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Nancy Grace
Texas 4-Year-Old Missing After Mother Murdered
Aired December 16, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, live to Denton, Texas. Bombshell tonight. Amber Alert for a 4-year-old little boy, Ricky, just
reported missing after his mother, Maria, found dead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mother`s attempt to make a living for herself and her son turned deadly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maria Medina was found dead at her workplace, the victim of a homicide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now her son is missing, his father, 23-year-old Ricardo Martinez, the main person of interest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, live to Shelbyville, Tennessee. A gorgeous young 8th grade school teacher goes missing without a trace. Her Pontiac Grand
Prix goes up in flames, her 6-year-old little girl left behind. As the search goes on for 24-year-old teacher and mom Shelly Mook (ph), tonight,
Shelly`s husband lands back in the headlines, cops claiming he rips off the bikini top of his brand-new girlfriend, throws her off his speedboat into
the water and proceeds to try to drown her. An eerie reminder tonight, the mystery of Tyler (ph) Mook`s missing first wife has never been solved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tyler Mook was arrested by Martin County deputies, accused of trying to drown his girlfriend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attempted to kill his girlfriend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His ex-wife, Shelly Mook, disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last seen by her ex-husband. Mook`s car was found in flames.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was not like my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Live to Denton, Texas, Amber Alert for a 4-year-old little boy, Ricky Lara, just reported missing after his mommy, Maria, is found dead. Take a
look at Ricky, age 4, last seen, Denton, Texas. He`s just 53 pounds, just 3 feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes. His mommy has been found dead.
His mother, Maria, worked at a tax and insurance company. When police arrived there, they find the door locked to the tax company, the tax
business, as if everyone has left for the day. Nobody can get in. It`s locked as normal. But upon further investigation, they found mommy Maria
dead there in the tax and insurance store where she works. Her little boy very often comes to work with her. This little boy, little Ricky, is gone.
And tonight, police are telling us he is in grave danger.
Joining me right now from TheBlaze, anchor Robyn Walensky. Hi Robyn. Robyn, what`s the latest on the little Ricky?
ROBYN WALENSKY, THEBLAZE: Well, here`s the situation, Nancy. The police have -- in Denton have held a news conference on this situation, and
they believe that the little boy is out of the country, possibly Mexico. There are relatives of the biological father in Mexico City.
And from Denton, which is about an hour north of Dallas, it would be very easy on the I-35 if the father had a car set up or someone who was
waiting for him -- very easy to drive south to the border and get through to Mexico. It is believed, Nancy, that the biological father is not a U.S.
citizen, and he may have actually had a...
GRACE: OK, hold on, hold on, hold on! Robyn! Robyn, I`m hearing in my ears that we`re getting a lot of calls. I want to take it from the top.
For those of you just joining us, I want to start at the very beginning.
This little boy, Amber Alert issued for him. A 4-year-old little boy apparently goes with Mommy to work at her tax and insurance business, where
she works. Mommy is found dead. Her purse was there. Money was there. Nothing was ransacked. The little boy is gone. Tonight, we are on the
search for Ricky Lara.
Back to Robyn Walensky. I want to start at the beginning. Why were police called to the scene anyway because the insurance company, the tax
company where she worked, was just seemed to be closed as normal.
WALENSKY: Well, it was a Saturday, and reportedly, this business is open on Saturday. So a customer comes to the door, Nancy, and it`s locked.
So the customer calls one of the employees, someone who works there, I believe the manager. And when they key into the business, which is locked,
they go into the bathroom and they find Mommy dead on the floor.
GRACE: Did you say key in?
WALENSKY: They keyed into the business. Yes, the business was actually -- the door was locked. This was not some random crime where they
broke down the glass door and went into the business. The door was actually locked.
So she was in there. And it`s a very tight timeline because the police have looked through her phone, and at Friday night at approximately
4:00 to 4:45, she`s texting members of her family in California. And then next door, there`s a beauty salon which is open until 8:00 o`clock, so if
she was shot, they would have heard a gunshot because the businesses share the same building. And then the next day at 4:45, 24 hours later, she`s
dead.
So it`s a very narrow window here from 8:00 o`clock, where the business next door would have been closed, and then 4:45 she`s last texting
with the relatives, and then 24 hours later, she`s found dead on the floor of the bathroom, Nancy.
GRACE: Joining me right now, in addition to anchor with TheBlaze Robyn Walensky, we are being joined by special guest, the PIO from the
Denton Police Department, Officer Shane Kizer. Officer Kizer, thanks for being with us.
SHANE KIZER, DENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): Thanks for having me.
GRACE: Officer Kizer, I really get a very strong sense of urgency regarding Ricky, 4-year-old Ricky, because the mommy is found dead, and if
the perp will kill Mommy, what else will he do in order not to be stopped or detected?
We know there was not a robbery. Her purse, I think her cell phone was still there at work at the tax business where she worked. There was no
forced entry. So either the perp walked in or she let him in. What more do we know, Officer?
KIZER: Well, that`s correct. We didn`t find signs of any forced entry. The victim did have money, I believe, in her purse that wasn`t
taken, and there was some easily accessible moneys in the office that weren`t taken either. So the motive doesn`t appear to be any type of
burglary or robbery, obviously.
GRACE: So do we know for sure who the boy is with? I understand there may have been a sighting in Houston?
KIZER: We have been unable to confirm anything from that lead that came out of Houston. However, at this time, we are extremely confident
that the boy is with his father.
GRACE: Are you releasing, Officer Kizer, the cause of death? I know that the next-door beauty salon did not hear a gunshot. They were there at
the time we believe the mommy was killed and the boy was taken. That only leaves asphyxiation, blunt force trauma or a stabbing.
KIZER: Unfortunately, to release the details of the cause of death at this time might compromise our investigation, so I`m not at liberty to do
that.
GRACE: OK. Everyone, we may have a sighting of the little boy at a Houston convenience store, like a 7-Eleven. The police there very, very
carefully processing the scene. But we know this. We know this was not a robbery. It was not a theft. It was not a burglary.
Question. Officer Kizer, to get into the tax and insurance company where Mommy worked, did you use a key or was it a security code of some
sort?
KIZER: I don`t -- I don`t recall seeing a key code on the door when I was there, but that I can`t answer for certain.
GRACE: And the salon workers next door, did they hear a scream? Did they hear a struggle? Did they hear anything at all, Officer?
KIZER: That bit of information, again, I`m not at liberty to discuss at this time.
GRACE: Everyone, we are bringing you the latest. Police are telling us this 4-year-old little boy is in grave danger. And we need your help
tonight. For all of you out there on Sirius XM that are viewing our program, this little boy, 4-year-old Ricky Lara, in danger. His mother has
been found dead. He may not even know his mommy`s dead or he may have witnessed her murder, Mommy working on a Saturday at a tax and insurance
company, a job she`s held down for quite some time. Did he see his own mother killed, or does he not even know what`s become of Mommy?
This we know. We believe there may have been one sighting of the little boy in Houston, Texas, at a convenience store. We know that there
are ties, as I recall, Justin Freiman, in Chicago, Mexico, and where else does this guy have ties?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): In Mexico City, as well as in Chicago, and also even towards Houston, some have said, but
also Springfield, Missouri. So you know, there`s a lot of places they could have gone, but the thinking is they headed south.
GRACE: Many people think he did head south. To me, I don`t know if this precludes going to Mexico, but I know that based on the tip, if he was
sighted, they went through Houston at the very least.
To Marc Klaas, president and founder, Klaas Kids Foundation, joining me right now. Everyone, the urgent news now, Amber Alert issued for this
4-year-old little boy. We want to help find him. All of you truckers out there, please be on the lookout for this child, Ricky Lara. He may be with
an adult male, and he is in grave danger at this hour. Tip line 940-349- 7241.
What do we do now, Marc Klaas?
MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, I think that the Mexico lead down 35 makes much more sense than anything else. So then it`s a matter of
contacting the authorities in Mexico City and getting them involved in the investigation.
Time is passing very quickly. This little boy didn`t seem to have any kind of a real emotional attachment to his father, so I think his life is
very much in danger, and they have to pull out all of the stops to locate this character and to bring this boy home safely.
GRACE: Marc Klaas, I agree because this little boy had been with his mom. There had been very bitter and acrimonious relationships between the
mom and the bio dad. And if he would do this to the mom, what will he do to the little boy?
Marc, this is all about get back at the mom. It`s not that he wants the little boy. He wanted to hurt the mom. And what more could he do to
her beside murder her? Take her child. The worst thing you can do to a mother, Marc Klaas.
KLAAS: Yes, certainly, and her family, as well. They`re on pins and needles now, hoping that they can recover this little boy alive. It`s just
a terrible tragedy for everybody concerned.
GRACE: Marc, I`ve just got to ask you a question. When we have you on our program and ask you for your expertise, how do you get through it?
Does it bring back the memory of your daughter, Polly, being taken? How do you steel yourself against that when you talk about these cases?
KLAAS: Yes, that`s a great question, Nancy. And I really learned long ago to compartmentalize what happened to Polly. I can`t go back there
on a regular basis because it just brings up all of these horrible emotions, all of these terrible things that we had to go through,
particularly for the -- well, not even particularly, but for the 65 days that she was missing, and then for the many years afterwards when we were
in grief for Polly.
So it`s something that`s part of me. The hole remains in my heart and will always remain in my heart, but I`ve been able to separate myself from
the immediate emotions that I felt.
GRACE: Well, I tell you, Marc, when we`re covering this case and I`m looking at this 4-year-old child -- to all of you moms and dads out there,
please join me to help find this little boy, little Ricky Lara. Can you imagine your child gone, just gone? You think you know where they are,
everything`s fine. The next moment, the thing most precious to you, the love of your life, is gone.
This mother has been murdered, and the only thing we can do for her tonight is to find her son, her 4-year-old little boy, and bring him home
to her family. Right now, police have no idea where this child is.
As a matter of fact -- Officer Shane Kizer with me -- if he makes it across the Mexico border, is it basically a lost cause? Will we ever be
able to find him in Mexico City?
KIZER: Nancy, can I update you on something?
GRACE: Yes.
KIZER: We just released in our news brief that we do have an active arrest warrant for the father for murder. We also are fairly confident
that they have left the country. That is the reason that the Amber Alert was discontinued because it no longer met the criteria.
GRACE: Why? Why do you believe they left the country, Officer Kizer?
KIZER: I can`t divulge that information right now because it might compromise, obviously, the investigation and possibly the child`s safety.
But we do have -- we do feel strongly that we know where he is. And again, we`re working to not only bring him back safely but also bring his father
to justice.
GRACE: Everyone, please look at this woman and her son. The only thing we can do for this mother, Maria, is bring her son home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Has the father taken the little boy? Tonight, there is nothing we can do for the mother, Maria. She has been found dead at work.
How many of you, like me, often bring your children to work? This mom working on a Saturday, like so many of our mothers had to do, at the tax
and insurance company, the job she`s held down for so long. We believe she brings her 4-year-old little child, Ricky, Ricky Lara, to work with her
that Saturday.
When the salon workers next to the tax company try to get in, the door`s locked from inside. They call police. Cops come in to find Maria,
the mother, is dead. Her cell phone, her purse, money is still there. The only thing missing, Ricky -- Richard -- Lara. Please help us do the only
thing we can for now dead Mommy, Maria, and that is to bring this child home.
With me, Officer Shane Kizer. Officer Kizer, do we have any idea what vehicle the father may be in?
KIZER: We were -- at first, we weren`t certain of any vehicle that he had, We did learn that he had another vehicle, but since that time, we`ve
been told even the most recent vehicle that he had that he sold. So we don`t know at this time what vehicle he may be using.
GRACE: Officer Kizer, can I ask you if he recently sold the vehicle?
KIZER: That`s our understanding.
GRACE: OK, that`s bad. That`s bad, Marc Klaas, because if he recently sold his vehicle, that means he`s gathering money to kill the mom
and take off with the boy. And like you said, Marc Klaas, he has no connection with this boy. This was all a getback at the mom, which puts
the boy in a very precarious position.
KLAAS: Well, it puts everybody in a precarious position. Obviously, the boy is number one on that list, and as the officer said, they need to
be able to get to this boy and save him before the father does to him what he did to the mother.
GRACE: Officer Shane Kizer with me, PIO, Denton Police. Officer Kizer, what type of surveillance is there at the border if he`s trying to
make it across the border? What surveillance is there? And how much do the authorities in Mexico work with us?
KIZER: That`s probably a question beyond me. I know we`ve had cooperation with them in the past. I`m being told that we expect
cooperation with, you know, whoever that we`ll be dealing with in the future. Again, at this time, I can`t give you his -- their exact
whereabouts. All I can say is...
GRACE: Well, here`s the thing, Officer Kizer. You know, once you get to Mexico, you can never get them back. They can never be extradited for
the death penalty, so that`s going to be off the table, if, in fact, he is the one that murdered Mommy. But who cares about that right now? I just
want to get the boy back. That`s it.
Justin Freiman, you claim that he has -- Daddy, the bio dad, has connections, contacts in Chicago, in Houston and in Mexico. Were those the
three places?
FREIMAN: Yes.
GRACE: Were those the three places?
FREIMAN: Yes, that`s exactly right, as well as Springfield, Missouri.
GRACE: Marc Klaas, what kind of cooperation can we expect from Mexico?
KLAAS: Well, as you said, Nancy, the death penalty is off the table, so there won`t be an extradition back to the United States for that
purpose. But one has to hope and -- listen, everybody is concerned about the welfare of a little child. When the Mexican authorities are aware of
what has happened here, they will cooperate. There`s no question about that in my mind at all. What happens after they recover the little boy I
think is very much up in the air.
GRACE: Everyone, we are on the hunt tonight for 4-year-old Ricky -- Richard -- Lara. He was last seen with his mom at work on Saturday. She
was working on the weekend at the tax and insurance company where she works. Her body has been found. The only thing missing is this child.
Tip line, 940-349-7241.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Please help us find this 4-year-old little boy. Police are telling us he is in grave danger.
Everyone, I`m hearing in my ear we`re going to go straight to a police presser right now. Let`s go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The circumstances surrounding this investigation requires us to be very careful with the information we release to ensure
that we do not put the child in more danger or compromise the investigation.
We wanted to hold this meeting today in an attempt to update those concerned individuals in our community that have been following this
investigation. I want all of you to understand that the focus of the investigation is twofold at this time, the safe return of Ricardo Alec Lara
and the arrest of the person responsible for the death of Maria Isabel Romero Medina. Keeping that in mind, I will be giving you a brief update
of the circumstances of the investigation up to this point. However, we will not be taking questions, as we do not want to hinder the
investigation.
On Saturday, December 13, around 4:49 PM, Denton police officers responded to a deceased person call at Sanchez (ph) Insurance and Tax.
Upon arrival, they met with a business employee, who took them inside where the deceased was found. The employee told officers he was called to the
business by a customer when they were unable to enter the building during normal working hours. The victim was later identified as 27-year-old Maria
Isabel Romero Medina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: For those of you just joining us, this is a police presser in the disappearance of 4-year-old Ricky Lara.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and identified as Ricardo Alexander Lara. We contacted numerous family members and friends, all of them saying that had
no knowledge of Alec`s whereabouts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight back, as -- we`re going to take you back into that presser. But very quickly, Marc Klaas, this is clearly about the mother.
This is not about getting the boy. Now, see, that`s what concerns me the most about his position. It`s not because he wants the boy and loves the
boy, it`s because he wanted to hurt the mother.
KLAAS: Because he hated the mother, and he obviously hates the mother`s entire family. And the only thing he can do now to inflict more
pain than he already has would be to kill the little boy.
GRACE: Oh, God help us! OK, back in the presser. Let`s go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The initial investigation showed this to be an apparent homicide. Due to the circumstances, an Amber Alert was issued for
4-year-old Ricardo Alexander Lara. Denton police have not been able to make contact with the child`s father, Ricardo Martinez.
With the assistance of Texas Rangers, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Denton police investigators began an
around-the-clock investigation. Through numerous tips we received, it was determined that Martinez had family or friends in Mexico, Springfield,
Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois.
Yesterday evening, we were able to determine that Alec was with his father, Ricardo Martinez. We also learned they had left the country. By
leaving the country, Ricardo Lara no longer met the criteria for an active Amber Alert. Our investigation reveals that Ricardo Martinez...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK, straight to Robyn Walensky, with TheBlaze. Robyn, Denton -- I don`t think they even had a murder this year.
WALENSKY: They didn`t. This would be the first one, unfortunately. And what really bothers me the most about this story, Nancy -- you have so
many single mothers that watch your show that they love their children, and here`s this woman is living a little bit north of Denton in an area that --
talk about a false sense of security. Last year, in 2013, there were only two murders in Denton. This year, no murders in Denton except hers.
She`s working so hard on a Saturday to provide a beautiful life for her little boy, working on -- you know, on a weekend, taking her child with
her to work. By all accounts, she used to take him for a little haircut next door at the beauty salon, the barbershop. And now look at what`s
happened, just a terrible tragedy that she would be the only murder of the year there.
GRACE: I`m thinking about it, Robyn. I`m sick. I feel -- I`m afraid that the little boy saw his mother murdered. But that aside, my main thing
is I want to get the boy back. Then we can sort out the rest of what`s going to become of Ricky Lara.
Justin Freiman, very quickly, what can you tell me about surveillance video. What about cameras?
FREIMAN: Nancy, there`s actually a camera right near the entrance to this insurance office, but it`s facing the other way. And then a few doors
down, thee`s cameras at a gas station. So something might have been captured.
GRACE: Okay, everybody. You are seeing the spot where little Ricky was taken. Would you please join us tonight and try and save this child.
Tip line, 940-349-7241.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And tonight we go live to Shelbyville, Tennessee. There, a gorgeous young eighth grade school teacher goes missing without a trace.
Her Pontiac Grand Prix goes up in flames. Her 6-year-old little girl left behind. As the search goes on for the 24-year-old teacher and mother
Shelley Mook tonight, Shelley`s husband lands back in the headlines. Cops claiming the husband rips off the bikini top of his brand new girlfriend,
throws the girlfriend off his speed boat into the water, and proceeds to drown her. An eerie reminder the mystery of Tyler Mook`s missing first
wife has never been solved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Martin County sheriff says they were boating when Mook`s girlfriend asked him to slow down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He became enraged, picked her up and threw her over the front of the boat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not the first time Mook has been the subject of an investigation. His ex-wife, Shelley Mook, disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A burned car that belonged to Shelley Mook who hasn`t been seen or heard from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Meredyth Censullo, investigative reporter. Let me get this straight. So I remember trying to find Shelley Mook when
her burned out Pontiac Grand Prix was found the same day she goes missing, same day she disappears. She would never, ever have left her little 6-
year-old girl. That was her pride and joy. It was the love of her life. So we never found Shelley, but now out of the blue, her ex, the husband,
Tyler Mook`s back in the headlines, because not only does he have one missing wife, he now has got a girlfriend minus the bikini top that he
throws in the water off a speed boat and tries to drown. What?
MEREDYTH CENSULLO, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes. And for a very silly reason. So Tyler and his girlfriend Robin were out boating with another
couple. Actually Tyler`s brother and his girlfriend. Robin told Tyler, hey, slow down you`re in a no-wake zone. Tyler got ticked off, he tried to
attack Robin, attempted to pull off her bathing suit top, then pushed her overboard, jumped in after her, and continuously tried to hold her under
water.
GRACE: Let me understand this. He`s out in a body of water. What water is it, please, Meredyth?
CENSULLO: It`s an Intercostal Waterway.
GRACE: Intercostal Waterway. Got it. He`s out there in broad, open, daylight, anybody can see that, see what he`s doing, and that doesn`t stop
him. So they`re leaving the shore and there`s obviously a no-wake zone. Isn`t that manatee country?
CENSULLO: Right. Yes. It`s a no-wake zone. She asked him to slow down because there are manatees in the vicinity, so it`s law here, you need
to slow down.
GRACE: And I don`t understand, just her saying slow down and watch out for the manatees, that set him off?
CENSULLO: Apparently. So apparently after he was removed from the water by his own brother, left Robin in the water, another boat picked her
up, but Tyler was heard saying that no woman is going to disrespect me in front of my family.
GRACE: OK. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No woman is going to disrespect me in front of my family? Hold on, Meredyth Censullo, don`t move. I am
just being joined right now by Sheriff William D. Snyder. The sheriff of Martin County. Sheriff Snyder, thank you for being with us.
SHERIFF WILLIAM SNYDER, MARTIN County: Sure, Ms. Grace. Glad to be here.
GRACE: You know, Sheriff Snyder, I don`t want to go back in time to talk about Shelley, but you know, you think when you`ve got a missing wife
whose car is found burned out and you`re having a row about a 6-year-old little girl, that you would not try and drown your girlfriend in open
daylight.
SNYDER: I agree with you. I think that, first of all, that shows he should be on his best behavior with a woman, but especially a man who is
being closely looked at as a suspect in a missing person case and a presumed homicide.
GRACE: Sheriff Snyder, I understand the last things he said to his brand new girlfriend that he throws off the speed boat before he tried to
drown her, was don`t disrespect me. Is that correct, Sheriff Snyder?
SNYDER: Yes, ma`am . That`s from witnesses and the then girlfriend said was that he did say that he would not be disrespected in front of his
family. And then when it was all through, a further comment that`s been reported now by the brother who intervened in that struggle was that he
also additionally said I`ll kill her. We have that in the record also.
GRACE: With me, everyone, the elected sheriff there in Martin County, Sheriff William D. Snyder. Okay, question. Do you think, Sheriff Snyder,
that now that you`ve got him, you can squeeze him about where is Shelley, the mother of his daughter?
SNYDER: Well, we have to be very careful. We obviously want to see justice for the victim from Tennessee, but our primary concern and our
nexus to that case is the attempted murder here. So what we`ll do is we`ll focus on our case and then open up any of our resources that TBI, the
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, would want to utilize and help them fully.
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing shots of teacher and mother Shelley Mook. This is her with her gorgeous little girl, the love of her life.
Shelley goes missing. The same day she vanishes, her burned out Pontiac Grand Prix is found. No sign. The little girl left to live and be raised
by her grandmother.
We are taking your calls. Everyone, unleash the lawyers. Joining me Parag Shah, defense lawyer and author of "The Code" out of Atlanta, joining
me out of New York, veteran trial lawyer, he`s tried cases in multiple jurisdictions. Alex Sanchez. All right, Sanchez, I`ll give you this much.
He has never been named a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Shelley Mook. That`s all I`m giving you.
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, looking at the second case, first of all, Nancy, you didn`t provide the whole story, as usual. In this case, the
alleged drowning case, he was initially charged with minor misdemeanor charges.
GRACE: So?
SANCHEZ: That`s right. And only later on subsequently were the charges enhanced, and I`m wondering whether or not the police in this
department decided to enhance the charges because he`s a suspect in the disappearance of his wife.
GRACE: Well, I`ll tell you this much, Sanchez.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: If somebody ever holds your head under water and says I`m going to kill you, and when you fight your way back up to the surface, they
put you back under the water, I personally will make a cameo appearance back in court to put the S.O.B. behind bars. Hold on!
SANCHEZ: Explain why the police --
GRACE: I`ll let them explain it!
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Let them. Let`s hear it.
GRACE: Go ahead and put the cops on trial because I have the elected sheriff with me. Sheriff Snyder, I guess you can hear Alex Sanchez, second
verse, same as the first. I imagine that the charge was upgraded because he said I`m going to kill you.
SNYDER: Well, first of all, the attorney`s remark that it was a minor -- however he referred to it, I think is rather an egregious comment to
begin with. The domestic battery and violence that occurred that day had it stayed a misdemeanor was still a very serious charge. We upcharged on
that to attempted murder because as the investigation continued, we got more cooperation from the brother, his brother.
GRACE: His own brother, right?
SNYDER: Who was there that day, so that additional information, once he`d left town, we were able to get that information and allowed our state
attorney to upcharge.
GRACE: Who left town, Sheriff?
SNYDER: The brother.
GRACE: The brother left town.
SNYDER: The fight occurred in the Intercostal Waterway, the brother goes in and saves her life from the drowning, and then gave us an initial
statement, but without him present to continue assisting, the state attorney did not want to file it as an attempted murder. He then became
more cooperative and gave us a better statement, and we were in a much better position to substantiate. You know, you can`t go to court, which is
a trial of probable cause, you have to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and we do think we have that now.
GRACE: Sheriff, let me ask you to please describe the attack on the new girlfriend. So the defense lawyers, Alex Sanchez and Parag Shah, can
better understand the violence.
SNYDER: Well, from what the witness said, two witnesses, one being his brother and from the victim, there doesn`t seem to be any disagreement
that as a result of the argument your reporter laid out over the wake zone, he tried to take her bathing suit top the top, threw her into the water,
dove in after her, held her down, and she was able to struggle free, and it was the second time he held her down that Mook`s brother went in and got
him into a chokehold and actually was able to wrestle him away from the attempted homicide of his then girlfriend.
GRACE: With me is Sheriff William D. Snyder. This is an eerie remembrance, a reminder that the mystery surrounding the disappearance of
his first wife has never been solved. You`re looking at Shelley Lynn Mook right there.
Okay. Parag Shah. Let me ask you this, so a man jerks your wife`s bikini top off, throws her into the water, jumps in after her, pushes her
down as she`s fighting, holds her under. She struggles up, gets a gasp of air, he pushes her down, holds her there and says I`ll kill you and I`ll
teach you to disrespect me in front of my family. To the point your, Parag Shah, brother has to jump in and pull him off. You don`t think that`s
attempted murder? Is that what you two are telling me?
SHAH: Yes, that is not attempted murder. There is no intent to kill. He may be working from kind of a heat of passion, which would establish
probably a domestic violence charge, and according to his attorney, they were horse playing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Joining me right now is the mother of Shelley Mook. With me is Debra Sikora. Thank you for being with us.
DEBRA SIKORA, MOTHER: Thank you once again, Nancy, for having me.
GRACE: I have to tell you, we have never given up on your daughter Shelley. Never. We covered it when she first went missing and her Pontiac
car was found burned out. I know you have the little girl, correct? The daughter?
SIKORA: Yes, that`s correct. My granddaughter is with me. I have custody of her.
GRACE: Can I, before I get on to what has now happened with Robin Donitch, the new girlfriend, can you just tell our viewers because they
have questioned me so many times, how is Shelley`s little girl?
SIKORA: She`s doing quite well. She`s active in some sports and she keeps busy. Of course, she is wondering where her mother is, and she`s
getting older now and able to comprehend a little more the situation she`s in.
GRACE: Debra, where does she think her mom is?
SIKORA: She thinks her mom is gone. That she`s left and she hasn`t been real specific as to where exactly she thinks she is from what her
father`s told her. I believe he told her that she left, left her.
GRACE: Does she ever question you about it?
SIKORA: No. Not particularly, no.
GRACE: Well, you know what, Ms. Sikora, you`re the closest thing to her mommy there is on this earth. So thank God you`re there to take care
of Shelley`s little girl.
GRACE: When you first heard that the new girlfriend had been allegedly thrown overboard, not just thrown overboard, but that your former
son-in-law tried to drown her, repeatedly holding her head under water, were you surprised?
SIKORA: I was not surprised at all by his actions. He has a history of violence toward others. My daughter, obviously, and others, others that
he`s worked with, and I was not surprised. I`m very pleased that the former girlfriend is fine and survived this ordeal.
GRACE: What`s so amazing in this case, Ms. Sikora, everyone, with me is the teacher mom, Shelley Mook`s mother, who is now raising Shelley`s
little girl since her mommy`s car was found burned out. Her Pontiac car was the only trace of Shelley Mook.
Debra, I`m just thinking about what this girlfriend, the new girlfriend went through, being forced underwater over and over and over.
What`s so amazing is, according to eyewitnesses, he did this in full view of other people. He didn`t care who saw him do it.
SIKORA: Yes, yes. That`s my understanding.
GRACE: Debra, do you hold out hope that Shelley is alive?
SIKORA: There is always a glimmer of hope. I hope that she is alive. But as time passes, I need to deal more with the reality of the matter.
There`s been no sighting of her, no evidence of her being alive. I always do hold that hope, though.
GRACE: Ms. Sikora, do you have any communications with the son-in-law at all? Do you all speak regarding at least about the daughter?
SIKORA: No, no. I have full custody. There is a protection order against him in Pennsylvania. He is not able to come close to her and has
not been able to for approximately the past two years, I believe.
GRACE: Everyone, we are talking about Tyler Augustus Mook, who now authorities say tried his best to drown his new girlfriend, Robin Donitch,
by ripping off the top of her bikini swimsuit, throwing her overboard from his speedboat, jumping in himself and pushing her underwater. No matter
how much she fought to try and breathe.
With me is Debra Sikora, this is Shelley Mook`s mother, who is now raising Shelley`s little girl after she goes missing.
Ms. Sikora, you say that you hold out hope that your daughter Shelley is still alive. Does Shelley`s little girl still pray, still believe her
mommy is alive and will come home one day?
SIKORA: Yes, yes, she does. It is hard at her age. She is 9, almost 10 years old, to deal with the reality of life as it is. She still is a
child. She is growing up and becoming more aware of things, seeing more things on social media, experiencing other things.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Parag Shah, Alex Sanchez. You`ve got one mom, the wife, missing. Found her car burned out. Now you`ve got him,
he`s not a suspect in that case. Never been named a suspect. Now you`ve got him trying to kill the girlfriend. You say it is horseplay? Did I
hear you say that?
SHAH: His attorney said it was horseplay. The way you`re describing the facts, it is sounding like that. But it could easily be said, removed
the top, pushed her in the water, playing in the water with her. And we don`t know what --
GRACE: To the point, Alex Sanchez, that his own brother had to save the new girlfriend?
SHAH: Let`s cross-examine that brother.
SANCHEZ: What is troubling me is the fact the officer, I don`t know if they did a mediocre investigation. I`m assuming this woman said, you
know, my husband tried to drown me or stuffed my head under the water twice. If that was known, they could have charged him with attempted
murder then. But they didn`t. Don`t you understand that?
GRACE: Why is everything always about -- you take the focus off the man whose wife is still missing.
SANCHEZ: That`s why they brought the attempted murder charges.
GRACE: -- (inaudible) and focus just, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: -- against him because he had outstanding, he was an outstanding suspect in his former wife`s disappearance.
GRACE: He is not a suspect.
SANCHEZ: What is he then?
GRACE: You know what? I can`t say what he is. But I can say that he is not a suspect.
Very quickly. Dr. William Morrone, how long does it take for someone to drown?
MORRONE: When you`re fighting, when there is an active battle, somebody holding you under, it can be two or three minutes. But it seems
like an eternity. Two or three minutes, somebody holding you down, and then you`re limp and you`re unconscious.
GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember American hero, Army First Lieutenant, Michael Runyan. 24, Newark, Ohio. Bronze Star, Purple Heart,
Ohio Military Medal of Distinction. Loved golfing, tennis, outdoors. Parents Rene and Judge, brother Alex, sister Leslie, fiance Shana. Michael
Runyan. American hero.
Dr. Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night. 8:00 sharp Eastern. Until then, good night, friend.
END
