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Jane Velez-Mitchell
More Info in Corey Haim Death Probe; Nightclub Offers Reward to Solve Model`s Murder
Aired March 11, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, heartbreaking new insight into the troubled lives of childhood superstars. Corey Haim`s best friend lashes out at Hollywood. Eighties mega star Corey Feldman says Tinseltown turned its back on the struggling actor. Now Haim is dead. Cops suspect it was an accidental overdose. Haim`s agent denies drug use but then admitted on this show just last night Corey was only sober for two weeks at the most. Tonight, we`ll go inside the last days of Corey Haim`s tragic life.
And stomach-churning developments in the desperate search for a beautiful missing hiker. Cops have now suspended the search for Katherine Huether. The 24-year-old went for a hike one week ago, and she has not been seen since. Tonight, we`ll talk to Katherine`s heartbroken mother and sister about some troubling twists.
Also, hunting down a killer. Beautiful Playboy model murdered in Miami, her body found burning in a Dumpster. Now the nightclub where Paula Sladewski was last seen is offering a $15,000 reward. We have a sketch. We have a video. We have a reward. How long until we have our killer?
And shocking new details into Ben Roethlisberger`s sexual assault case. The two-time Super Bowl champ now admits to having sexual contact with his accuser. But it doesn`t stop there. According to big Ben, the woman fell down and bumped her head. What really happened that night? Could there be a tug of war over the NFL superstar`s DNA?
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, major new developments in the sudden and tragic death of former teen heart throb, Corey Haim. TMZ says law enforcement sources have told them exactly which drugs were inside those four bottles found in his apartment by the coroner yesterday.
TMZ says it was one, a generic version of Vicodin, which is a pain- killer. Two, the generic of Valium, which is an anti anxiety drug. Three, an anti psychotic medication. And four, a muscle relaxant. TMZ claims all four drugs were prescribed on the same day, several days before Corey died, by a prominent L.A. psychiatrist.
TMZ also says the L.A. coroner wouldn`t say whether any pills were missing from those bottles. Now, HLN cannot independently confirm any of these reports.
Meantime, "Access Hollywood" spoke to Corey`s mom, Judy. She said she got an early courtesy call from the coroner, who said her son died of pulmonary congestion. Judy also said that the autopsy showed he had an enlarged heart, and his lungs were filled with water. And remember, cops believe Corey might have died from an accidental overdose of meds.
ISSUES reached out to the coroner to confirm all of this. They were not able to comment. We will not know for certain what happened to Corey Haim until the toxicology reports come back. But we are going to do some play-by-play analysis of this TMZ interview with him from just three weeks ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Corey, are you doing anything new?
COREY HAIM, ACTOR: Yes, I`ve got a whole bunch of things coming up. I`m directing for the first time. I`ve got a few things happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you -- are you -- did you go to rehab? Are you clean and sober now? Are you...
HAIM: I`ve been good for -- no, no, a while, man, actually. Actually, we`re going to be doing "License to Fly." A whole bunch of things are happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So when asked if he was sober, he said, "I`m good for a while," implying that he was sober. But then he quickly changed the subject.
What do you have to say about a;; this? Call me, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1- 877-586-7297.
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: Howard Samuels, founder of the Wonderland Treatment Center; Dr. Carol Lieberman, psychiatrist and author; Leo Rossi, Corey Haim`s good buddy and co-star. Thank you for joining us, Leo. And we`re also delighted to have on the phone Tiffany Shepis, who is Corey`s friend and former fiancee. She`s going to talk to us about their relationship.
But first TMZ assignment manager, Mike Walters.
Mike, what is the very latest?
MIKE WALTERS, TMZ ASSIGNMENT MANAGER: Well, Jane, I think we should talk about those drugs they found: the Valium, the Vicodin, the antipsychotic drug, and the Somas.
Here`s the thing. A really eerie thing. If you look back to 2006, when Corey really opened up on his TV show about his drug use, he says, "I was addicted to Valium. I was addicted to Somas. You know, I had a heart problem." He says it right on his show.
So if you look forward, fast forward to now, No. 1, he was prescribed in the last couple days before he died, by a prominent psychologist, these very powerful and addictive medications. If he wasn`t addicted or didn`t - - wasn`t taking these or trying to stay off of drugs, those should have never been there, No. 1.
No. 2, what happened when the coroner called his mom? They told him - - her descriptive stuff about what they found in the autopsy. This wasn`t the cause of death. He did have fluid in the lungs. He did have an enlarged heart. But they deferred what caused it, until the toxicology comes back, because they know that`s not exactly what killed him. They know these were parts of what they found. So that`s very important to say.
The second thing is the reality of the situation with what`s going on with him and his friends and the last year-and-a-half, even three weeks ago when we shot him and you just saw. Even his agent said he wasn`t sober until two weeks ago. Then he gets a doctor who we just talked about, this psychiatrist, and this person gives him more strong medication? All on one day? Vicodin, Valium, Somas? It doesn`t make any sense.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, Mike, can I jump in and ask you a question?
WALTERS: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the agent said that he was seeing an addiction specialist. Is this psychiatrist who you say prescribed these mood- altering drugs, the same person as the addiction specialist, or is it a different person?
WALTERS: You know, I have not independently confirmed whether who he`s talking about and who actually prescribed drugs in the house is the same person.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it.
WALTERS: But I can tell you, if there`s an addiction specialist that`s trying to help him detox, you don`t prescribe...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, yes.
WALTERS: ... those three drugs at the same time to somebody who is trying to get over it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me bring in -- let me bring in Howard Samuels, executive director of the Wonderland Treatment Center. Now, what do you make of these Vicodin, the Valium, muscle relaxant and antipsychotic, if TMZ`s report is accurate?
HOWARD SAMUELS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WONDERLAND TREATMENT CENTER: Well, Jane, it`s outrageous that any doctor would prescribe Corey`s drug of choice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
SAMUELS: I mean, all these drugs is what he`s been addicted to. For any psychiatrist to be that irresponsible, and to prescribe this is an absolute crime.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, when we come back, we`re going to talk to Corey Haim`s former fiancee, and why she broke up with him, why the relationship ended. Sixty seconds. We`ll be back with that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Right now on the phone, we have Corey Haim`s former fiancee, Tiffany Shepis, an actress.
Thank you for joining us, Tiffany. I know this has got to be tough. But we are trying to understand what`s going on. When were you engaged, and why did the engagement end?
TIFFANY SHEPIS, COREY HAIM`S FORMER FIANCEE (via phone): Hi. Thanks for having me on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.
SHEPIS: Back in 2008, I was really good friend of Corey`s, trying to help him like everybody does, you know? He`s a charming kid with a lot of issues.
And why did it end? Well, I mean, you can pretty much guess that. I mean, he -- he had more problems with the drugs than anyone could have imagined. And required more help than I could possibly give.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When did that end, and what kind of problems?
SHEPIS: He was very much addicted to all the pills that you guys were just talking about. More than -- impossible for you to even imagine what one person...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, give us a sense.
SHEPIS: ... to take. I mean, you hear of people taking a Valium to relax after a tragic incident or a Vicodin because they got a wisdom tooth pulled. You know, you`re talking about a person that, at the time when I knew him, you know, was ingesting 40 some-odd pills a day.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How many?
SHEPIS: Forty, 50?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Forty, 50 Vicodin, Valium?
SHEPIS: All of them combined. An -- an absurd amount. And, you know, there would be moments where, you know, he`d sit there and he seemed to want to get sober and seemed to want to get off of it and talk about it and go to different specialists.
And, you know, you guys are right. I mean, these specialists would prescribe absurd things. And I`m going, well, how is this helping you get off of this? Well, you know, and every excuse in the book, you know, as to why he had to be on it, because you can`t stop stuff immediately, they`d say, because you`ll have a heart attack or this will happen or that will happen.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But you didn`t buy it. You felt that he could have had a true recovery, but he did not have that.
SHEPIS: You know, I don`t know. I don`t -- I don`t do any drugs, so I don`t know the significance of it. I certainly don`t know how hard it is to get off of these things. But I do know that you can`t do it by yourself, that you do need a treatment facility. That, you know...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, he supposedly had been in and out of treatment for years.
SHEPIS: Well, and that was his excuse for not doing it at the time that I knew him, was that, you know, "It didn`t work for me. And all they did was put me on more pills, and so I want to do at-home treatment."
And the at-home treatment required him to divvy up his pills on his own, to wean himself off. But I -- I find impossible for an addict to be able to do that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Howard Samuels, what do you make of an at-home treatment where an addict gets to wean himself off his pills? Howard? All right...
SAMUELS: Absolute...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
SAMUELS: It`s an absolute recipe for disaster. I mean, no addict can detox themselves. I`ve had addicts try, and they fail time and time again. It has to be done in a treatment center with around-the-clock care.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I`ve got to say. Last night here on ISSUES I interviewed Corey Haim`s agent and tried to get to the bottom of whether Corey was clean or not. Now, listen to this fascinating exchange, carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How long do you think he had been, quote, unquote, "sober"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two weeks.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, that`s all?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Completely off all the medications, two weeks. He -- he was on a very...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But -- you said that he was getting meds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was getting a very small amount of them. Corey Haim`s tolerance, when I met him, he was at a very high number of medications. It would kill everybody. But he got weaned down to literally zero medications in the last two weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Carol Lieberman, you have to define sobriety. It`s no mood-altering substances, not, "Well, I`m going to have a little bit less and a little bit less and a little bit less." That`s not sobriety.
CAROL LIEBERMAN, PSYCHIATRIST/AUTHOR: Well, yes. And, you know, someone cannot do it by himself. He needs to be in a treatment program.
Essentially, what Corey was doing was playing Russian roulette. He was -- you know, it`s amazing that he didn`t die before now, because there was no way that he could have known how much was too much.
The problem is, and we see this with so many people in Hollywood, especially child stars, but, you know, we`ve seen it with Anna Nicole Smith. We`ve seen it with Brittany Murphy...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We know the list.
LIEBERMAN: We`ve seen it with so many people. And when they -- when they start not being famous anymore -- they were originally addicted to the spotlight. And when the spotlight isn`t on them anymore, and they turn to other drugs to get that same high, because nobody recognizes them or they`re not getting the same special treatment or they don`t feel loved, then they become incredibly addicted to these other drugs.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it. All right. Stay right there, everyone. More on Corey Haim`s tragic death. And we`re taking your calls: 1-877-JVM- SAYS, 1-877-586-2987.
Plus Paula Sladewski, brutally murdered more than two months ago. Her killer still on the loose. Could a new reward from the nightclub help bring this monster to justice?
But first we`re going to go inside Corey Haim`s tragic battle with drugs. Did his addiction cost him his life?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found no illicit drugs. However, we did recover four of his prescription meds at the location. I don`t know what the drugs are right now. I haven`t taken a look at them. They were in his name.
It`s a tragedy. We`re losing too many young people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREY FELDMAN, FRIEND OF COREY HAIM: Well, he was his own man. I mean, look, a lot of people that are artists tend to be their own worst enemy, because we`re passionate people, and we can`t help it. Corey is a guy, who granted, burned a lot of bridges in the industry. He made mistakes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Corey Feldman probably knew his friend Corey Haim as well as anyone. And we`re delighted to have another friend of the late Corey Haim with us tonight, Leo Rossi, an actor who was in three movies with Corey.
You`ve been hearing everything that`s been said, Leo. What do you make of all of this?
LEO ROSSI, FRIEND OF COREY HAIM: Well, I`ll tell you. It really sickens me, because the Corey that I knew -- I -- we did a father and son bank-robbing caper movie, and he was about 19. He was bright-eyed and bushy tailed. He -- he had such a charisma, such a spontaneity. He was just fun to be with.
And in this movie, I think 70 percent of the time, it`s he and I in a car doing all these stunts and driving. And then we did a sequel.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When is the last time you saw him? In other words, you`re talking about him at 19. When -- but we`re talking about him at 38.
ROSSI: Yes. A couple of years ago at an autograph signing.
You know, the relationship -- we`d come over to the house, and he loved my daughters. And they treated him like, you know, terrific. And, you know, when he started to spiral down, I didn`t have a lot of contact. He called me once and said, "Pops, I can`t get an agent, can you help me out?"
So I got him an agent, you know, through a friendship. And the agent was a little leery, and then the agent called me a couple weeks later and said, "What`s up with this kid?"
And I said, "What do you mean?"
And he said, "Because he won`t go to an audition. I got him a movie of the week, a lead, and he won`t audition. He won`t read for it."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow.
ROSSI: I said, "Let me call him." I said, "Let me call him." I called Corey, and I said, "What are you doing?"
And he said, "I`m Corey Haim. I don`t read."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, no.
ROSSI: And I said, "This is jump -- this is jump street, man. You`re not Corey Haim anymore. I`ve got to start -- you know."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s very interesting from a psychological perspective. And it brings me to my big issue tonight. Blame Hollywood?
Corey Haim, lifelong best bud and reality TV co-star Corey Feldman bashed the entertainment industry on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELDMAN: In this entertainment industry, in Hollywood, we build people up as children. We put them up on pedestals, and then when we decide that they`re not marketable anymore, we walk away from them. And then we taunt them and we tease them. Why is it OK to kick somebody when they`re down? I don`t think it is. And I don`t think it should be tolerated anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So Tiffany Shepis, former fiancee of Corey Haim, do you feel that Hollywood is to blame, or do you feel that that`s sort of a form of a pity party? You know what they say in recovery, "Poor me, poor me, pour me a drink."
SHEPIS: I think it`s another excuse, personally. I think Hollywood can aid into these issues, but it`s the person. It`s -- it`s us that says, "I`m going to have another drink at the bar. It`s us that says, "I`m going put these pills in my mouth," not Hollywood. No one`s twisting your arm.
And life sucks. Life sucks for everybody, not just Hollywood people. People grow up, and they were the cute little kid and now they`re not so cute anymore. It`s just the way it goes. And I think, you know, people need to stop blaming everybody else and really take responsibility for themselves.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Tiffany, let me ask you. Leo said that, you know, he felt like he shouldn`t have to read. So is that your sense, that he also sort of was not realistic about where he was on the totem pole?
SHEPIS: No. I mean, that`s a different Corey than I knew. Corey that I knew was very accepting of getting projects and very thrilled when someone gave him the opportunity to have something again. He really did want to be back where he was in 19 -- in the 1980s. And he dreamed of it, wanted to direct, and do bigger films again. So, I mean, what I saw of him was very grateful of what he was getting.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Carol, you want to jump in?
LIEBERMAN: Yes. I mean, the thing is, when somebody is abusing alcohol or street drugs or prescription drugs, they are on a self- destructive trajectory.
And this isn`t something that happened overnight. He was realizing for a long time now that he wasn`t as famous as he was when he was a little child. And this was eating at him, gnawing at him, even the heart problem. You don`t get that overnight. This is probably...
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Carol, we`ve got to leave it right there, but I`ve got to say, that`s why you need to have an identity apart from your job. You need to know who you are, even if you`re just on the beach.
Fantastic panel, thank you so much.
Who killed Paula Sladewski? This beautiful model found burning in a Dumpster two months ago. The killer on the loose. Tonight, could a new reward help track down a murderer?
Plus, we`ll go inside a family`s desperate search for a missing hiker. What happened to Kate?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: More than two months have passed since Playboy model Paula Sladewski`s mutilated body was found burning in a Miami Dumpster. Police still have no idea who murdered her.
Tonight, the nightclub where Paula was last seen is pledging $15,000 as a reward for information on her murder. But as clues come in, few and far between, tension mounts between Paula`s boyfriend and her family.
Kevin Klym says he left Paula at the nightclub alone. Kevin was originally a person of interest in the case, but then he was cleared after police spotted Paula on this surveillance video leaving the club. We`ll see that in a second. She was last seen talking to an unidentified man. There she is leaving the club.
Kevin was spotted on surveillance video later, frantically searching for his missing girlfriend before her body was discovered.
But now Paula`s family says Kevin has racked up -- get this -- $3,500 on Paula`s credit cards since her death. They also say he has taken her stuff, a Barbie collection, and some jewelry. They say they want it back but say they haven`t heard from him. And, of course, we`ll get his side of the story if he wants to come on and tell it.
They`re still focusing on finding Paula`s killer. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY FARRIS, PAULA`S SISTER: You can run and you can hide, but you can`t run and hide forever. I mean, your face is out here now. And you need to pay for what you did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Police have released this sketch of a suspect, so why no leads? We have surveillance video. We have a sketch. We have a reward. Where is Paula`s killer?
Straight out to my fantastic guest. Joining me by phone, we`re delighted to have Jeff Garcia, the spokesman for Club Space.
Jeff, Paula has been dead for two months. Why are you offering this reward now?
JEFF GARCIA, SPOKESMAN, CLUB SPACE: Well, Louis Puig, the owner of Club Space, thought that it would help renew interest and possibly generate, as what is happening right now, generate some media attention and some renewed interest, possibly generating a tip or a clue that would help bring resolution and justice to this murder.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, you have a doorman outside of the club, or at the club door, right? That`s what most clubs have.
GARCIA: Actually, we have -- that evening, and usually at most times, we would have four or five, actually.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, then, you have the description of the suspect. Did your doormen see this person, and can`t they give a better description than just this sketch?
GARCIA: Well, actually, they did not give that -- the description for that sketch, oddly enough. We`re not sure who generated the lead or the description for the sketch. The police, obviously -- don`t want to reveal who gave them that information.
But what`s interesting is that, when she walked away and she walked down the street, they did see her talking to a man, and they didn`t really get a very clear look. Of course, they weren`t very interested at that moment in, you know, really getting a good look.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
GARCIA: And it wasn`t right in front of the club. It was...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was it this guy? Does it look like this suspect?
GARCIA: They don`t -- they don`t -- the gentlemen that were at the front of the club, the doormen, they don`t necessarily have a clear, you know, vision in their head, picture in their head of what the fellow looked like. They -- they have said, though, that they`re not sure that it looks like that fellow.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow.
GARCIA: What did happen is...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK...
GARCIA: They saw a fellow walking down the street two weeks later, who they thought resembled the person that evening. They contacted police. The police questioned the man, and it was not the -- he was not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. OK, Jeff, thanks so much. We`ll stay on top of it.
A desperate search for a missing girl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now to the desperate search for a young female hiker who vanished a week ago during a solo hiking trip in Washington State. 24- year-old Kate Huether -- look at this beautiful young lady -- was last heard from when she texted a friend that she was setting out for a hike on a trail known for its steep, rugged, forested terrain. Nobody one has heard from her since; despite days of grueling searches by rescuers on foot, horseback and in the air, no sign of Kate.
Has the trail gone cold? Cops say they have, quote, suspended the search, indefinitely, end quote.
Meanwhile, a disturbing development has added to the he is escalating anxiety. On the same day that Kate vanished, a mystery man reportedly flashed somebody on that very same trail. Police reportedly know about this guy, but haven`t located him. But they also say they don`t think he`s involved.
How do they know that? Are they psychic? All this news has dealt a crushing blow to Kate`s parents. But they`re not giving up hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB HUETHER, MISSING HIKER`S FATHER: It`s been a long time. I mean, Kate is a strong, young woman. It`s -- she`s a great outdoors person. She has loved the outdoors ever since she was a little kid.
We`re still holding out hope that Kate will come back to us alive, and we`ll be able to hold her and talk to her again. And tell her how much we love her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Another family in agony. Here`s the thing. Police say they will resume the search, if they get more leads.
If you know anything, we`re posting a number for a 24-hour emergency line and I`m also taking your calls. 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
I`m joined tonight by Kate`s mom, Rosemary for an exclusive ISSUES interview -- she is standing by on the phone; also, John Lucich, veteran criminal investigator; Stacey Honowitz, supervisor of the sex crimes unit in the Florida prosecutor`s office and author of "My Privates are Private".
But we begin with my buddy Travis Mayfield, reporter for Komo News Radio. Travis good to see you after all this time.
Before I get to Kate`s mom, what is the very latest?
TRAVIS MAYFIELD, REPORTER, KOMO NEWS RADIO: I actually just got off the phone ten minutes ago with the chief investigator in this case, Jane, and he tells me they are following up on a couple of new leads. He said he wasn`t ready to talk about those leads at this moment.
He also wasn`t very hopeful about those leads, but he did say they were out there. Of for that flasher, he told me that they have a description of the guy, they have a description of the car. And he said they`re not ruling out that these things might be connected. But he said at this moment there is no evidence to say they are.
One other new piece of information just in the last ten minutes that we`re learning from this investigator, he said that a similar report of a flashing in the area came a couple of months ago. So they`re really trying to piece this all together.
This chief investigator tells me that they may have suspended this search, but he says this is really weighing heavily on them, and they want to have an answer for this family.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do they think it`s foul play or not -- quick question Travis.
MAYFIELD: At this moment, they`re considering this a missing persons case. But he said they`ve got detectives on this case, and they`re following up everything they can.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
I want to go to the mother of this missing hiker, Rosemary Huether. Mrs. Huether, thank you so much for joining us. And I know you`ve got to be going through complete agony at this time. How is your family holding up?
ROSEMARY HUETHER, MISSING HIKER`S MOTHER: Well, it is very, very difficult. You know, my husband is out there now, and Kate is missing, and I`m home just trying to keep everything else going here and family here. And Kate`s younger brother here is with us. He has special needs, so I`m just trying to keep him as comfortable as possible and trying to talk to my husband as much as possible.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re looking at a picture of your beautiful daughter with the dog. But she didn`t take the dog hiking. She left the dog at home?
R. HUETHER: Yes. That`s what I understand.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s what I don`t get. Here`s what I don`t understand, Rosemary. Cops originally said it was not suspicious. Now, I just don`t buy it. Any time a woman who is hiking alone or walking alone, goes missing, to me, it`s right away suspicious, immediately; especially if there`s a flasher. I don`t know how cops could say, well, we don`t think those are connected. How do they know this flasher isn`t connected?
R. HUETHER: I don`t really know. I know that Kate usually doesn`t hike alone, although it is not -- I`m not surprised if it was later in the day. She is a very avid hiker, needs to get exercise, loves the outdoors, bikes.
She is going to school in Portland State University. She takes pretty heavy-duty classes and for her, even an hour hike makes a huge difference for her. So -- but my concern is that Kate usually is very good about where she is going and making sure that she comes down.
Could she have gone on a path -- we don`t know if this is a path she is familiar with. Could she have slipped? Could she have fallen and yes, we are concerned there was a flasher earlier in the morning.
So our hope is that -- my understanding is that there are some people still out there. My husband is out there with a friend and roommates and some other people still searching. But they are looking at other possibilities, and they did tell me that if anything was found whatsoever, that they would be back on the search.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Mrs. Huether, I want to jump in with Stacey Honowitz, Florida prosecutor. What do you make of this Stacey?
STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: Well, look Jane any time you have like you said a young girl that`s gone missing and someone who is an avid hiker like her mother said, who usually checks in, who knows the outdoors, who`s athletic, you have to start thinking that maybe something went wrong and especially if there was somebody on that trail who was flashing people early on.
So I think it was premature for one of the investigators to say, we don`t think it`s connected and certainly now they are back pedaling to a certain extent, because they have to look at every lead to see if there is some kind of connection.
They have had search parties out there. They haven`t been able to find her. They haven`t had any kind of trace evidence to say that there`s a connection. But certainly you have to look at that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This story happens all the time. I mean, especially in the wake of all the similar stories we`ve covered in the past. How many times do we have to say it? Laura Vogel, her whereabouts a mystery; She vanished hiking in Hawaii by herself. Meredith Emerson, a Georgia woman who went for a walk alone was murdered by a drifter. Christie Cornwell from Georgia walking by herself, another unsolved disappearance.
John Lucich, my big issue, of course, why should women be afraid to walk alone? But we have to act immediately when a woman goes missing because look at the track record.
JOHN LUCICH, VETERAN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR: Absolutely. Women shouldn`t be afraid to walk alone. But they should be cautious, without a doubt. If you take a look at this disappearance, this woman -- the parents are saying that it`s totally out of character. Therefore, that in itself makes it suspicious.
You`ll find that law enforcement sometimes is hard-pressed to come up with and tell you what`s going on or how they`re working this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me jump in, John. Shouldn`t be they searching for a possible abduction? Shouldn`t their search go from the rugged mountains to oh, the rest of the state and the surrounding states, because this could be an abduction?
LUCICH: Absolutely. And they may be treating it that way, Jane, without saying that. And let me tell you why they might be doing this. They don`t want to raise the awareness of a suspect to start covering his tracks. If the suspect out there believes there is nothing going on and they have no leads, he is less apt to cover his tracks. So the cops get a jump on him.
Second of all, if they thought doing the -- continuing the search would be fruitful they`re going to use those resources best as necessary so they don`t waste time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it. Dee, Indiana, your question or thought, ma`am.
DEE, INDIANA (via telephone): Yes, I`m wondering, when these hikers go out by themselves, why do they not carry those little blow horns that they`ve got in one hand and pepper spray in another?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, ma`am, that`s a good question. Rosemary, even more to the point, did your daughter have a cell phone? Where is the cell phone?
R. HUETHER: She did have a cell phone, and our understanding is that she told the person she was supposed to meet for dinner later on that she was leaving it in the car to charge.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Darn. You know, that -- it just -- Stacey, that just turns my stomach.
HONOWITZ: Well, it does, Jane.
And I know that you are very passionate about the war on women, as everybody is. And you always say, women should not be afraid. But as the gentleman said, women still have to be cautious. And if you know that there are instrumentalities that you can use, if God forbid, you`re abducted or somebody is following you, such as pepper spray, or a blow horn or just the cell phone, then you have to send a message to your audience. You must be cautious, and you must be smart and use those things.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Rosemary, we have five seconds. They found a credit card receipt, right?
R. HUETHER: Yes, actually, it was a receipt from a book store that she frequents.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want you to know, Mrs. Huether, we`re going to stay on top of this. We`re going to get your daughter`s face out there. We`re praying that she comes home ok, safe and sound.
R. HUETHER: Thank you so much. Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you fantastic panel.
The pornography of violence, "Hustler" magazine wanted pictures of a raped woman so they could plaster it inside their porn mag. Did a judge grant their wish?
Plus, explosive new details in the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault case. What happened inside that bathroom? We`re taking your calls on this one. 1-877-JVM-SAYS; that`s 1-877-586-7297.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED GARLAND, ATTORNEY FOR BEN ROETHLISBERGER: Our position is that there was absolutely no criminal conduct involved in the events of this evening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Explosive new details in the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault case. What happened inside that bathroom? That`s next.
But first, "Top of the Block" tonight.
Bravo -- a judge in Georgia has denied "Hustler" magazine the use of Meredith Emerson`s photos. This poor woman was kidnapped, raped and decapitated while hiking in the Georgia mountains. The hard-core porn magazine wanted pictures of her nude, mutilated body for a, quote, "news story".
Well, I`m very happy to report that is not going to happen. I`m all for free speech, the public has a right to open records, but don`t twist the First Amendment so some freak sicko can get aroused by looking at gruesome crime photos. That is not what freedom of speech is all about. So bravo to that judge.
That is tonight`s "Top of the Block."
New details about what allegedly happened between NFL star Ben Roethlisberger and a 20-year-old college student who was accusing him of sexual assault. Pittsburgh news station, KDKA reports the Steelers` quarterback admitted to police that he did have, quote, "sexual contact with his accuser".
But sources say he allegedly told police they did not have intercourse and insisted there was no assault. Roethlisberger also reportedly told cops the woman fell and hit her head. HLN has not independently confirmed these claims.
By the way, we invite Mr. Roethlisberger or his attorney to join us here on ISSUES to tell his side of the story. We want to be fair.
Police say they are focusing on seeking the truth. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Our job is just to gather the facts. To seek the truth and that`s what we`re trying to do in this particular case, just like in all cases. And as soon as we conclude our investigation, we will give it to the district attorney so that he can make an intelligent and informed decision on what action he needs to take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Investigators reviewing surveillance video from the nightclub cameras and they have asked Roethlisberger for a DNA sample. He has not yet agreed to that request for his DNA. Why not?
The quarterback was celebrating his 28th birthday with a group of friends at a Georgia bar. And get this -- his entourage included two -- two off-duty cops.
TMZ reports Ben was spotted drinking and posing for photos with fans, including that local Georgia College and State University student who claims he later assaulted her in the nightclub bathroom. The woman immediately went to a local hospital to report her complaint.
Roethlisberger`s attorney vows they will launch their own investigation. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARLAND: We have made a determination, however, that we`re going to conduct a full, careful and reflecting investigation before we start speaking about the facts here. At the conclusion of that I will have something to say. And we believe at the conclusion that there will be no criminal charge against Ben.
And that is one high-powered attorney. We reached out to Ben`s attorney, Ed Garland, the very same person you just heard from. He did not get back to us. We also reached out to police and the accuser`s attorney. No response.
Now, Roethlisberger is also being sued by a woman who claims he raped her at a Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino last year. He strongly denies that, as well.
Back to my fantastic panel and we`re delighted to have LZ Granderson, ESPN senior writer and columnist with ESPN.com. Also joining me by phone, John Seibel, host of "Seibel and Starkey" on CBS Radio 93.7 Pittsburgh, the sister network to KDKA which is reporting this astounding new details.
John, what is the very latest?
JOHN SEIBEL, HOST, SEIBEL & STARKEY, CBS RADIO 93.7 (on the phone): Well, the latest is basically the pulse of the Pittsburgh people, which I find very interesting on this, because let`s not forget, the word fan is short for fanatic and when it comes to Pittsburgh, the town was sixth from (INAUDIBLE) trophies. They`re very fanatical about their football team and very protective of their players.
But the thing I found very interesting over these past few days since these story lines have come out last Friday, I believe it was, is that almost universal condemnation or embarrassment. Let`s put it this way -- that way, near consensus in the embarrassment factor.
But it`s interesting from that point what people want to do. What step they want to take with innocent until proven guilty out there and always part of the discussion. There have been many people -- I would say just about 50 percent of the people, who say, you know what, we ought to just get rid of him, because he doesn`t promote the Steeler way. While another about 50 percent I have to say, say, you know what, he`s our quarterback, I don`t care what he does off the field.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Stacey Honowitz, we`ve got to ask you this. What happens now if he says I don`t want to give my DNA and he hasn`t been charged with any crime? What do cops do?
STACEY HONOWITZ, PROSECUTOR: They get a search warrant to take -- get his DNA and they`ll have a probable cause to get it, they won`t have a problem, we`ll get a warrant or they can get a court order and go on and get it. And if he locked himself into this situation saying that there was no intercourse and semen is found in her vagina, then he has really done a number on himself.
So they will proceed. They will go for it, they`ll get that court order or that search warrant and they will get his DNA.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This isn`t the first time Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of something like this. In 2008 he was accused of raping a hostess at a Nevada resort. Roethlisberger vehemently denied the claim. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN ROETHLISBERGER, QUARTERBACK, STEELERS: I did not sexually assault Andrea McNulty. Saturday was the first that I learned of her accusations. Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever force myself on a woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- report the incident to police but she is suing the football star, she says he answer to come to his hotel room to fix his TV and then assaulted her.
LZ Granderson, what do you make of this happening a second time in his case?
LZ GRANDERSON, EXPN SENIOR WRITER: You know, it`s -- I`m just absolutely blown away by his poor judgment. Here is an individual who has been accused of rape less than a year ago. Why you decide to go bar- hopping in a college town, and even make yourself within 100 feet of an underage coed is beyond me.
You know, this is one of the greatest quarterbacks that`s playing in the game right now. He has two Super Bowls. He was the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl. He had a $100 million contract. Much like Michael Vick, he has the world in the palm of his hand. So why he would do this -- whether something criminal happened or not, one thing that`s clear that he has very, very poor decision-making skills.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now John Lucich, what do you make of the fact that there were two off duty cops with him, and they say they don`t even know this girl, they don`t remember her, and yet we hear reports -- published reports that she had gone to two bars with him? So something doesn`t seem to add up about this.
LUCICH: No, absolutely. In fact, there`s going to be more than one investigation being done. You`re going to find out that both police departments where these officers are from are going to be conducting internal investigations as well. The fact that this guy is refusing to give DNA does not make this case look good. And the cops will get a search warrant.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Back in 30 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARLAND: He`s taking the entire process extremely seriously and reflectively and he`s doing fine. And has confidence in the legal process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: NFL star Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault by a 20-year-old Georgia college students. He denies the incident but new reports from Pittsburgh news station KDKA say he told cops he did have sexual contact with his accuser, but insisted he did not have intercourse with her or assault her.
Stacey Honowitz, there are also published reports that say -- that sources say Roethlisberger told cops the woman slipped, fell and hurt her head after the sexual contact. Does that pose a problem for him?
HONOWITZ: Listen, the whole thing poses a problem for him and especially since there was a prior allegation less than a year ago. Certainly, if the DA decides to go forward on this case, they can try to use that evidence in this case. It`s called prior -- similar fact evidence.
But what`s going to happen is if he starts locking himself into a statement and it`s something -- and the evidence comes back totally the opposite, then yes, it`s going to pose a problem.
And when his attorney -- and he`s a very high-powered great attorney -- but when he says we`re going to conduct our own thorough investigation, we all know what that means. It means digging up every piece of dirt -- dirty dirt -- on this girl to try to make her out to be we all know what. That she asked for it, she consented to it. She went in there with him. She followed him.
And that`s really what we`re going to see down the pipe. We`re going to see the muddy waters about her life.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s fascinating because Ben`s accuser has now left school, but TMZ is reporting that the sorority she was in had asked all of its members to take down their Twitter and Facebook accounts. What`s the motivation for that? Would it be to protect her reputation?
Police wouldn`t address her credibility. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM DAVIS, SPECIAL AGENT, GEORGE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: There has been contact between our departments and the accuser. I`m not going to go into what her credibility is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she submit to a blood alcohol test herself?
DAVIS: I`m not sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Linda, Pittsburgh, your question or thought, ma`am?
LINDA, PITTSBURGH (via telephone): I would like to know why all these women -- there`s two of them, are pointing their finger at Ben Roethlisberger. He is squeaky clean. Does he look like a man who would have to push himself on a woman? All they`re out for is the almighty dollar. I swear I see it. I think the man has absolutely a spotless reputation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well Linda, you`re from Pittsburgh. And are you -- one last question. Are you a fan, a Steelers fan?
LINDA: You bet I am.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. I had a funny little feeling you might be.
LINDA: That really doesn`t have any difference on the way I feel about him, ma`am.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you ma`am. I appreciate it.
LZ Granderson, I`m sure you have something to say about people who look a certain way like they`re going to be an assaulter or not. There is no look.
GRANDERSON: The first thing that crossed my mind, I`m not an expert with rape, or anything like but I`m not quite sure there is a rape look. While it is true that you would think that someone as successful as Ben Roethlisberger wouldn`t force himself on anyone for any situation, it`s not always about that.
You know, there are other factors besides someone deciding that they want to have something that they may not be able to have. They`re in a very powerful position as a superstar athlete. They`re used to getting what they want and if they don`t get what they want in the way that they feel they should have it, they may take it.
I`m not saying that`s the case with Ben Roethlisberger. But what I am saying is that to make an example of an athlete --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Got to leave it there, LZ. Great to see you and remember, he`s just accused. We don`t know what happened.
You are watching ISSUES on HLN.
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