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CNN Connie Chung Tonight
Guatemalan Twin Back in Surgery; Search Underway for Virginia Girl; Gulf War Pilot May Become Officially P.O.W.
Aired August 16, 2002 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening. Tonight, a setback. One of the twin Marias went back into surgery.
ANNOUNCER: A nationwide manhunt for a 9-year-old missing from Virginia and presumed kidnapped. Her parents found murdered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's been shot one single time. The husband was found on the couch, and he is diseased with a gunshot wound.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: As police in Oregon try to crack the case of two girls missing for months.
Britain now on edge with a major missing case of its own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give them back. Just give them back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Two girls vanished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're our children, and we want them back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Two school workers are questioned. One who admits he was the last to see them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was one of the last people to speak to them, if not the last person to speak to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: $1 trillion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to bankrupt the terrorists and those who financed them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Relatives of victims of the 9/11 attacks take aim at groups accused of bankrolling al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doug's last words were we're going to do something, and today we're going to do something too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: The little Marias. One of the twins, Maria Teresa, back in surgery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's developed an infection of the lining of her brain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll check in for the latest on her and her sister's condition.
This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. Live from the CNN broadcast center in New York, Connie Chung.
CHUNG: Good evening. We begin tonight with an update on the little Marias. The twins separated in a marathon operation last week. One of the girls, Maria Teresa, needed further surgery today because of a bacterial infection in the lining of her brain. At a news conference that ended just moments ago, Dr. Irwin Weiss with the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA briefed reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. IRWIN WEISS, PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE PHYSICIAN: She developed an infection of the lining of her brain, and -- which is -- can be expected after the amount of surgery and grafting that she had to -- that she had to undergo, and those tests confirmed that last night, and it was decided that the blood that had been left after the second operation would -- might be a source of the infection, or allow the infection to continue to grow.
So Dr. Lazarus (ph) and I -- Dr. Lazarus (ph) is the neurosurgeon -- and I felt that the best thing to do would be to go in and attempt to remove as much of that blood as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: We'll have more on the twins' condition in a moment, when Dr. Weiss joins us for a live interview.
Now, missing in America. Two cases of missing children. We will go coast to coast for the latest on two heart wrenching incidents. We'll have James Hattori in Oregon with an update on the case of two missing girls. Now that a man claims his father told him he killed the girls.
But first, to Jeanne Meserve at the sheriff's department's office in Collinsville, Virginia, where 9-year-old Jennifer Short has disappeared. Her parents were found dead in their home.
Jeanne, why have investigators turned this into a national, a nationwide manhunt?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Connie, it's because the Short home is on a four-lane highway that runs south to North Carolina and north to West Virginia. Because of that, and because Jennifer may have been missing for hours before anyone realized it, authorities say she could be almost anywhere by now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): From a convenience store down the street from the Short home, a surveillance tape showing Jennifer Short just days before her disappearance. She's described as 4-foot-3, 58 pounds, and a good kid.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was kind of quiet, and she was a little bit shy. But she was very close to her mom and daddy. Very close.
MESERVE: Her mommy and daddy are dead. Each found with a gunshot wound to the head. They were last seen alive at around midnight Wednesday. When they were found murdered Thursday morning, Jennifer was missing. Nothing at the scene indicates she was physically injured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jennifer had been in her bedroom and appeared to have been in her bed.
MESERVE: To protect the investigation, law enforcement is saying little about forensic evidence. They hope autopsy results will pinpoint the time of death.
CAPT. KIMMY NESTER, HENRY COUNTY, VA, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We try to do everything by timelines. We try to figure out who was where and what -- which should be normal and which should be abnormal for that time. We want to get it down to the very minute, if possible.
MESERVE: A massive local search has turned up nothing and is being scaled back. And though tips have come in from as far away as Missouri, none have panned out. Investigators say they are optimistic, but realistic. Friends and acquaintances don't want to contemplate the grim possibilities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry, I can't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: That was Jeanne Meserve's report. Leading the investigation is Henry County Sheriff H.F. Cassell, and he joins us now from Virginia. Good evening, sir, and thank you for being with us.
SHERIFF H.F. CASSELL, HARRIS COUNTY, VIRGINIA: Good evening.
CHUNG: Sheriff, are there any new developments?
CASSELL: Not at this time.
CHUNG: Any leads? Any suspects, potential suspects?
CASSELL: Well, there's a lot of leads we're following up for you. We really don't have anyone we could term a suspect at this time.
CHUNG: Now, you have several search teams out there. Have you found anything?
CASSELL: No, we haven't found anything at all that has been of any benefit to us.
CHUNG: Sir, is the FBI involved? Have they been brought in?
CASSELL: The FBI is involved. The Virginia State Police is involved, and several surrounding agencies. We've got a lot of men out there.
CHUNG: All right. Do you believe that little Jennifer was abducted by the killer of her parents?
CASSELL: Yes, I do.
CHUNG: What does it say to you that her parents were each shot in the head, and then she is gone? Can you analyze that for us?
CASSELL: No, Connie, I'm afraid I can't. This is a very unusual case. You don't see many like this.
CHUNG: Now, the Shorts had their house up for sale. Have you found any significance in that?
CASSELL: Not so far. We're running that down, along with a lot of other things, but I don't see any significance at this time.
CHUNG: Did any of their friends tell you that they were surprised that they were going to move out of their house?
CASSELL: I haven't heard anyone say that. I really couldn't answer that.
CHUNG: All right. Sheriff, the last person who saw them was Christopher Thompson (ph), someone who had worked with them. Do you have any information that would lead you to believe that he knows more than necessarily he might be telling you?
CASSELL: Well, we've talked to this individual several times, and quite extensively. We probably will be talking to him some more. So far, he's been very cooperative, and I really couldn't voice an opinion on him at this time beyond that.
CHUNG: All right. It was he who found the bodies, correct?
CASSELL: That's correct.
CHUNG: Can you tell us what he told you, or give us any indication of why he happened to go over there and discover the bodies?
CASSELL: Well, he worked for Mr. Short, and I don't know particularly why he went by there. They'd been working on a vehicle the night before, rather late. And he went by there and tried to get him up, and he didn't respond. And he noticed that he was laying down. He approached him and saw that he had a wound to his head, and that's the summation. I don't know exactly what he said. I didn't talk to him.
CHUNG: Did this gentleman have a key to their house, or was he able to get in easily, do you know?
CASSELL: I really don't know. I'm not real sure if the house was locked.
CHUNG: Do you know if there was any forced entry in the house, in any of the entrances?
CASSELL: I couldn't answer that.
CHUNG: I understand that Amber alert was used. Did it help?
CASSELL: Well, we've gotten several responses from it. So far, none of them have panned out, but we're hopeful that we will continue to get them.
CHUNG: Is that the first time that Amber alert has been used in the state?
CASSELL: I'm sure it isn't. It's the first time we've used it.
CHUNG: I see. You did say that this is a highly unusual case. Have you worked on anything that's even slightly similar?
CASSELL: No. We've had a lot of horrific murders, but I've never -- I don't remember of a genuine child abduction in this area.
CHUNG: Are you concerned about Jennifer?
CASSELL: Very much.
CHUNG: All right. Sheriff Cassell, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it. And we'll keep our fingers crossed.
CASSELL: Thank you. CHUNG: Now on to the story of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis, the two Oregon girls who have been missing for months. James Hattori joins us with the latest information.
James, I'm told that there was a sign outside of Ward Weaver's home?
JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you can't see it from this side, Connie, but this all started last night when a relative of one of the missing girls, Mary Campobosse (ph), who is Ashley Pond's stepmom, came by at 11:00 last night, because she's had suspicions about Ward Weaver, plus she had suspicions about a concrete slab that Weaver had put in in the back of his house. He said he put it in for a hot tub. The hot tub was never built. Of course, so she's decided to put a sign up on the slab that says "dig me up." And now she says that given the accusation by Weaver's son that he had something to do with her disappearances, the disappearances of the two girls, she says it's time for action from the authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel it's necessary for the spot to be dug up. I want to know if there is anything under here, and I'm making a stand. I want it done now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HATTORI: Campobosse (ph) says there are simply too many coincidences. Not only does Weaver have a criminal past and a history of violence, not only does his house sit at the entrance to where the two missing girls lived, but in addition to that, she says Weaver's father -- and this has been reported as well -- Weaver's father is in death row, convicted of murder, and one of his crimes was for killing and raping a girl and burying her in his back yard -- Connie.
CHUNG: You know, also, it's so bizarre, James. But also, Ward Weaver's ex-wife told us last night -- her name is Kristi Sloan -- told us that she also had said something to him about digging up the back yard. He said it was for a hot tub. And of course you notice the cement. But she also said that it was in the middle of winter and in the rain as well, and she's quite suspicious of her ex-husband.
Now, has there been any response from the police regarding this sign?
HATTORI: Well, the police have been very tight-lipped since the beginning about this. And that's part of the frustration that Campobosse (ph) felt, and she says that other family members feel, because they don't see a lot of action on the part of authorities. They don't see a lot of response from the police. They may be doing something, but so far in this case, there hasn't been any response -- Connie.
CHUNG: Yes, I meant to also tell our viewers and to you that the ex-wife Kristi Sloan had also said that the police did search the home, searched the back of the home but did not get any kind of warrant to dig up the back yard. Now, you've been outside Ward Weaver's home just about all day. Has there been any activity?
HATTORI: The only activity is that a legal server came by and posted an eviction notice for Mr. Weaver, which is -- and in addition, the owner came by and posted a "No Trespassing" sign. It's a little odd, the eviction notice, because I talked with the owner of the property, who said -- Mr. Steve Hopkins (ph) -- who said that by and large, he thought that Weaver was a good tenant and that he had no problems with him.
Of course, at point, it looks like he'll be tied up with legal problems for a while.
CHUNG: All right, and finally what is Ward Weaver's status right now?
HATTORI: He's still in jail on a $1 million bond on the rape charge that stems from an incident last Tuesday, accused of raping his son's 19-year-old girlfriend, a grand jury is expected to meet and bring charges no later than Wednesday of next week.
He has also hired an attorney, Tim Lyons (ph). We tried to get ahold of Mr. Lyons today to find out what's going on. We couldn't ahold of him. He wouldn't return our calls, Connie.
CHUNG: All right. Thank you, CNN's James Hattori in Oregon.
Coming up a case of missing girls across the Atlantic. Stay with us.
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead, three hours of surgery for one of the Guatemalan miracle girls. CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT returns in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: While we've been focusing on kids missing in America, the fact is child disappearances can do -- can and do happen far beyond the United States.
There's a story in England that has dominated the headlines overseas, a story that will sound very familiar to Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Two 10-year-old girls have been missing for two weeks. But this case is an England, not the United States.
ANDY HEBB, CAMBRIDGESHIRE POLICE: We continue to work 24 hours a day to find that piece of evidence to give us the breakthrough that we desperately want.
CHUNG: On August 4, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman vanished. The two best friends were last seen in their hometown of Soham, an hour-and-a-half from London.
SHARON CHAPMAN, JESSICA'S MOTHER: Give them back. Just give them back. Just put an end to all of this for them. They're too young to be going through all this.
LESLIE CHAPMAN, JESSICA'S FATHER: What must they be thinking? It's bad enough for us, but we don't know where they are, you don't know where they are. But someone's got them. They're not their children. They're our children, and we want them back.
CHUNG: Emotional pleas from the missing girls' mothers sounds familiar.
NICOLA WELLS, HOLLY'S MOTHER: We'll all stand together (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CHUNG: Police have received more than 14,000 tips from the public. The case is front page news in the British tabloids, and several papers have even offered rewards for leads. Just today, police announced they're questioning two people, 28-year-old Ian Huntley and his girlfriend Maxine Carr (ph). Both knew the girls.
Huntley, the man police questioned today, was interviewed earlier on British television.
IAN HUNTLEY, CARETAKER: It doesn't help the fact that I was one of the last people to speak to them, if not the last person to speak to them, and I keep reliving that conversation and thinking perhaps something different could have been said.
Perhaps kept them here a little bit longer and maybe changed events.
CHUNG: As the investigation continues, two girls are still missing as two families try to remain optimistic.
KEVIN WELLS, HOLLY'S FATHER: We were offered a glimmer of hope in the early hours of the morning, the following morning, and it is to that glimmer of hope that we've refocused.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: A short time ago, I spoke with London radio reporter Mandy Segall, who's been following the story of the missing girls since it broke. Mandy, the police today announced that they're questioning two individuals. What can you tell us about this development?
MANDY SEGALL, LONDON RADIO REPORTER: Yes, that's right, Connie. In fact, Ian Hartly (sic) and Maxine Carr. Ian Huntley, who is 28 years old, who lives with Maxine, 25-year-old teaching assistant at the school where the girls are, and Ian Huntley who's a caretaker at the local college, the local Soham Village College, has gone voluntarily to speak to the police. And that's been the latest development today, and the reason why -- we're not entirely sure -- but we know that Ian was the last known person to speak to the girls on the Sunday that they disappeared.
CHUNG: Do you know if the police consider these two individuals potential suspects? SEGALL: This is the thing we're not entirely sure at the moment. And all we know is what we've been told, that they're questioning them, that they've gone in voluntarily. They're not by any means under arrest.
CHUNG: Why do you think this particular kidnapping of these two little girls has created such a feeding frenzy in Britain?
SEGALL: Well, I think the reason why is because there are two girls, as opposed to one girl on their own. They're 10 years old. They went -- they both left very well (UNINTELLIGIBLE) backgrounds, and it was very unusual for them to do something like this.
People go missing every other day, obviously, in Britain. And there's not the attention. And the reason why is because there's reason, known reason to the family and friends that this person might have gone missing, but in this instance there isn't. And I think, obviously, there's things that the police don't tell us. And the police believe that there's something more than just two girls here who have gone missing, and they want to sort this out as soon as possible.
CHUNG: I'm sure you've seen the media glom on to a story in your country and in our country. But why do you suppose the tabloids have gotten in on offering rewards for the discovery of these two girls?
SEGALL: Well, I think we can be quite skeptical about this. And it's not the first time that tabloids have offered rewards for particular news stories. And these taking up probably page one, two, three, four, onwards of most of the newspapers. So there needs to be an exclusive on a different -- on all the different newspapers, and they are, unfortunately in this world, competing with each other to try and get the best stories, the best leads. And it is a skeptical thing to say, but by putting a reward up, helping the police with this case, is one of the reasons that they are going to do this. You know, if, by one of these newspapers, and the reward helping to catch the perpetrators, that's great for them.
CHUNG: Mandy, there have been a number of kidnappings here in the United States and they've hit the headlines this summer. Has Britain picked up on our cases of kidnappings?
SEGALL: We've looked at them in a small detail. Obviously, because of this case, it's really overtaken the main headlines here. I mean, you know, the only things that we've actually done is mentioned them as sidelines. It's not maybe as common a situation here in Britain for something as big as this. So we haven't really picked up on them as much as possibly we would have done in other circumstances.
CHUNG: Mandy Segall, thank you so much.
And coming up, the latest on a medical setback for one of the separated twins.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, relatives of September 11 victims set their sights on al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks to the extraordinary character shown by him and his fellow passengers, hundreds and perhaps thousands of lives were saved in Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Can $1 trillion take away the pain? When CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
CHUNG: Still ahead, the hard road to recovery for one of the separated twins. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: As we told you earlier, one of the conjoined twins separated last week went back into surgery today. Maria Teresa underwent a three-hour procedure after tests indicated a bacterial infection in the lining of her brain. As you may remember, Maria Teresa and her sister, Marie DeJesus, were joined at the head until a 22-hour operation last week. Marie DeJesus has improved more rapidly than her sister. She is now breathing on her own and being fed from a bottle.
For the latest on the condition of the girls, we're joined by Irwin Weiss, pediatric intensive care physician at the Mattel Children's Hospital of UCLA. Dr. Weiss, thank you again for being with us. I'm so happy to see you again, but not happy about the fact that Maria Teresa had to go back into surgery. I have to tell you, you know, I was -- when I heard that, I thought oh, no. Was this a life-threatening situation?
WEISS: No, not at all. She -- we confirmed last night that she had an infection of the lining of her brain, which is something that is expected because of the extensive plastic surgery and reconstruction that she's had during the separation. And she had had blood, if you remember, left from the -- and had to go back the day after the surgery.
CHUNG: Yes.
WEISS: And we decided that perhaps that blood was allowing the infection to continue to grow. So it was decided, Dr. Lazarus (ph), the neurosurgeon, and I -- we discussed it at great lengths, and we decided that he would take her back to the operating room to try to drain out some of that blood to allow -- to help the infection clear. So it's not -- it was not a life-threatening situation at all.
CHUNG: Good, good. I know that she was just taken off her ventilator before this operation. Isn't that correct? And now she's back on a ventilator?
WEISS: Yes. Well, she just returned from the operating room about an hour ago, 45 minutes ago. So we're going to see. I think we're going to let her rest for a while on the ventilator, at least overnight, and then we'll see how she does tomorrow and over the weekend, and hopefully take her off again soon.
CHUNG: All right. I know that there is a helicopter behind you, but I can still hear you, so not to worry. I know they're delivering an organ, I believe, right, but of course that has nothing to do with the twins.
Tell me, sir...
WEISS: We're a busy place here.
CHUNG: It is, indeed. Tell me, Dr. Weiss, how is Maria DeJesus?
WEISS: Maria DeJesus is continuing to progress. She's been ahead of her sister a little bit, so she's now eating regular food for her age and she's taking her bottle, and she's awake and alert and interactive as -- really recovering very nicely from her surgery, from that point of view.
CHUNG: And back to Maria Teresa for a minute. She -- was she taking food from a bottle, you know, was she drinking milk at all, or was she still on an I.V. before this operation?
WEISS: Oh, before today's operation -- no, she wasn't quite ready to take food from the bottle as her sister is. So she was getting her nutrition into her stomach via tube and on through the I.V.
CHUNG: All right. Could what happened today, in other words, the operation that occurred today, could that damage her brain or anything like that? If it had gotten worse certainly, but at the stage it was at?
WEISS: Actually, the operation was actually -- it's not that she had another -- she didn't bleed again. She -- it was the blood that was left after the first operation, because at that time, the neurosurgeon felt that the cost of fixing that was not worth the gain that might -- and the complexity of the operation. So it's not like she had another bleed. So, and in fact, although we'll obviously not know until she's all recovered, the brain itself, according to Dr. Lazarus (ph), looks very good, and showed no evidence of any damage, at least from the surgical perspective.
CHUNG: I understand that both girls had been upgraded from critical to, was it serious condition? And is Maria Teresa now in serious condition still?
WEISS: I would say we're going to see how she does over the course of the night. I mean, anyone -- she just got back from the operating room, and we're going to keep her relaxed, ventilated, sedated, also take care of her pain, of course, since she did have surgery, and we'll see how she does. If she needs to be -- I don't feel she needs to be upgraded quite to critical condition as of this time, and hopefully, she'll remain in serious condition, as is her sister.
CHUNG: Isn't it difficult? These little girls are so young they can't tell you how they feel, they can't tell you if this is a problem or that's a problem.
WEISS: Well, that's what we -- those of us who specialize in intensive care for children, that's what we train and practice all the time, both doctors and nurses.
CHUNG: Sure. You know what?
WEISS: It's our specialty to gain that.
CHUNG: Obviously, I'm sorry. One final question. You said something at the news conference that surprised me. You said you didn't think that either girl would remember anything about being connected, being conjoined. They would have no memory of it. That's what you believe from previous experience, or it's just your instinct on this?
WEISS: We've never done -- we've never here done conjoined twins. But in general, most people really don't have much memories of their infancy and early childhood. So not unless they're -- I'm sure the family will have a large photo album and more of their story, but most people don't remember what happened when they were 1, 2, or 3 years old. So we'll see. I guess we'll find out years from now.
CHUNG: All right. Thank you.
WEISS: When they write their memoirs, I guess.
CHUNG: Absolutely.
WEISS: Thank you.
CHUNG: Thank you so much for being with us again. We appreciate it.
WEISS: Thank you. Good night, bye-bye.
CHUNG: Good night.
And later, a dramatic rescue at sea. Coming up, it helps the groom get to the church on time. You won't want to miss this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: President Bush has been getting an earful lately. Everyone from his key advisers to his father, the first President Bush, to leading members of his own party, to U.S. allies. They've been urging him to go slow with his plans to topple Iraq's Saddam Hussein. His inner circle is weighing in. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice spoke of a, quote, "moral case," unquote, for removing Saddam. The president himself had something to say today. Talking to reporters in Texas, Mr. Bush said he'll make up his own mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There should be no doubt in anybody's mind this man is thumbing his nose at the world, that he has gassed his own people, that he has trouble in his neighborhood, that he desires weapons of mass destruction. We'll use all of the latest intelligence to make informed decisions about how best to keep the world at peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: It's been more than 11 years since the Gulf War, and many issues remain unresolved. But for the family of one Navy pilot, the unresolved question is more personal in nature. In a few moments, you'll hear from the family of Scott Speicher, listed as missing in action.
But first, some background on his case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): It was the opening hours of Operation Desert Storm, January, 1991. One of the first U.S. pilots in the air was Navy pilot Scott Speicher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scott Speicher (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CHUNG: A career military man, he believed in the mission and his country. He never returned. Speicher's plane went down over Iraq. The next day, he was declared dead, a casualty of war. He left a wife and two young children. Speicher's family held a memorial service in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.
But as time passed, there was evidence that Speicher may have survived, that he had ejected from his plane and that the Iraqis knew what happened to him.
Just before leaving office in 2001, the Clinton Administration reclassified him as Missing in Action, something never done before in military history.
Today, it's reported that the Navy is considering changing Speicher's status once more to Missing and Captured or Prisoner of War, a move by the Bush Administration that some say is aimed at justifying an attack on Iraq.
Either way, the family of Scott Speicher just wants to know the truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (on camera): Joining us now from Jacksonville, Florida is Cindy Laquidara, the attorney for Speicher family, and from Austin, Texas, Richard Adams, a spokesman for the Speicher family. Thank you so much for being with us. Richard, you are not only a spokesman for the family, but you are Scott's nephew. Do you and the family believe that he is still alive?
RICHARD ADAMS, PILOT'S NEPHEW: Connie, we have much more evidence to suggest that he is not dead, and until we have anything that says any otherwise, we're going to assume he's alive. We do not have one single drop of blood. We have no body. So until then, we're going to pursue everything as if Scott was alive.
CHUNG: Why do you think the Bush Administration wants to reclassify his status to P.O.W.?
ADAMS: It really shouldn't seem as a surprise that, if anybody, either the Bush Administration or the Pentagon, or we as a family, we're pushing to do something right. It's right to bring Scott home. He was a military -- he was a member of the military. He put his life on the line for his country. We should pursue every avenue to bring him home, and bring him home now.
CHUNG: Do you think the Bush Administration is using Scott's status as an excuse to attack Iraq?
ADAMS: Connie, we've been part of this investigation for a long time. This has been a slowly ongoing investigation as far as we're concerned. This is really nothing new to us. However, I can tell you right now, if you talk to any of our men and women who are wearing the uniform, and we're sending a lot of people overseas right now, if you ask any of them about Scott's case, they fully support any kind of mission that would go and recover his remains or go and investigate what happened to him.
And, you know, that's what the military is for. This should definitely be intertwined into anything that goes on in Iraq right now.
CHUNG: How do you analyze the fact that the government may very well indeed change the status of Scott Speicher to P.O.W.?
CINDY LAQUIDARA, FAMILY LAWYER: Well, Connie, I asked them to do this. I asked them -- I sent a letter to the secretary of state in September of 2001 asking them to change the designation. The particular timing now -- I do think it's important that before we go to war, we exhaust all negotiation possibilities for Scott.
And the fact that we're having a dialogue about what we should do and working through the U.N. Security Council Resolution means that they had to go in and change his designation, which they haven't done yet, but that they need to do it, because otherwise, we're at the bargaining table without a recognition by this government that we believe Iraq has him in captivity.
So it had to precede any serious discussions with Iraq. We're in the process, I believe, of just the start of those discussions. And in order to proceed properly, we had to change the designation.
CHUNG: Why would he be declared so quickly dead and then later M.I.A. and then now possibly P.O.W.?
LAQUIDARA: Well, I think it's harder for people to deal with their mistakes, and part of it is just that. You have an amalgam of people who have to participate in these decisions, in how we should repatriate Scott or his remains. And as you know, that's difficult. You've got the Department of Defense, you've got the secretary of state. It's a very complex issue.
Am I impatient? Yes. I'm going to remain so, and that's part of my job, is to get this done and get it done as soon as possible. Am I happy to take this change? Yes, I asked for it. It's necessary. The next step is to do something with it. We need to be at the table. We need to be discussing this. We neat to outnegotiate Iraq. I'm certain our government's capable of doing that.
CHUNG: Richard, do you believe that the United States should fully exhaust negotiations before attacking?
ADAMS: Oh, yes, absolutely, Connie. We should try whatever means possible, whether it's through our own private means or through whatever kind of negotiations that need to take place, absolutely.
CHUNG: I know it's difficult for you to say, but honestly, if the government does use your uncle's status to justify an attack on Iraq, I think that your family has been dragged through 11 years of pain.
ADAMS: You know, Connie, whenever you have somebody in your family who is in the military, and as my aunt did, her husband was a naval aviator, you come to accept certain risks. Scott knew the risk of his job. He had a very dangerous job, and we sent him to Iraq to do his job.
And I could have handled very well him, if he was killed the first night of the war, he was a hero and he was defending his country and he knew the risk. However, what's happened over the last 11 years, no soldier, no pilot should have to endure that.
We need to bring Scott home now.
CHUNG: All right. Thank you so much, Richard Adams, Cindy Laquidara. Appreciate it.
LAQUIDARA: Thank you.
ADAMS: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: We obviously taped that interview earlier. Coming up, trying to hit back at the terrorists where it hurts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHUNG: Saudi Arabia remains officially silent about a lawsuit that tries to connect leading members of the Saudi royal family with funding Osama bin Laden's terror network. The suit filed yesterday on behalf of relatives of 9/11 victims is seeking $1 trillion in damages. The suit named several organizations and Islamic charities and three Saudi princes, including the kingdom's defense minister and former intelligence chief.
In announcing the case yesterday the father of one 9/11 victim spoke powerfully about all that he had lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT SELLITTO, LOST SON ON 9/11: His loss is incomprehensible to me. My heart continues to ache. It will ache for the rest of my life. The banks, so-called charities, and the individuals named in this action have the blood of my son on their hands, and they have the blood of more than 3,000 other precious, irreplaceable people on their hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: For more on the case, we're now joined by the man you just heard, Matt Sellito, who lost his son on 9/11. We also welcome from Washington Allen Gerson, the attorney representing hundreds of plaintiffs in the case.
Gentlemen, thank you for being with us, and thank you. Matt, tell me, you heard from your son just before -- was it right at 9:00 a.m.?
SELLITO: It was about five to 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. I had just dropped him -- or I had dropped him off at the train about 5:00 a.m., and, you know, the things that we always say to each other that we never really think of, but I love you, I'll see you a little later and pick you up.
But then about five to 9:00 a.m., I got a phone call, and he said Dad, did you hear what happened? And I said -- of course he was very excited saying it. I said no, what? He said a plane just hit the building. And he was in Building One, so they thought it was an accident at that time.
And I said what's that mean. He says, well, Dad, I gotta tell you, it doesn't look good. And I just had to call you guys to let you know if I don't make it, I love all you guys.
And I never saw him again.
CHUNG: Oh, my gosh. But you had that unbelievable phone call.
SELLITTO: Yes.
CHUNG: To be able to have a conversation with him.
SELLITTO: Yes. CHUNG: Did -- tell me about your son, Matthew.
SELLITTO: Matthew was a phenomenal young man. He'd graduated in December from University of Vermont. Got a job for -- with Cantor Fitzgerald and -- in February. Through the summer, they sent him out to Chicago and tested him to see if he could handle clients. September 1, he got a raise and doubled his salary. And September 10, he came home and said, dad, I just got a client base, and the client base for him was the bank. Banks he dealt with. He dealt on the interest rate options desk, and was promoted to the swaps desk.
CHUNG: You must have been so proud.
SELLITTO: He even said to me, dad, we made it. And he said, this is going to be great.
CHUNG: Tell me, Osama bin Laden himself is not part of this lawsuit. You didn't sue him. Don't you blame Osama bin Laden?
SELLITTO: Do I blame him? I believe he led this. Do I hate him? No.
CHUNG: You don't?
SELLITTO: No, I don't. I wasn't raised that way, and I can't -- I can't do that. In fact, if anything, I was a bit disappointed at our government.
CHUNG: You were?
SELLITTO: Yes, because the more I look into it and the more I learn from it, I think we -- all of us are hearing now that we knew more than that was brought out.
CHUNG: Allan Gerson, is our government cooperating with you and the lawsuit?
ALLAN GERSON, LAWYER FOR 9/11 SUIT: Well, it's too early to tell. We hope that the U.S. government will fully cooperate with us. We think that...
CHUNG: Have you gotten any information so far from the government that has been helpful?
GERSON: We have not obtained information directly from the U.S. government. We have obtained information, interestingly enough, from other governments. But as I was about to say, I do believe that the interests of the families, the interests of 3,000 families and their loved ones and the interests of the U.S. government are one and the same.
That is to say that we believe that national security can be furthered by this type of a suit, and we have a number of national security advisers who I believe will testify to that effect.
CHUNG: It is an extraordinary suit. The figure for the suit went from $116 trillion to $1 trillion today. Can you just quickly explain why?
GERSON: Well, the figure is based on the sorts of damages that U.S. courts have been awarding to plaintiffs in anti-terrorism cases, and there are particular provisions of the law that enable us to sue for this amount. This is really consistent with the rule of law and the type of remedies that Congress has enacted in order to enable families to take their part in the war against terrorism.
CHUNG: All right. Allan Gerson, thank you so much. And Matt, thank you. I hope that the anniversary isn't even harder for you. But we'll have our prayers with you as well.
SELLITTO: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
CHUNG: OK.
Coming up next, adrift at sea but rescued in time to make his wedding after all. What a bachelor party. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: Now a story of a happy reunion. It begins on a recent Sunday morning. Bill Murray casts off in a 30-foot power boat from North Palm Beach, Florida. Destination, Grand Bahama Island, where Bill is soon to be married. With him, his future father-in-law and three friends. The trip, which usually takes six hours, started smoothly. No problem.
But then trouble hit. One by one, the engines failed. They ran into a storm. The groom's party drifted for a day and a half until their craft was spotted by the Coast Guard and the men were rescued. But not without many dangerous moments.
Finally, they were towed back to Florida, where Bill's much relieved fiance, Jennifer Cooper, was waiting, and later they all made it to the altar in the Bahamas by plane. And joining us now, Bill and Jennifer Murray. Thank you so much for being with us.
BILL MURRAY, RESCUED AT SEA: Thanks for having us.
CHUNG: And we're not even going to tell them about the harrowing trip you've had from Palm Beach to fly here to New York, right? All right.
Bill, what was the most frightening moment for you?
B. MURRAY: I would say when both engines died, we couldn't do anything to get them going. And also, when my future father-in-law and my friend went in the water after a radio that the Coast Guard had dropped us on Monday evening, and they started to drift away from the boat, and there was nothing we could do.
CHUNG: They tried to get the radio.
B. MURRAY: And there was nothing we could do to get them.
CHUNG: Oh my gosh.
B. MURRAY: My friend Steve went in the water with rope and buoys, and the current in the boat drifting -- just couldn't get them. And it was -- I mean, it was pitch black.
CHUNG: How did they make it back on the boat?
B. MURRAY: Actually, the Coast Guard picked them up with a helicopter and took them, and then Coast Guard came out and got us later on the ship.
CHUNG: Right. We're looking at the rescue here. Could you see a little shot of it? I guess, yeah, it will be on that monitor. There you go. There you go. That's the rescue helicopter, huh?
Now, you were in a horrible storm, too. But I should go to Jennifer. Jennifer, when you realized that they hadn't called you after maybe, what, 12 hours or so...
JENNIFER MURRAY, HUSBAND-TO-BE RESCUED AT SEA: It was probably -- it was probably close to 12 hours. We were a little concerned before that. But it was closer to 14 before we actually got panicked.
CHUNG: And were you really thinking the worst?
J. MURRAY: You'd be surprised what you think. You'd be surprised what runs through your head and...
CHUNG: Your imagination just runs wild, doesn't it?
J. MURRAY: Absolutely. Absolutely.
CHUNG: Bill, did you think you were actually going to die, and you would never see Jennifer, you would never get to marry her?
B. MURRAY: No.
CHUNG: You didn't?
B. MURRAY: No.
CHUNG: Oh, good.
B. MURRAY: I knew I was getting married on Saturday. I mean, it wasn't -- I couldn't have been stuck on a boat with four better people. Close friends. So we weren't as scared maybe as if maybe we were on a boat where we didn't know anybody. But I knew I would see her again. I wasn't sure how long it would be, and, I mean, I was even practicing my wedding vows on the boat to just kind of pass time at one point.
CHUNG: Oh!
B. MURRAY: But I knew we would see each other again. Definitely.
CHUNG: And what is it we're looking at -- oh, here your reunited, right?
B. MURRAY: Yes.
CHUNG: Were you waiting at the -- oh! Were you waiting at the shore, Jennifer? You sure were.
J. MURRAY: Yes. We were there for about six hours waiting for the boat to come in.
CHUNG: And I think we probably have -- how much longer did you go to -- then go to the Bahamas and actually get married?
J. MURRAY: The next day we left for the Bahamas, and that was on a Tuesday. The next day, we went to the Bahamas and we were married on Saturday.
CHUNG: And there we are. And you not only had your -- the guests that you had invited, but you brought a few extra people, and who were they?
B. MURRAY: Yes. The gentlemen from -- the association called BASRA, which is Bahamas Air Sea Rescue. It's a purely volunteer, similar to like a Coast Guard operation...
CHUNG: Right.
B. MURRAY: And we had mutual friends that worked for BASRA, so they'd come to the ceremony and the reception, and it was wonderful.
CHUNG: Oh, that's great.
B. MURRAY: We want to thank them 100 percent, as well as the Coast Guard.
CHUNG: Sure.
B. MURRAY: The BASRA guys were looking for us at about 7:00 Monday morning.
CHUNG: OK. You know what? We've got 15 seconds left. Can you believe it? We want you to have a great weekend. And thank you so much for taking this harrowing trip here to New York.
All right. "LARRY KING LIVE" is next, folks. I want to thank you so much for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, have a great weekend, and see you on Monday.
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