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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
New Details About Search For Escaped Convicts And Their Deadly Plans; Rachel Dolezal Resigns From NAACP; Shark Attack at North Carolina; Key Terror Target Killed in Libya. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired June 15, 2015 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:09] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Hey, good evening. Thanks very much for joining us.
We have breaking news in the prison escape. New information tonight about the search and a deadly detail of the escape plan, one that might land Joyce Mitchell, well the prison seamstress known as Tilly, in a lot more legal trouble if she had a part in it. Word that had she not gotten cold feet about being the get-away driver, her husband might not be alive today.
Randy Kaye has just confirmed that potentially very serious allegations. She joins us now with the latest.
So Randi, what is this? What have you learning?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, we are just getting new information from the source with direct knowledge of this investigation. And this source telling me that the escapees Richard Matt and David Sweat deed indeed have a plan to kill Lyle Mitchell. As you know, he is the husband of Joyce Mitchell, the prison seamstress now accused in helping these two men get away from that prison.
What is unclear is why they intended to kill Lyle Mitchell, when they intended to kill Lyle Mitchell, and how much Joyce Mitchell actually knew about that plan. We know she was aware of it, but the question is did she know all the details that there was a plan in place to kill her husband?
The same source also telling me tonight, Anderson, that Joyce Mitchell was having a sexual relationship, not just a friendship, but a sexual relationship with Richard Matt. He is the escapee who killed and dismembered his neighbor. It's unclear, Anderson, tonight how long that sexual relationship was going on, but all of this new information coming to us tonight as we are learning more about their stunning escape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): They could practically taste freedom, but that didn't stop convicted killers David Sweat and Richard Matt from leaving a series of snarky post-it notes along their escape route for authorities to see.
ANDREW WYLIE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, CLINTON COUNTY: (INAUDIBLE) the one that says have a nice day on it. I have heard through the investigation that other notes were there, but that's the only note that I've seen.
KAYE: Once on the outside, the plan was for escapees to jump into Joyce Mitchell's family car.
WYLIE: She tells us, they said we need a four-wheel drive vehicle, and I believe she has a jeep four-wheel drive vehicle. What brand and model it is, I don't know.
KAYE: So, they would have been using her car?
WYLIE: They would have been using her car. And so, they would have used her car as the get-away car to leave the area, travel at least on this first, you know, portion about seven hours away.
KAYE: And she was planning to go with them?
WYLIE: Up until Friday afternoon or Friday early evening. Based on her statements, she was ready to go.
KAYE: This is where they were supposed to meet. This power plant is just a few hundred yards away from the manhole where the men emerged from. The power plant smokestack, I'm told, is visible from the tailor shop at the prison where the two men worked with Joyce Mitchell. The DA says that smokestack was likely a marker for their meeting place.
The plan from there? Drive.
WYLIE: It was seven hours from this area. And she didn't know whether it was somewhere in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Canada.
KAYE: Why would a prison seamstress agree to help these men? A source with knowledge of the investigation says she had a relationship with both of them and Richard Matt in particular was able to charm Joyce Mitchell, making her feel quote "special." All in view of her husband Lyle who did maintenance in the tailor shop. Lyle is also under investigation. He has been questioned about his knowledge of the escape and whether he helped plan it.
Any more clarity on what his role might have been?
WYLIE: Not at all.
KAYE: Meanwhile, the hunt for the two men continues. Authorities now expanding the search zone. Blood hounds are still picking up their scent, but it's considerably weaker.
So search teams are resorting to other means, using motion detectors similar to this one. They have cameras on them, and they can be attached to any tree here in the woods. When the sensors pick up activity, they snap a photo. Still, even with nearly 900 tips and more than 800 law enforcement
personnel on the lookout, no luck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So, Randi, this idea that she knew about the threat against her husband, I guess there's two options, or at least two that I can think of. One, she was not only aware, but she was in on it and had perhaps may have requested it that they tried to kill her husband, or that this was a threat by one or both of these men in order to get her to help them.
KAYE: Absolutely. And we don't know the answer to that yet, and we certainly know the DA has a lot more questions. I mean, clearly, she was made to feel question by Richard Matt. She was interested in possibly going away -- running away with these two guys.
We also know that maybe she got cold feet, this coming from the DA, because she didn't want to leave the area. She felt that she did still love her husband, maybe she was looking out for him. He might have had knowledge of this as well, that there was a plot against him. All questions of the DA still trying to answer.
[20:01:01] COOPER: And Joyce Mitchell was back before a judge today. What happened in court?
KAYE: She was in court with her new attorney, a private attorney. She appeared in the black and white prison guard. She was also wearing some sort of vest. The DA referred to it as a safety vest. He wasn't sure if it was a bulletproof vest, but we know she has not been officially indicted yet. She is being held on bond, and she may not be back in court now for another month as this case gets kicked up to the county, which hasn't set a date yet, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Randi, appreciate the breaking news.
More on that and Joyce Mitchell possibly darkening legal picture as well as how inmates recruit people like her.
We are joined now by former hostage negotiator, retired criminal psychologist Matt Logan, also former corrects officer Anthony Gangi, host of "Tier Talk," a radio program on corrections and law enforcement issues, and senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Jeff, let me start with you. I mean, the news of this murder plot against Joyce's Mitchell's husband, if she knew about it, how does this complicate things for her legally? Could they bring additional charges against her?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Her legal situation is about as dark as it can get. I mean, she has one option, which is somehow to help them find these two fugitives. Other than that she really is not of any use to the authorities, and they are going to throw the book at her. They may well have an additional charge if she somehow involved in a conspiracy to hurt her husband. But simply by helping the escape, if it is true that she supplied the power tools, if she did this, she is in such a world of hurt from that that there is no way she can dig herself out.
COOPER: Anthony, her alleged relationship with both of these guys, obviously that's something corrections officers are trained to watch out for, to try to, you know, prevent. If she's a civilian in this environment, does that make it all the more difficult? Is it a different form of training?
ANTHONY GANGI, HOST, TIER TALK: Well, the thing is with civilians is that they come in with -- they want to help. That's their prescribed role. It's very important that they do receive the training in regards to how to avoid manipulation because it's a different environment. It's not the environment that you would see out on the streets. Correctional officers are trained to obviously look for certain signs that gets you close to that inmate. What kind of conversations are they having?
COOPER: So correction officer would even be on the lookout for an inmate being too close to a civilian employee?
GANGI: Yes. But you have to realize something too. We have a big area that we have to walk around. Within that big area, it could become routine. They have look-outs. So while we're on one area focus over here, they're playing their game over here. So the thing is the game will start very subtle, how we know. That she may think it's an innocent question asked by the inmate, and it's not. And if it's not brought to our attention, we go back, out respect of this different, what do we see? We see everything back to normal, you know.
So we have -- even when it comes to Chaplin services and religious services, we have -- they're allowed to interact with the inmates, but as to the context of what their conversation is, unless we're there listening to every word and if we were, they wouldn't they would be saying what they're supposed to say.
COOPER: Matt, the inappropriate relationships that sometimes happen, that sometime you've seen it happen several times. I mean, in your experience, what are the commonalities? Why does it occur?
MATT LOGAN, RETIRED CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGIST: The first commonality is the perpetrator. The psychopath is the one we typically see that is able to pull the victim in this case over to the dark side. Now, I can refer to her as a victim. Obviously, she made some bad choices. She may have been more involved. It's amazing the charm and the manipulation and the grooming process that goes on with the more psychopathic inmate to be able to pull fairly normal looking and seeming people that are employed there over to the dark side and help them become involved sexually and in this case to be able to help them bring instruments of escape into prison.
TOOBIN: Anderson?
COOPER: Go ahead, Jeff.
TOOBIN: It's not just psychopathic defendants who do this. I wrote a story for "the New Yorker" about Baltimore city jail where the black guerrilla family. And though, they were not psychopaths, they were just criminals, they took over the jail, and they were sleeping with the guards all the time. One of the inmates impregnated four different guards in Baltimore. So I mean, it was completely widespread. Very well known. And these relationships are far more common than I think more people think.
GANGI: With all respect, sir, we're not guards. We're correctional officers. That term is very insulting to us. But I do understand with what you are saying, but we are not guards. We're correctional officers.
Having said that, most inmates aren't psychopathic or sociopathic. It involves the vulnerability of the individual and also the situation that they can either make or we, actually, present sometime. Sometimes we'll put the perfect situation out where manipulation can occur. But you also have you to look at the vulnerabilities of the target.
When I train inmate manipulation, where we're doing training at (INAUDIBLE) in Atlantic city, I'll be there, we're going to train about situational factors and as well as the person's vulnerabilities. If you need to work corrections, you need to be aware of your own vulnerabilities because the inmates will find it out within a day or two of who you are.
[20:10:17] COOPER: And that's the interesting thing, you know. I mean, corrections officers, which are, you know, law enforcement officers, whatever training they have and as much training as they may have, just as they are watching prisoners, prisoners are watching them 24 hours a day, and are probably even more highly motivated to watch every single move that they make.
GANGI: Well, the number one rule is you aren't going to know out with the manipulator. You are not going to know the environment as best as they, we do not. But the point is we're there eight hours a day. They're there 24 hours a day. They know exactly more about the system. They know how to play the system to work to their advantage. Sometimes the policy and procedure becomes so routine, they know exactly what they can do because they know our next step. We become predictable.
COOPER: Matt, those gloves that this woman apparently brought in in October of 2013, you know, could that have been one of the kind of the early steps in grooming process bringing in something relatively innocuous? So you know, some gloves I want to use for boxing, and that's kind of the first step? It starts with something small.
LOGAN: Absolutely. I believe it probably started even before that. The grooming process is incredible. And, you know, having been a prison psychologist for years, you know, I can't disagree with what these other two gentlemen are saying, but you do have to really look for the more psychopathic individual. They have that ability to charm and to manipulate that the normal everyday inmate doesn't, and it's true. There's only maybe 20 percent of the inmate population that might be psychopathic.
But in my experience these are the ones that really use that charm and manipulation to bring their person over to their side, and I think that's relevant in this case.
TOOBIN: Another point is that correction officers are often very poorly paid, and they are not very well trained. So you have people who are vulnerable to start with. And it starts with, you know, very minor requests. Oh, bring me food. Bring me cigarettes. And then as you say, the grooming process continues, and that's what leads to situations like this.
COOPER: Anthony?
GANGI: First off, anybody can be manipulated. You ever watch the movie "Shaw Shank Redemption?" Did you not want those guys to breakout at the end? Do you know why? Because you associate with them more than you did with staff in some cases.
So my disagreement here is not that we're vulnerable. It has nothing to do with us getting paid less. It has nothing to do with any of that. It has to do with the fact -- first of all, we're professionals. And second thing is we have a job to do, and sometimes when people aren't aware of who they are, could be anybody because there have been psychologist that is have been caught up there. There have been people at a higher status, administration that have been caught up there. Hold on, sir.
COOPER: I think there have been attorneys as well.
TOOBIN: Absolutely.
GANGI: Attorneys. So for you to say -- hold on. It's my opinion. You're belittling a profession that's in the shadows. Sir, hold on. Because what you said, it's insulting. You are belittling a profession that's in the shadows. Mr. Cooper was nice enough to bring us out to for once -- for corrections to be seen in a light because we're not. We're not recognized. And when you say something like that for somebody that's been in the shadows for so long, we get frustrated.
COOPER: Jeff, I want you to respond, and then we have to go.
TOOBIN: Well, the correction officers in Baltimore, which I wrote about, were 18 and 19 years old kids who were being paid absurdly low wages who came from the same community as the inmates, and they were manipulated. I mean, that does happen. That's not an insult to the whole profession. I don't mean that at all. But it happens, and I don't think I would describe Joyce Mitchell from what I have seen as a professional anything.
COOPER: I don't want to get too far off topic on this, but I appreciate all your perspectives.
Anthony Gangi, great to have you on.
GANGI: Thank you, sir. Thank you.
COOPER: Great to have you on, again. Matt Logan as well. Jeff Toobin as well. Quick reminder, make sure to set your DVR. You can watch 360 anytime
you want.
Coming up, just ahead, more breaking news. New reporting on the intimidation angle. The possibility, possibility, that Joyce Mitchell was the terrified victim of a horrible threat. That's one of really two options tonight. We'll look at that head.
And later, she stepped down from her post at the NAACP, and her brother speaking out telling us what he thinks as her claiming to be black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:18:10] COOPER: More breaking news in the prison escape.
New reporting in the angle that Randi Kaye talked about at the top of the broadcast. Namely the possibility that the killing of prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell's husband was a part of David Sweat and Richard Matt's plan. Now, the question is was it also part of her plan as well or was she a victim? Were they using this for some sort of cooperation if it's in fact true? She's been yet to be charged with anything along those lines. And we touched on it before the break, what if she was forced?
More that angle now from Miguel Marquez who joins us now. So, what do we know about the possibility that Joyce Mitchell may have been forced into helping these guys? Is that a possibility?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is -- it is, and this is somebody she has talked to investigators about, and the state official is telling CNN that she may have started to help them, started down the road to befriending them, and this relationship, they say, existed, and at some point the relationship turned. And they use that information against her to say if you don't keep helping us, we're going to use it against you. Essentially blackmailing her into helping them further and that's where she may have gotten into trouble. Cold feet. Couldn't move forward anymore. Couldn't go backward and also didn't tell authorities which may be the real problem -- Anderson.
COOPER: And just to be clear, do authorities believe that Joyce Mitchell's husband had knowledge of this escape plot?
MARQUEZ: Well, this may also be part of the problem. He worked at the prison, remember, and they may have been threatening his life as well. So, it's not clear whether or not he had knowledge of the escape plot or at some point they begin to tell her that his life was at stake if she didn't help them.
State officials saying that she had agreed to be their get-away driver, but at the last minute got cold feet. Couldn't go forward with the plan. Couldn't back out. And literally just stopped -- Anderson.
[20:19:54] COOPER: Miguel, appreciate the update. Thank you. Now a pair of individuals that know the challenges involve in tracking
down fugitives, whether they had willing accomplices or not. Lenny DePaul is former commander of the U.S. Marshal service regional fugitive taskforce for New York and New Jersey, and Robert Fernandez who currently run to similar taskforce covering the Washington D.C. area.
Lenny, you and I were talking before we went on air. I mean, there's a lot of focus, obviously, on the seamstress and what she knew? Was she a victim of this plot? Was she in on the plot? You brought up the whole idea that perhaps she was just plan b all along. That she was not the main focus, that there was a whole other getaway plan. Because I mean, essentially, that's what we're hearing that the trail has gone cold.
LENNY DEPAUL, FORMER U.S. MARSHAL: It's essential a possibility. There is that intense manhunt going on. And I hope I'm wrong. I hope they are contained within that perimeter. But they certainly, and I know the marshal service and my former taskforce, they are certainly casting a wider net and taking a look in several stage and Canada down to Mexico.
So yes, it is just again, my opinion. I mean, if she was plan b, they fed her everything. They gave, you know, they let her hear what she wanted to hear, and they knew law enforcement, she would be a target. She had a prior, you know, prior dealings with Sweat and what not. So law enforcements are surely going to talk to her, they are well aware of that.
COOPER: It is interesting too, I mean, you could also look at it that it would be smart to kind of feed her stuff because authorities are listening to what she's been saying, and she's been apparently cooperating up until now, giving them information. If the information she's been giving them is all sort of a red herring, that would actually be quite a clever thing.
DEPAUL: It's certainly something you can't rule out. And I know the investigators, I'm sure, that's come up in question in the roundtables at every meeting they're having. So you know, you can't just focus. Again, there's an intense manhunt, but there's also a fugitive investigation going on. So they will leave no stones unturned. And again, it just my opinion. I hope their net perimeter.
COOPER: Commander Fernandez, I mean, how convinced are you that Joyce Mitchell was their primary accomplice?
ROBERT FERNANDEZ, U.S. MARSHAL: Well, as time goes by, it looks more and more possible that they either slipped out of the perimeter or did have help. Somebody else gave them help. I would like to address anybody directly who may have given them help. I mean, we -- you heard the major. Law enforcement will not stop until these guys are caught. And once they are caught, anybody who helped them from the point of their escape to the point of their arrest, all of that is going to come to light. And anybody that helped them, they could be possibly prosecuted and also possibly held liable for any crimes they did after they escape. So the best thing for you to do is go talk to the police right now.
Because I can assure you that the state's attorney is going to look favorably on the fact that you came in voluntary because if not, once we arrest them and everything comes to light, the heavy hand of law is going to come down on you, and you have zero option at that point to help yourself. So be smart and help yourself now.
COOPER: And Lenny, not only is the tip line on the screen right now, I mean, there is a $100,000 reward out there which obviously is a huge inducement.
DEPAUL: No, absolutely. You know, people do, you know, hopefully with all the leads that are coming in, any tip that is the task force is receiving, that's huge. The public needs to stay diligent, absolutely.
COOPER: And diligent not just in this area. That's the point both of you, gentlemen, have been making.
You talk about the transition to kind of a fugitive operation, what is that actually entails? Obviously, it is not just the large numbers of people in a concentrated area. How does it brought now?
DEPAUL: Well, the manhunt itself is aviation support, canine, car checks, check points, perimeters being setup and shifting is, we are hearing things from aviation or law enforcement that is actually doing sweeps. They are looking at over 500 homes in that area, some cabins, a lot of homes that have not been opened up. Still locked up for, you know, until the summer arrives up. So that's the intense manhunt.
The investigation itself has been ongoing since day one. And as an agency, you know, the U.S. marshals do it best. And we are looking at everything -- friends, family, who's who in the zoo is we like to say.
COOPER: What?
DEPAUL: Who's who in the zoo. It's -- yes. Anyhow --
COOPER: Cast of characters that are involved.
DEPAUL: Absolutely.
COOPER: Commander, you know, you think about the idea that given all this length of time, if these two guys are just given out in the forest, I mean, that seems highly unlikely given not only the huge numbers of people looking, but just the conditions that they would have to deal with without having to preposition supplies. The elements, the rain that's been up there. The bugs, you know, without having bug spray. It sounds like a minor thing, but, you know, if anyone has spent time in the forest for days at a time, it can be brutal.
FERNANDEZ: Absolutely. And as time goes by, it looks like more and more that, maybe, they are not going to be located in this area, I mean, we hope they are. And they still could possibly be hidden, you know, away in some honey comb hide-out that we have yet to find, but I'm sure the New York state police have been incredibly thorough with their search up there.
But as time goes by, it does seem to be the lead of the possibility that they either slipped away or maybe even the night of the escape they might have just called somebody else to come pick them up. There was some time -- there was a time lapse.
COOPER: Or had somebody else there waiting as you said, she was --
DEPAUL: They had 68 hours, you know, head start from what we know. And it is awful quiet. No carjacking, no robberies, no break-ins, nobody is reporting anything which makes law enforcement scratch their heads a little bit.
[20:25:32] COOPER: It is interesting.
Lenny DePaul, great to have you on. Robert Fernandez, as well, thank you very much.
Just ahead, Rachel Dolezal steps down from the NAACP from her post, but she still has not answered the allegations that prompted her resignation that for years she's lied about her race. Saying she's black when her parents say she's white, as they are.
Plus, new details tonight about the two shark attacks in the span of 90 minutes on the same North Carolina beach. I'll talk to an off duty paramedic whose quick actions kept one of the victims from bleeding to death.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:3:00] COOPER: Welcome back. A bit twist in the story that really remains as kind of confusing as ever tonight. Rachel Dolezal has resigned as president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP. Now, for days she's been under growing pressure to address allegations by her own parents, among others, that she's lied for years about her race. She says she's black. Her parents say she's white. They've released photos of their daughter when she was young, as well as her own birth certificate. In a letter posted on the NAACP Spokane Facebook page, today Dolezal, a long-time civil rights activist, wrote "Please know I will never stop fighting for human rights. I will do everything in my power to help and assist, whether it means stepping up or stepping down because this is not about me. It's about justice. It's not me quitting. This is a continuum." A lot of people want more answers than the letter provides. Dolezal was expected to explain herself today at a meeting which the NAACP has postponed.
Our Stephanie Elam joins me now. So, what else did we hear from her today?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the lengthiest note that we've seen from Dolezal since this scandal broke, Anderson. It's a lengthy letter where she talks about what she's accomplished. She also says that she should not be detracting from the work that needs to be at the forefront of what the NAACP here in Spokane and nationally does. Her letter, in part, says that she's waited in deference while others expressed their feelings, beliefs, confusion, and even conclusions absent the full story. What she did not do is apologize, nor did she completely explain this whole brouhaha about whether or not she is black or white. But there's one letter -- one sentence of this letter that I do think is very key here. It says "while challenging the construct of race is at the core of evolving human consciousness." That's the beginning of a sentence. And I think that may be what the focus of her defense will be when we hear more from her because this goes back to that idea that a lot of people have been putting forth, Anderson. This idea of being trans-racial that one can flow between races as they feel an infinity toward them. But what some people are saying about that is that it's not up to one person to decide when we are over as Americans race, even though it is a human construct.
COOPER: What is the NAACP saying about all this? Because initially they have come forward. Didn't really address whether or not she had lied. They simply said, you know, that she's done good work.
ELAM: Yeah. They say they've done good work. They've also said that you don't have to be black to work within the NAACP, and they're standing behind that. The president and CEO of the NAACP was on CNN earlier this afternoon and saying that, you know, she's done good work, but at the same time anything that has distracted or detracted from the work that the NAACP is doing is something that does hurt, and is painful, and anything that would help them get beyond that, I.E., an apology, would be helpful as well. But still, overall sounding like they're supportive of Dolezal.
COOPER: All right, Stephanie Elam, I appreciate. It's not just Rachel Dolezal's parents who are speaking out. Dolezal has five siblings, four of them adopted. Tonight her brother Zach who is African-American is sharing his side of the story, adding his voice to the controversy. He sat down with our Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is zero ambiguity when Zach Dolezal describes his sister Rachel.
(on camera): What race is Rachel?
ZACH DOLEZAL, RACHEL DOLEZAL'S BROTHER: She's white. Like German. A little Czech. On I believe my mom's side.
TUCHMAN (voice over): Zach Dolezal was born in Haiti and adopted by Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal when he was an infant. He now services oil wells in North Dakota.
(on camera): You love your parents very much?
ZACH DOLEZAL: Oh, yeah. I would do anything for them.
TUCHMAN (voice over): This is a photo from Rachel's wedding to an African-American man she has since divorced. Her parents surround the newly married couple. Her little brother Zach, 16 years younger than Rachel, is on the lower right. One of four children the Dolezals adopted.
(on camera): So, when you first heard her describe herself as African-American to somebody else and you heard about it, what was your feeling?
ZACH DOLEZAL: Confusion all the way around. I mean, it's -- it didn't make sense.
TUCHMAN (voice over): Zach says several years ago Rachel told him ...
ZACH DOLEZAL: She didn't consider them her parents and, you know, if we were to talk about them, they were Larry and Ruthanne, not mom and dad.
TUCHMAN (on camera): She told you to refer to them as Larry and Ruthanne?
ZACH DOLEZAL: Yes, Larry and Ruthanne. And, I mean, I was old enough to know what I was doing, but at the same time it was my older sister, and I hadn't seen her in a while, and I was just there, and so I -- water off the duck's back.
TUCHMAN: But she told you that you believed because she didn't want people to know that these white people were her parents.
ZACH DOLEZAL: Yes.
TUCHMAN (voice over): Zach attended North Idaho college in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho a couple of years back. And he says it was at the same time his sister was an instructor there. He eventually left to head out here to the oilfields of North Dakota where hard work leads to very good money.
[20:35:00]
TUCHMAN: Zach says his parents taught their children the importance of being respectful. He says he feels his sister, Rachel, has forgotten part of that lesson.
Zach says he doesn't know why his sister has been so misleading. He says she could have succeeded anyway because she's smart, creative, and talented. And he says he misses her being part of his life.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Do you still love Rachel?
ZACH DOLEZAL: Oh, most definitely. Most definitely. There's no doubt about it.
TUCHMAN: What would you like her to do right now?
ZACH DOLEZAL: Come back and be part of our family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Gary, I mean, he told you that Rachel mentioned to him not to call their parents mom and dad. Did she say anything else to him about what he should do?
TUCHMAN: Yeah, Zach told me he had a conversation with Rachel a little while back that concerned him. He says his sister talked to him about his tendency to wear cowboy boots, to wear wrangler jeans and to ride bulls. He likes to ride bulls. And he felt the implication of that conversation he felt he was trying - that she was trying to tell him that he acted too white. Either way, he still wears the boots, still wears the jeans, still rides the bulls, and he still wants his sister to come back to the family.
COOPER: Hmm, it's just fascinating. Gary, I appreciate it. And just ahead, a care free day at the beach. Taking a near deadly turn. Two vacationing teenagers attacked by sharks. Possibly the same shark along the same stretch of ocean. I'll talk to an off duty paramedic whose quick thinking and skills helped save one of the victim's lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight, a popular North Carolina vacation spot is reeling from two nearly fatal shark attacks. Just over 24 hours ago a beach packed with swimmers and sun bathers became a makeshift trauma ward with bystanders and bathing suits scrambling to help the young victims. We've all heard the statistics that tell us shark attacks are extremely rare. And they are. That is true. But when they happen they are certainly terrifying. Tom Foreman reports.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At 4:40 p.m., the first call came in. A 13-year-old girl attacked by a shark while swimming at the popular Oak Island beach in North Carolina.
CALLER: Her left arm is completely missing, and also a bite to the left leg. 13-year-old, weak pulse.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, left arm is completely missing, weak pulse and what was the other?
CALLER: Also, a bite to the left leg.
FOREMAN: Terrified beach goers tried to help the young victim after she is brought to shore. One onlooker borrows the cell phone from a family member to call 911. The family too distraught to call themselves.
911 DISPATCHER: Do you know, are any of the fingers completely amputated?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like her entire hand is gone.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. If you can, just make sure they take a clean dry cloth and wrap it around the wound and place pressure on it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the nightmare didn't end there. Less than 90 minutes after the first attack, another one at the same beach. This victim a 16-year-old boy.
911 DISPATCHER: What is it? A shark?
CALLER: It bit a man's arm off.
CALLER: He has got three people around him that's holding pressure to his arm.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, listen, tell them, do not use a tourniquet. I'm going to tell you how to stop the bleeding. Listen carefully to make sure we do it right. Tell them to make sure they have a clean, dry cloth or towel and place it right on the wound. OK, if you can, just tell them to let him rest in the most comfortable position and keep reassuring him that help is on the way soon, OK?
FOREMAN: Both victims were airlifted to a local hospital. Both in critical condition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said the head was about that big, I think the kid said, and estimated six to eight foot -- seven to eight. Blood in the water coming over with the white wash. Kid was in shock. He was still coherent. Lost -- took it clean off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You saw that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. I saw what was left of what he had.
FOREMAN: This beach is not only a popular swimming spot, but also the site of a busy fishing pier. That means a lot of bait in the water and a lot of fish to draw sharks in. And authorities do believe one shark was responsible for both of these attacks, although they don't yet know what kind it was. Both victims are out of surgery. Each lost a limb. The 13-year-old lost her arm below the elbow, and also suffered damage to her leg. The 16-year-old lost his arm below the shoulder.
CHIEF CHRIS ANSELMO, OAK ISLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT: I've been here 16 years. This is the first time something as major as this has happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: It's incredible. Tom Foreman joins us from the Oak Island, North Carolina. If it is the same shark that attacked these two teens, what, if anything, can authorities do about it?
FOREMAN: Really, they admit, Anderson, they don't know. And probably not much. I mean, this is really one of the prime times in which a shark might attack. Right around twilight like this. But there's a lot of water out here, and actually after these attacks authorities say from helicopters they spotted two sharks about the size of the shark believed to be involved in the general vicinity of the attacks. But they don't know if those were the sharks. And even if they were, as I said at the beginning, they're not sure what they could do about them other than try to warn people further away from the water. Right now what they're mainly doing is watching to see if there are any more warning signs. Anderson.
COOPER: Yeah, in our next hour, we're going to talk to a shark expert about these kind of attacks, but we should also point out that the quick action of bystanders is being credited with saving both teens' lives. Marie Hildreth was one of those good Samaritans. She's a paramedic from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was at the beach vacationing with her family, luckily, and in the moments after the 13- year-old girl was attacked, she began giving first-aid using whatever was available. I spoke to Marie shortly before air.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Marie, take us through what happened. Because I understand you were swimming and someone close to you yelled "Shark." What happened next?
MARIE HILDRETH, PARAMEDIC: Well, they basically -- a lady came running down to where we were and yelled "shark." We were like throwing footballs in the water, and we all got out, and in the state of North Carolina we have a duty to act, so as a paramedic. So, I had to go over to -- I mean, I had to, but I also wanted to go over to where it happened, and I noticed that nobody else was trained or had any ability of helping.
[20:45:00]
HILDRETH: So, I jumped in and just kind of saw what was going on. I saw the injuries, and based on the hemorrhaging that was happening to reduce hypovolemia I decided to go and put two tourniquets on her on two different limbs, which then stopped the bleeding. To reduce that. And then continue talking to her, continuing to try to do things. Someone else provided me with IV materials, and I was able to get an IV starting, get some fluids on board before medic and fire was able to show up.
COOPER: I mean that's really critical what you did. Because obviously, most deaths from shark bites occur from people bleeding out before they're able to get help. It's not that the shark actually eats somebody. The tourniquets, I know you made one for the leg, one for the arm. What did you make them out of?
HILDRETH: I took strings. I think one from a boogie board and one from an actual tent that was sitting right in the area. I just kind of yelled for help, and everybody was wonderful on the scene. Started grabbing things and helping me out. So, I just took the strings and tied them as tight as I can based on our training until I had the appropriate tourniquets, which the fire department was able to - they carried it. So, I used those and then took off my kind of makeshift tourniquets once the proper equipment was used. COOPER: It's incredible. I mean obviously, as you said, you have
training, but have you ever had to jump in when you are off duty and deal with something like this before?
HILDRETH: Nothing to this extent. You know, you'll see a traffic accident here or there. Usually it's not a big deal. But something like this, definitely it's a whole different situation. You know, it's -- one thing when I get up in the morning and put on a uniform and I'm ready. I know what I'm getting myself into, and this was definitely caught me out of left field.
COOPER: I know you don't consider yourself special. I'm sure there are certainly two parents out there who are very thankful to you and consider you to be very special. I'm sure a lot of our viewers as well.
HILDRETH: Well, I mean, I appreciate that. I really do. I do have to say that the parents were amazing. They were so strong, and they did such an amazing job for their daughter. They kept calm, which kept her calm, which is the biggest difference in taking care of a patient. The other is, you know, there's people all along the way that helped save her. First responders, nurses, doctors, ED's, surgeons, you know, and I feel like I was just one piece of the whole puzzle that helped save her life.
COOPER: I got to ask, just having seen this and having been so close to where a shark was, does it make you fearful of getting back in the water? I mean, obviously you know the statistics and stuff.
HILDRETH: Yes. To be very honest, my family and I are probably not going to go any farther than ankle deep for the rest of the week. It's probably not going to prevent me for the rest of my life going in the ocean, but since it's just so close, I'll give it a little time before I actually get my knees wet again.
COOPER: Yeah. Well, I can understand that. Marie Hildreth, thank you so much for talking to us and thank you for your quick response.
HILDRETH: Yeah. No problem. I appreciate it, and I was grateful that I was able to help.
COOPER: Well, enjoy the rest of your vacation.
HILDRETH: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Yeah, I mean lucky she was there. Up next, breaking news. Word two terror masterminds were apparently killed in separate U.S. air strikes. Also ahead, bears, big cats, even a hippopotamus on the loose after escaping from a flooded zoo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Breaking news tonight. The U.S. has apparently scored another major victory in the war on terror. Yemeni officials say a top leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has died in a suspected U.S. drone attack. And this comes after the Pentagon confirmed another terror mastermind was targeted over the weekend in Libya. It's believed he was behind an attack on a gas facility in Algeria back in 2013. You may remember there's 37 hostages were killed including three Americans.
Jim Sciutto joins us now from Washington with more. So, the drone strike that killed the number two leader of al Qaeda, what do we know about that?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. intelligence officials telling CNN that the U.S. is still looking to confirm that he was killed, so no confirmation yet from the U.S. But you have Yemeni officials saying that he was killed, and you have many Jihadi web sites and supporters saying not only that he is dead, but he has already been replaced. This is significant. He is number one in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. One of the two chief terror threats to the U.S. in terms of capability. And he is number two in the other most threatening group. Core al Qaeda. He is Ayman Zawahiri's deputy. He was a lieutenant of bin Laden going back to Tora Bora around 2001. So, replaceable in name, but very difficult to replace in credibility if he is, indeed, dead.
COOPER: And the separate air strike in Libya over the weekend, the Libyan officials are saying that a key terror target was killed. U.S. officials, though, they are not confirming that, right?
SCIUTTO: They are not confirming yet, but U.S. officials are confident in their intelligence. They've been watching this compound for some two months. They believe that he was in the compound having a meeting at the time he was killed. They don't have hard evidence that he was killed, but the U.S. traditionally takes longer to confirm with certainty when you have targets of drone strikes. But just one thing I would add, Anderson, if you look just in the last several weeks, you have major leaders in ISIS and Syria killed. That was Abu Sayaff in this group in the northern -- formerly al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. There's now another group. Killed in Libya. And now the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula killed in Yemen. U.S. officials say there is no tie between all those killings, but really remarkable timing, and really remarkable victories against three of the principle terror threats against the U.S.
COOPER: All right, Jim, I appreciate the update. Thank you.
There is a lot more happening.
Amara Walker has a "360" bulletin. Amara.
AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, relatives of a 17-year-old British boy say they were devastated and heartbroken after ISIS released photos of him and in one he is smiling in front of an ISIS flag. They claim the terror group exploited him. Here at home Jeb Bush officially launched his 2016 presidential campaign with a speech in Miami. The former Florida governor hopes to be the third Bush to move into the White House. He faces a tough battle that so far ten other GOP contenders. A system in the Gulf of Mexico that could become a tropical storm is taking aim at Texas just a couple of weeks after massive flooding in the state killed about 30 people.
[20:55:03]
WALKER: And overseas, raging floodwaters destroyed a zoo in the country of Georgia setting many of the animals free. Now, this includes a hippo, bears, lions, tigers, and more. The hippo was eventually subdued by a tranquilizer. Other animals were also rounded up, but some were killed in the floodwaters or are still missing. At least 12 residents were also killed in the flooding. Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Amara, thank you very much. Incredible pictures there. Our continuing coverage in the next hour. We're on through the 10:00 hour tonight. More of the breaking news. Word that a murder of prison worker Joyce Mitchell's husband might have been part of two killer's escape plan. The question, did they threaten her with that or tempt her or was it all just a diversion? We'll be right back.
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COOPER: It's 9 o'clock. Do you know where two fugitive killers are?
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