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American Morning

Oldest McGuckin Daughter Turned Mother In

Aired June 28, 2001 - 11:07   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Idaho, where a child neglect hearing resumes today for JoAnn McGuckin. She is the Idaho mother of the six children who held law officers at bay a month ago. At the hearing prosecutors showed a videotape, which you can see here, of the interior of the McGuckin home. It show a squalid home littered with garbage, broken furniture, rotten food and feces. A daughter not involved in the standoff told the court that the family ate food that had been gnawed by rats, got their water from a lake and used the woods for a bathroom.

Let's bring in Bill Roberts; he's with the Boise newspaper "The Idaho Statesman" and he's covering the story in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Bill, good morning, thanks for joining us.

BILL ROBERTS, "THE IDAHO STATESMAN": Good morning.

KAGAN: Another thing that's coming out from this, it appears it's the oldest sister of this group of children that apparently blew the whistle on her mother and the family.

ROBERTS: That's correct. This happened, according to all the reports we have, sometime late in May, when she went to the prosecutor and explained conditions inside the home.

KAGAN: And I guess she had left to join the Navy and wanted to help out her younger brothers and sisters and call attention to what -- I mean, you look at these pictures, Bill, and you hear some of the testimony, it's just incredible that anybody was trying to raise children in this situation.

ROBERTS: It was pretty gripping stuff in the paper -- I mean, in the hearing yesterday. Not only the mentioning about the mice -- eating food that had been gnawed on by mice, but they were also told to take food that may be questionable and dip it in vinegar first before they ate it to kill off any germs that might have accrued on it.

And the pictures themselves, as you say, show human feces and trash so littered on the floor that you -- literally doors do not open or do not close. A fire safety expert yesterday testified that he didn't think that house was basically fit for kids to be living in because of the risk of fire danger. KAGAN: As I understand it, the mother and her attorney say that this videotape -- you can't say the videotape doesn't exist it, it does -- but they claim that that situation developed as a result of the standoff. That's their defense of it.

ROBERTS: There is -- that is the defense that they have put forth. They said, you know, you had five kids held up in one small part of the house along with a lot of dogs when a lot of this happened. At that point, the prosecutor has said that he absolutely does not believe that. And there was some testimony yesterday from experts who went in the house who said they don't believe it either.

And Erina MacGuckin, the oldest -- McGuckin, rather, the oldest daughter said that the videotape that she saw -- and she was there when it was being made, when police searched, said actually the house was cleaner than when she had lived there. She said she had seen evidence that they had -- the kids during the five days they were there had swept a dining room and taken some garbage out and things like that.

KAGAN: So the status of those involved here -- JoAnn McGuckin remains in jail, but that's basically by her own choice?

ROBERTS: It is. She was given the opportunity almost a month ago to be released on her own recognizance, but she refused to sign an agreement basically saying that she would abide by visitation conditions set down by the Department of Health and Welfare, who has the custody of her children. Also...

KAGAN: So she's basically saying unless she gets kids back on her terms, she's not leaving jail?

ROBERTS: She has said, basically, I'm not going to have any conditions on myself when I walk out of jail, and so she remains in jail.

KAGAN: So where are the kids right now?

ROBERTS: The kids are with a foster family. Of course, all of that is covered by confidentiality; we don't know where, we don't know who and all of that sort of thing.

KAGAN: And...

ROBERTS: But they are all -- they are reportedly all together, which was one of the key things that the kids said was a key thing in them coming out of the house when they did in early June.

KAGAN: And it sounds like authorities are standing by that.

ROBERTS: Yes.

KAGAN: So this hearing will decide what -- and when does the decision come out?

ROBERTS: This is a preliminary hearing that will decide whether or not there's sufficient evidence to bind JoAnn McGuckin over for trial.

KAGAN: So there's not even criminal charges filed yet?

ROBERTS: There are criminal charges filed. She has been charged with what's called injury to children. But this is to -- this is one way that you prevent -- present a certain amount of evidence to see if there's enough here to warrant a full-blown trial. And that decision could be made today.

KAGAN: That hearing, though, continues today. Do we expect to see more tape or more testimony?

ROBERTS: What we expect today is to hear is from one of the children who was inside the house, Catherine (ph) McGuckin, there is some discussion that she will get on the stand. She is, I believe, 16 years old. And she is going to be testifying for the defense, so I would assume that means that she is going to speak in her mother's behalf.

KAGAN: Bill Roberts with "The Idaho Statesman." Bill, thanks for bringing us up to date on the story; appreciate it.

ROBERTS: You bet.

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