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Nancy Grace

Hot Car Toddler Death Developments

Aired July 15, 2014 - 20:00   ET

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

JEAN CASAREZ, GUEST HOST: We do begin with new information in the tragic death of 22-month-old Cooper Harris. Was Cooper murdered, left

alone to die in a baking hot car by his own father? Investigators are now set to turn over their evidence to the district attorney. But tonight, the

clock is ticking. The DA has about 60 days to secure an indictment before Harris is guaranteed to walk on bond.

And even after baby Cooper`s death makes headlines, parents are still leaving their children alone in hot cars. Tonight, shocking video out of

Katy, Texas, shows a group of shoppers bashing in a car window to save two children trapped in a 90-degree car. Where is the mother? Well, she`s

getting a haircut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harris`s electronic footprints, child-free lifestyle, how to survive in prison.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Death of animals in hot cars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoppers in a strip center parking lot taking matters into their own hands after noticing two small children in a hot

Jeep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And we go to Newton, North Carolina. A teacher of the year and high school counselor is found dead in her own home. The final hours

of young Maggie Daniels`s (ph) life is caught on tape, as police are now releasing this surveillance photo in search of her killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators looking for a killer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Counselor and coach at Discovery High School from Ohio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She alive or dead?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a real nice person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some idea of who was the last to see Maggie Daniels alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And the search for a missing young Savannah girl. All of her belongings stay at her home, as well as her important medication.

Police need your help. Where is Alice Davis?

I`m Jean Casarez, in for Nancy Grace. Thank you so much for joining us.

We begin tonight with the death of toddler Cooper Harris, left to die in a baking hot car in the parking lot by his father. As the investigation

continues, we are learning tonight law enforcement is set to turn over that evidence to prosecutors.

Joining us, investigative reporter Brett Larson. Brett, what do we know at this point?

BRETT LARSON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: You know, it`s -- it`s still very tragic. As you mentioned there off the top, you know, he is sitting

there without bond. He is waiting -- is for more information.

Now, the prosecutors are going, actually, back to that car, back to what they are calling the scene of the crime to try and recreate the

events, to try and figure out what went wrong that day, to try and figure out if he, in fact, forgot that his son was in the car, or if he

intentionally left his son in that hot car on that incredibly hot day in Georgia.

CASAREZ: You know, Michael Christian, I think what we are seeing through Brett Larson`s reporting is that there are actually two

investigations going on right now. You`ve got the police department, Cobb County Police Department. You`ve also got the district attorney`s office

that is really doing their own investigation right now. And that`s evident, Michael, because of that hot car that they put to launch their own

experiment.

MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): That`s right, Jean. In theory, the Cobb County Police Department is supposed to

finish its investigation and then turn over what it`s discovered to the DA`s office, and then they`ll conduct a separate, independent one.

But we know there`s at least some concurrent stuff going on because, as you say, the DA`s office investigators checked out, if you will, from

the evidence locker, from the evidence pound, the car for one day from the Cobb County PD. They tested temperatures at various points through the

day. They did some measurements in the car. Then they turned the car back to the Cobb County DA -- excuse me, the Cobb County PD.

So obviously, there`s at least, you know, some hint of both investigations going on at the same time. And once Cobb County PD signs

off on this case, then the Cobb County DA`s office will conducts a full independent investigation.

CASAREZ: And Michael, what is that timeline right now? Because this is case is going to a grand jury.

CHRISTIAN: Yes, I`d very surprised if it doesn`t. And here`s the thing. From the time of Mr. Harris`s arrest, he`s got 90 days before a

jury has to come back with an indictment before he can be guaranteed bond. Now, right now, he`s held without bond. That expires after 90 days and

they have to offer him at least the hope of bond. So right now, we`re up on day 27. That means there are 63 days to go before we have to get an

indictment, or he`ll be able to get out, perhaps, on bond.

CASAREZ: To Ninette Sosa, reporter with Newsradio 106.7. You know, we`re talking about the wife. Today, as these investigations continue, as

this case proceeds to quite potentially the grand jury proceeding, where is the mother in all of this today?

NINETTE SOSA, NEWSRADIO 106.7 (via telephone): Leanna Harris, last I heard, was headed and is in Alabama with her own mother. And as far as

employment and work, that`s up in the air. But last I heard is that she had headed over to Alabama. She has hired an attorney to help her out,

Lawrence Zimmerman (ph), who`s very well versed, especially when it comes to computer forensics types of investigations. And that`s all we`re pretty

much hearing from Leanna Harris.

CASAREZ: So she is out of the jurisdiction. She is out of the state. To Kenya Johnson, prosecutor, joining us from Georgia, right there in the

heart of it. What do prosecutors need to charge her criminally with something?

KENYA JOHNSON, PROSECUTOR: Well, to be a party to a crime, you can play a part in a case either before the incident occurred, during the

commission of the crime or even afterwards. So prosecutors will be looking at her activities afterwards, before and during. And particularly, she`s

made several comments that are very questionable. And so we`d be looking into did she hide evidence, did she research evidence, did they talk about

it, did they plan it, and what her part was in the crime before we charge her.

CASAREZ: And right now, we believe that the police department is going through computers and iPhones and cell phones and anything else that

they can get the written word on of her communications or her state of mind.

Robert (sic) McDonough, defense attorney, joining us from Atlanta, Georgia, right in the heart of it. Do you think that we don`t know exactly

what`s going to happen in this case? Because everybody`s wondering if she will be charged, but the investigation is what provides those answers.

PATRICK MCDONOUGH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, I think it`s too early to tell at this stage. And the state also, they have to be worried, if they

do indict her and she becomes a co-defendant and then she invokes her 5th Amendment, that they wouldn`t be able to use her testimony against her

husband.

So they`ve got a balancing test that they`re weighing. First, do they have enough evidence to arrest her, which it doesn`t appear that they do at

this time. And second, if it`s close, do they even want to go that route?

CASAREZ: To defense attorney Robert Schalk. Do you think that they are tracking her at all right now? Do you think that they are monitoring

her to see if there are any leads that they can get that way?

ROBERT SCHALK, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, absolutely. She`s going to leave a footprint, whether that be with a cell phone, Facebook, any social

media accounts. They`re going to want to compile as much evidence as they can against her because, again, as the other attorneys noted, we don`t know

whether or not -- what their intentions are. Are they going charge her? And if they do, are they going lean on her to cooperate? Are they going

threaten prosecution with an eye towards cooperation? So they`re absolutely interested in every step she takes and every word she utters.

CASAREZ: You know, Michael Christian, I want to know more about this defendant, Justin Ross Harris. I want to know his background. I want to

know, where has he worked, Michael Christian?

CHRISTIAN: He`s had several jobs since he got out of high school in the late `90s. He worked, interestingly, at a television station in

Tuscaloosa, where he`s from. But apparently, after only two months, he was asked to resign. Now, all we know from their personnel records is, quote,

"He was told that he wasn`t suitable for the job."

He worked at Clear Channel radio as a soundboard operator. He worked for a while at Coca-Cola, where he was a merchandiser. In 2001, he began

to work at the University of Alabama. He worked as a parking monitor there and also a mail delivery clerk.

And then, finally -- and this is the most significant -- from 2006 until 2009, he worked for the Tuscaloosa Police Department as a police

dispatcher. So you`d think someone with police experience, especially dispatching experience, would have immediately called 911 when something

went wrong on June 18th, but he didn`t.

CASAREZ: All right, to Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist. If you worked as a police dispatcher, you are getting, receiving and

communicating 911 calls. And you don`t make a 911 call on your own son, when you`ve had that experience? That takes us to a different level.

RAMANI DURVASULA, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: It does take us to a different level. And so many of the pieces in this case aren`t adding up.

Absolutely. He knows exactly how police dispatch works, and for him to not make that call is like a lot of the other oversights in this call. (sic)

And again, Jean, there`s one of two issues here. Even in the case of neglect here, so much of his conduct here, the text messaging and the other

behaviors he`s engaged in, we really have to wonder, was this deliberate, was this neglect? And he had the background to know what to do. As a

psychologist, it makes me very suspicious.

CASAREZ: Kenya Johnson, prosecutor, will that come into a trial, his past employment, if he does not take the stand?

JOHNSON: Absolutely. If it comes to where we want to show that he has a problem with commitment or sticking with goals or he`s had issues at

any of those jobs, we can absolutely have those witnesses come in to talk about some of the problems that he`s had before.

CASAREZ: Brett Larson, we understand that tonight, he is in the mental health ward of the jail?

LARSON: Yes.

CASAREZ: He`s no bail. We know that. Why is he in the mental health ward?

LARSON: You know, that is actually the only part we know. He was moved to the mental health ward. They weren`t saying exactly for why.

But you know, I wanted to mention again those Internet searches and these traps (ph). I mean, these are going to be some very telling pieces

of evidence. Everywhere we now go on line is trackable and traceable. And this is going to be an interesting case because it`s going to prove that a

lot of us don`t have as much privacy as we think we have.

CASAREZ: And the state of mind can definitely show intent. To Robert Schalk, defense attorney. Why is he being put in the mental health ward

tonight, as we speak? I would think he would have been in protective custody from the beginning.

SCHALK: Well, there are too many things to speculate about here. He could have been in the mental health ward because he`s a threat to himself,

suicide, some other -- you know, he could have mental health issues that we don`t know about. Obviously, HIPAA laws are going to protect that

information from being released. He also could be in danger from other inmates.

So again, to sit here and speculate -- we don`t know. Obviously, it raises a red flag. And it could be also something of whether or not his

defense team thinks that there`s something else at play here that he has some sort of mental issues that could be coming up in his defense.

CASAREZ: And the jail is not confirming that he is in the mental health ward, but that is what is being reported from inside Atlanta.

Let`s go to Michelle in Canada. We have got callers. Michelle, good evening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, hello. Jean, can I please ask the panel, or whomever -- I`m just wondering. I think Leanna (INAUDIBLE) she played a

part in Cooper`s -- little Cooper`s death. And if so, what part did she play?

CASAREZ: You know, that`s the pivotal question right there. No question about it. Kenya Johnson, as a prosecutor, you are now waiting for

the police department`s investigation. You are conducting your own investigation. You`re not sitting around, waiting for the Cobb County

Police Department to hand you over everything they have.

What are you looking at? What do you want to find on this mother to see if she is criminally responsible at all?

JOHNSON: Well, definitely looking at her criminal history will tell a lot about her patterns of the behavior...

CASAREZ: She has no criminal history that we know of.

JOHNSON: ... as well as looking at her behavioral history. That might be interviewing friends, interviewing co-workers, looking at her work

history, seeing has there been any other issues in the past where she has lied, where she`s been untrustworthy, where she`s been reckless. And with

that type of information, we can link a pattern of behavior and link it to what she may have done in this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: It is stunning that even after baby Cooper`s death makes national headlines, parents are still leaving their children in hot cars in

what is almost the middle of summer. Shocking video shows a group of shoppers at a Katy, Texas, strip mall smashing a car window to rescue two

children locked inside a 90-degree car. Where`s the mother? She`s getting a haircut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Georgia father accused of leaving his son to die in a hot car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She put 3-month-old Daisia (ph) in the car, cracked the windows, locked the door and went to court on a hot day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shoppers used a hammer to smash a car window after two small children were apparently left inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The children`s mom left him there only temporarily so that she could get a haircut.

GRACE: So all of these have occurred since we began to publicize the case of little Cooper. Coincidence? I don`t know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Wow! Out to investigative reporter Brett Larson. Just watching this video tells the story. But start from the beginning. What

happened?

LARSON: I mean, you know, first of all, I wouldn`t leave my lunch in a hot car, let alone my child or my pet. This woman goes in to get a

haircut, get her hair done, which is not something that`s going to take a few minutes, leaves the children in the car. And they were, thankfully,

spotted by passers-by who heard the children crying.

Now, mind you, it was 95 degrees that day, which means it was well over 100 degrees inside that car. The doors were locked not. There was no

reports of the air-conditioning or the car running. And these people smashed that window. And here`s the worst part! She runs out of the hair

salon and begs the people who just saved her children to not call the police and report her.

CASAREZ: And you know, we`ve got to remind everybody, Katy, Texas -- that`s Houston, Texas, all right? Do you know how hot it is in Houston,

Texas, this time of year? It`s bad. It`s really bad.

And we`ve got the man with us that shot that video. He shot it on his iPhone. Because of that, we can watch it and we see exactly what happened.

Gabriel Del Valle is joining us tonight from Houston, Texas. Gabriel, why did you get that phone of yours and start recording this?

GABRIEL DEL VALLE, CAPTURED VIDEO (via telephone): To be honest with you, I only did it because of the recent news of people actually leaving

their kids in the car. And like, I said, Well, you know, I guess this will probably help somebody bring awareness to not leave your kids in the car.

So I mean, that was really the only reason why I did it. It was never to do anything towards the lady as far as getting her in trouble or

anything. That was definitely not in my mind at that time.

CASAREZ: Well, you know, Gabriel, the fact is, she was not arrested. She has not been charged with anything because she begged people to not

call 911, we understand, and she felt terrible about what she did. But the fact is, she was going in to get her hair done. That takes hours

sometimes. People, Gabriel, heard the children crying in the car?

DEL VALLE: Yes, I mean I just want to clarify one thing from actually doing interviews earlier today. I actually found out she actually wasn`t

trying to get her hair done. She was actually doing -- like, sending a fax, or like a letter or something. And -- but yes, actually, she wasn`t

getting a haircut. But I mean, even then, it`s still -- it`s still pretty bad just to leave your kids inside with the keys in the car. Like I said,

even if it was just a accident, I mean, accidents can cause fatalities and I mean...

CASAREZ: And obviously, these people thought there was an emergency and that`s why they`re taking a hammer to her back window.

Dr. Michelle Dupre, who is a forensic medical examiner, a pathologist -- Katy, Texas, Houston, Texas, the humidity and heat is absolutely

unbearable this time of year. For these two little children -- and we will tell you that they are all right tonight. They are safe and they are all

right. But what was it like in that car for them?

DR. MICHELLE DUPRE, MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): It would be awful. We know that temperatures can rise as much

as 20 degrees in 10 minutes, depending on the outside temperature. Children -- their bodies heat up faster. A lethal amount of temperature at

about 105 degrees or so -- it can be deadly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Another parent accused of leaving their baby in a sweltering hot car, this time in Forest Park, Georgia, where a father is arrested at

the courthouse, accused of leaving his 3-month-old baby in the car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Oh, my God, what have I done? My child is dead."

GRACE: Screaming and crying, and then he would stop. And then he`d notice somebody walk by, and then he`d start screaming and crying again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two small children in a hot Jeep. One guy used a hammer to smash open the window.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three-month-old Daisia (ph) locked in her father`s car on a hot day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, to some people, this story has two sides. I want you to listen to both sides. Joining us right now tonight is Ninette Sosa,

reporter with Newsradio 106.7. What are the facts, Ninette?

SOSA: It`s understood that the man had a court appearance over in an area called Clayton County, which is about 30 miles to the south of us

right here in Cobb County. He had a court appearance. He took the car carrier to the courthouse with him, Mr. Lamont did...

CASAREZ: With the baby in it, right, Ninette?

911 OPERATOR: Yes. Yes.

CASAREZ: He took the baby into the courthouse.

SOSA: The first time, he did. He -- so he says, he understood that he was told he was not allowed to bring the child into the courthouse. He

takes the child back, puts the child in the car, then proceeds to his court hearing. Court officials are saying not accurate. He was told to take the

child out of the car carrier, for the car carrier to go through the metal detector, and then he was allowed to proceed. So there is conflicting

information there.

But his choice was, from appearance point of view anyway, a poor choice because here he`s already at court for a reason, then he takes the

child and puts the child in his car and proceeds to court, which has only now caused bigger problems because this man`s already facing issues with

cocaine possession, has already served time in the past, and now he has bigger problems by making a poor decision.

CASAREZ: All right, so Patrick McDonough, defense attorney out of Atlanta, this man, his state of mind was that he was going to take his baby

into the courthouse, and some communication got fouled up because they told him take the baby out of the carseat, he says he thought they said you

can`t take the baby at all in the carseat into the courthouse. He had a court date. There`s two sides to this story.

MCDONOUGH: There`s no question there`s two sides to this story. And look, it was still a poor choice. He should have tried to make other

arrangements, but he`s facing a bench warrant if he doesn`t go to court. And if he`s just got to run up and sign a not guilty plea and leave, he

probably thinks, I can leave the child and come out.

I`ve represented these clients in the past, God-fearing, wonderful good people that sometimes think, Hey, I can just go in quickly and get

something done and come back out. It`s good that we`re getting this word out that it is dangerous, but I`m telling you there are good people that

make mistakes. And this -- he thought he was doing it at the direction of a police officer.

CASAREZ: But Kenya Johnson, I`ve got to -- I`ve got to ask you before we go to break -- this man`s been charged with a felony, and the woman

who`s getting her hair done isn`t charged with anything. Isn`t there something wrong with that?

JOHNSON: Well, ignorance is no excuse of the law. And so even though he felt that he couldn`t come into the courthouse -- he`s been in court

before. He`s a three-time convicted felon. He`s seen children in court on plenty of occasions. The answer is, Don`t go to court that day. The

consequence of missing court is surely not as great as it is, what he`s facing now.

As far as the mom that ran away from getting her hair done, I suspect that they will locate who that mom is and charges will be forthcoming. In

this day and age, there`s no reason why people know or don`t know that you can`t leave a kid in the car even for a second.

CASAREZ: Kenya, we want to show everybody right now something we found. It is a public service announcement on your child in a hot car.

Watch this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And you are watching video from Red Castle Productions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A young North Carolina teacher of the year is found dead in her own home during this summer break. Will a new surveillance photo

released by investigators help catch Maggie Daniel`s killer?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends is in that apartment and she`s been -- I think she`s been in here for like a day. She`s been laying there, I

didn`t want to touch it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Been trying to retrace Daniel`s steps, going to surveillance videos of where she might have been last.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she alive or dead? Do we know that much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not sure at all. They are going to go in there. It shook me up when I seen it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hoping it will get them some idea of who was the last to see Maggie Daniel alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Out to Michael Willard, news director, WNNC 1230 am. Michael, her North Carolina community is stunned by this. I understand you

even knew her. Maggy Daniels. She was young, she was single. She lived alone. She was the counselor at the high school. How was her body found?

WILLARD: Well, she was found on the morning of June 28th. Apparently one of her neighbors or friends went in to check on her after sending some

phone calls and texts. Didn`t hear any response from her. Went in and found her in her apartment, and then you heard the 911 call there. That`s

how it was reported.

CASAREZ: Now, start from the beginning, because her body was found Saturday morning. When is the last time anyone had had contact with her?

WILLARD: Someone had seen her in the parking lot of her apartment complex. Some maintenance workers and actually some students she taught at

the school were in the parking lot, and they waved to her, and passed some greetings and they saw her Friday afternoon. And then of course around

midday. Surveillance video has shown a picture of her at a nearby Walmart just a couple of miles away, and that was sometime during the afternoon on

Wednesday as well. Just 24 hours or so before her body was found, about 10:30 on that Saturday morning.

CASAREZ: So it`s almost a 24-hour period that we don`t know of anyone who heard from her. You`re looking at Maggie Daniels. I just want to let

you know a little bit about her. This is a young woman who was trained as a teacher. She was an English teacher, she was the basketball coach at the

high school there in North Carolina. Took a year off to get her masters degree in counseling. Came back and was the counselor for the high school.

We have got the 911 call of a stunned friend who found her body. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing, I need an balance to Windsor apartment 21.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the address?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know the address. They`re Windsor apartments. Right beside the dairy center, it`s a brown apartment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What city, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it? In Newton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What apartment number?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 21. We out here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s the problem?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uhm, no I didn`t even touch her. One of my friends is in that apartment and she`s been -- I think she`s been in there

for like a day. She`s been in there laying down. I didn`t even want to touch it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she breathing, conscious?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. I have no idea. I just seen it and walked out. I didn`t even want to touch her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she alive or dead? Do we know that much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not sure at all. They`re going to go in there. It shook me up when I seen her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ll put you on hold a second while (inaudible), I`ll be right back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Matt Zarrell, we`ve got a very close friend of Maggy`s with us tonight. Before that, I want to know more facts. What do we know?

ZARRELL: We know that when the police got there, there were no signs of forced entry. We know the case was initially ruled an unattended death.

Jean, it was not until after the autopsy that they changed it to a homicide and declared it a murder investigation. They will not release the cause of

death, but they are saying it is murder. There are also reports that while there are no signs of trauma, a nearby mirror in the house was broken.

CASAREZ: Joining us tonight is Wendy Lang Titus. She is a friend, a co-worker of Maggie Daniels. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Who would have done this to your friend?

WENDY LANG TITUS, FRIEND: I don`t think -- I don`t think anyone really knows who could possibly do something like this to Maggie. She`s

one of the most amazing people you could ever meet. There is not one person I could even think of that didn`t love Maggie.

CASAREZ: Have you heard what the cause of death was at all?

TITUS: No. You know, they are keeping it very closed and I think it`s good. Because I think they want to make sure they get everything

taken care of the right way. And I don`t want to know until they have answers and they have someone in custody for this.

CASAREZ: She was a runner, isn`t that right? And she used to run around the neighborhood?

TITUS: Yes, she did. Yes she was running. She had just run a half marathon for a charity. I can`t remember which one, but she just ran a

half marathon for that charity.

CASAREZ: There was a forest behind the apartment complex, did she run through the forest or did she run on the streets?

TITUS: I`m not really familiar because I`m not in the area anymore. I have moved out of that area. I`m not sure exactly where she ran. But I

know she ran through the neighborhood and she`s well known in the community. I`m sure she felt safe there.

CASAREZ: Did she have a boyfriend at all, Wendy?

TITUS: Maggie wasn`t somebody that ever talked about her personal matters very often with many people, so that`s not something she would have

shared with many people at all, so not something I would know.

CASAREZ: (inaudible). Why are they not releasing the cause of death? Because the autopsy determined this to be a homicide.

JOHNSON: Well, first of all, they have to continue with the investigation. They don`t want to give up too much information because

that could stop them from getting other information. So very often police will withhold details of a murder or of a crime scene, and put out specific

information that they think will elicit more responses. So they are still doing some background work, and I`m sure we`ll hear soon exactly how she

died.

CASAREZ: Medical examiner, Dr. Michelle Dupre. I have a very important question to ask you. When they found her body, she was on her

stomach, and there was nothing to show how she had died. What are the mechanisms of death that you can do that outwardly don`t show how someone

has been murdered?

DUPRE: Actually, there are several. Of course, toxicology is one of the first things that comes to mind. But in this case, I doubt that`s what

happened. There could be strangulation, manual strangulation that may not show any injuries at all. There may also be suffocation which is very hard

to determine. That could be very realistic causes of death in this case.

CASAREZ: What does it tell you as a medical examiner that a mirror was broken?

DUPRE: It tells me that there may have been some type of struggle. Even though there were no outward signs of that. There may have been some

type of struggle in that area or around the house.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Tonight the desperate search for a missing Savannah girl. The last thing she tells her mother is I love you. Have a good night at

work. Where is Alice Davis?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities are searching for a Savannah teenager who seems to have disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always hope for the best, that she`s safe. But I`m not so sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities believe she`s in the company of a Hispanic male, 5`5, 140 pounds, and need your help finding her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The worried mom hopes her daughter will find her way home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no postings on Facebook, none of her friends have heard from her, nothing. It`s like she disappeared, fell off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: To investigative reporter Jill Ryan. The most concerning thing here is she just seemed to vanish and she didn`t take any belongings

with her.

RYAN: No. In fact, she was last seen at a McDonald`s last Wednesday. She was hanging out with some friends, and nobody noticed she was acting

strangely or even hanging out with anyone new. But after that, she simply disappeared and didn`t take any of her belongings. Her family and friends

say they have not been contacted and nothing is missing from her home.

CASAREZ: And that McDonald`s is about seven miles from where she lives. Justin Freiman, what more can you tell us?

FREIMAN: She was very popular on social media, and so far it`s like radio silence. Nobody`s heard from her, no updates from any of her social

media, and that concerns a lot of people.

CASAREZ: It also concerns a lot of people that she did not take her medication. She has medication she has to take every day. And besides not

taking anything with her, a purse, a cell phone, absolutely nothing, she didn`t take her medication. And joining us tonight is her mother.

Courtney Bibb, who is joining us from Savannah. We can`t imagine what you are going through. But we want to hear what was the last thing you heard

from your daughter. You saw your daughter. Because that can really show her state of mind.

COURTNEY BIBB, MOTHER: When I last spoke to her, she was telling me I love you, mom, have a good night. She was talking about staying in for the

night, her and her friend, and that was the last I heard from her. When I was on the phone with her, she didn`t sound agitated, aggravated. She

didn`t sound mad. We were getting along. Just in good spirits, and I didn`t think anything of it.

CASAREZ: She was going to spend the night at a friend`s house, right? And you wanted to talk with one of the adults. So a man actually got on

the phone with you.

BIBB: Yes. Well, he was supposed to be a father figure, and this was not a father figure. It turned out to be a friend of Alice`s. Which me,

I`m pretty good about being a parent and making sure that, you know, Alice is with a parent supervision. And I guess I thought wrong that day. And

that was definitely not a parent supervision.

CASAREZ: Now, are you actually a police officer?

BIBB: I am.

CASAREZ: So you are in law enforcement. So you know all too well the vulnerability that a 15-year-old girl can have at this point of time. We

want to show everybody a description of your daughter because she is out there and she has to be found. She is 5`2, 110 pounds, red hair and green

eyes. And she has braces. What do her braces look like? Because that can be an identifiable mark on someone.

BIBB: The left side and the right side of her bracket is missing, and she was due for maintenance on her braces, and she`s supposed to be going

to the orthodontist to get that fixed within the next couple of weeks, and she has freckles on her nose.

CASAREZ: Freckles on her nose. Tell us about a Youtube channel she`d just created with some videos on it.

BIBB: Absolutely. I`m just learning that myself. She has two Youtube channels. And one of those are talking about how her grandmother

passed away of cancer and how she was going to be an advocate on speaking out on how important it is to get checked and smoking and the effects of

smoking, and then there is another one about coming out and being bisexual and things like that. So she had -- I guess she was very timid about that

and what I would think. And you know, I`ve always been very supportive of Alice and I love Alice very much, regardless of what she chose to be or who

she chose to be. She always knew that. So she`s a little actress. She loves to act--

CASAREZ: I`m sorry. What is her medication that she is not taking right now?

BIBB: She`s -- she`s on medication for depression and anxiety. And when she is not on her medication, she unfortunately acts out impulsively

and not thinking. And it actually stabilizes her mood and her depression.

CASAREZ: Ms. Bibb, I want to talk to you more in a second, but first I want to go to our criminal psychologist, Ramani Durvasula. 15 years old

is a very vulnerable age, and the fact she didn`t take anything with her at all, what does that say to you?

DURVASULA: That is really concerning. Because I think as this mom has made clear, she had a good relationship with her. She knew her

rhythms, and for this girl to leave the house with nothing, including her medications, including her stuff, and not posting to social media when

she`s so active there. All of these things are red flags, because this girl has had relatively consistent behavior. Mom has said it. This is

completely out of her pattern and that is a really big concern, teenager or not.

CASAREZ: That`s an excellent point, doctor. Ms. Bibb, back to you. If your daughter is watching tonight, what do you say to her?

BIBB: We are all worried about her. We love her very much. She`s not in trouble, any kind of trouble. We just want her all home. We`re all

very worried for her safety. And try to find a way to contact us or call 911.

CASAREZ: All right. One last thing to Ms. Bibb, with your daughter. She`s in high school, I would assume. School is starting again. Are

police helping you in this search?

BIBB: I believe they are doing everything they can. They are working and they are doing everything they can with the resources provided. But

yes, I do feel very comfortable in saying they are doing the best job they can.

CASAREZ: What do you think has happened to her? What do you think?

BIBB: You know, there is always speculation and rumors. We`re just trying to follow up every lead that`s coming in. And let`s just hope for

the best and hope she comes home safe. But as of this right now, I can`t knock anything out. Anything is possible. And right now, I`m just not so

sure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember this face as they plaster the Savannah area with missing posters of 15-year-old Alice Davis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Putting Alice`s face out there, and hopefully she`ll see it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alice Davis left her home, telling her mom she was sleeping over at a friend`s house, but her mother says she never did

spend the night at the friend`s home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s dangerous to be very vulnerable out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody loves her and misses her and we want her home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: We`re learning tonight that the special victims unit is getting involved here to try to find this 15-year-old high school girl.

She`s just a teen, she is very vulnerable, who suddenly leaves her hometown near Savannah, Georgia, and is gone and missing, and no one knows where she

is. To Jill Ryan, investigative reporter, go over again for us exactly what the facts are here. Because she`s living the life of a teen. It`s

summer vacation. She`s creating a Youtube video, and suddenly now there is no social media at all and she`s gone.

RYAN: And there`s simply no trace of her at this point, and that`s what family and friends are really struggling with. Jean, she was last

seen at a McDonald`s last Wednesday, and she was hanging out with some friends, just like a typical teen. Nobody noticed her behavior was

different or that she was hanging around anyone new. And after that, that`s where the trail goes cold. She simply hasn`t connected with anyone

through social media. No friends, no family members, no one at this point knows where she is.

CASAREZ: To Courtney Bibb, the mother of the missing young 15-year- old, have you talked to any of her friends at all? What are they saying? They at this point could spill the beans of what they know.

BIBB: I have been. I`ve been talking to them every day. I`m constantly on Facebook. I have several people out there on Facebook being

advocate for Alice and trying to bring her home. And nobody, not even her good friends, her good close personal friends, who she told everything too,

have seen her or even heard from her. Nothing`s posted. No texts, nothing. No Instagram or Snapchat. Nothing. It`s like she dropped off.

There`s nothing.

CASAREZ: That just doesn`t make sense. This is just not a classic situation of somebody running away, running away from home. Does

McDonald`s have any type of surveillance video that you have learned of?

BIBB: I`m pretty sure they do. That is still under investigation so at this point I`m not so sure. I can`t talk about that, because I don`t

know what they are doing in reference to that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 15-year-old Alice Davis left home telling her mom she was spending the night at a friend`s house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always hope that she`s safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Friends and family haven`t heard from Alice, and there has been no phone calls or social media updates.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last words were, I love you mom. Have a good night at work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: You can help find this 15-year-old. We want to show everybody what she looks like. 5`2, 110 pounds, braces, which are really

descriptive, and she has freckles on her nose. And we have her mother with us tonight, Courtney Bibb, who is a police officer in her own right in that

community. Ms. Bibb, is there anything else about her? What color is her hair right now? Is it the same color we`re seeing? I know she was

creative with hair. Had she changed the color recently?

BIBB: You know, Alice came to me probably twice a week and wanted to keep changing her hair. One minute she was black, one minute her hair

color was blonde. When she left, her hair was burgundy and pink.

CASAREZ: Burgundy and pink. Well, that is descriptive right there, but what cannot be taken away are braces and freckles on her nose. Ms.

Bibb, is there a Facebook page at all that people can send tips to or correspond with?

BIBB: Yes, there is actually a page called Find Alice Sierra Davis page. And it is an actual page dedicated just to finding her.

CASAREZ: Did she have a cell phone or an iPhone at all she took with her?

BIBB: She did have a phone. She got into a little bit of trouble so I had disconnected the service, but however she has Facebook hot spots

where she -- even up to Friday when I was talking to her she was on Facebook. She knew how to go to Facebook. She knew she had to have a hot

spot. So she`s very smart, like all the other 15-year-olds, and she knew exactly how to work Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. That`s what I don`t

understand. She was always, always social media, always. And nothing.

CASAREZ: And we`ve got a chart of all the restaurants in that area. McDonald`s, seven miles from your home, was where she was last seen, but

there are so many businesses. Applebee`s in that area. Publix, Sonic Drive-In, CVS. They all have surveillance videos at this point and day and

age. What time day or night she was at that McDonald`s?

BIBB: As far as I know, last known was about 10:25 Friday night.

CASAREZ: So 10:30 Friday night she was at that McDonald`s, and that`s when she disappeared into the night, and you haven`t seen her at all.

Again, thanks for joining us. We want to keep in touch with you because we want to help find your daughter too. There is the tip line. There is

Alice Davis and also you have that Facebook page of helping to find Alice.

We do remember an American hero tonight. Army Sergeant Israel Garcia, 24 years old, from Long Beach, California. My hometown. He was awarded

the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He loved soccer and is of Mexican heritage. He leaves behind his parents, Victor and Marie,

his brother Ramses, and his widow, Leslie. Israel Garcia, an American hero. Dr. Drew is coming up next, talking to the teenager who says she was

raped and then exposed and mocked on social media. Dr. Drew and the behavior bureau debate it.

END