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Nancy Grace
San Diego Mom Killed, Daughter Kidnapped
Aired August 06, 2013 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking news. At this hour, the frantic search for these two kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannah Anderson -- she`s a white female, 16 years old -- Ethan Anderson. He`s an 8-year-old boy...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators believe 40-year-old James Dimaggio abducted both or one of these children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A nationwide manhunt under way at this hour, James Dimaggio on the run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deputies in San Diego say this man took them after he killed their mother and a child and then set a home on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A residence and a detached garage engulfed in flames. We have not been able to identify the child remains that were found at the residence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frantic Amber Alert out. He`s accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl and her 8-year-old brother in San Diego, California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the public`s help in locating these people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forty-year-old James Dimaggio...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The man supported of killing their mom and taking them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen-year-old Hannah Anderson, her brother, 8-year-old Ethan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe the children are in danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Breaking news. Tonight, live to the San Diego suburbs. A statewide Amber Alert in effect. At this hour, police placing dragnets in the hunt for a suspected killer believed to have abducted two children.
The mother`s body, along with the dog, found in the burning rubble of a home and garage. Wanted, a 40-year-old white male. He`s an IT computer expert, James Lee Dimaggio believed to be on the run with the 8-year-old child and the 16-year-old sister.
In the last hour, I learned 40-year-old Dimaggio admits to, quote, "romantic feelings" for the 16-year-old little girl just before her mommy is found burning dead, Dimaggio known to be an avid camper. He is a survivalist. Every minute is critical in the search for these two missing children. Take a look at Dimaggio.
We are live and taking your calls. Straight out to Debra Mark, investigative reporter. What can you tell me about the whereabouts of Dimaggio and these two children?
DEBRA MARK, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, Nancy, this situation is quite serious and very fluid. Police say he could be on his way to Texas, he could be on his way to Canada. There was a truck driver today, Nancy, who said that he thought he saw a vehicle that looked like the same vehicle that police are looking for, which is a blue Nissan. And he wasn`t able to get the license plate number, Nancy, but he thought it was pretty similar.
Well, the CHP went looking for that car and he wasn`t able to find that. That was in southern California.
GRACE: OK, wait, wait!
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Back it up! Back it up! Back it up! I want to hear about the car. It`s a 2013 blue four-door Nissan Versa. We`ve got the license plate, California license plate 6WC-cat-U-utah-986, believed to be headed north to Canada or east to Texas. Take a look, a 2013 blue four door Nissan Versa. It`s a compact car, but it still has four doors.
Do I have Mark Evans yet? Yes, no? Out to you, Mark Evans, morning anchor, KOGO. Mark, as you know, every minute in an abducted child situation counts because in the first three hours, most children that are killed are killed in the first three hours of an abduction. Mark Evans, KOGO, what can you tell me?
MARK EVANS, KOGO (via telephone): Hi, Nancy. Good evening. Yes, two children maybe. Now, it looks like it could be just one because what has happened -- this all began with a house that burned down in eastern San Diego County. They found a woman`s body. That is Tina Anderson, mother of the kids. But they also found a young child`s body in the house, as well, in the rubble, the burned-out house. They found...
GRACE: Wa-wait! Stop! Stop! Stop! Mark Evans, KOGO, you are telling me that the mom`s body found burning dead -- you`re seeing the fire right now -- found in this rubble along with the dog`s body. You`re now saying that there is another body, possibly a child`s body in that burning home?
EVANS: There is an unidentified child that was found in the home. The detached garage, is what we`re hearing, is where this other body was found. They have not been able to identify who it is yet, and they`re rushing the DNA results to get it back as soon as possible.
If that`s the case, if this is young Ethan Anderson, then only the 16- year-old, Hannah Anderson, is with this James Dimaggio in that Versa that you mentioned. He could be traveling to Texas to go into Mexico. He could be traveling north to Canada. They don`t know yet. But they`ve got a nationwide Amber Alert out.
GRACE: So we know he`s got the 16-year-old girl. He may have the 8- year-old little brother. This is what I know for sure. The mom is dead, her body found burning in that burning rubble we just showed you there in the San Diego suburbs home. We know she`s dead, the mother to Hannah Anderson and Ethan Anderson -- this is very fluid -- Christina Anderson, 44-year-old woman, mother, working mom found dead.
We were told that he had taken off with two children. Now we are learning -- breaking news right now -- that there is a child`s body, possibly the 8-year-old little boy, found with the mother in that burning home. There is his photo. We don`t know if that`s right or not. We`re getting the information as it happens.
At this hour, dragnets all around the San Diego suburb area looking for this guy. His name, James Lee Dimaggio. He`s a 40-year-old white male. He`s an IT computer expert. He`s also an expert in telecommunications. We know he is a survivalist. He can live on his own in the woods in rugged terrain. We also know he`s an avid camper. Let`s see a map with all the KOA, Kampground of America, as it goes from San Diego fanning out.
We know he`s in a Nissan blue four-door Versa, California license plate 6WCU986. Tipline tonight, 1-800-580-8477. Look at these campgrounds, campgrounds all across the country, particularly KOA -- K-O-A -- Kampgrounds of America. That`s what we`re looking at right now.
He has not been identified checking into a hotel. He has not been identified at any gas stations. Here`s the alert, 888-580-8477. And from where I`m sitting, he is a killer. He`s gone. The girl`s gone. The 8- year-old boy is either dead or gone. And the mommy is dead.
Back out to you, Mark Evans. From everything that we can learn, he has been a long-time platonic friend of the father in this scenario. The father has recently moved for a job. He`s been a long-time friend of the father and the mother, the dead mommy, a platonic friend of the mom.
Now, how the heck did all this break wide open, Mark Evans?
EVANS: This is amazing because they have been family friends for a long time. The grandmother of the victim said she had no idea how this could happen. It makes no sense because he has known those kids since they were born.
Now, a weird, creepy twist that we`ve just learned -- there was an interview with our media partner in San Diego, 10 News, KOGO`s media partner. They interviewed a relative of the victim -- I believe it was a sister or sister-in-law -- who said that this James Dimaggio had a crush on 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.
GRACE: He`s 40 years old! He`s 40 years old, Mark Evans! He`s 40 years old...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: OK, now, wa-wait! Wa-wait!
EVANS: He`s known her since she was a baby.
GRACE: Look at this picture. Don`t move off this picture, Justin (ph). This is the picture that the alleged perp, James Lee Dimaggio, age 40, took. He had taken the kids, and his -- the dad is his best -- his good friend. He knows the mom. They`ve known each other since this 16- year-old girl was a little baby. He takes the children to a funhouse recently, a carnival, and snaps all these photos. Here he is with the 16- year-old girl. He then claims he`s got a crush on a girl that just turned 16?
With me right now is the sister of Mommy, Mommy`s sister, Christina Anderson, is joining us, Andrea Sancome (ph).
Before I go to Andrea, back to you, Mark. How did it get to this point?
EVANS: Well it got to this point because, what we hear, we learned in the KOGO newsroom, there was a house on fire in rural San Diego County. A body is found. It`s the mother of these two kids that are missing. The two kids are gone. There`s an Amber Alert put out, a nationwide Amber Alert because there was a 16-year-old, Hannah Anderson, and her brother, Ethan Anderson, who are missing.
On top of that, there is an unidentified body of a child in that burned-out house. We have a dead mom. We have a dead dog. And we have another dead child. We don`t know if that child is Ethan. We don`t know if it`s another child unrelated to Ethan. But it could be that this James Dimaggio is on the run with just 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They could have gone to another state. They could have gone to another country potentially. We just don`t know at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say he abducted both or one of these children, 8-year-old Ethan and 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 5-foot-7, 115 pounds, blond hair, blue eyes, about 4-foot-11, weighs 65 pounds and has sandy blond hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Detectives tell us Dimaggio killed their mother, 42-year-old Christina Anderson, inside his Boulevard home before setting it on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They found a residence and a detached garage engulfed in flames.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re told Anderson and her accused murderer were close platonic friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Let`s go straight to a presser from the sheriff, Glenn Giannantonio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN GIANNANTONIO, SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF`S LIEUTENANT: On August 4th, 2013, shortly after 8:00 PM, deputies from the Boulevard substation and fire personnel responded to 2071 Ross (ph) Avenue in the unincorporated community of Boulevard. They were responding to a structure fire.
When the deputies and firefighters arrived on scene, they found a residence and detached garage engulfed in flames. The fire personnel extinguished the flames on one of the structures and worked on extinguishing the flames on the other structure.
While they were extinguishing the flames in one of the structures, they entered the structure and found a body inside. The body was deceased. The victim in that structure has been identified as Christina Anderson. She`s a 44-year-old Lakeside resident. And it has been determined that Ms. Anderson has been murdered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Welcome back, everyone. Tonight, a nationwide Amber Alert for a 16-year-old little girl and her 8-year-old little brother, Mommy`s body found burning dead in the burning rubble of a home and garage. In that home also, the dog, the family dog.
Out to you, Mark Evans, anchor WO -- excuse me -- KOGO. Mark, I distinctly heard the Sheriff Glenn Giannantonio say one body. But you are hearing through your sources there are actually two bodies, and you believe that to be the child, the 8-year-old child?
EVANS: Well, we don`t know yet if it`s Ethan. We don`t know if it`s Ethan Anderson. We do know there was an unidentified body of a child found along with the mom in that house.
GRACE: Whoa-whoa! Whoa-whoa! Mark -- Mark, hold on. Straight back to the sheriff. Here`s his presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNANTONIO: The location of Ms. Anderson`s children, 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and 8-year-old Ethan Anderson, are unknown. It`s believed that one or both of the children have been abducted by Dimaggio, whose whereabouts are also unknown. An Amber Alert has been activated in the hopes that the children and Dimaggio can be located.
Dimaggio believed to be driving a blue Nissan Versa, California license plate of 6WCU986. Investigators from the homicide detail, bomb/arson and crime lab are participating in this investigation.
The reason we`re calling this press conference, essentially, is that we need the public`s help in locating these people. We`d like to locate -- definitely like to locate the children. We believe that if they are with Dimaggio that they are in danger.
And we would definitely like to find Mr. Dimaggio. We would like anybody who has any information on the location of Dimaggio or either of the children to please call 911. Do not attempt to approach them, or you know, detain them, take him into custody, just call 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now, you are listening right now to Sheriff (sic) Glenn Giannantonio. And there is a reason he is telling the public, Do not try to approach him because we know he is a killer.
I`m going to take you right back into that press California. This guy we know has already killed the mom, a 40-year-old mother of two. Right now, we have no idea where he is. Many people think he may be hiding out in the woods. Is that possible? Could he keep a 16-year-old and an 8- year-old child under control in the woods? Is he still in the blue Nissan?
Let`s go straight back to the sheriff`s presser. You are listening to the sheriff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNANTONIO: We`ve been investigating this since the homicide detail got out there around midnight last night. We`ve been out there ever since. We`ve done a lot of interviews. We`ve examined the scene forensically. We`ve recovered a lot of evidence. All of those things combined led us to our conclusion that one or more of the children may be with Dimaggio.
They could have gone to another state. They could have gone to another country potentially. We just don`t know at this point. They could be, you know, a mile from here. We just don`t really have any information as to where they may have gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Mark Evans, KOGO -- everybody, I`m going to take you back to that sheriff`s presser -- but Mark Evans, is there any -- let`s take a look at the map. Is there any idea or suggestion which way he`s headed?
EVANS: Well, you know, Mexico is very close. The town of Boulevard - - it`s more like a rural community of Boulevard, which is east of San Diego -- very close to the border of Mexico. He could have dropped down into Mexico already, or he could be heading back to Texas, where he is from.
And in fact, the only brush with the law we could find with him was a misdemeanor back in 1995, fleeing the police in Texas...
GRACE: Well, but that was eluding police, though. I mean, you got to think of the mindset of that, Mark Evans, KOGO, the mindset that you would elude police. Who would run -- I mean, if a police tells me to lay down on the ground, I`m going to do it because I don`t want to get shot, all right?
EVANS: Right.
GRACE: The mindset...
(CROSSTALK)
EVANS: He has changed over the years.
GRACE: Yes, you`re right.
EVANS: His ex-wife -- his ex-wife said he has become distant. This was back in 2003. She divorced him because she says he was becoming distant. That was 10 years ago. So what has transpired in the last 10 years?
GRACE: All I know, a 40-year-old man has a crush on a 16-year-old girl that he`s known since she was a baby.
OK, back into the presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNANTONIO: Additionally, in the building where Ms. Anderson was located, there was a dog which had been killed. Sheriff`s bomb/arson investigators searched through the rubble of one of the burned buildings on the property and they found the remains of a child. The child`s identity and cause and manner of death have not been determined at this time.
The suspect in this murder and arson has been identified as James Lee Dimaggio. His date of birth is 1/17/73. He`s a 40-year-old owner of the residence at 2071 Ross Avenue.
It is believed that Ms. Anderson and Dimaggio were in a close relationship, a close platonic relationship. There was no romantic involvement between the two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The location of Ms. Anderson`s children, 16-year- old Hannah Anderson and 8-year-old Ethan Anderson, are unknown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sheriff`s officials are pleading for the public`s help in finding Dimaggio and at least one of Anderson`s children who are believed to be in a blue Nissan Versa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An Amber Alert has been activated in the hopes that the children and Dimaggio can be located.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Mommy`s body is found burning dead in the rubble of a home and garage, along with her dog. Now we`re hearing another body is in the home, possibly the body of a child. This is what we know. A 40-year-old IT computer expert, a telecommunications expert, as well -- there he is -- James Lee Dimaggio -- he`s known this family since all the children were born. He`s best -- was best friends with the father of the children, has known the mother all these years, as well.
He is on the run, we are told, with the 16-year-old little girl, Hannah Anderson. She`s 5-7, 115 pounds, blond hair, blue eyes, pierced ears, also, we`ve been told, with the 8-year-old little boy, Ethan Anderson, 4-11, only 64 pounds, sandy blond hair. He is just a few years older than my twins. He is on the run in a blue Nissan Versa four-door, California license plate 6WCU986.
Right now, I want to take you straight back to the sheriff`s presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNANTONIO: This is a picture of Hannah Anderson. She`s a white female, 16 years old, about 5-foot-7, 115 pounds, blond hair, blue eyes. She has a belly button ring, a nose stud and pierced ears.
And this is a picture of Ethan Anderson. He`s an 8-year-old boy. He`s a white male about 4-foot-11, weighs 65 pounds and has sandy blond hair.
Again we`re asking for the public`s help in locating the children and Dimaggio. We believe the children are in danger. We believe one or more of the children are with him. And we would definitely hope that if somebody sees them, they would please call 911 -- 0
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You are hearing Sheriff (sic) Glenn Giannantonio. These two children believed to be in extreme danger. Please help us tonight. There is a nationwide Amber Alert. Let me give you that tipline again -- 888- 580-8477. There is a reward.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now there is an Amber alert out for a brother and a sister after their mom and a child were found dead. 8-year- old Ethan and 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is the latest picture that we have of the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Detectives tell us DiMaggio (ph) killed their mother, 40-year-old Christina Anderson, inside his boulevard home before setting it on fire. Firefighters discovered Anderson`s body in the rubble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been determined that Ms. Anderson has been murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time is ticking to find one, possibly two kids taken by the alleged killer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that they are with DiMaggio, that they are in danger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police believe he took Anderson`s two children, 16-year-old Hannah, 8-year-old Ethan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Daddy`s friend announces he has a crush on the 16-year-old little girl that he has known since she was born. Mommy`s body found burning dead in a burning home and garage, and DiMaggio is gone with the 16-year-old child and the 8-year-old little boy, the brother Ethan, if he`s not burning in this home as well. Let`s go straight back for the sheriff`s presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s a picture of our suspect. His name is James Lee DiMaggio. He is 40 years of age. He`s a white male. He`s about 5-9, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. We have information that his beard and mustache have been shaved off recently. He is believed to be driving a blue Nissan Versa, a four-door. It should look just like this. Again with the California license plate of 6WCU986.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Heather Hansen, Bradford Cohen joining me out of Miami, Heather in New York. All right, Bradford Cohen, he`s looking right down the wrong end of the barrel of the California death penalty. Because even if he has crossed state lines, this started -- it originated in the San Diego suburbs with the murder of mommy, her body found burning dead, her 16-year-old girl the object of his twisted obsession. He`s getting the death penalty, Bradford Cohen.
BRADFORD COHEN, ATTORNEY: Yes, I think the best thing he can do right now is to mitigate his circumstances, is to try to negotiate something and surrender. Hopefully the children or the child that he has now is still OK. He can surrender himself and turn those children in, and maybe he can avoid the death penalty at this point.
GRACE: Heather Hansen, weigh in.
HEATHER HANSEN, ATTORNEY: I agree. You are right, Nancy, about crossing state lines. California`s death penalty has not been instituted in a number of years. The governor does not seem to want to institute California`s death penalty, but the federal --
GRACE: You mean implemented?
HANSEN: Yes, ma`am. But the federal law, it`s certainly -- it`s mandatory -- death penalty is mandatorily on the line if you cross state lines, which it sounds as though he may be doing. May be looking to go to Mexico--
GRACE: So we`re going to have to rely on the feds to do a death penalty case in California now?
HANSEN: Well, it looks like that may be a possibility. Fortunately, we have the feds involved. The FBI is doing this investigation. Without them, we may not even have the information we already do.
GRACE: With me, Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids foundation. As you all know, his daughter Polly abducted and killed. And he is a tireless advocate for children. Marc, thank you for being with us. What is happening in California, in the San Diego area to try to find this guy?
KLAAS: Well, certainly law enforcement is pulling out all the stops. They`re doing as much electronic investigating and forensic investigating as they can, they are trying to trace any cell phone information, any credit card information, any surveillance cameras that might have caught this guy. They certainly have issued the Amber alert that, to the best of my knowledge, seemed to go out to absolutely everybody in the state of California at about 10:52 last night. So they are doing everything that they can, it seems to me.
GRACE: Now, explain to me how this has developed into a nationwide Amber alert? How did we make that happen, Marc?
KLAAS: Well, I don`t know how that happened, and I think that it`s a mistake. The new technology that they`re using, wireless, the wireless emergency alert system is a federally run program that sends a screeching tone through your phone and notifies you of very little. It tells you that there is an Amber alert, but it doesn`t tell you who, where or how.
GRACE: To Robert Rowe, arson investigator, president of PyroCop, Inc. Robert, I don`t understand how -- they think there`s only one body, and then as I go to air, I heard from Mark Evans, no, guess what, surprise, there`s two bodies. How can that be?
ROBERT ROWE, ARSON INVESTIGATOR, PYROCOP, INC.: Well, when you conduct an investigation, you have to remember what you`re facing inside of a burned-out structure. You`ve got a lot of debris, you`ve got a lot of furnishings that have been reduced down to rubble. So it`s very difficult unless you grid off the area where you are investigating and examine it carefully, it can be overlooked. It`s happened before.
GRACE: To Paul Penzone, former sergeant, Phoenix PD, child advocate. Paul, the reason he burned the house down is to hide evidence. That`s why people murder and then burn the house down. We saw that in the Seacat trial. P.S, he was just convicted and sentenced, Bob Seacat, the former cop that shot and then burned the house down with his wife in it. As an effort to hide the evidence. I want to hear your thoughts, Penzone.
PAUL PENZONE, FORMER SGT, PHOENIX PD: We had a case here in Arizona that I know you`re familiar with, Nancy. it was Robert Fisher (ph). He was also a survivalist. He killed his entire family and fled into the woods. And this was 12 years ago now, I believe, and the FBI still has it on its top ten. So that in and of itself emphasizes how important quick information, the vigilance of--
GRACE: Paul, hold on. Hold on. I`m taking us to a presser happening with the fire chief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were called out at approximately 8:00, 8:00 p.m. For a structure fire, so we had our normal response, five engines and a water tender on scene. We had fire showing from one of the structures. So they requested three additional engines. We have cooperative efforts from the Campo Reservation Fire Department, San Diego County Fire Authority and Cal Fire. And they, on further investigation, found two separate fires in two separate building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a two-story structure?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it appears to be a log cabin type of house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Construction, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long do you think it took to knock down the fire?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To get full containment was about two hours.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A raging fire just east of San Diego.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A woman and child found dead inside. Now, two other children are missing, and police are looking for a man named DiMaggio, James DiMaggio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be logical for us to assume he would head towards Mexico. If he`s on the run, it`s so close, we are very close to the border here. He may be trying to throw us off and head the opposite direction and head for Canada.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They could be a mile from here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: For those of you just joining us, there is a nationwide Amber alert. Dragnets set up throughout the San Diego suburb area. These two believed to be with this man, 40-year-old DiMaggio. He is an I.T. computer expert, he is a telecommunications expert. Highly educated. Here`s the kicker. He`s known the mother and the father of these children since their birth, a long-time friend of the family, suddenly announces he has romantic and sexual feelings for the 16-year-old little girl, and then suddenly mommy is burning dead in a home and garage. The dog is dead as well, and now we are learning there may be a child`s body in that home. Is it 8- year-old Evan? Now, Mark Evans, KOGO, is telling me that the governor, Jerry Brown, doesn`t want to implement the death penalty? Did you tell me that, Mark?
EVANS: I didn`t tell you that, but that would not surprise me.
GRACE: Oh, it was Debra Mark. What`s with Jerry Brown? Is it time for him to get thrown out of office? What do you mean, you can kill a mother, possibly kill the eight-year-old little boy, kill the dog, try to burn the evidence, and you don`t get the death penalty?
EVANS: I don`t what qualifies for it if this doesn`t, that`s for sure. The strange thing about this is, is this extra body that was found in the house, we are waiting on DNA evidence to find out if indeed this is little Ethan. If it`s not, then we have another victim that is part of this whole episode. He`s on the run, he has 16-year-old Hannah Anderson, we know that. He could have 8-year-old Ethan Anderson. And he could be anywhere at this point.
GRACE: Hold on.
EVANS: Up to Canada--
GRACE: Clark Goldband, is the new word, the new source saying that the second body in the home is that of a child?
GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, that is what we`re hearing. But it`s important to point out that arson investigators -- we`re just getting this information -- believe they know what the source of the fire is, and investigators think they found charred weapons. Now they won`t say what those weapons are. And you just mentioned the eight-year-old, Nancy. It`s so hard for law enforcement to ID who this child may be because it`s scattered in pieces. The pieces are very small.
GRACE: To Dr. William Marrone, medical examiner, forensic pathologist, toxicologist joining me out of Madison Heights. Weigh in, Dr. Marrone.
MARRONE: Here`s the deal. They`re going to be looking for accelerant on the bodies. And in the case of children, they appear to be a lot smaller after they`ve been burned. Long bones and limbs look a lot shorter, so they always have to be very careful. The last thing you want to do is ever misidentify a child. So they have to go slow, and they have to get dental and they have to get DNA.
GRACE: I`m just saying, Dr. Marrone, I appreciate what you`re telling me about bones, but what we need are the dental records. I don`t have to wait for DNA. All I need are dental records to match up to this child to find out if it`s him.
MARRONE: You`re right.
GRACE: I mean, one chipped tooth can tell me if this is him in the right place, a chipped tooth, a cavity, you know, a tooth that`s been knocked out. Anything can tell me, and a dental record can give me a positive identification.
Unleash the lawyers. Heather Hansen and Bradford Cohen. If this turns out to be eight-year-old Ethan, I`m going to go prosecute the case myself, Bradford Cohen, because that`s going to amount to two aggravating circumstances for the death penalty. One, it`s more than one body. That`s mass murder, in every jurisdiction in this county, and No. 2, he tried to cover up the evidence by burning it. And no. 3, it is a child.
COHEN: Well, you know, we don`t know the full facts and circumstances of what happened, how it all went down.
GRACE: Show him the video of the fire, please.
COHEN: We don`t know if there`s another individual involved.
GRACE: Why do I care if there`s somebody else involved?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Because what if the other person involved actually did the murders, and this gentleman has nothing to do with it? He has the kidnapping.
GRACE: Did you say this gentleman?
COHEN: Or maybe he took this girl from whatever other individual--
GRACE: Did you say gentleman? 40-year-old family friend has sexual feelings for a 16-year-old girl, a friend of the family, Heather Hansen, a gentleman?
HANSEN: You`re assuming that the person who said that that feeling was there was true. There`s a lot of assumptions being made. As you said earlier in the show, everything is fluid right now. We don`t have all the answers.
GRACE: Show me the burning home. The burning home. Should I believe you, Heather Hansen, or my lying eyes? I see the home burning. They`ve taken out a dead body.
HANSEN: You don`t know who lit that fire. You`re making a lot of assumptions. Sure, are they well founded, but until we know what happened to the child, whether there`s one or two children missing, we don`t have any answers. There`s just as much likelihood that someone else committed these crimes and Mr. DiMaggio was saving these children.
GRACE: Saving the children, Mark Evans, KOGO, it doesn`t really sound like that to me. He`s on the run in a blue Nissan with either one or two of the children, and mommy is burning dead. Help me out, Evans.
EVANS: There`s one little fact that we haven`t really mentioned here. The missing kids report was done on Saturday. This was a grandmother reported the kids missing Saturday. The house burned on Sunday. So how does that happen? How does that figure into this?
GRACE: Debra Mark, investigative reporter, what can you tell me about that? They go missing Saturday, house burns down on Sunday?
MARK: Well, Nancy, I don`t want to make any assumptions, but obviously, as you just heard, it sounds quite suspicious.
GRACE: To Brian Russell, forensic psychologist. Brian Russell, I`m trying to get my mind around a long-time family friend suddenly announcing that he has sexual or romantic, that means sexual in this scenario, feelings for a 16-year-old little girl. He`s practically the godfather. He`s known the child since she was born.
RUSSELL: Well, yes, Nancy, the exploitativeness (ph) and the dangerousness of a guy like that cannot be overstated. What I would like to know from the extended family here is what was the nature of the relationship between the girl and the mother? I`m hoping that it was a good one so that it`s reasonable for us to expect that she`s making every effort possible to escape from him and that he didn`t delude her somehow.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: You`re not suggesting that the girl is in on this, are you?
RUSSELL: No. I`m just hoping that he wasn`t able to delude her somehow into going willingly with him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators believe 40-year-old James DiMaggio abducted both or one of these children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and 8-year-old Ethan Anderson are unknown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Detectives tell us DiMaggio killed their mother inside his boulevard home before setting it on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five engines and a water tender on scene. We had fire showing from one of the structures.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pleading for the public`s help in finding DiMaggio and at least one of Andersons` children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not attempt to approach them or detain them, take them into custody. Just call 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Welcome back. There is a nationwide Amber alert. The perp, James Lee DiMaggio, 40 years old, believed to be with 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and 8-year-old Ethan Anderson. Clark Goldband, what more do we know?
GOLDBAND: Nancy, law enforcement is searching far and wide for this. We heard about that sighting by a moving truck driver in Northern California. It was about 900 miles away. About 10 hours. That`s what`s prompting authorities to think this guy, even though they were so close to Mexico, may be swerving north towards Canada. Authorities urging everyone to be on the lookout for this vehicle.
GRACE: I`m going to go back out to you, Mark Evans, KOGO. What more can you tell us at this hour? What are police doing to find him?
EVANS: Well, police are sifting through all of the evidence, obviously, at the house. They are trying to find anything that may tip them off as to what direction this guy went in. Now, we do know he has connections to Texas. The report, whether or not is valid, we don`t know. But if he`s heading north, police say he could be trying to throw them off by making people think he was going to Mexico, but instead going north to Canada.
GRACE: Marc Klaas, founder and president of KlaasKids foundation. You are the expert when it comes to missing children. What do you think?
KLAAS: Well, if he was headed to Canada from San Diego, he`s going straight up Highway 5. And if he`s going straight up Highway 5, he`s doing a pretty good job of evading the authorities. So I think you can completely count that out at this point. In fact, I doubt that this guy is on the move in that vehicle at all. I suspect they`ll probably find him much closer to home rather than farther away from home.
GRACE: Why do you say that, Mark?
KLAAS: Well, because generally that`s what happens. People don`t kidnap children and then have the luxury, really, particularly if their vehicle and plate is known, to be able to drive across country, because you have to stop for gas. You have to stop for food. You have to expose yourself on multiple occasions. And that just doesn`t sound like something that a successful kidnapper is going to try to pull off. I suspect he had this well planned in advance.
And I also -- let me just say this. Nancy, if somebody realized that this guy had an unnatural attraction to this 16-year-old girl, I think they had a moral obligation to let the family know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: We remember American hero, Army Sergeant Carlos Benitez, 24, Carrollton, Texas. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Mother Imelda (ph), wife Suzanna, daughter Angie. Carlos Benitez, American hero.
Straight back to Mark Evans, morning anchor, KOGO. You know, we have turned this case upside down, and there`s nothing to indicate that this 16- year-old girl had any feelings whatsoever for her 40-year-old dad`s best friend. Nothing whatsoever. I`m -- I`m putting together the pieces to think that he came out with his quote, romantic feelings. The 16-year-old objected. Mommy gets into it with DiMaggio. He realizes mommy`s standing between him and his love object; kills mommy and burns the evidence. Mark Evans?
EVANS: Well, that`s one speculation. That`s your job to do that. When I get into this, I report what I know, the facts, what police tell me.
One thing about this vehicle that we keep reporting on that`s plastered all over the electronic signs up and down the interstates and freeways in this country is this Versa. He has two registered vehicles to his name. He could have ditched that car very easily, gotten into another one, and sped off into the night without anybody knowing what he was driving.
Now, obviously they have the records of the other vehicle that he owns. But he has changed his appearance. He is good at hiding. He can camp. He`s a survivalist type. He`s kind of a nerdy guy.
GRACE: I`m going to have to tell the viewers the tip line again. 888-580-8477.
As we sign off, happy birthday to tonight`s friend, Eva. Loves (inaudible) and her two dogs. Everybody, Dr. Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern in the search for the two missing children. Until then, good night, friend.
END
