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Three-Week-Old Baby, Parents Survived Tornado and Named It Hope; Incredible, Emotional Stories of Survival; Bridge Collapse Closes I-5; DOJ Reviewing Kendrick Johnson Case; Mom Technically Dies, Comes Back to Life After Giving Birth

Aired May 24, 2013 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN "NEWSROOM" HOST: I'm Brooke Baldwin live today on this Friday afternoon from Moore, Oklahoma, with CNN Special Coverage of the Aftermath. As you can see, homes in this neighborhood absolutely levelled from Monday's tornado. One small step in Moore, it is easier this afternoon for people to get in and around.

We have seen a lot of homeowners here, now finally able to get into this neighborhood and check out what is left of their homes. People have now been able to in because police have removed the checkpoints at the entryways of a number of neighborhoods here in Moore. And, people who live in the tornado zone do not have to show their I.D.s anymore to get to their homes, to check on their property or to rummage through the debris for the precious family mementos.

Even though the checkpoints are down, there are plenty of police around. We have seen police, National Guard, folks from the local air force base, tinker air force base here taking their weekends off because they wanted to come out to volunteer to help these home owners sift through some of the rubble here.

And, they're encouraging everyone, though, to leave these neighborhoods before it gets dark. Four people can killed in Monday's tornado are being remembered at funerals and laid to rest today, and they include two of the smallest victims. 8-year-old Kyle Davis was in the third grade at Plaza Towers Elementary.

I mean look at this face. He loved soccer. We're told he loved monster truck exhibitions. So, this is Kyle. And, also 9-year-old Nicholas McCabe where we were told he was into Legos and he loved country music. Nicholas was among the children who died huddled inside the Plaza Towers School on Monday.

I should tell you, a public memorial honoring all of the tornado victims here is set for this evening at the first Baptist church of Moore. And, President Obama will be travelling here on Sunday.

We have been in Moore for a week now. I've talked to so many people, just unreal stories of -- it's a mix. They would tell you of faith and a luck and survival. And, today, just taking a walk down the road, I met this amazing couple, this young couple, Briana and Caleb Allison. I walked up to them because I saw this mother cradling this 3 week old baby, three weeks, who has a very appropriate name given what happened here. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You are new parents of this little one and her name is --

CALEB ALLISON, EF-5 TORNADO WITNESSED: Hope.

BALDWIN: And, it's hope not just because she survived an EF-5 tornado, but because --

CALEB: Well, she survived many different things. In December, when we were 17 weeks in utero, my wife had to have an emergency abdominal surgery. And, it was not looking very good. And, she was -- it was pretty grim. They said that possibly both of them wouldn't survive, mother and child.

At that point, we actually didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. And, when she was in the hospital, and we were both crying, right before she went into surgery, she just said if it's a girl, we are going to name her hope.

BALDWIN: So, you knew then she would be hope, and mom you were telling me, Hope sort of has become this acronym for what?

BRIANA ALLISON: Well, "H" is had trouble conceiving because of the polycystic ovarian syndrome. The "O" is for the ovarian torsion that I had my ovary removed. The "P" is for the pre-eclampsia that showed up in April with all the high blood pressure and bed rest and then the "E" is the EF-5 tornado. So, she has used all the letters, so no more --

BALDWIN: No more. No more.

BRIANA: No more drama.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: How do you feel now having survived everything that you guys have been through the last couple of months, especially this week?

BRIANA: I feel like God's prepared me for anything that is going to happen throughout the rest of her life and ours and that he's blessed us with a wonderful baby and, you know, our house is gone, but -- I mean, He'll provide so --

BALDWIN: And, I mean, looking at her, this teeny little adorable thing, what do you think, dad?

CALEB: I don't, I mean -- you know, she was amazing when she was born, and, you know, she's resilient and she's -- she can do anything. I know she'll be able to do anything. There are no words to describe. I mean the only thing I can think of whenever we were in the bathtub before we ran from the storm was I have to keep this baby safe. I have to keep her safe.

BALDWIN: And, you did. Thank you, guys, so, so much. Thank you, Hope. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: How cute? 3 weeks old. And, talking to the parents, once the cameras stopped rolling, you know, I said, are you going to stay here in Moore and rebuild and they're not sure. They have -- as so many people do today, you know, insurers coming to walk to see if it is a total loss or not. So, finger crossed for them that it is not a total loss to them. They continue living in this neighbourhood that they love so much. We keep hearing all these stories and Nick Valencia, let me bring you in, because you were here Monday. You were here from the get.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, from the get-go.

BALDWIN: And, it's been an evolution of -- you know, finally for us being able to access some of the areas, talking to some of the people, hearing their stories of surviving, of saving others, and you said -- you just came across the most amazing story you've seen all week.

VALENCIA: Yes. Most incredible story that our crew has seen. We went to highland east middle school, where there was a 13-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl. They were going back through the rubble for the very first time. The 13-year-old boy saved the life of the 12-year- old girl. Dylan and Diane, it is a story -- it is a beautiful story.

She was being sucked up by the tornado, Brooke. She was off the ground. He grabbed her hand, held on to the lockers, kept her from being sucked away by the tornado. She says that he's her hero and he thinks that he's -- he gave himself an A grade. He said he did pretty well.

BALDWIN: Did they know each other?

VALENCIA: Yes, they became friends at the start of the year. Obviously, this is the start of a very, very good friendship. She just moved from New Jersey three years ago, and she says she wants to move back. She's terrified. They were huddled in the locker room of Highland East Middle School as the tornado hit, as it went over them. They said it sounded louder than a train. The loudest thing they ever heard. So, they went through the rubble. They just want back. They want to see how they survived. He is looking at the disaster, thinking how did I just survive this?

BALDWIN: I'm just curious since you've been here since Monday, your impressions of what you've seen.

VALENCIA: Oklahomans are resilient people. They are very resilient people.

BALDWIN: Yes.

VALENCIA: You know you don't -- we went to Shawnee. We were here for Shawnee. That is why we were on the scene so quickly. You know, our crew got there probably an hour after the tornado hit because we were in place here. And, we went back to Shawnee to still let them know that they weren't forgotten about. BALDWIN: Let's say this again, they have been listening to local radio and the folks here in and around the Oklahoma City area, that they are frustrated and they say, look, it is not just -- the worst devastation has been here in Moore --

VALENCIA: Absolutely.

BALDWIN: But so many people are hurting, not just here in Moore, but in Shawnee and other communities in Oklahoma.

VALENCIA: And, I asked them that, Brooke. I said, do you guys feel forgotten about. With all the attention, all the national attention, international attention on Moore, do you feel forgotten about here? And, you know what they said, the resources should be there. We're fine. We're taken care of. We feel good. We feel for them.

So, those kinds of stories -- They're heart warming stories. I expected to run into people that are frustrated or angry or just, you know, feel forgotten about. But, that's not the case. People are helping out. We are going to shelters. Things are in place. Oklahomans know how to handle these kinds of situations. It is very clear.

BALDWIN: They do. Nick Valencia, thank you so much for sharing.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And it really is, I think resilience is the perfect word that Nick just used. And, I said this before, it just incredible the last couple of days walking around and having people who, you know, again have lost their homes, are giving and offering us food and water. It is truly stunning.

Coming up next hour. We have been talking a lot about celebrities who some of whom have connections here to Oklahoma and some of whom do not. One example of someone who that has you know zero ties specifically to this community, but is going to be here today, if you are a fan of the Jonas Brothers. One of the Jonas brothers, Joe Jonas, will be joining me right here in Moore, Oklahoma, about his efforts, why he's here today -- and so we'll do that a little later on.

And, also you will see an interview that absolutely took my breath away. That's all coming up here. But, in other news this afternoon, part of the main interstate from the West Coast into Canada is gone today. Want you to take a look at this. This is Interstate 5. This is the 5 in Northern Washington state where part of an aging bridge collapsed. Look at that -- in the water.

Mangled metal in the water there. This is last night. A truck and SUV plunged into this river, but thank goodness no one was killed. That pickup there was being driven by a man who was behind an 18- wheeler that hit the bridge before that section gave way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN SLIGH, INJURED IN BRIDGE COLLAPSE: It seemed that the truck and the load he was carrying was about four feet wider than the natural bridge on the right side. He kept saying anytime he wants to move to left would be OK. We started slowing down. And about that same time another semi-truck came up on the left side and it almost looked like he pinned that truck over to where he couldn't swerve to get over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That bridge is 60 miles north of Seattle, just south of the Canadian border. And, it has been rated as, quote/unquote, "obsolete," clearly, by the federal highway administration. Also today, a flight from Pakistan to England was diverted earlier this morning after two men threatened to blow up the plane.

Police say the men had some kind of altercation with the flight attendant and then made a threat to blow up this plane. This was a Boeing 777, which was carrying 297 passengers. The pilot did notify air traffic control and a fighter jet was scrambled to escort this plane. It was diverted to an airport near London, where the two men were then arrested. But, at the end of the day, no explosive devices were found.

Coming up next, a teenager found dead in his school gymnasium. Wrapped up in a cheerleading mat. Police initially said, no, no foul play. But, his parents, after seeing an incredibly gruesome picture of their son, are demanding answers. We have an update on that story. Also today, a major development in that case. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will take you back to our special coverage here of the tornado aftermath in Moore, Oklahoma in just a moment. First, a major development in a case of a student athlete's bizarre death at his high school in Valdosta, Georgia.

This was Kendrick Johnson. His parents have protested and rallied, been arrested, accused police of mishandling the investigation into their son's death back in January. A final autopsy ruled that Kendrick's death was a quote and quote, "Accidental suffocation" but his parents and you can see many, many members of this community didn't buy that story.

They saw their son's face after he was pronounced dead. And, upon looking at it, they say he was murdered. CNN's Victor Blackwell has the story. But, I just have to warn you, we have the photo of Kendrick Johnson's face after he died. It is within this story. It is extremely graphic. So, please, just be advised. Here's the piece.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH JOHNSON, KENDRICK'S FATHER: I wish this on no one.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson knew something was wrong when their 17-year-old son Kendrick did not come home from school January 10th. UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: There's a dead body out here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: OK, where at, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Lowndes High School in old gym.

BLACKWELL: The next day, Kendrick was found upside down in a rolled cheerleading mat, like these.

JACQUELYN JOHNSON, KENDRICK'S MOTHER: We are nervous.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Investigator said it appeared Kendrick who was 5'10", was reaching for his shoe that had fall into the center of a six foot mat and he got stuck. A tragic accident.

JACQUELYN: There was no foul play. He had no bruises. No nothing.

BLACKWELL: Did you believe that?

JACQUELYN: No.

BLACKWELL: And you still don't believe it?

JACQUELYN: No, I don't.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): They think the story about the mat is a cover-up.

CORONER BILL WATSON: I don't know what to think.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): According to Georgia of Law, Coroner Bill Watson should have been contacted immediately. Kendrick's body was found at about 10:30.

WATSON: I was notified at a quarter of 4:00.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Lieutenant Stryde Jones is with the Lowndes County Sheriff's office.

LT. STRYDE JONES, LOWNDES CO. GEORGIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: It is a very time consuming process to basically work your way from the outside in. Once our investigators got to the deceased, the coroner was contacted immediately.

WATSON: The only reason that I was questioning this incident whatsoever was I wasn't called to the scene in a timely fashion.

BLACKWELL: The Johnsons say the story does not make sense.

LT. JONES: The mat is so light. He could have pushed that, you know, dropped and it would have fell over. I tried to get in it. I couldn't get no forward my neck muscles into the mat.

BLACKWELL: Then there is this photo of Kendrick's face.

KENNETH: As handsome as my son was, you see him like that. It is crazy. I really feel he was murdered.

BLACKWELL: The photo has been shared thousands of times online. There is a facebook page dedicated to the case. And, a local rapper has written a song.

(MUSIC CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKES: We want justice! We want justice!

BLACKWELL (voice-over): There are now rallies nearly every day in Valdosta.

KENNETH: No matter who you are, how much money your parents have, the color of your skin, everyone deserves justice. Everyone.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): More than 100 days after Kendrik's body was discovered, scores of interviews and hours of investigation, the Georgia bureau of investigation determined Kendrick accidentally smothered to death.

LT. JONES: We examined all the alternatives that were presented to us. And the only one that fit, the physical evidence and the forensic evidence and the testimonial evidence we received was this was an accident.

BALDWIN: Victor Blackwell joins me now from Atlanta. And, Victor, there has been a huge, huge development in the case. Tell me what happened.

BLACKWELL: That's right. All these rallies and the protests and the social media campaign had been in part to get the attention of the federal government. Well, now the Johnson family has it. The department of justice confirms that they are reviewing this case.

I spoke with U.S. Attorney Michael Moore. He says he has the file on his desk, about five inches thick with eight discs and he is personally doing what he calls a very deliberate review of this case. Also, from the family, they say that they now have a copy of the paramedics report and two elements stand out to them.

First, the paramedics cite there was bruising on Kendrick's face. Also, they wrote that it was being considered a crime scene. But, there is no mention of those bruises, no mention of a crime scene in any other document, so they are now even more suspicious of the report of this being an accident from the sheriff's office and the medical examiner.

BALDWIN: Wow. So you mentioned the sheriff's office, how are they reacting to this change?

BLACKWELL: I spoke with Lieutenant Stryde Jones, who you saw in the piece and I asked him about this review and he said, and I want to be specific. I have the quote here, "We have extreme confidence in our investigation. We believe our conclusion was supported by the findings of the GBI medical examiner. And, I think any independent review of the file will come to the same conclusion that we did." Now, we have to tell you that U.S. Attorney Michael Moore says that there is no timeline on when he'll make the decision to either launch this into a full department of justice investigation or stand with the findings from the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office.

BALDWIN: Victor Blackwell, please stay on the story for us. We'll follow it all the way through. Victor, I appreciate it so much.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, this absolutely incredible story that has everyone talking. A pregnant woman, technically dies. Doctors deliver her baby via c-section and then suddenly she comes back to life. And, now you're about to hear from this mother and her husband and see how that little baby is doing today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Chances are you have probably heard some breathtaking stories about baby deliveries like a baby, who was actually born during the tornado that hit this town, Monday. Well, if you think that is remarkable, I've got another one for you.

How about a baby being born while her mother is technically dead? And, then mom comes back to life. Yes. That happened to 32-year-old schoolteacher Erica Nigrelli in Missouri City, Texas. This is her with her living, breathing miracle, little Elayna. Erica was rushed to the hospital after passing out in her co-worker's class.

She had no pulse at the time. But, doctors delivered her baby via c- section anyway. Moments later, doctors started hearing Erica's heart beating again. She and her husband sat down with our Christine Romans and John Berman earlier this morning and here is what they told them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA NIGRELLI, GAVE BIRTH TO BABY WHILE CLINICALLY DEAD: Technically, I passed out because my heart stopped. I have the heart condition called Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It is called HTM for short. It is technicallythickening of the heart lining.

It is also kind of coined as the term athlete's heart. So, when you see like these 15 and 16-year-old kids essentially playing basketball. They will pass out, and when they pass out, it is because of this. And, if they don't get help in time, technically the heart stops to work too long and they end up dying,.

And, so that's why they put defibrillators in the schools in the first place. So, I am a lucky resistive of that defibrillator, for sure. She is still in oxygen -- And then she is in a feeding tube still. The doctors are looking positively that she might be off of the oxygen early next week.

NATHAN NIGRELLI, ERIC NIGRELLI'S HUSBAND: We see just a regular, I mean I guess, regular, quotation marks. You know, little baby and my wife certainly doesn't seem any different to me than she did before all this. And, just to think back, you know, to the 15th of February and the weeks that followed, nobody knew, you know, what the new normal was going to be. You know, what stage was she going to get to and would Erica stop making progress? Would we have to get used to a new Erica? But, you know, thank God here she is. And, people and myself, we look at her and I don't see anything different whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So cute. Baby Elayna is now 3 months old and doing well and as you saw, she is doing well. Coming up here, you call 911, the operator says, sorry, there's no one to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: I already asked him. I've already told him I was calling you. He's broken in before, busted down my door, assaulted me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That is what happened to one woman who was raped by her ex- boyfriend. You will hear this story and why no one could help. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. I am Brooke Baldwin live in Moore, Oklahoma for CNN's Special Coverage of the disaster in Moore. And, you see this truck pulling up behind me. This is from the charity. It is called "Convoy of Hope." There is a certain someone very special, who will be popping out of that truck. You'll meet him, a certain celebrity perhaps your children are aware of. That is at the top of the hour, that big surprise.

Meantime, we have been talking to a lot of different people here in Moore, Oklahoma this week. And, Terimy Miller is one of them. She has lived in Oklahoma her whole life. She lost her home. I walked through it and it is just actually levelled from Monday's tornado. And, so she showed me just a little bit as we were driving around Moore what used to be on street corners prior to Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You had a baby in that hospital.

TERIMY MILLER, LOST HOME IN OKLAHOMA TORNADO: I had a baby in that hospital.

BALDWIN: And, that hospital is --

MILLER: It's gone.

BALDWIN: It's gone.

MILLER: It's gone. Yes -- It's so sad. I mean, it had -- I mean, I even have a friend who had a baby there last year, close to father's day weekend. I mean, he's almost about to turn a year old, and I hadn't even told her yet that it is gone. Right here used to be a day care.

Well, right here is going to be a Day Care?

BALDWIN: Right in here?

MILLER: Right and here. This all used to be a day care.

BALDWIN: With all the cars and -- Where the ladies are standing --

MILLER: That used to be a day care right there.

BALDWIN: They are gone.

MILLER: It is gone.

BALDWIN: What is this?

MILLER: This was a little -- like, insurance -- a little store. Gas station. This right here was a brand-new 7-eleven, not even a year old. This right was a brand new - Gone. Gone. Gone. Completely gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)