Oregon voters rejected an effort to change the constitution to allow same-sex marriage.
The House has approved legislation that makes it more difficult for people to wipe out their debts through bankruptcy. The measure makes it tougher for individuals to qualify for a Chapter 7 filing. Basically, that allows courts to cancel debts after a person's assets have been sold off. Many of those people will now be shifted to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. That bankruptcy requires people to continue making payments for up to five years.
Now, the Senate, you may recall, has already passed the measure, and President Bush has said he will sign it.
Treasury Department officials are widening the security perimeter around the duck. Today, workers set up a second line of metal crowd control barriers around a mallard hen. She is sitting on her eggs under a tree near the White House. Officials are a little concern that protesters who are gathering to demonstrate at a global economic summit in Washington might disturb the nesting duck. She has been there for almost two weeks. Her ducklings are expected to hatch at the end of the month.
Good looking duck, huh?
COOPER: That duck is going to get sponsored by Aflac in like...
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: All right, Erica, thanks very much. See you in about 30 minutes with more headlines.
Coming up next, though, tonight on 360: Is your child being bullied in cyberspace? A teenager takes his own life, and his parents are saying, he was teased on the Internet and even encouraged to kill himself. We are going to take a look at whether the schoolyard bully is moving online.
Also ahead tonight, the front lines of a hostage rescue; see through the eyes of police as they try to free a mother and child held at gunpoint. We're taking you to "Beyond the Headlines."
And, a little bit later tonight, is your height holding you back? Find out why size does matter when it comes to love and money. It's an eye-opening look. Part of our special series "In a Blink."
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COOPER: They still use spitball and steal lunch money, but school bullies are turning to a darker method to torment classmates, the internet. It's called "cyber-bullying." The bully's venom is posted in e-mails and chat rooms. Some even create websites devoted to humiliating their targets. Psychologists say the damage is devastating. For one boy from Vermont, it may even have led to suicide.
CNN's Adaora Udoji takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UDOJI: Everyone says Ryan Halligan has a wicked sense of humor. So funny, he dreamed of becoming a comedian. But at 13, Ryan committed suicide.
KELLY HALLIGAN, RYAN'S MOTHER: He was very carefree. Very generous spirit
UDOJI: His shattered parents, at a loss, have relived moments over and over again looking for clues. Ryan struggled academically, but he had lots of friends and he loved being online.
HALLIGAN: He was a well-liked, good-looking kid who fell under everybody's radar in terms of being a typical kid that is bullied.
UDOJI: So what happened?
JOHN HALLIGAN, RYAN'S FATHER: I had to spend a lot of time reconstructing and going back.
UDOJI: What Ryan's parents did not know at the time was that their son was getting bullied here at school, and the bullies were following him home in cyberspace.
Ryan spent hours online, following his parents rules: no talking to strangers, no pornography sites, no giving out personal information. But his father discovered a chilling world of instant messages and e-mails: the real problem, people Ryan knew. Some taunted him about girls he liked. Others hurled homophobic accusations.
J. HALLIGAN: I found just some very hurtful stuff. Hey, Ryan, I'm gay, I like you. I want to do this to you. I want to -- very graphic sexual kind of stuff.
UDOJI: One so-called friend encouraged Ryan to kill himself.
J. HALLIGAN: The kids said, you know, you're finally going to stop complaining and my son -- yes, tonight's the night, I'm going to do it. You'll read about it in the papers tomorrow. And the kids said, it's about F'ing time.
UDOJI: Ryan's friends say the Halligans stumbled into a world that many parents don't exist, an anonymous cyberworld where everyone is a potential victim.
MATT CONN, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: You know you can say whatever you want to them because you know that they can't get you back. You are like a nameless face out there.
UDOJI: They describe a sometimes vicious place of back-biting where teens even send nasty notes under assumed or stolen names.
How many of you have been called a name or teased online while you were instant messaging?
An I-Safe America survey found nearly 80 percent of teens said they had been threatened or bullied online. Few complained, fearing their parents will pull computer privileges or make things worse by irritating the bullies.
UDOJI: So, then, why don't you guys just stay off the computer?
ELLEN SHEEHY, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: Because the computer is like your link to everything, like, now, like, for us, like, that's what we do.
SARAH SNOW, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: If you're not there -- when everyone's making the plans and stuff, you will probably be left out for a lot of stuff.
UDOJI: They don't think adults take cyberbullies and their victims seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They wouldn't get in trouble as much as if they punched them. And verbal can be worse. It is worse. Because it hurts you.
ASHLEY FAY, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: Because it's personal. Physical, yes, you will have a bruise for a little while, but you'll get over it.
UDOJI: But it is nothing like...
FAY: You will get over it. When someone tells you something hurtful, it really stays with you.
UDOJI: The Halligans don't blame cyber bullies for Ryan's death. They only wish they knew what was going on, so they could have intervened. Which is why John successfully pushed for a cyber bullying law in Vermont, one of the few in the country. Now, he also talks to groups about a problem he says is growing fast.
J. HALLIGAN: The advice I give to parents I think you should go ahead and install the programs that help you monitor the activity that is going on in your computer. To me it's the trust-and-verify approach. Right, I trust you, and we're going to verify that things are going okay.
UDOJI: Their story, he says, is a cautionary tale: parents can't take the computer lightly. They must get involved, he says, even more than they think necessary. Their child's health may be at stake.
Adaori Udoji, CNN, Vermont.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That is so sad.
We have the good kind of update to tell about right now. One of the missing girls we talked about earlier in the program has been found: 16-year-old Jade Sophia Padgett of Sand Rock, Alabama, has been found. She is safe, alive. She's been missing since Wednesday afternoon. Police feared she was with a man she met through the internet, and we don't have any other details at the moment -- those are the most important ones, anyway. She has been found.
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COOPER (voice-over): A terrified hostage, held by a gun-wielding man, without hope. Tonight, we take you inside the negotiations -- how cops talk down a suspect ready to kill.
Does your size matter when it comes to career and love? Tonight, we put the myth to the test. Find out why short people may be short- changed on salary, status, and respect.
The FDA lifts its ban on silicone breast implants, but under strict guidelines. Tonight, one woman tells her story: she lost her breast to cancer, had to make a decision she says she'll never regret.
360 continues.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Samantha Jones, public relations. Very nice. You must do well. Like who is going to say no to you? What do you say to dinner, Friday night?
KIM CATRALL, ACTRESS: I think that might work.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS (voice-over): And just as herself esteem was soaring right off the charts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you, pink lady. I'll give you a call.
CATRALL: Bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was Samantha in "Sex and the City" a bit surprised after being hit on by a vertically challenged man. It looks like she may have been turned off in the blink of an eye.
All this week as part of our special series, we've been looking at the split second decisions really that all of us make which are the focus of the new best selling book "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell. Tonight Gary Tuchman sizes up the difference height makes to a man when it comes to love and money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is rare to be 6' tall or over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'9.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5,10.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'7.
TUCHMAN: Only 15 percent of American men are 6 feet or over. So, why have 42 percent of the American presidents been 6 feet or over? Why are a stunning 58 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs that tall?
Malcolm Gladwell is the gatherer of these facts and the author of the best selling book "Blink."
MALCOLM GLADWELL, AUTHOR: There are a thousand other factors that are more important than this. But I think it is impossible to deny that on some level our decision about who ought to lead a company is being hijacked by a consideration that ought not to be on the table that, and that is whether some guy is over 6'.
TUCHMAN: Gladwell says each extra inch of height adds almost $800 to a man's annual salary. Another reminder that people often subconsciously associate positive qualities such as leadership ability with a person's physical stature.
We wanted to see if some of the same types of judgments affect relationships. We recruited seven single men of different heights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5,6 1/2.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'6.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'6.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was born in Jersey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really. Where in Jersey?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parsippany.
TUCHMAN: We brought them to HurryDate, a New York City-based company that matches men and women up on four-minute dates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rotate!
TUCHMAN: And gives them a chance to go on about 20 of those dates in less than 90 minutes.
We have given our guys special questionnaires we've prepared, so their dates can rate them on various character issues, ranging from leadership ability to confidence.
Tall guy Nick is smooth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the weekend, what do you like to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I enjoy skiing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Skiing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
TUCHMAN: So is short guy, Doug.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play in the dodgeball league, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see that movie, "Dodgeball"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did see the movie.
TUCHMAN: Tall Mike is cultured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got out for a weekend in Paris (INAUDIBLE). Been all over the place. It's great.
TUCHMAN: Short David has a wry sense of humor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cello. Do you know what a cello is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. Isn't it an instrument?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is.
TUCHMAN: We have not yet told the women why we are asking them to fill out the questionnaires after talking to each of our recruits, but we're hoping to find out if they are making snap judgments based on height.
(on camera): The women here have been very generous with their numbers. But even now, before this night is over, we're already seeing a pattern developing. And that is the taller guys are getting the taller numbers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So where are you from?
TUCHMAN (voice-over): It's not scientific, but the results are consistent. On a one to 10 scale, our final survey shows our shorts guys with a 7.7 when it comes to being outgoing. The tall guys, a 7.8. It was the only question that close.
Is he confident? Short guy, 7.8; tall guy, 8.3.
Could he be a good leader? The margin starts to get wider: short guy, 6.9; tall guy, 7.8.
And the biggest difference: could he be a good provider? 6.9 for the short guys; 8.1 for the tall guys.
Initially, none of the women we talked with after their 20 dates, say they consciously gave taller men higher scores for the character issues. But, after asking them to think about it...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was much more about body language. And maybe it's true that men who are taller project more of an air of confidence in terms of their body language. I'm not sure.
TUCHMAN: While some of the women are concerned height from a physical stand point...
How tall are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm about 5'10, but with heels about 6'2.
TUCHMAN: Others say they are now conscious of their subconscious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People who are taller are perceived as better leaders.
TUCHMAN: And do you perceive that to be the case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I do, yes.
TUCHMAN: One other unscientific finding, when the night was over our short men had 4 matches, our tall men had 9. Life is not always fair.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Malcolm Gladwell the author of "Blink" calls it the Warren Harding effect. The 28th president of the United States was a tall, distinguished-looking man. But with due respect to his descendants, he was not the most qualified person to leader of the free world. Indeed, he's considered to be one of the worst presidents ever. And it's thought by many his physical stature helped make him president in 1920.
Indeed, here's an interesting fact. In the last 20 presidential elections the shorter candidate has only won the White House four times. Those four winners were Richard Nixon against George McGovern, Jimmy Carter versus Gerald Ford and George W. Bush twice -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Gary Tuchman. I'm not going to ask how tall you are, Gary. Thanks very much.
It is not just height that can work to your advantage, so can your looks. Here's a quick news note, a kind of depressing one actually. A Canadian researcher says that good looking children get more attention from their own parents. A research team from the University of Alberta observed more than 400 families at super markets and found unattractive children were allowed to wander further and were less likely to be strapped into the grocery cart seat. Man, that's cold.
360 next, inside a hostage rescue: We'll take there as police work to free a mother and child from an armed man. The tense negotiations as it happened.
Plus, silicone breast implants: They may be back on the market soon, but a lot of women have been speaking out against them. Tonight, the story of a cancer survivor who says they changed her life for the better.
That's ahead but first your picks: The most popular stories right now on CNN.com.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's giving up. He's giving up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, there you see the peaceful ending to Monday's seven and a half hour standoff in New Jersey, where inside that car, a man allegedly held his 4-month-old daughter and ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. The surrender and the safe release of the hostages took skill and patience and a lot of psychology. They are the tools used by police negotiators, one of the really toughest assignments in law enforcement, of which there are many. One wrong word can lead to tragedy.
Tonight, we take you "Beyond the Headlines" to see how that team of negotiators in New Jersey turned a potentially deadly situation into a textbook ending. CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Jersey state trooper Kenneth McCarthy heard about the hostage standoff on his scanner. He was 50 miles away.
(on camera): What were you thinking as you were driving up to the scene?
KENNETH MCCARTHY, HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: Just trying to think of the different scenarios that might be taking place here.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Erika Turner was driving the car. Her estranged boyfriend, Almutah Saunders, holding their baby, a cell phone and a 40-caliber gun.
(on camera): What is your immediate assessment of the situation?
MCCARTHY: When I first got here, just the amount of people that were involved was my first concern.
FEYERICK (voice-over): In his opinion, there were too many. Some 60 officers from at least 10 different local and state agencies. Captain McCarthy worried that many guns might spook the passengers.
MCCARTHY: We had to correct that right away.
FEYERICK: Another negotiator, Captain John Melody (ph), wearing the gray sweatshirt, had already made contact. Negotiators had a clear view of the frightened hostage.
(on camera): You can see their faces. What did she look like?
MCCARTHY: She was basically staring straight ahead most of the time. She seemed very nervous, very scared.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Captain McCarthy, wearing a blue jacket and crouching to the left of the cruiser, was handed the police cell phone. Saunders calmly telling him...
MCCARTHY: That he didn't want to do them any harm, he just wanted to spend the time he had left, as he put it, with them.
FEYERICK: When the suspect's cell phone died, a hard line was brought to the car by the other negotiator.
MCCARTHY: He seemed very concerned about the child, and I tried to use that every time I spoke to him.
FEYERICK: Saunders was sometimes calm, sometimes agitated. He'd say he had a headache, needed time to think, listen to music. Then he'd hang up.
MCCARTHY: I just always told him that I'll give you a minute, but I'm going to call you back in a minute.
FEYERICK: For Captain McCarthy, those short breaks were good.
MCCARTHY: When he would stop, I wouldn't talk to anybody, I would just sit by the side of the car and try and think of what I could say to him next.
FEYERICK: The suspect was also calling friends, at one point speaking to a local television reporter.
MCCARTHY: He's sitting there with a gun in his hand the entire time. Most of the time, he also had a baby in his lap. And he's in control.
FEYERICK: He asked for water but little else.
(on camera): You can see everybody talking. And there you are, and you are briefing your team. Do you know what at that point you are sort of saying?
MCCARTHY: I was just trying to make sure that we were always on the same page. It makes it kind of difficult again. The negotiator shouldn't always be talking directly to the tactical team.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Six hours into the standoff, the baby starts to cry. After speaking to a police woman he'd asked for, Saunders lets his hostages go.
MCCARTHY: I try to continually engage him in conversation, if nothing else, just to distract him.
FEYERICK: Hours later, as the sun was setting, Saunders put the gun in his mouth.
MCCARTHY: And that was actually right towards the very end, just prior to him coming out on his own. And at that point, I kind of felt that things were going to go bad.
FEYERICK: After a few tense moments, the gun goes down. Saunders throws bullets out the window.
MCCARTHY: He took the magazine out of the gun, did the same thing and threw it out of the window.
FEYERICK (on camera): OK. And then he comes out, he opens the door, he comes out and he lays down. And as a matter of fact, this is exactly pretty much the spot...
MCCARTHY: It is.
FEYERICK: ... where you and he come face to face.
(voice-over): Saunders said nothing, just stared straight ahead. Got into the cruiser and was taken away.
MCCARTHY: I went home that night and I felt very good about my job.
FEYERICK (on camera): OK. Best you've ever felt or -- maybe close?
MCCARTHY: On the job? Maybe close.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Lopatcong, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, there's a possible comeback for a banned diet pill. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us with that and other headlines, about quarter until the hour. Hey, Erica.
HILL: Hi, Anderson. That's right. A once popular weight loss supplement could soon be back on store shelves. This after a federal judge struck down the FDA ban on Ephedra. You may remember, that supplement was pulled from the market a year ago, after being linked to 155 deaths. A Utah supplement company challenged the ban, arguing the FDA was regulating Ephedra as a food -- or rather, as a drug, instead of as a food. Now, to ban a dietary supplement, the FDA has to prove it is harmful. With drugs, that burden is on the manufacturer, to prove the product is safe. Today's ruling sends the matter back to the FDA for more consideration.
Poor conditions at California's oldest prison may be contributing to inmate death. That is the conclusion of a court-mandated report on San Quentin. The authors of the study said the prison is so antiquated, poorly staffed, poorly maintained and overcrowded, that it's dangerous to house people with certain medical conditions there. San Quentin, located on San Francisco Bay, dates back to 1852. It also has California's only death row. The report stems from the settlement of an inmate lawsuit which requires California's prisons to meet certain basic standards by 2008.
And President Bush ushering in a new sports era for Washington, D.C. today, when he threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener tonight. The city has been without a baseball team since 1971, when the Senators moved to Texas. The Nationals, of course, were formerly the Montreal Expos.
I love it when baseball season gets going, Anderson.
COOPER: Yeah, (INAUDIBLE). All right. Erica, thanks very much. See you again in about 30 minutes.
Coming up next on 360, silicone breast implants. They may be back on the market soon. One woman who says they have changed her life for the better speaks out tonight. We're covering all the angles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A surprising turnaround in Washington to tell you about that could eventually put silicone gel breast implants back on the market. Yesterday an FDA panel recommended the approval of implants by Mentor Corporation, a day after it gave a rival maker the thumbs down.
Though the FDA isn't bound to the panel's decision, it often does follow its lead. Now, silicone gel breast implants have been off the market for 13 years out of concern that breaks and leaks could put women in danger. Mentor's implants are said to be stronger. On Tuesday we introduced you to a woman who suffered pain because of her implants. At 360, we like to show you all the angles, get all sides to a story, so 360 MD Sanjay Gupta introduces us to one woman who is using her implants to move on after cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: At the age of 49, Terry Heide faced a gut-wrenching decision: she had her breasts removed.
TERRY HEIDE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: It's extremely difficult to live with no breasts at all. Because I had tissue expanders, I went from having breasts to basically having no breasts.
GUPTA: Terry is not the stereotypical breast implant patient, a young woman in her 20s doing this for cosmetic reasons. She is a cancer survivor. For her and thousands of other cancer patients, losing her breasts was life-saving, yet it dealt a tremendous blow to her self-esteem.
HEIDE: That's extremely traumatic.
GUPTA: In fact, more than one-fifth of all breast implants are reconstructive.
In 2004, 335,000 women received cosmetic breast implants. Another 62,000 had cosmetic implants after mastectomy, or malformation. But the decision to reconstruct becomes more complex when the kind of implant comes into play. Silicone, with its anecdotal health risks, versus the widely available saline. For Terry, silicone was the only choice.
HEIDE: They feel as close as you can get to a real breast and they look as close as you can get to a real breast. And that's really the most important thing.
GUPTA: But for women who testified about implants at this week's FDA hearings, the decision is not as clear.
KIM HOFFMAN, HAD SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS REMOVED: I liked my implants and my husband loved my implants. I would have liked to have kept my implants. I certainly wouldn't have removed them for any reason other than they were killing me.
GUPTA: Safety concerns have loomed over the devices since 1992 when they were taken off the market. The concerns, ruptures and leaks, possibly leading to autoimmune disorder such as chronic muscle pain or fatigue. And women have claimed that silicone caused their symptoms, but scientific study has found little to directly link silicone and their ailments, just one of the reasons leading to an FDA advisory panel recommending that Mentor implants go back on the market.
And Terry, who has had no health problems whatsoever, has now become a silicone implant advocate.
HEIDE: Yes, implants fail and planes crash and people get cancer. There is no guarantee that life will be as we wish it to be. We all make decisions every day about how we live our lives that involves risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (on camera): And when it comes to silicone breast implants, proponents say it is a matter of choice, that women along with their doctors should be able to choose between saline and silicone breast implants. It should be up to them to weigh the possible risks. Now, opponents tend to say more data from long-term studies are needed before they become widely available.
Regardless, this is interesting, regardless of what type of implant is used, the FDA finds that 70 percent of mastectomy reconstruction patients have at least one serious complication within three years after getting the saline implants, such as toxic shock syndrome, implants breaking through the skin, or skin dying. Something else to be aware of as well, Anderson.
COOPER: Lot of big numbers. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks.
I want to find out right now what is coming up at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN." Hey, Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hey, Anderson, how are you tonight?
COOPER: Good.
ZAHN: At the top of the hour -- sorry, we couldn't see you there, but he did say "good."
We have an amazing story of an undercover agent who goes public with a harrowing story. Billy Queen actually successfully infiltrated one of the most violent, lawless motorcycle gangs in the country. How he won their trust, how he almost lost his life, and why he ultimately came to rely on this band of cutthroats almost like brothers. I don't think you want to miss this story. It's really fascinating. We'll see you in about six minutes or so, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, that sounds -- cool story. Thanks, Paula.
Coming up next on 360 -- a mystery solved. The man behind the curtain, the kids in the control room. Find out how I get from here to there.
We're answering your e-mails coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time to check on some of the viewer e-mail. Quite a lot of you wrote about our segment on what your bedroom says about you from yesterday.
Bev from Grand Rapids, Michigan, writes, "Did Anderson have someone come to his apartment and sterilize it before the pictures were taken?!?!? Not one knick-knack, nothing on the counters, no magazines, not even a TV Guide. Was that real? I mean, who lives like that?"
Bev, my apartment actually is very neat, but my office -- well, take a look at my office. Yes, it's not a pretty picture. I horde papers like a recluse. Anyway, that's not really -- that's Myron Kandel's office.
Anyway, Denise from South Lyon, Michigan, writes, "During the control room shots, I heard, 'let's move him from the -- or, let's move him for the Nth.' I know Anderson's back was hurting, but, he can walk, can't he? Or does this maneuver involve some kind of equipment?" For those of you who aren't sure what Denise is talking about, here's what was said yesterday in the program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, let's move him over and set up for the nth, please. Break master. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's Kelly, the director, saying "let's move him over and set him up for the nth." Denise, we're going to let you in on one of the deep dark secrets of this show. Now, I don't like to talk about it but the, well, the truth is, I don't walk. As part of my contract, I have a large entourage -- not as big as Katie Couric's or Matt Lauer's -- but my entourage wheels me around by trolley. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want a break? Let's go.
COOPER: Come on, people. Time is money. Let's go. Let's go. Move it or lose it. Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's how I get around. To home, every where. My trolley. If you got something on your mind, just send us an e-mail. Go to cnn.com/360, click on instant feedback link.
I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching tonight. Prime time coverage continues, however, with Paula Zahn.
Paula?
ZAHN: Why don't you share that trolley of yours, Anderson? You've never offered me a ride, once.
COOPER: My trolley's only big enough for one. I'm going to maybe upgrade to a double-size...
ZAHN: Oh, terrific. Invite me along when that happens. Thanks, Anderson.
END
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 14, 2005 - 19:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Lou, thanks very much.
Sometimes stories seem to come in waves, so perhaps we seem to notice them in waves. As we sit here this evening this Thursday, a 14-yard-old girl is missing in California, a 16-year-old girl is missing in Alabama and in Florida which is far from over the trauma of the abduction and the rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, the search is on for another young girl. It is hard to believe but it is true.
This young girl is just 13-years-old. We have been following her story since this weekend. Her name is Sarah Michelle Lunde.
Now she has not been seen in her hometown of Ruskin since Saturday. There is a massive police investigation underway. They have been interviewing a number of people of interest, but at this point they have not named any suspects in particular. Police and in the bay side town of 8300 have been questioning, in particular, a local sex offender in the case.
Now, you might be surprised that so small a place has a registered sex offender. But the truth is you shouldn't be surprised given all the stories that we have seen and what we are going to see tonight.
The really shocking news is that this man, this man who police have been questioning is just one of a couple of dozen registered sex offenders in this small community, some 4800 people.
Susan Candiotti has been looking into the story. Tonight she takes us beyond the headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the 100 plus volunteers searching for Sara Lunde, a familiar face, Mark Lunsford still reeling from the murder of his daughter Jessica allegedly at the hands of a sex offender.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: People I never met before helped me, so you know it's just another way to me to give back and show my appreciation.
CANDIOTTI: Like Lunsford's hometown of Homasassa Springs, population around 12,000, Ruskin about 100 miles away also is home to about two dozen registered sex offenders. Among Ruskin's 8,000 residents, those 24 sex offenders are well scattered around Sarah Lunde's home circled in blue.
When children are reported missing sex offenders are the first possible suspects. Police so far have not linked her disappearance to any of them.
Why sexual predators choose to live in a particular location is not known. Experts say no definitive studies have been done. Police in other authorities suggest Florida's climate and relatively low cost of living attracts some. And rural areas can sometimes be a good place to lie low and not get noticed.
Whenever a child disappears, police routinely check on sex offenders.
(on camera): When Sarah Lunde was reported missing, one of the 24 sex offenders police tracked down lives right there in that trailer. He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.
Now it's not known how many people in this community are aware of his background, but we did find one woman there who does know about him.
JAN MCCORMICK, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: He doesn't really bother anybody. He mostly works and stays around his place.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The man who lives here served three years of an 8-year sentence. For another 7 years he has to wear an ankle monitor as part of his probation. His neighbor says those monitors should be required for every sex offender.
MCCORMICK: I think they should put bands on them so they know where they are all the time and keep updating them.
CANDIOTTI: Yet one neighbor's comfort is another's fear.
We stopped by another address listed by the state for another offender in the area. And, again, no one was home.
This man was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior on two children and is out on probation without an ankle monitor.
This young mother of two with one on the way found out about him from us.
LUIVA ARIAS, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: No, I did not know that. I didn't have a clue.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): What do you think about it?
ARIAS: Oh, God, it scares me.
CANDIOTTI: Luiva Arias moved here only a month ago. And says she wouldn't have if she knew about her neighbor.
ARIAS: Oh, my God. I'll be more careful, you know. Or probably find somewhere else to live.
CANDIOTTI: Mark Lunsford says if only knew his daughter's accused killer, John Couey, was living across the street.
LUNSFORD: I would have made him move, yeah. I'm not telling anybody else to do that, but I would have.
CANDIOTTI: How would you have done that?
LUNSFORD: There's some many different ways that we can be nice about it and ask someone to move.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Sex offenders who is not moving anywhere for now is David Onstott, he's being held without bond on an outstanding warrant from Michigan. Police say they are very interested in him in part because of his past relationship with Sarah Lunde's mother.
But for now, police appear no closer to solving the disappearance of Sara Lunde -- Anderson.
COOPER: Susan Candiotti, following the story for us tonight. Thank you very much, Susan.
You know, a lot of times media focuses on these stories and it seems like they are worse than they are. So, we wanted to look and try to find some actual statistics and facts to tell you about. The good news is that according to CDC from 1993 to 2001 sexual violent crime rates have gone down for all age groups across the board.
The bad news -- and this is remarkable -- is that according to the Census Bureau, in 2002 children between the ages of 12 and 19 were victims of sexual assaults more often than any other age group. Children the biggest victims.
Jessica Lunsford was taken in late February. Her father Mark joins us from Ruskin, Florida, tonight. Mark has been involved in the search, as you saw in Susan's piece.
Mark, it was less than two months ago Jessica was taken. You searched for her then. Now, you are helping the Lunde. How is the search going for Sarah?
LUNSFORD: It's going well, I imagine. I mean, everybody is out searching. I haven't had any contact with the sheriff, or anything about anything. I just went out this morning and then stayed out till noon. And then we came back and I talked to the family a lot.
COOPER: Yeah. I understand you spoke with Sarah's mom today. How is she holding up?
LUNSFORD: She is a strong woman. She's doing the best she can. And she just needs the support of her community.
COOPER: What do you say? You have been in that situation? What do you say to her? What do you say to people in the situation?
LUNSFORD: Well, I just -- like I told Sarah's mom and sister, and the same goes for the rest of her family, you know, if you want someone to talk to that knows how you feel, I'll talk to you, I'll listen. But otherwise, I'm just going to stay right out here and continue to help with the search.
COOPER: For you personally, what is it like? I mean, we're seeing pictures of you searching, going through the underbrush. You now, given what you have gone through, what your family has gone through, this has got to be extraordinarily difficult for you.
LUNSFORD: Yes, it is. It was at the beginning when I first got here this morning. But as the day progressed and I started receiving support for being here, it got real easier. And then eventually I am now at the point that I'm glad to be here and I feel good about being here.
COOPER: Mark, what do people out here in our audience need to know about what is happening in these communities about registered sex offenders who are in their communities? Because a lot of people just don't know who is living next door to them.
LUNSFORD: That's right. They don't. And there's a -- Senator Argenziano and Sheriff Dawsy are working together on putting a bill -- put a bill together trying to get it passed through. It will cover registration and penalties for people who allow sex offenders to live with them. I think it would be a third degree felony if they are not registered and no one lets anybody know.
Senator Dorgan has got a federal registration bill put out for tracking them and keeping track of them.
COOPER: I know have you become an activist on this. And now are searching for Sara. And that, of course, our thoughts are with her and her family tonight.
Mark, appreciate you joining us tonight. Mark Lunsford, thank you.
LUNSFORD: Thank you.
COOPER: Quick news note to tell you about, we mentioned two other missing teenagers earlier this evening. We want to tell you their names, show you their pictures. They are Ashley Markley of Citrus Heights, California, who has not been seen since March 29. The 14-year-old disappeared while visiting her father in Lincoln, California, leaving her cell phone and other belongings behind. Police don't believe that she ran away.
16-year-old Jade Sophia Pedgett of Sand Rock, Alabama. Take a look at her. She has been missing since Wednesday afternoon. Authorities think she may be with a man she met through the Internet.
We're tracking all those stories tonight.
A 13-year-old...
(voice-over): tonight on 360, a 13-year-old little leaguer accused of a heinous crime: clubbing another player to death. Tonight, was he a victim of bullying or was this a kid simply out of control?
A terrified hostage held by a gun wielding man without hope. Tonight, we take you inside the negotiations. How cops talked down a suspect ready to kill.
Does your size matter when it comes to career and love? Tonight we put the myth to the test. Find out why short people may be short changed on salary, status and respect.
The FDA lifts its ban on silicone breast implants, but under strict guidelines. Tonight, one woman tells her story. She lost her breast to cancer and had to make a decision she says she will never regret. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, normally when a team loses a baseball game, there's some hurt feelings, perhaps a little jabbing, but nothing like the horrific turn of events Tuesday night in a California town northeast of Los Angeles. Tonight, a 13-year-old pitcher whose team lost a Youth League game that night is in juvenile hall, charged with murder, accused of killing, of all people, his 15-year-old friend with a baseball bat. CNN's Brian Todd explains how it all happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Los Angeles County sheriff's officials tell CNN there were plenty of witnesses close to where 15-year-old Jeremy Rourke were beaten to death. But those at the scene say the incident happened so quickly no one had time to intervene.
SAM CORDOVA, WITNESS: I was in shock. I didn't -- I, like -- I deep in my heart, I knew there was no saving that boy.
TODD: Saving the 13-year-old boy who allegedly killed Jeremy is another matter. He's being investigated for murder.
On Tuesday night, as Pony League baseball games in Palmdale, California were wrapping up, Jeremy Rourke and the 13-year-old got in line at a concession stand. Witnesses say the 13-year-old's team had just lost to the team Jeremy Rourke used to play on. Some witnesses say there was a dispute over their place in line. Others say Jeremy teased the suspect over the loss.
CORDOVA: Seeing, you know, the boy pulled out a bat, and he like kind of hit him once in the side and once up around the neck, and then he just hit him really with tremendous force to the head.
TODD: Jeremy Rourke, later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The void in this community is certainly not filled with any comfortable answers for this crime, or any deeper meaning. This league takes kids of all ages and abilities, is not considered ultra- competitive. No reports of so-called stage parents or coaches out of control. Locals say the suspect is a competitive kid, but he has no criminal record and is well liked.
TONY TREVINO, PONY LEAGUE COACH: This is a good kid that made a bad decision. He was a good athlete, a good student.
TODD: A reputation reinforced even by the victim's mother, through a friend.
RICK SHADE, ROURKE FAMILY FRIEND: She made the comment that by no means was the kid a monster. Don't make him -- he was a very good kid. They were friends, believe it or not.
TODD: The league has suspended games. Sheriff's investigators are still trying to piece everything together. But what we appear to have is a momentary lapse that has destroyed two lives, devastated two families, and has no other answers.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, joining me from Los Angeles is the coach of the team that won the game in question, Tony Trevino. Didn't coach the suspect or the victim, but he knew both of them and he was at the field where the attack happened.
Tony, appreciate you being with us. You know, you didn't see this tragic incident, but you were on the scene immediately afterwards. Can you describe the suspect's demeanor in this?
TREVINO: Yes, when I came around to the snack bar, the first child that I came upon was the suspect. He was distraught, in shock. I asked his parents, what was going on? And I turned my head and I noticed another young boy laying on the floor. I went over. One of my coaches followed me. He took hold -- took a hold of the situation. We got the bat. He...
COOPER: Where was the bat? Was the young boy still holding the bat?
TREVINO: No, no, another adult had the bat at this time. And once I identified that one of my coaches was an officer, then some -- there was -- you know, things started to be coming in order. We started getting -- you know, we had to take care of some business right then and there. There were people helping -- trying to resuscitate the boy.
COOPER: Tony, help us try to understand this, because I mean, several people have said the alleged murderer is a good kid, including the victim's mother, as we saw in this piece. And the reporter in that piece said, you know, that it was sort of a momentary lapse for a kid.
But my understanding is, this kid hit the other boy at least twice with a baseball bat, once in the knee and then in the head. I mean, that doesn't sound like a momentary lapse.
TREVINO: No, no, no, no. You know, this is a story of two boys -- maybe one razzing the other; the other child not able to deal with the social situation that was presented to him at that time.
And this just doesn't happen. Things were said, you know. People are describing what happened. But you know what, my first question was, where were all these kids at? There's some big kids out there. There were some parents around. How could that happen? I work in -- I ran a maximum security prison program a while back. I know how fast violence can happen. And it does happen in seconds. But you are talking about a kid, the suspect, maybe a -- weighs 95 pounds. The other boy maybe a good 130. This just didn't happen. There was things going on.
COOPER: So you think adults who were around should have seen nothing, should have known something, or perhaps should have been able to intervene?
TREVINO: Well, you know, me, the way I was trained, working in institutions, you know, I would have spotted it and noticed it right away. The message that I share with my boys and my parents is responsibility. You take responsibility for your actions. You become accountable. You show nothing but respect. And this is baseball.
COOPER: But, you know, we continually get these stories of adults who aren't really taking -- whether they are, you know, principals or school officials not taking bullying seriously. And whether or not bullying played a role in that, you know, listening to you talk, it is certainly something, you know, all adults around should take all these things very seriously, especially, you know, young people with bats in their hands. Things can change in the blink of an eye.
Tony Trevino, I appreciate you talking with us tonight. Thank you.
TREVINO: You're welcome.
COOPER: Thousands of fugitives have been rounded up by U.S. marshals. Tonight, Erica Hill from "HEADLINE NEWS" joins us with that and other stories at about 18 past the hour. Hey, Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey, Anderson. Yeah, a record number of arrests, actually, following a massive fugitive round-up, as you mentioned. Today, law enforcement officials announced details of Operation Falcon. U.S. marshals coordinated the nation-wide effort which nabbed more than 10,000 fugitives. Hundreds of them were wanted for violent crimes, including murder and rape. Congress beefed up the Marshal Service and gave it more authority to go after wanted criminals after 9/11. That also helps the FBI to focus its efforts on fighting terrorism. Three thousand marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples in Oregon last year are now invalid. Today, the state supreme court ruled Multnomah County, which issued those licenses, violated the state constitution, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Last November, Oregon voters rejected an effort to change the constitution to allow same-sex marriage.
The House has approved legislation that makes it more difficult for people to wipe out their debts through bankruptcy. The measure makes it tougher for individuals to qualify for a Chapter 7 filing. Basically, that allows courts to cancel debts after a person's assets have been sold off. Many of those people will now be shifted to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. That bankruptcy requires people to continue making payments for up to five years.
Now, the Senate, you may recall, has already passed the measure, and President Bush has said he will sign it.
Treasury Department officials are widening the security perimeter around the duck. Today, workers set up a second line of metal crowd control barriers around a mallard hen. She is sitting on her eggs under a tree near the White House. Officials are a little concern that protesters who are gathering to demonstrate at a global economic summit in Washington might disturb the nesting duck. She has been there for almost two weeks. Her ducklings are expected to hatch at the end of the month.
Good looking duck, huh?
COOPER: That duck is going to get sponsored by Aflac in like...
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: All right, Erica, thanks very much. See you in about 30 minutes with more headlines.
Coming up next, though, tonight on 360: Is your child being bullied in cyberspace? A teenager takes his own life, and his parents are saying, he was teased on the Internet and even encouraged to kill himself. We are going to take a look at whether the schoolyard bully is moving online.
Also ahead tonight, the front lines of a hostage rescue; see through the eyes of police as they try to free a mother and child held at gunpoint. We're taking you to "Beyond the Headlines."
And, a little bit later tonight, is your height holding you back? Find out why size does matter when it comes to love and money. It's an eye-opening look. Part of our special series "In a Blink."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: They still use spitball and steal lunch money, but school bullies are turning to a darker method to torment classmates, the internet. It's called "cyber-bullying." The bully's venom is posted in e-mails and chat rooms. Some even create websites devoted to humiliating their targets. Psychologists say the damage is devastating. For one boy from Vermont, it may even have led to suicide.
CNN's Adaora Udoji takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UDOJI: Everyone says Ryan Halligan has a wicked sense of humor. So funny, he dreamed of becoming a comedian. But at 13, Ryan committed suicide.
KELLY HALLIGAN, RYAN'S MOTHER: He was very carefree. Very generous spirit
UDOJI: His shattered parents, at a loss, have relived moments over and over again looking for clues. Ryan struggled academically, but he had lots of friends and he loved being online.
HALLIGAN: He was a well-liked, good-looking kid who fell under everybody's radar in terms of being a typical kid that is bullied.
UDOJI: So what happened?
JOHN HALLIGAN, RYAN'S FATHER: I had to spend a lot of time reconstructing and going back.
UDOJI: What Ryan's parents did not know at the time was that their son was getting bullied here at school, and the bullies were following him home in cyberspace.
Ryan spent hours online, following his parents rules: no talking to strangers, no pornography sites, no giving out personal information. But his father discovered a chilling world of instant messages and e-mails: the real problem, people Ryan knew. Some taunted him about girls he liked. Others hurled homophobic accusations.
J. HALLIGAN: I found just some very hurtful stuff. Hey, Ryan, I'm gay, I like you. I want to do this to you. I want to -- very graphic sexual kind of stuff.
UDOJI: One so-called friend encouraged Ryan to kill himself.
J. HALLIGAN: The kids said, you know, you're finally going to stop complaining and my son -- yes, tonight's the night, I'm going to do it. You'll read about it in the papers tomorrow. And the kids said, it's about F'ing time.
UDOJI: Ryan's friends say the Halligans stumbled into a world that many parents don't exist, an anonymous cyberworld where everyone is a potential victim.
MATT CONN, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: You know you can say whatever you want to them because you know that they can't get you back. You are like a nameless face out there.
UDOJI: They describe a sometimes vicious place of back-biting where teens even send nasty notes under assumed or stolen names.
How many of you have been called a name or teased online while you were instant messaging?
An I-Safe America survey found nearly 80 percent of teens said they had been threatened or bullied online. Few complained, fearing their parents will pull computer privileges or make things worse by irritating the bullies.
UDOJI: So, then, why don't you guys just stay off the computer?
ELLEN SHEEHY, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: Because the computer is like your link to everything, like, now, like, for us, like, that's what we do.
SARAH SNOW, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: If you're not there -- when everyone's making the plans and stuff, you will probably be left out for a lot of stuff.
UDOJI: They don't think adults take cyberbullies and their victims seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They wouldn't get in trouble as much as if they punched them. And verbal can be worse. It is worse. Because it hurts you.
ASHLEY FAY, RYAN'S CLASSMATE: Because it's personal. Physical, yes, you will have a bruise for a little while, but you'll get over it.
UDOJI: But it is nothing like...
FAY: You will get over it. When someone tells you something hurtful, it really stays with you.
UDOJI: The Halligans don't blame cyber bullies for Ryan's death. They only wish they knew what was going on, so they could have intervened. Which is why John successfully pushed for a cyber bullying law in Vermont, one of the few in the country. Now, he also talks to groups about a problem he says is growing fast.
J. HALLIGAN: The advice I give to parents I think you should go ahead and install the programs that help you monitor the activity that is going on in your computer. To me it's the trust-and-verify approach. Right, I trust you, and we're going to verify that things are going okay.
UDOJI: Their story, he says, is a cautionary tale: parents can't take the computer lightly. They must get involved, he says, even more than they think necessary. Their child's health may be at stake.
Adaori Udoji, CNN, Vermont.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That is so sad.
We have the good kind of update to tell about right now. One of the missing girls we talked about earlier in the program has been found: 16-year-old Jade Sophia Padgett of Sand Rock, Alabama, has been found. She is safe, alive. She's been missing since Wednesday afternoon. Police feared she was with a man she met through the internet, and we don't have any other details at the moment -- those are the most important ones, anyway. She has been found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (voice-over): A terrified hostage, held by a gun-wielding man, without hope. Tonight, we take you inside the negotiations -- how cops talk down a suspect ready to kill.
Does your size matter when it comes to career and love? Tonight, we put the myth to the test. Find out why short people may be short- changed on salary, status, and respect.
The FDA lifts its ban on silicone breast implants, but under strict guidelines. Tonight, one woman tells her story: she lost her breast to cancer, had to make a decision she says she'll never regret.
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Samantha Jones, public relations. Very nice. You must do well. Like who is going to say no to you? What do you say to dinner, Friday night?
KIM CATRALL, ACTRESS: I think that might work.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS (voice-over): And just as herself esteem was soaring right off the charts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you, pink lady. I'll give you a call.
CATRALL: Bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was Samantha in "Sex and the City" a bit surprised after being hit on by a vertically challenged man. It looks like she may have been turned off in the blink of an eye.
All this week as part of our special series, we've been looking at the split second decisions really that all of us make which are the focus of the new best selling book "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell. Tonight Gary Tuchman sizes up the difference height makes to a man when it comes to love and money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is rare to be 6' tall or over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'9.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5,10.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'7.
TUCHMAN: Only 15 percent of American men are 6 feet or over. So, why have 42 percent of the American presidents been 6 feet or over? Why are a stunning 58 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs that tall?
Malcolm Gladwell is the gatherer of these facts and the author of the best selling book "Blink."
MALCOLM GLADWELL, AUTHOR: There are a thousand other factors that are more important than this. But I think it is impossible to deny that on some level our decision about who ought to lead a company is being hijacked by a consideration that ought not to be on the table that, and that is whether some guy is over 6'.
TUCHMAN: Gladwell says each extra inch of height adds almost $800 to a man's annual salary. Another reminder that people often subconsciously associate positive qualities such as leadership ability with a person's physical stature.
We wanted to see if some of the same types of judgments affect relationships. We recruited seven single men of different heights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5,6 1/2.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'6.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6'1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5'6.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was born in Jersey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really. Where in Jersey?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parsippany.
TUCHMAN: We brought them to HurryDate, a New York City-based company that matches men and women up on four-minute dates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rotate!
TUCHMAN: And gives them a chance to go on about 20 of those dates in less than 90 minutes.
We have given our guys special questionnaires we've prepared, so their dates can rate them on various character issues, ranging from leadership ability to confidence.
Tall guy Nick is smooth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the weekend, what do you like to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I enjoy skiing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Skiing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
TUCHMAN: So is short guy, Doug.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play in the dodgeball league, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see that movie, "Dodgeball"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did see the movie.
TUCHMAN: Tall Mike is cultured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got out for a weekend in Paris (INAUDIBLE). Been all over the place. It's great.
TUCHMAN: Short David has a wry sense of humor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cello. Do you know what a cello is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. Isn't it an instrument?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is.
TUCHMAN: We have not yet told the women why we are asking them to fill out the questionnaires after talking to each of our recruits, but we're hoping to find out if they are making snap judgments based on height.
(on camera): The women here have been very generous with their numbers. But even now, before this night is over, we're already seeing a pattern developing. And that is the taller guys are getting the taller numbers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So where are you from?
TUCHMAN (voice-over): It's not scientific, but the results are consistent. On a one to 10 scale, our final survey shows our shorts guys with a 7.7 when it comes to being outgoing. The tall guys, a 7.8. It was the only question that close.
Is he confident? Short guy, 7.8; tall guy, 8.3.
Could he be a good leader? The margin starts to get wider: short guy, 6.9; tall guy, 7.8.
And the biggest difference: could he be a good provider? 6.9 for the short guys; 8.1 for the tall guys.
Initially, none of the women we talked with after their 20 dates, say they consciously gave taller men higher scores for the character issues. But, after asking them to think about it...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was much more about body language. And maybe it's true that men who are taller project more of an air of confidence in terms of their body language. I'm not sure.
TUCHMAN: While some of the women are concerned height from a physical stand point...
How tall are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm about 5'10, but with heels about 6'2.
TUCHMAN: Others say they are now conscious of their subconscious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People who are taller are perceived as better leaders.
TUCHMAN: And do you perceive that to be the case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I do, yes.
TUCHMAN: One other unscientific finding, when the night was over our short men had 4 matches, our tall men had 9. Life is not always fair.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Malcolm Gladwell the author of "Blink" calls it the Warren Harding effect. The 28th president of the United States was a tall, distinguished-looking man. But with due respect to his descendants, he was not the most qualified person to leader of the free world. Indeed, he's considered to be one of the worst presidents ever. And it's thought by many his physical stature helped make him president in 1920.
Indeed, here's an interesting fact. In the last 20 presidential elections the shorter candidate has only won the White House four times. Those four winners were Richard Nixon against George McGovern, Jimmy Carter versus Gerald Ford and George W. Bush twice -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Gary Tuchman. I'm not going to ask how tall you are, Gary. Thanks very much.
It is not just height that can work to your advantage, so can your looks. Here's a quick news note, a kind of depressing one actually. A Canadian researcher says that good looking children get more attention from their own parents. A research team from the University of Alberta observed more than 400 families at super markets and found unattractive children were allowed to wander further and were less likely to be strapped into the grocery cart seat. Man, that's cold.
360 next, inside a hostage rescue: We'll take there as police work to free a mother and child from an armed man. The tense negotiations as it happened.
Plus, silicone breast implants: They may be back on the market soon, but a lot of women have been speaking out against them. Tonight, the story of a cancer survivor who says they changed her life for the better.
That's ahead but first your picks: The most popular stories right now on CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's giving up. He's giving up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, there you see the peaceful ending to Monday's seven and a half hour standoff in New Jersey, where inside that car, a man allegedly held his 4-month-old daughter and ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. The surrender and the safe release of the hostages took skill and patience and a lot of psychology. They are the tools used by police negotiators, one of the really toughest assignments in law enforcement, of which there are many. One wrong word can lead to tragedy.
Tonight, we take you "Beyond the Headlines" to see how that team of negotiators in New Jersey turned a potentially deadly situation into a textbook ending. CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Jersey state trooper Kenneth McCarthy heard about the hostage standoff on his scanner. He was 50 miles away.
(on camera): What were you thinking as you were driving up to the scene?
KENNETH MCCARTHY, HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: Just trying to think of the different scenarios that might be taking place here.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Erika Turner was driving the car. Her estranged boyfriend, Almutah Saunders, holding their baby, a cell phone and a 40-caliber gun.
(on camera): What is your immediate assessment of the situation?
MCCARTHY: When I first got here, just the amount of people that were involved was my first concern.
FEYERICK (voice-over): In his opinion, there were too many. Some 60 officers from at least 10 different local and state agencies. Captain McCarthy worried that many guns might spook the passengers.
MCCARTHY: We had to correct that right away.
FEYERICK: Another negotiator, Captain John Melody (ph), wearing the gray sweatshirt, had already made contact. Negotiators had a clear view of the frightened hostage.
(on camera): You can see their faces. What did she look like?
MCCARTHY: She was basically staring straight ahead most of the time. She seemed very nervous, very scared.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Captain McCarthy, wearing a blue jacket and crouching to the left of the cruiser, was handed the police cell phone. Saunders calmly telling him...
MCCARTHY: That he didn't want to do them any harm, he just wanted to spend the time he had left, as he put it, with them.
FEYERICK: When the suspect's cell phone died, a hard line was brought to the car by the other negotiator.
MCCARTHY: He seemed very concerned about the child, and I tried to use that every time I spoke to him.
FEYERICK: Saunders was sometimes calm, sometimes agitated. He'd say he had a headache, needed time to think, listen to music. Then he'd hang up.
MCCARTHY: I just always told him that I'll give you a minute, but I'm going to call you back in a minute.
FEYERICK: For Captain McCarthy, those short breaks were good.
MCCARTHY: When he would stop, I wouldn't talk to anybody, I would just sit by the side of the car and try and think of what I could say to him next.
FEYERICK: The suspect was also calling friends, at one point speaking to a local television reporter.
MCCARTHY: He's sitting there with a gun in his hand the entire time. Most of the time, he also had a baby in his lap. And he's in control.
FEYERICK: He asked for water but little else.
(on camera): You can see everybody talking. And there you are, and you are briefing your team. Do you know what at that point you are sort of saying?
MCCARTHY: I was just trying to make sure that we were always on the same page. It makes it kind of difficult again. The negotiator shouldn't always be talking directly to the tactical team.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Six hours into the standoff, the baby starts to cry. After speaking to a police woman he'd asked for, Saunders lets his hostages go.
MCCARTHY: I try to continually engage him in conversation, if nothing else, just to distract him.
FEYERICK: Hours later, as the sun was setting, Saunders put the gun in his mouth.
MCCARTHY: And that was actually right towards the very end, just prior to him coming out on his own. And at that point, I kind of felt that things were going to go bad.
FEYERICK: After a few tense moments, the gun goes down. Saunders throws bullets out the window.
MCCARTHY: He took the magazine out of the gun, did the same thing and threw it out of the window.
FEYERICK (on camera): OK. And then he comes out, he opens the door, he comes out and he lays down. And as a matter of fact, this is exactly pretty much the spot...
MCCARTHY: It is.
FEYERICK: ... where you and he come face to face.
(voice-over): Saunders said nothing, just stared straight ahead. Got into the cruiser and was taken away.
MCCARTHY: I went home that night and I felt very good about my job.
FEYERICK (on camera): OK. Best you've ever felt or -- maybe close?
MCCARTHY: On the job? Maybe close.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Lopatcong, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, there's a possible comeback for a banned diet pill. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us with that and other headlines, about quarter until the hour. Hey, Erica.
HILL: Hi, Anderson. That's right. A once popular weight loss supplement could soon be back on store shelves. This after a federal judge struck down the FDA ban on Ephedra. You may remember, that supplement was pulled from the market a year ago, after being linked to 155 deaths. A Utah supplement company challenged the ban, arguing the FDA was regulating Ephedra as a food -- or rather, as a drug, instead of as a food. Now, to ban a dietary supplement, the FDA has to prove it is harmful. With drugs, that burden is on the manufacturer, to prove the product is safe. Today's ruling sends the matter back to the FDA for more consideration.
Poor conditions at California's oldest prison may be contributing to inmate death. That is the conclusion of a court-mandated report on San Quentin. The authors of the study said the prison is so antiquated, poorly staffed, poorly maintained and overcrowded, that it's dangerous to house people with certain medical conditions there. San Quentin, located on San Francisco Bay, dates back to 1852. It also has California's only death row. The report stems from the settlement of an inmate lawsuit which requires California's prisons to meet certain basic standards by 2008.
And President Bush ushering in a new sports era for Washington, D.C. today, when he threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener tonight. The city has been without a baseball team since 1971, when the Senators moved to Texas. The Nationals, of course, were formerly the Montreal Expos.
I love it when baseball season gets going, Anderson.
COOPER: Yeah, (INAUDIBLE). All right. Erica, thanks very much. See you again in about 30 minutes.
Coming up next on 360, silicone breast implants. They may be back on the market soon. One woman who says they have changed her life for the better speaks out tonight. We're covering all the angles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A surprising turnaround in Washington to tell you about that could eventually put silicone gel breast implants back on the market. Yesterday an FDA panel recommended the approval of implants by Mentor Corporation, a day after it gave a rival maker the thumbs down.
Though the FDA isn't bound to the panel's decision, it often does follow its lead. Now, silicone gel breast implants have been off the market for 13 years out of concern that breaks and leaks could put women in danger. Mentor's implants are said to be stronger. On Tuesday we introduced you to a woman who suffered pain because of her implants. At 360, we like to show you all the angles, get all sides to a story, so 360 MD Sanjay Gupta introduces us to one woman who is using her implants to move on after cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: At the age of 49, Terry Heide faced a gut-wrenching decision: she had her breasts removed.
TERRY HEIDE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: It's extremely difficult to live with no breasts at all. Because I had tissue expanders, I went from having breasts to basically having no breasts.
GUPTA: Terry is not the stereotypical breast implant patient, a young woman in her 20s doing this for cosmetic reasons. She is a cancer survivor. For her and thousands of other cancer patients, losing her breasts was life-saving, yet it dealt a tremendous blow to her self-esteem.
HEIDE: That's extremely traumatic.
GUPTA: In fact, more than one-fifth of all breast implants are reconstructive.
In 2004, 335,000 women received cosmetic breast implants. Another 62,000 had cosmetic implants after mastectomy, or malformation. But the decision to reconstruct becomes more complex when the kind of implant comes into play. Silicone, with its anecdotal health risks, versus the widely available saline. For Terry, silicone was the only choice.
HEIDE: They feel as close as you can get to a real breast and they look as close as you can get to a real breast. And that's really the most important thing.
GUPTA: But for women who testified about implants at this week's FDA hearings, the decision is not as clear.
KIM HOFFMAN, HAD SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS REMOVED: I liked my implants and my husband loved my implants. I would have liked to have kept my implants. I certainly wouldn't have removed them for any reason other than they were killing me.
GUPTA: Safety concerns have loomed over the devices since 1992 when they were taken off the market. The concerns, ruptures and leaks, possibly leading to autoimmune disorder such as chronic muscle pain or fatigue. And women have claimed that silicone caused their symptoms, but scientific study has found little to directly link silicone and their ailments, just one of the reasons leading to an FDA advisory panel recommending that Mentor implants go back on the market.
And Terry, who has had no health problems whatsoever, has now become a silicone implant advocate.
HEIDE: Yes, implants fail and planes crash and people get cancer. There is no guarantee that life will be as we wish it to be. We all make decisions every day about how we live our lives that involves risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (on camera): And when it comes to silicone breast implants, proponents say it is a matter of choice, that women along with their doctors should be able to choose between saline and silicone breast implants. It should be up to them to weigh the possible risks. Now, opponents tend to say more data from long-term studies are needed before they become widely available.
Regardless, this is interesting, regardless of what type of implant is used, the FDA finds that 70 percent of mastectomy reconstruction patients have at least one serious complication within three years after getting the saline implants, such as toxic shock syndrome, implants breaking through the skin, or skin dying. Something else to be aware of as well, Anderson.
COOPER: Lot of big numbers. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks.
I want to find out right now what is coming up at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN." Hey, Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hey, Anderson, how are you tonight?
COOPER: Good.
ZAHN: At the top of the hour -- sorry, we couldn't see you there, but he did say "good."
We have an amazing story of an undercover agent who goes public with a harrowing story. Billy Queen actually successfully infiltrated one of the most violent, lawless motorcycle gangs in the country. How he won their trust, how he almost lost his life, and why he ultimately came to rely on this band of cutthroats almost like brothers. I don't think you want to miss this story. It's really fascinating. We'll see you in about six minutes or so, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, that sounds -- cool story. Thanks, Paula.
Coming up next on 360 -- a mystery solved. The man behind the curtain, the kids in the control room. Find out how I get from here to there.
We're answering your e-mails coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time to check on some of the viewer e-mail. Quite a lot of you wrote about our segment on what your bedroom says about you from yesterday.
Bev from Grand Rapids, Michigan, writes, "Did Anderson have someone come to his apartment and sterilize it before the pictures were taken?!?!? Not one knick-knack, nothing on the counters, no magazines, not even a TV Guide. Was that real? I mean, who lives like that?"
Bev, my apartment actually is very neat, but my office -- well, take a look at my office. Yes, it's not a pretty picture. I horde papers like a recluse. Anyway, that's not really -- that's Myron Kandel's office.
Anyway, Denise from South Lyon, Michigan, writes, "During the control room shots, I heard, 'let's move him from the -- or, let's move him for the Nth.' I know Anderson's back was hurting, but, he can walk, can't he? Or does this maneuver involve some kind of equipment?" For those of you who aren't sure what Denise is talking about, here's what was said yesterday in the program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, let's move him over and set up for the nth, please. Break master. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's Kelly, the director, saying "let's move him over and set him up for the nth." Denise, we're going to let you in on one of the deep dark secrets of this show. Now, I don't like to talk about it but the, well, the truth is, I don't walk. As part of my contract, I have a large entourage -- not as big as Katie Couric's or Matt Lauer's -- but my entourage wheels me around by trolley. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want a break? Let's go.
COOPER: Come on, people. Time is money. Let's go. Let's go. Move it or lose it. Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's how I get around. To home, every where. My trolley. If you got something on your mind, just send us an e-mail. Go to cnn.com/360, click on instant feedback link.
I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching tonight. Prime time coverage continues, however, with Paula Zahn.
Paula?
ZAHN: Why don't you share that trolley of yours, Anderson? You've never offered me a ride, once.
COOPER: My trolley's only big enough for one. I'm going to maybe upgrade to a double-size...
ZAHN: Oh, terrific. Invite me along when that happens. Thanks, Anderson.
END
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