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Search Intensifies for Missing Georgia Woman
Aired April 29, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Developing story for you. One Italian agent shot and killed by American troops while rescuing a hostage in Iraq. Two different conclusions about what happened.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Multiple bombs and more terror threats in Iraq. Several blasts go off, and a terror mastermind reportedly releases a new message for his followers.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Tony Harris, live from Duluth, Georgia, where we're waiting for a news briefing from the police here -- the police chief here in Duluth on the search for Jennifer Wilbanks.
O'BRIEN: Discovery delayed. NASA decides to wait a little while longer before sending the shuttle back to space. We'll tell you why.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM begins now.
No breaks, no leads, no promising clues, and still no Jennifer Wilbanks. A day before the suburban Atlanta woman was due to be married, she's still a very missing person.
Her case has become a criminal investigation. And if you were with us last hour, you saw her grief-stricken family offer a $100,000 reward for information that will bring their loved one home. Police are due to brief reporters again any minute now.
And CNN's Tony Harris has the latest on all of this from the otherwise quiet community of Duluth, Georgia -- Tony.
HARRIS: And good afternoon, Fred.
Events are happening, as you mentioned, quickly here in Duluth. The bottom line on all of this is that authorities here in Duluth have not found Jennifer Wilbanks.
She has been missing, as you mentioned, since Tuesday evening when her fiance said that she left their home to go for a jog at about 8:30 in the evening. An exhaustive search on Wednesday turned up very little. An exhaustive search again on Thursday. A few items being found that are being processed right now.
And then there was a morning search for Jennifer this morning that turned up very little or nothing. And we can tell you that the afternoon search, in fact, has been called off.
If you were with us last hour, you saw an emotion packed news conference where members of both families, the Mason family and the Wilbanks family, talked to the media, and we learned a couple of things in that press conference.
We learned that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, has, in fact, taken and passed a polygraph test. We also learned that the family knows seemingly very little, very little more than what we've been reporting about the status of the investigation. The family has established a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her disappearance.
Want to share with you just a few moments from that press conference last hour.
OK. I'm sorry. It seems that we've lost that -- that moment from that press conference. I can also add that the family spokesman said that the families are getting through this ordeal, this family crisis, by virtue of their love for one another and their faith.
And any moment now, as I step aside here, you can see the Duluth County, Duluth police chief. His name is Randy Belcher. Any moment now we're expecting that he'll move to a bank of microphones and he'll give us an update on the investigation -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Tony, I realize that the chief will likely elaborate on this question, but if you could, just based on information you have received, there were initial reporters that there were some articles of clothing that have been located, and they've been collected as part of this investigation. What, if anything, has been learned from that?
HARRIS: Yes. I can add a little bit to that, Fred. There were three items, actually four items involved in all. When you talk about the clothing items, there were two sweatshirts and there was a pair of sweatpants, important because John Mason indicated that Jennifer left the home that evening on Tuesday evening in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
Those items were found in three different cities in close proximity to one another, but they were taken -- those items were taken to a -- the Georgia crime lab here to be analyzed. And at this point, we don't know if the articles of clothing that were found belong to Jennifer.
WHITFIELD: All right. Tony Harris in Duluth, Georgia. Thanks so much. Of course, we'll be taking that press conference live as it happens -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Daring, deadly, defiant and desperate? Nine bombings in a three-hour span this morning in Baghdad killed at least 24 a day after Iraq's new assembly OK'ed a government. U.S. commanders say it's a sure sign of insurgents' desperation, but Iraq's most wanted terrorist is purportedly warning there's much more to come.
The latest now from CNN's Ryan Chilcote in the Iraqi capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we start with this audiotape purportedly from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that has surfaced on two different Internet sites. We can't verify the authenticity of this tape, however several analysts that follow these kinds of messages, study these kinds of messages, say they believe it's authentic.
In any case, the speaker on the tape making a reference to the month of March of this year as being the time when this -- this recording was made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to that press conference, Duluth, Georgia. Listen to the police chief there.
CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: ... my command staff along with supervisor of the FBI and also of the GBI. They've been very instrumental with us doing the investigation.
At this time, I'd like to thank the Gwinnett County district attorney's office, his staff, the Gwinnett County Police Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department, Gwinnett County Fire Department, swift water rescue, the Department of Natural Resources, Hall County Fire Department, Hall County Sheriff's Department, Gainesville Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff's Department Canine, Harrelson County Sheriff's Department Canine, the Office of Homeland Security, Gwinnett County Emergency Management, American Red Cross, Gwinnett community emergency response team, the Gwinnett Citizens Police Academy and the Alpha Canine Search and Rescue and the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Association and the Red Cross.
As you know, we've been searching the woods, basically the entire city. We've searched over five square miles in the last three days. Most of those areas we searched three times now.
So what we have found during the three-day time period, as everybody already knows, Miss Wilbanks went for a jog Tuesday night, approximately 8:30. She failed to return home. Her fiance went out looking for her and was unable to locate her. He contacted us.
We went out and began a search using the officers that were on duty that night. Wednesday morning, we brought in the command vehicle, set it up. The volunteers, all the law enforcement agencies that I just mentioned volunteered, came forward, and we put together, along with hundreds of citizens of Duluth, Gwinnett County, surrounding areas in Gainesville.
We divided the city up into grids. We divided the searchers up into teams, and we searched all day long and came back the next day, and we continued to search.
My supervisors -- or my CID unit, GBI and FBI and the district attorney's office has been here all that time handling tips, investigations. The FBI is running down any leads that we may get outside of the state of Georgia. The GBI is covering the state of Georgia, anything that we may get. And, of course, my people are running down anything within the city limits, and the Gwinnett County district attorney is also assisting us throughout the county.
So everybody is working very tremendously, trying to get this thing solved.
We have nothing at this point to show that there has been a crime committed. We located several pieces of clothing. That clothing will be examined by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and we'll try to determine whether it belonged to Miss Wilbanks or not.
We did find some hair. The hair appears to have been cut. The hair was located in a local business complex here in the city. The GBI is currently doing tests on this hair. The hair is consistent with that of Miss Wilbanks. That's all we know. We have not gotten enough data back to say, yes, it belongs to her or, no, it does not belong to her. Right now it's just same hair color and similar to her hair. That's all we have, nothing more at the present time.
That's one of the reasons we went back out today and searched the particular area that we found the hair in. We found nothing.
We have had helicopters searching from the air. We've had swift water rescue and DNR searching the rivers along the city of Duluth. We've had hundreds of searchers on the ground searching, and we're checking all of our leads that we could possibly get at this present time.
As you heard earlier from the family of Miss Wilbanks, there is a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the recovery of Miss Wilbanks or the conviction, if it is called for. We have been in touch with the governor's office, and we are working on attempting to get additional reward money from the governor to add to this pot.
I spoke with Mr. Mason's attorney this afternoon. His attorney is Mr. Jim Watkins. The prime reason for our discussions today was the polygraph. Mr. Mason did take a polygraph today by a private examiner. We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI.
He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions. The GBI was in negotiation with them to take these tests. The conditions that Mr. Wil -- Watkins has put upon us is not normal for the GBI or the FBI to do for a polygraph.
So at this time, we are unable to administer a polygraph by the GBI as a result of not being able to meet Mr. Watkins' requirements. So that will be ongoing. We'll attempt to get that handled and get a polygraph. But as of this moment, there is no polygraph set in the near future to be taken.
At this point, we have searched what we can search. We've exhausted our manpower. We've turned over probably every leaf in this city. So I have suspended all future searches as of this moment unless some other evidence is brought forward.
So at this point, the only thing that we have left are the tips to go on. So we appeal to the public that, if you know anything, please come forward and give us that information so that we can locate Miss Wilbanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, what were the conditions? What were the conditions? Would you still describe Mr. Mason as being cooperative since he hasn't taken a GBI polygraph?
BELCHER: One of the conditions was being in a neutral location. Another condition was being videotaped. We are willing to meet with him in a neutral location. If he agrees the location that we want to meet in is neutral. One of the requirements is a videotape. The FBI nor the GBI will videotape a polygraph examination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are these conditions by his attorney or him or you all?
BELCHER: This -- the private polygraph examiner was by his attorney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would that not be sufficient for you guys?
BELCHER: This is an investigation, so we have certain guidelines that we must follow to be prosecutable in court. Therefore, we have requested that a polygraph be done by the FBI or the GBI.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, do you know what questions he was asked?
BELCHER: No, sir, I don't. I have a copy of the examination right here. It was just handed to me, and I have not had the opportunity to look at it yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell us what difficulty it is to determine that the hair was hers based on the fact that it was cut rather than coming from the scalp.
BELCHER: That's something that the crime lab is working on. I'm not an expert in that area, so I can't elaborate any more on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will there be a determination, a final determination based on that?
BELCHER: If there's enough articles on the hair that they could, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) With the haircut, was it a long length to try to describe her?
BELCHER: All we know at this time is it appears to have been cut.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it a lots of it or just a strand? BELCHER: It was just a strand of hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) already determined by (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: That I do not know, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back to the polygraphs. What are the sticking points of the negotiation? Once again, please.
BELCHER: Right now the sticking point appears to be whether the polygraph examination is videotaped. The FBI, GBI, or any other law enforcement agency that is worth anything will not videotape the polygraph examination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In your opinion, why does that matter?
BELCHER: I have no idea. You'll have to address Mr. Watkins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the exact results of the polygraph?
BELCHER: I wasn't there. I don't know how much hair was there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What area was it in? What was the name of the office?
BELCHER: I'm not sure the name of the office park. I'm not sure the office park even has a name, to be honest with you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What road was it on?
BELCHER: Postal Drive area, I believe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know you said you hadn't seen specific results of the test. Did Mr. Mason pass this polygraph?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he pass the polygraph test he took earlier today?
BELCHER: According to the private examiner, he passed his polygraph.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he has not been ruled in or out as a suspect?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has not been ruled in or out as a suspect?
BELCHER: No, he hasn't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has her family indicated the sweats are something she owned?
BELCHER: The family has not viewed any of the clothing as of this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not? If you find a sweatshirt, why not show it to them and say, was this hers?
BELCHER: That's just part of our examination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was the clothing torn or soiled in any way or just merely pulled off? The clothing that you found.
BELCHER: It was just -- I'm not sure. I wasn't there to collect the evidence. So I don't know. There was no evidence to appear, you know, that it was taken off of anybody, ripped off or anything of that nature.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just discarded?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, yesterday you described them as cooperative. How would you describe them today?
BELCHER: They're still cooperative. Still cooperative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even Mr. Mason?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are there any family members that you'd like to put through a polygraph?
BELCHER: Right now we just would like to interview Mr. Mason.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you had any luck with computers, getting anything?
BELCHER: They're still working on that. We have some information which we're just running down at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any ex-boyfriends or anybody else that might have...
BELCHER: We -- we are talking, have talked to the ex-boyfriends, and we have a few more that we wish to talk to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about girlfriends?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any bloodhound made you any kind of hit on a scent?
BELCHER: Nothing that we could use. I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How far apart were the clothes?
BELCHER: One of the shirts was found in Swanee. One was found in Cummings, and the pair of sweat pants was found right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How far apart?
BELCHER: Miles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What color clothing (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What color was the sweatpants?
BELCHER: The sweat pants were dark blue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were found right here?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, now that this is no longer an active search, what role passively will you guys take? I mean, I know you're waiting on evidence and that type of thing?
BELCHER: We are continuing on our investigation. Although the search has concluded, we will continue our investigation as we normally would any other investigation.
The GBI and the FBI are going to continue to stay with us. They are going to continue to run down leads concerning any tips that we may have. You know, just because we've closed down our search doesn't mean we're shutting down the investigation. It's going to continue as...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do the clothing and hair lead you to believe she was abducted?
BELCHER: I'm sorry, what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The clothing and hair that were found, does that lead you to believe she was abducted?
BELCHER: We're not even sure the clothing has anything to do with her whatsoever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, if the hair was not yanked out of the scalp, signaling a possible struggle, why would you be following this lead?
BELCHER: Just simply for the fact that it's the only thing we have to go on at this point in time, that it's consistent with her hair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you say it's a good lead?
BELCHER: It's the only lead we have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: That, I do not know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: Related to who?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any way to link her disappearance to the pending wedding?
BELCHER: I can't hear half of what you said.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you link her disappearance to the pending wedding, or is it just coincidental?
BELCHER: It's probably just coincidental at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does anything come up with the sex offenders you've checked out?
BELCHER: We've checked them out, and so far there's nothing with that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to release the polygraph information?
BELCHER: At some point we will, but not now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, could you tell us one more time why you would like for him to take a GBI polygraph? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Why is it important for you to have your own?
BELCHER: We would just like to have our own. It's an investigative tool, and we just like to do our own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you need the polygraph at all?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you need the polygraph at all? Is there any reason to think you might want a polygraph (ph)?
BELCHER: It's just a tool that we use for investigation. And we'd just like to have that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, could you describe the amount of tips that have come into the police department and others, and how many you've been able to check out and what kind of tips they are.
BELCHER: All we can tell you is we got hundreds of e-mails -- or tips on our tip line. We're getting so many phone calls now with tips that, if you call the police department, chances are you're not going to get through. So, you know, it's -- this is going to be a long process of trying to run down all these tips.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, yesterday -- yesterday you said that as time pressed on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) can you explain to us now that there's no evidence a crime was necessarily committed, where does that leave your thinking now?
BELCHER: You know, I could sit up here and speculate all day long, and that probably won't give you the right answer. But we're going to do what we have to do. Right now we have a lead with the hair. We're going to investigate that. We're going to check out all the tips that have come in, not only by telephone, but also by voicemail and e-mail. You know, we're going to continue on with the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the theory now (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: There's all kinds of speculation right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: I can't go any further into it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still consider the cold feet theory possible?
BELCHER: That's always possible. But, you know, we don't have...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, can you check this (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If so, how have they responded?
BELCHER: They're -- as you heard earlier, they know that we can't search forever. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We have been listening to Duluth, Georgia, Police Chief Randy Belcher, giving us an update on the case of the missing woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, who was jogging 8:30 p.m. a few days ago and has not returned since.
Just to give you the headline here, he's indicating that, while John Mason, the groom to be, the two should have been married tomorrow, has, in fact, taken a private polygraph test, they have not come to terms, attorneys representing him and the authorities, on a polygraph that would be administered by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
There were certain terms which Mr. Mason, through his attorney, insisted upon, that it be in a neutral location. That was not a problem, so long as they both agreed it was a neutral location. But the problem was asking for it to be videotaped. Apparently, law enforcement, as per its custom, does not like to videotape polygraph tests.
So there is no polygraph that has been administered by a law enforcement agency. A private polygraph has occurred, and according to the Mason family, John Mason passed that polygraph with flying colors. That happened this morning.
As for the search, a lot of clothing found, some hair. Unclear if any of that is linked at all to Jennifer Wilbanks. The search, according to the chief, will be ceased immediately, lacking any additional evidence or clues or tips from the general public.
So the general sense we have, just watching the chief here, is that the investigation is pretty much at square one right now with not much to go on. We'll keep you up to date, of course.
Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The mystery of Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance does not appear to be growing any clearer to us at this point. If authorities know much more, they're certainly not sharing it with us.
There you see her description. Jennifer Wilbanks, 5'8", 120 pounds, a marathon runner. A lot of potential clues were discovered in a search, which sometimes went over the same turf three times, clothing and hair. But the authorities can't be certain that it has anything to do with Jennifer Wilbanks.
So at this juncture, we'll turn it over to Tony Harris, who's been watching this story very closely.
And Tony, I'd just like to begin. Is there much that they're not saying publicly here? Is there something else afoot that you're hearing? Or did they pretty much lay their cards on the table there?
HARRIS: Miles, I certainly hope so. I've got to tell you that we've talked to the authorities here, and they've played this thing very close to the vest, and they've looked us straight in the eye and said that this is all we know. They're all the developments that we can share with you, we are sharing with you.
We understand that cell phone records and also computer e-mails have been looked at, and that's standard procedure in this kind of investigation.
We would like to think that there is more that the authorities here have on this investigation, but they certainly haven't shared it with us. And as you noted, a search, any further searches have been called off right now because they seem to be leading absolutely nowhere.
But I've got to tell you, I think you did a wonderful job before the break in summing up the news conference that just transpired here. A five square mile area of Duluth has been searched, and those searches have turned up virtually nothing. They've been searched three times.
You heard the chief say that nothing has been found to indicate that a crime has been committed. Further searches of where a clump of hair was found didn't lead the investigation any further. We know that the hair that was found, that clump of hair, was consistent only with Jennifer's hair color.
Jim Watkins -- this is a guy whose phone obviously is ringing off the hook right now, has been retained by John Mason, Jennifer's fiance. A private examiner conducted a polygraph, and as you heard the family say about an hour ago, John Mason passed that privately administered polygraph test.
The GBI wants its own independent polygraph examination. There have been a set of negotiations, we understand, and Miles, as you mentioned, those negotiations right now are deadlocked.
But I do want to run one other thing by you, Miles, to see if you heard this the same way I did. It seems that the chief said John Mason has not been ruled in or out as having any further involvement in this case, which is a tantalizing tease.
O'BRIEN: I thought that was very telling, Tony. And you know, without getting too deep into the road of speculation here, you have to ask yourself, if he, in fact, passed a private polygraph with flying colors, as the attorney says, why would there be any reluctance, why would the attorneys have to get into all these weasel words for negotiation on a polygraph administered by the authorities?
HARRIS: You make a good point, Miles. A number of people are probably asking himself, if you took one polygraph and you passed that, why wouldn't you take the GBI administered polygraph test?
I've got to tell you -- and you may have seen it in the news conference -- the chief indicated he was just getting, just receiving -- and he held up the envelope -- the results of the privately administered polygraph test. So, again, he has to take a look at those results, and clearly what he is saying is these results are fine, but we want our own examination.
O'BRIEN: All right, Tony Harris. I see the chief there right behind you. Maybe if I let you go right now, you can go bend his ear a little bit and see if you can get more stuff for us. We appreciate it -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Miles, it turns out the money is real, but the story is a hoax.
Apparently, two men who boasted finding old money in banks in a backyard apparently are now arrested and accused of stealing the money from a home where they were doing some roofing work. Methuene, Massachusetts, Police Chief Joseph Solomon describes how they figured it all out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUENE, MASSACHUSETTS: Initially, when we saw the first report in the "Lawrence Eagle Tribune," based upon the condition of the cans that we saw and the report it was just a foot below the surface and knowing -- we're from New England -- that money doesn't stay in that condition in cans a foot underneath. And then the follow up stories that showed the inconsistencies. We convened our investigation immediately, but obviously the subjects took off to New York, and we weren't going to go to New York. We waited for them to come back here. And once they came back here, we conducted our investigation.
But initially, it was the way the story was reported that alerted us. And our experience as police officers that we knew it didn't just fit. Now, I'm not saying it couldn't have possibly happened, but we have a duty to check the veracity of a story. So that's what we decided to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And the police chief's press conference took place just moments ago. They became suspicious, apparently, because the 27- year-old Barry Billcliff and 22-year-old Timothy Crebase differed on -- their stories, rather, differed on different television news outlets.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired April 29, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Developing story for you. One Italian agent shot and killed by American troops while rescuing a hostage in Iraq. Two different conclusions about what happened.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Multiple bombs and more terror threats in Iraq. Several blasts go off, and a terror mastermind reportedly releases a new message for his followers.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Tony Harris, live from Duluth, Georgia, where we're waiting for a news briefing from the police here -- the police chief here in Duluth on the search for Jennifer Wilbanks.
O'BRIEN: Discovery delayed. NASA decides to wait a little while longer before sending the shuttle back to space. We'll tell you why.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM begins now.
No breaks, no leads, no promising clues, and still no Jennifer Wilbanks. A day before the suburban Atlanta woman was due to be married, she's still a very missing person.
Her case has become a criminal investigation. And if you were with us last hour, you saw her grief-stricken family offer a $100,000 reward for information that will bring their loved one home. Police are due to brief reporters again any minute now.
And CNN's Tony Harris has the latest on all of this from the otherwise quiet community of Duluth, Georgia -- Tony.
HARRIS: And good afternoon, Fred.
Events are happening, as you mentioned, quickly here in Duluth. The bottom line on all of this is that authorities here in Duluth have not found Jennifer Wilbanks.
She has been missing, as you mentioned, since Tuesday evening when her fiance said that she left their home to go for a jog at about 8:30 in the evening. An exhaustive search on Wednesday turned up very little. An exhaustive search again on Thursday. A few items being found that are being processed right now.
And then there was a morning search for Jennifer this morning that turned up very little or nothing. And we can tell you that the afternoon search, in fact, has been called off.
If you were with us last hour, you saw an emotion packed news conference where members of both families, the Mason family and the Wilbanks family, talked to the media, and we learned a couple of things in that press conference.
We learned that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, has, in fact, taken and passed a polygraph test. We also learned that the family knows seemingly very little, very little more than what we've been reporting about the status of the investigation. The family has established a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her disappearance.
Want to share with you just a few moments from that press conference last hour.
OK. I'm sorry. It seems that we've lost that -- that moment from that press conference. I can also add that the family spokesman said that the families are getting through this ordeal, this family crisis, by virtue of their love for one another and their faith.
And any moment now, as I step aside here, you can see the Duluth County, Duluth police chief. His name is Randy Belcher. Any moment now we're expecting that he'll move to a bank of microphones and he'll give us an update on the investigation -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Tony, I realize that the chief will likely elaborate on this question, but if you could, just based on information you have received, there were initial reporters that there were some articles of clothing that have been located, and they've been collected as part of this investigation. What, if anything, has been learned from that?
HARRIS: Yes. I can add a little bit to that, Fred. There were three items, actually four items involved in all. When you talk about the clothing items, there were two sweatshirts and there was a pair of sweatpants, important because John Mason indicated that Jennifer left the home that evening on Tuesday evening in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
Those items were found in three different cities in close proximity to one another, but they were taken -- those items were taken to a -- the Georgia crime lab here to be analyzed. And at this point, we don't know if the articles of clothing that were found belong to Jennifer.
WHITFIELD: All right. Tony Harris in Duluth, Georgia. Thanks so much. Of course, we'll be taking that press conference live as it happens -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Daring, deadly, defiant and desperate? Nine bombings in a three-hour span this morning in Baghdad killed at least 24 a day after Iraq's new assembly OK'ed a government. U.S. commanders say it's a sure sign of insurgents' desperation, but Iraq's most wanted terrorist is purportedly warning there's much more to come.
The latest now from CNN's Ryan Chilcote in the Iraqi capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we start with this audiotape purportedly from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that has surfaced on two different Internet sites. We can't verify the authenticity of this tape, however several analysts that follow these kinds of messages, study these kinds of messages, say they believe it's authentic.
In any case, the speaker on the tape making a reference to the month of March of this year as being the time when this -- this recording was made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to that press conference, Duluth, Georgia. Listen to the police chief there.
CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: ... my command staff along with supervisor of the FBI and also of the GBI. They've been very instrumental with us doing the investigation.
At this time, I'd like to thank the Gwinnett County district attorney's office, his staff, the Gwinnett County Police Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department, Gwinnett County Fire Department, swift water rescue, the Department of Natural Resources, Hall County Fire Department, Hall County Sheriff's Department, Gainesville Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff's Department Canine, Harrelson County Sheriff's Department Canine, the Office of Homeland Security, Gwinnett County Emergency Management, American Red Cross, Gwinnett community emergency response team, the Gwinnett Citizens Police Academy and the Alpha Canine Search and Rescue and the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Association and the Red Cross.
As you know, we've been searching the woods, basically the entire city. We've searched over five square miles in the last three days. Most of those areas we searched three times now.
So what we have found during the three-day time period, as everybody already knows, Miss Wilbanks went for a jog Tuesday night, approximately 8:30. She failed to return home. Her fiance went out looking for her and was unable to locate her. He contacted us.
We went out and began a search using the officers that were on duty that night. Wednesday morning, we brought in the command vehicle, set it up. The volunteers, all the law enforcement agencies that I just mentioned volunteered, came forward, and we put together, along with hundreds of citizens of Duluth, Gwinnett County, surrounding areas in Gainesville.
We divided the city up into grids. We divided the searchers up into teams, and we searched all day long and came back the next day, and we continued to search.
My supervisors -- or my CID unit, GBI and FBI and the district attorney's office has been here all that time handling tips, investigations. The FBI is running down any leads that we may get outside of the state of Georgia. The GBI is covering the state of Georgia, anything that we may get. And, of course, my people are running down anything within the city limits, and the Gwinnett County district attorney is also assisting us throughout the county.
So everybody is working very tremendously, trying to get this thing solved.
We have nothing at this point to show that there has been a crime committed. We located several pieces of clothing. That clothing will be examined by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and we'll try to determine whether it belonged to Miss Wilbanks or not.
We did find some hair. The hair appears to have been cut. The hair was located in a local business complex here in the city. The GBI is currently doing tests on this hair. The hair is consistent with that of Miss Wilbanks. That's all we know. We have not gotten enough data back to say, yes, it belongs to her or, no, it does not belong to her. Right now it's just same hair color and similar to her hair. That's all we have, nothing more at the present time.
That's one of the reasons we went back out today and searched the particular area that we found the hair in. We found nothing.
We have had helicopters searching from the air. We've had swift water rescue and DNR searching the rivers along the city of Duluth. We've had hundreds of searchers on the ground searching, and we're checking all of our leads that we could possibly get at this present time.
As you heard earlier from the family of Miss Wilbanks, there is a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the recovery of Miss Wilbanks or the conviction, if it is called for. We have been in touch with the governor's office, and we are working on attempting to get additional reward money from the governor to add to this pot.
I spoke with Mr. Mason's attorney this afternoon. His attorney is Mr. Jim Watkins. The prime reason for our discussions today was the polygraph. Mr. Mason did take a polygraph today by a private examiner. We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI.
He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions. The GBI was in negotiation with them to take these tests. The conditions that Mr. Wil -- Watkins has put upon us is not normal for the GBI or the FBI to do for a polygraph.
So at this time, we are unable to administer a polygraph by the GBI as a result of not being able to meet Mr. Watkins' requirements. So that will be ongoing. We'll attempt to get that handled and get a polygraph. But as of this moment, there is no polygraph set in the near future to be taken.
At this point, we have searched what we can search. We've exhausted our manpower. We've turned over probably every leaf in this city. So I have suspended all future searches as of this moment unless some other evidence is brought forward.
So at this point, the only thing that we have left are the tips to go on. So we appeal to the public that, if you know anything, please come forward and give us that information so that we can locate Miss Wilbanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, what were the conditions? What were the conditions? Would you still describe Mr. Mason as being cooperative since he hasn't taken a GBI polygraph?
BELCHER: One of the conditions was being in a neutral location. Another condition was being videotaped. We are willing to meet with him in a neutral location. If he agrees the location that we want to meet in is neutral. One of the requirements is a videotape. The FBI nor the GBI will videotape a polygraph examination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are these conditions by his attorney or him or you all?
BELCHER: This -- the private polygraph examiner was by his attorney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would that not be sufficient for you guys?
BELCHER: This is an investigation, so we have certain guidelines that we must follow to be prosecutable in court. Therefore, we have requested that a polygraph be done by the FBI or the GBI.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, do you know what questions he was asked?
BELCHER: No, sir, I don't. I have a copy of the examination right here. It was just handed to me, and I have not had the opportunity to look at it yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell us what difficulty it is to determine that the hair was hers based on the fact that it was cut rather than coming from the scalp.
BELCHER: That's something that the crime lab is working on. I'm not an expert in that area, so I can't elaborate any more on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will there be a determination, a final determination based on that?
BELCHER: If there's enough articles on the hair that they could, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) With the haircut, was it a long length to try to describe her?
BELCHER: All we know at this time is it appears to have been cut.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it a lots of it or just a strand? BELCHER: It was just a strand of hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) already determined by (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: That I do not know, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back to the polygraphs. What are the sticking points of the negotiation? Once again, please.
BELCHER: Right now the sticking point appears to be whether the polygraph examination is videotaped. The FBI, GBI, or any other law enforcement agency that is worth anything will not videotape the polygraph examination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In your opinion, why does that matter?
BELCHER: I have no idea. You'll have to address Mr. Watkins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the exact results of the polygraph?
BELCHER: I wasn't there. I don't know how much hair was there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What area was it in? What was the name of the office?
BELCHER: I'm not sure the name of the office park. I'm not sure the office park even has a name, to be honest with you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What road was it on?
BELCHER: Postal Drive area, I believe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know you said you hadn't seen specific results of the test. Did Mr. Mason pass this polygraph?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he pass the polygraph test he took earlier today?
BELCHER: According to the private examiner, he passed his polygraph.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he has not been ruled in or out as a suspect?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has not been ruled in or out as a suspect?
BELCHER: No, he hasn't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has her family indicated the sweats are something she owned?
BELCHER: The family has not viewed any of the clothing as of this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not? If you find a sweatshirt, why not show it to them and say, was this hers?
BELCHER: That's just part of our examination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was the clothing torn or soiled in any way or just merely pulled off? The clothing that you found.
BELCHER: It was just -- I'm not sure. I wasn't there to collect the evidence. So I don't know. There was no evidence to appear, you know, that it was taken off of anybody, ripped off or anything of that nature.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just discarded?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, yesterday you described them as cooperative. How would you describe them today?
BELCHER: They're still cooperative. Still cooperative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even Mr. Mason?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are there any family members that you'd like to put through a polygraph?
BELCHER: Right now we just would like to interview Mr. Mason.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you had any luck with computers, getting anything?
BELCHER: They're still working on that. We have some information which we're just running down at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any ex-boyfriends or anybody else that might have...
BELCHER: We -- we are talking, have talked to the ex-boyfriends, and we have a few more that we wish to talk to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about girlfriends?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any bloodhound made you any kind of hit on a scent?
BELCHER: Nothing that we could use. I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How far apart were the clothes?
BELCHER: One of the shirts was found in Swanee. One was found in Cummings, and the pair of sweat pants was found right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How far apart?
BELCHER: Miles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What color clothing (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What color was the sweatpants?
BELCHER: The sweat pants were dark blue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were found right here?
BELCHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, now that this is no longer an active search, what role passively will you guys take? I mean, I know you're waiting on evidence and that type of thing?
BELCHER: We are continuing on our investigation. Although the search has concluded, we will continue our investigation as we normally would any other investigation.
The GBI and the FBI are going to continue to stay with us. They are going to continue to run down leads concerning any tips that we may have. You know, just because we've closed down our search doesn't mean we're shutting down the investigation. It's going to continue as...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do the clothing and hair lead you to believe she was abducted?
BELCHER: I'm sorry, what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The clothing and hair that were found, does that lead you to believe she was abducted?
BELCHER: We're not even sure the clothing has anything to do with her whatsoever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, if the hair was not yanked out of the scalp, signaling a possible struggle, why would you be following this lead?
BELCHER: Just simply for the fact that it's the only thing we have to go on at this point in time, that it's consistent with her hair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you say it's a good lead?
BELCHER: It's the only lead we have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: That, I do not know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: Related to who?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any way to link her disappearance to the pending wedding?
BELCHER: I can't hear half of what you said.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you link her disappearance to the pending wedding, or is it just coincidental?
BELCHER: It's probably just coincidental at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does anything come up with the sex offenders you've checked out?
BELCHER: We've checked them out, and so far there's nothing with that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to release the polygraph information?
BELCHER: At some point we will, but not now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, could you tell us one more time why you would like for him to take a GBI polygraph? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Why is it important for you to have your own?
BELCHER: We would just like to have our own. It's an investigative tool, and we just like to do our own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you need the polygraph at all?
BELCHER: I'm sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you need the polygraph at all? Is there any reason to think you might want a polygraph (ph)?
BELCHER: It's just a tool that we use for investigation. And we'd just like to have that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, could you describe the amount of tips that have come into the police department and others, and how many you've been able to check out and what kind of tips they are.
BELCHER: All we can tell you is we got hundreds of e-mails -- or tips on our tip line. We're getting so many phone calls now with tips that, if you call the police department, chances are you're not going to get through. So, you know, it's -- this is going to be a long process of trying to run down all these tips.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, yesterday -- yesterday you said that as time pressed on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) can you explain to us now that there's no evidence a crime was necessarily committed, where does that leave your thinking now?
BELCHER: You know, I could sit up here and speculate all day long, and that probably won't give you the right answer. But we're going to do what we have to do. Right now we have a lead with the hair. We're going to investigate that. We're going to check out all the tips that have come in, not only by telephone, but also by voicemail and e-mail. You know, we're going to continue on with the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the theory now (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: There's all kinds of speculation right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: I can't go any further into it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still consider the cold feet theory possible?
BELCHER: That's always possible. But, you know, we don't have...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, can you check this (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BELCHER: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If so, how have they responded?
BELCHER: They're -- as you heard earlier, they know that we can't search forever. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We have been listening to Duluth, Georgia, Police Chief Randy Belcher, giving us an update on the case of the missing woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, who was jogging 8:30 p.m. a few days ago and has not returned since.
Just to give you the headline here, he's indicating that, while John Mason, the groom to be, the two should have been married tomorrow, has, in fact, taken a private polygraph test, they have not come to terms, attorneys representing him and the authorities, on a polygraph that would be administered by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
There were certain terms which Mr. Mason, through his attorney, insisted upon, that it be in a neutral location. That was not a problem, so long as they both agreed it was a neutral location. But the problem was asking for it to be videotaped. Apparently, law enforcement, as per its custom, does not like to videotape polygraph tests.
So there is no polygraph that has been administered by a law enforcement agency. A private polygraph has occurred, and according to the Mason family, John Mason passed that polygraph with flying colors. That happened this morning.
As for the search, a lot of clothing found, some hair. Unclear if any of that is linked at all to Jennifer Wilbanks. The search, according to the chief, will be ceased immediately, lacking any additional evidence or clues or tips from the general public.
So the general sense we have, just watching the chief here, is that the investigation is pretty much at square one right now with not much to go on. We'll keep you up to date, of course.
Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The mystery of Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance does not appear to be growing any clearer to us at this point. If authorities know much more, they're certainly not sharing it with us.
There you see her description. Jennifer Wilbanks, 5'8", 120 pounds, a marathon runner. A lot of potential clues were discovered in a search, which sometimes went over the same turf three times, clothing and hair. But the authorities can't be certain that it has anything to do with Jennifer Wilbanks.
So at this juncture, we'll turn it over to Tony Harris, who's been watching this story very closely.
And Tony, I'd just like to begin. Is there much that they're not saying publicly here? Is there something else afoot that you're hearing? Or did they pretty much lay their cards on the table there?
HARRIS: Miles, I certainly hope so. I've got to tell you that we've talked to the authorities here, and they've played this thing very close to the vest, and they've looked us straight in the eye and said that this is all we know. They're all the developments that we can share with you, we are sharing with you.
We understand that cell phone records and also computer e-mails have been looked at, and that's standard procedure in this kind of investigation.
We would like to think that there is more that the authorities here have on this investigation, but they certainly haven't shared it with us. And as you noted, a search, any further searches have been called off right now because they seem to be leading absolutely nowhere.
But I've got to tell you, I think you did a wonderful job before the break in summing up the news conference that just transpired here. A five square mile area of Duluth has been searched, and those searches have turned up virtually nothing. They've been searched three times.
You heard the chief say that nothing has been found to indicate that a crime has been committed. Further searches of where a clump of hair was found didn't lead the investigation any further. We know that the hair that was found, that clump of hair, was consistent only with Jennifer's hair color.
Jim Watkins -- this is a guy whose phone obviously is ringing off the hook right now, has been retained by John Mason, Jennifer's fiance. A private examiner conducted a polygraph, and as you heard the family say about an hour ago, John Mason passed that privately administered polygraph test.
The GBI wants its own independent polygraph examination. There have been a set of negotiations, we understand, and Miles, as you mentioned, those negotiations right now are deadlocked.
But I do want to run one other thing by you, Miles, to see if you heard this the same way I did. It seems that the chief said John Mason has not been ruled in or out as having any further involvement in this case, which is a tantalizing tease.
O'BRIEN: I thought that was very telling, Tony. And you know, without getting too deep into the road of speculation here, you have to ask yourself, if he, in fact, passed a private polygraph with flying colors, as the attorney says, why would there be any reluctance, why would the attorneys have to get into all these weasel words for negotiation on a polygraph administered by the authorities?
HARRIS: You make a good point, Miles. A number of people are probably asking himself, if you took one polygraph and you passed that, why wouldn't you take the GBI administered polygraph test?
I've got to tell you -- and you may have seen it in the news conference -- the chief indicated he was just getting, just receiving -- and he held up the envelope -- the results of the privately administered polygraph test. So, again, he has to take a look at those results, and clearly what he is saying is these results are fine, but we want our own examination.
O'BRIEN: All right, Tony Harris. I see the chief there right behind you. Maybe if I let you go right now, you can go bend his ear a little bit and see if you can get more stuff for us. We appreciate it -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Miles, it turns out the money is real, but the story is a hoax.
Apparently, two men who boasted finding old money in banks in a backyard apparently are now arrested and accused of stealing the money from a home where they were doing some roofing work. Methuene, Massachusetts, Police Chief Joseph Solomon describes how they figured it all out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUENE, MASSACHUSETTS: Initially, when we saw the first report in the "Lawrence Eagle Tribune," based upon the condition of the cans that we saw and the report it was just a foot below the surface and knowing -- we're from New England -- that money doesn't stay in that condition in cans a foot underneath. And then the follow up stories that showed the inconsistencies. We convened our investigation immediately, but obviously the subjects took off to New York, and we weren't going to go to New York. We waited for them to come back here. And once they came back here, we conducted our investigation.
But initially, it was the way the story was reported that alerted us. And our experience as police officers that we knew it didn't just fit. Now, I'm not saying it couldn't have possibly happened, but we have a duty to check the veracity of a story. So that's what we decided to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And the police chief's press conference took place just moments ago. They became suspicious, apparently, because the 27- year-old Barry Billcliff and 22-year-old Timothy Crebase differed on -- their stories, rather, differed on different television news outlets.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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