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Nancy Grace
Missing Girl`s Body Found in Remote Park
Aired March 03, 2015 - 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 a remote desert park, Grand Junction, Colorado. Bombshell tonight. In the last hours, the
body of teen girl Kelly Myers just discovered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly Mae Myers from Grand Junction, Colorado, goes missing without a trace. Kelly hasn`t been in contact with her family
and hasn`t updated her social media pages. Where is Kelly Myers?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Wyckoff (ph), a 9-month-old baby boy rushed to the ER after he ate Mommy`s heroin? And Mommy`s walking free?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A New Jersey mom has avoided jail time after her 9-month-old baby boy nearly died from ingesting heroin. Authorities say
the mother, Tara Bradbury, and her boyfriend initially denied knowing anything about what happened. Reports claim Bradbury has since given birth
to another child while under court-ordered supervised probation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Grafton (ph), North Dakota. A woman puts four children in dog cages? I think she needs to be in a dog cage!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A North Dakota woman has been arrested after shocking allegations that she punished her partner`s four children by
locking them in a dog cage in the basement. Police say that Jordan Nelson (ph) of Grafton disciplined the four children, who are between the ages of
5 and 9, by confining them to a cage, then leaving them alone in the dark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Live to a remote desert park, Grand Junction, Colorado. As we go to air, the body of a teen girl, Kelly Myers, has just
been discovered. We`re in the fact-finding staining of this right now. We don`t know a lot.
But take a look at Kelly Mae Myers. This teen goes missing. An all- out search for her goes on. We know that her social media, Facebook, tweeting, even cell phone has not been used in weeks. How does she end up
in this remote area called Cactus Park that`s part of a much larger federal park?
Take a look at this aerial shot. It`s absolutely beautiful. But why is this teen girl`s body just found there?
To Randy Corporon, talk show host, KLZ. Everybody, you`re seeing video from YouTube. Randy, I don`t understand how this young girl ends up
out in the middle of this remote area.
RANDY CORPORON, KLZ (via telephone): Well, nobody seems to understand it yet. Her family reports that she had told them she was -- threw some
clothes into a suitcase and was heading out to go be with friends. Mesa County, where she lived, is right on the western border of Colorado. So
going to visit friends in Utah could be kind of like going to the mall. But she walked out, and they never saw her again.
GRACE: Everybody, you`re seeing a shot of Kelly Myers. This teen girl has been found dead. Now, she and her family live in Grand Junction.
That`s what we know. We spoke to her sister just before we go to air, and they are in deep, deep grief. What happened to Kelly?
You know, another problem -- to Dr. William Morrone, forensic pathologist joining me out of Madison Heights tonight. Dr. Morrone, the
fact that she has been out in this desert area, no telling -- I mean, I don`t even know if they`re going to be able to get a cause of death. I
don`t know if they`re going to be able to determine how long her body has been there. What can you tell us?
DR. WILLIAM MORRONE, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Well, I can tell you that if it`s cool and if it`s dry and there`s low bug activity, that`s good for
them. But if it`s been wet or if it`s been frozen, those are the things that you won`t be able to establish a date of death. And the stages of
decomposition are dependent on moisture, temperature and insect activity. So if they don`t have any of those three things that they can monitor over
the last few days or weeks, they`re going to have a terrible puzzle and a tremendous...
GRACE: OK, hold on. Hold on. Dr. Morrone, you got to break it down for us. You know, I`m a J.D., you`re an M.D. What I`m asking is, she`s
out in the middle of Cactus Park, which is part of thousands and thousands of natural terrain. It`s a national park. It`s an area I know where a lot
of four-wheelers go to do stunts. And we`re putting out a call to them tonight to help us solve the mystery.
Kelly Myers, everyone -- her body has just been found dead in this remote park. You`re seeing video from YouTube. Four-wheelers gather in
this area a couple of miles away from where Kelly`s body has been found. Do one of them know the answer to this riddle?
For those of you just joining us, Kelly Mae Myers, a teen last seen in December, a search for her body, a search for her, has been going on for
months, and it ended as we go to air tonight.
To Dr. William Morrone. You`re telling me moisture, temperature and what? I mean, we can`t even get a cause of death.
MORRONE: Moisture, temperature and insect activity. If it`s been really, really cold -- they`re going to be working in the dark here. If
it`s been freezing, there`s not enough tables and computers to calculate how far back out an attempted date of death, let alone the cause of death
or the nature.
GRACE: Well, you know what, Dr. Morrone? There`s one thing you medical examiners do take into account. I know you largely look at the
body, and this teen girl`s body`s been found out in Cactus Park. But there are other extrinsic factors that may weigh it into.
For instance, she was very big -- like most young teens, very big into Facebook and tweeting. She has not been on social media, I know of, for
two months -- two months, no tweeting, no Facebooking, nothing, no cell phone use that we know of. For all I know, this girl`s body has been
laying out in Cactus Park in this remote area for two months, all right?
And I also have been trying to find out what led police out here. I mean, you just don`t think to go look on top of a desert plateau for a
body, all right? There had to be a tip. They had to find out. How did they find this body? And what`s the connection to the killer of this girl?
So Morrone, question. We know she hasn`t been on social media for two months. Let me just throw you a hypothetical. If her body has been out
there for two months, are we going learn cause of death? And can you get DNA, such as sperm?
MORRONE: Cause of death is going to be a rule-out. They`re going to have to do full-body X-rays to look for trauma. If there`s trauma, then
you know that this is probably going to lead towards a homicide. Sperm breakdown is one of the problems you`re dealing with. But if it`s been
cold, then you would be having frozen sperm because the environment is your...
GRACE: Dr. Morrone, I thought you could still get sperm -- even though it`s broken down, I mean, it`s still DNA -- years later.
MORRONE: As long as it`s cold enough and there hasn`t been enough degradation of the body. And that`s where insects and animals come in. We
don`t know the condition of the body due to scavengers. And that`s a tough part. And inside the body, gases grow and things explode. That`s kind of
gross, but it`s the truth, so you have...
GRACE: You know, it`s hard to take into account what you`re saying, Dr. Morrone, when you look at the shots of this young girl. Her body has
just been found in a remote area. It`s called Cactus Park. It`s a recreation area south of Grand Junction. It`s about 20 miles away from her
home. She didn`t make it very far. It`s in Mesa County, Colorado. The tip line is 970-242-6707.
You know, Justin Freiman, I learned a lot about her. She had a job at Abra formal clothing there in Grand Junction. She had worked there for a
pretty good little stretch of time. We know that her family is in Grand Junction. We know that her mom, her dad, her sisters, all of her relatives
were there. We know where she went to school. But after that, we don`t know anything else.
Justin, what can you tell me?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Nancy, I can tell you that it seems very surprising from (ph) her family when she did
disappear that she would be gone for that long.
GRACE: You know, you`re seeing shots of the girls` school where Kelly went to school. We believe she may have hitched a ride. She may have
hitched a ride to visit some friends. She was never seen again.
As we go to air tonight, the body of this young girl has been found in Cactus Park. We want answers. Cactus Park is a part of a much larger
national park. It`s just south of Grand Junction, Colorado, Mesa County.
Her family is begging for help tonight. They, too, have just learned her body has been found after an exhaustive search. No media activity
since December. Two months have gone by. The search for Kelly ends tonight. Kelly`s body has just been found, everyone. Tonight, we are
looking for answers.
To Randy Corporon, talk show host, KLZ. What can you tell us about that area being used by four-wheelers to do stunts? It`s very popular.
CORPORON: Yes, there are -- if you go to YouTube or anything else, there are people who -- clubs and individuals who go out there and perform
tricks and do all kinds of heavy-duty four-wheel drive. It`s the perfect set-up for that, lots of open space and hills and bumps. And it`s
absolutely a beautiful, beautiful place.
GRACE: You know, what I`m wondering about also, Randy Corporon, KLZ, is how police got the tip to look in this remote area. What do you know,
Randy?
CORPORON: Yes, the police aren`t telling right now, Nancy. So it`s very, very curious. There`s been an autopsy. They don`t release those
results yet. And they`re not saying how they got pointed to the location of this young girl`s body.
GRACE: You know, right now, we don`t know if her cell phone was with her. We don`t know if any of her identifying documents, such as a driver`s
license, credit cards, any of that was even with her. We don`t know if she was clothed.
We know this. There`s a positive ID on the body just found. The search has been going on now for two months, and the search is ending
tonight. We spoke with her family just before we went to air, and they are wracked with grief right now. They`ve been holding out hope all along that
by some miracle, Kelly would be found alive. But what we know -- Kelly`s body has just been found.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators continue to search for answers. Missing Kelly Myers of Grand Junction, Colorado, packs a small bag and
heads out, saying she`s going out of town for a weekend and never returns home, is never seen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: This teen girl, we fear, tried to hitchhike to visit friends. She was never seen again. As we go to air tonight, we learn the body of
this teen girl, Kelly Mae Myers, has been found in a remote area of Cactus Park. Now, Cactus Park is part of a national conservancy, the Dominguez-
Escalante. It`s famous for dinosaur digs -- you`re seeing video of it right here from YouTube. There`s been dinosaur digs there, and cactus
searches. It`s very famous for that.
Not only that, in recent years it`s become famous for four-wheelers. They get together out there and do stunts and practice. There are
thousands and thousands of acres involved. There`s video from YouTube about what we`re talking about.
Why was this teen girl`s body found in this remote area? Take a look, Kelly Mae Myers, teen girl. Why did she end up there? Many court watchers
and legal eagles believe that she went missing almost immediately after she allegedly goes hitchhiking, trying to catch a ride to visit friends. That
means she would have left her Grand Junction home in mid-December, toward the end of December, tried to hitchhike just a few miles away to see
friends, and never seen again.
Also tonight, we don`t know what led police to this remote area. To Randy Corporon, KLZ. We spoke to her family just before we went to air,
and they are grief-stricken. They were holding out hope for a miracle. They say, all along, they knew that it was uncharacteristic, completely
unlike her to be gone this long without touching base. Many people believe she tried to hitch a ride and ended up dead.
So Randy, what do you know about her background? We know she went to school. We know that she had the job at the formalwear, Abra Formal Wear,
where you rent tuxedos and long dresses. What more do we know?
CORPORON: Well, as you said, the family has talked about how she was always so happy and she was so active. But it`s a tragic story, Nancy.
Her mother died of a car accident, serious injuries from a car accident, back in 2001. And her father was there on December 18th, the last time any
family member saw her alive.
GRACE: Back to Dr. William Morrone, forensic pathologist. I`ve got those temperatures you were asking for because I really want to know this
girl`s cause of death. I can tell you this, Dr. Morrone. She didn`t go out on her own to a remote desert area and die on top of a plateau, OK? I
think you and I can both agree on that, even though we haven`t gotten the autopsy, the medical examiner`s report back yet.
So in January, temps were 2 to 58. In February there in Cactus Park, temps were 17 to 60. And it seems to me, Dr. Morrone, that even with
varying temperatures, if she had a broken bone, if she had a gunshot wound, possibly even a stabbing death, if the blade nicked one of her bones, that
they would be able to tell that, regardless of the temperatures. I mean, I feel like you`re getting hung up on the temperatures unnecessarily.
MORRONE: Well, the temperatures are for the date of death, not for the cause of death. The actual physical exam and the autopsy is for the
cause of death. So I separated out the two, but I mixed them in. Now, it`s important, the longer she`s there, the more suspect we are for foul
play, gunshots, knife wounds. And that`s what they`ll find in the autopsy. But if people want to know whether she died two weeks ago or eight weeks
ago, that`s really the...
GRACE: OK, now I understand what you`re saying. See, I`m talking about cause of death, you`re talking about cause of death and date of
death. I mean, if there was a gunshot wound, possibly even a strangulation, we would be able to tell that even if her body was
deteriorated, correct?
MORRONE: Excellent. Excellent. Absolutely, 100 percent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly Mae Myers from Grand Junction, Colorado, goes missing without a trace. Kelly hasn`t been in contact with her family
and hasn`t updated her social media pages. Where is Kelly Myers?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, the search for Kelly Myers comes to an end. The young girl`s body has been found in a remote area of Cactus Park, Colorado.
Cactus Park is part of a larger national conservancy, the Dominguez- Escalante, thousands and thousands of acres.
Right now, we don`t have a cause of death. We don`t -- we know one thing. She didn`t take herself up on top of one of these plateaus and die.
Many people believe, including family, that she may have been hitchhiking to a friend`s home when she disappeared.
Now, there is talk, Justin Freiman, from her family that she was last seen near a compact, hitching a ride in a compact car. What do we know
about that?
FREIMAN: That`s right, Nancy. Her uncle had seen her right about the time that she disappeared, within a few days, possibly even that day, and
he said she left in a smaller car with Washington license plates, but couldn`t remember the exact type of car.
GRACE: So a smaller car. Randy Corporon, KLZ, joining us -- family says she was in a small car intending to hitchhike to friends. Do we know
if she ever made it to the friends` home? Because I don`t think she did.
MORRONE: I`ve read through a lot of reports this morning, Nancy, and I didn`t find anything at all that indicated that anybody had any of that
information. Nobody reported seeing her. Nobody reported talking to her after she left home on December 18th.
GRACE: We know that she was last seen by her father and her grandmother. She was reported almost immediately after they realized she
hadn`t been seen. Her body has just been found in a desert park.
Tonight, we are calling on all of the ATV vehicle owners, the four- wheelers that go to Cactus Park, have you seen Kelly? Why was her body found there. Tip line, 970-242-6707.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Live Wyckoff, a nine month old baby boy rushed to the emergency room after the baby eats mommy`s heroin? And mommy is walking
free tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A young mom who allowed her nine month old baby to ingest heroin has reportedly given birth to a second baby boy. 24-year-old
Tara Bradbery was arrested after paramedics found her first child unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for a
heroin overdose. Bradbery and her boyfriend denied knowing what happened to the child, but police found that was not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Let me understand this, Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com. A tiny baby eats the mother`s heroin? And mommy is walking
free tonight? The baby has intense brain swelling. And is rushed to the ER. And mommy is free. What happened, Candace?
TRUNZO: This is such an outrageous situation, Nancy. It is just hard to believe. It is about a year ago in February. It was Valentine`s Day.
And instead of being high on love, this mom and her boyfriend were high on heroin. Unbelievable. And they left the heroin hanging about. And
somehow this nine month old baby boy ingested the heroin and that was it. Paramedics were called. He was unresponsive. He had a bruise on his head.
They took him to the hospital. Swelling on the brain. Unbelievable.
GRACE: You know, this is an extremely well to do area. Wyckoff. Joining me right now, I`m hearing in my ear a special guest. Warren
Sutnick, the lawyer for mommy`s boyfriend. Thank you for being here.
WARREN SUTNICK, ATTORNEY: Thank you, Nancy.
GRACE: You know, I`m all for drug court. I`m all for rehab. As much as I could possibly request it in court, I always did. Up until a point
where it was an intent to distribute case or somebody had three or four drug offenses. At a certain point, you run out of rehab. Money from the
government.
But when the baby eats the heroin, Warren, please explain to me why that should be pretrial intervention or straight probation. I don`t get
it. If they just had a drug problem, that is one thing. But when the baby eats the heroin and is rushed to the ER, has brain swelling, that is when
mommy needs to go to jail.
SUTNICK: Well, Nancy, let me say this. First of all I represent Mark who at the time was involved in a relationship with the mother, Tara. And
a couple of things here that are very important to point out. First of all, Mark was charged with a three third degree offense, a third-degree
felony. And he has pled guilty for that felony. So he has taken full responsibility for his actions that evening.
I should say at the time that this happened, Mark was incarcerated for 80 days until we were able to get his bail lowered and he was transferred
right into an in-patient drug treatment program, where he spent another month. After that, he then went to a sober living house and now continues
with outpatient treatment. So I`m very hopeful and very confident that Mark is going to be able to move forward from this and deal with --
GRACE: You know what, I`m really happy that Mark is going to move forward. With me is Warren Sutnick, the lawyer for the mom`s boyfriend.
But that still leaves the unanswered question about the baby eating heroin. Is it true, Warren Sutnick, that the mom has now had another baby?
SUTNICK: Well, that was actually news to me. Although I did confirm a couple of hours ago. It is my understanding that she has had another
child. Mark has had very limited contact with her throughout this case. Certainly over the past couple of months.
GRACE: You know what? That`s smart. That is probably the best legal advice you ever gave him. Stay away from mommy.
Unleash the lawyers. Jason Oshins out of New York, also out of Philly, Danny Cevallos, defense attorney. First to you, Jason Oshins.
Please give me one good reason. Not only did the baby eat mommy`s heroin. So obviously it is a tiny baby. It can`t get around. So the heroin had to
be in a location for the baby to get it. Not only that, she`s now had another baby. Why should this woman not be in jail, Jason?
OSHINS: Various states take first time drug offenses despite the fact that, you know, this child of hers was harmed with the brain swelling. A
lot of times you will find states that will give you for a first time drug offense the opportunity for pre-trial intervention.
GRACE: Hold on. I hear you. I know that you said first time drug offense. Yes, it is her -- the first time she`s been caught on her drug
offense. But that is not all it is. This child has brain swelling, Jason. It is not just her doing heroin.
Let`s take a look at faces of drugs, including heroin. This is what happens. This is what happens to people. And now a baby has ingested
heroin. Take a look at from rehabs.com what happens when you are on heroin. This is what happens. It is not just mommy I`m talking about,
Jason Oshins. I hear what you are saying, first time offense. But by the time you are to heroin, you and I both know that mommy`s probably been
through every drug in the book. Not only does she have one child, now another baby is going to be exposed to this, Jason?
OSHINS: Well, certainly pre-trial, you know, will take control of the child to see the well-being is maintained. Many times put the child with
relatives or in foster care. But we`re talking specifically about the charges she`s facing, and a lot of it will turn out on the health of the
baby going forward.
GRACE: Okay. Cevallos, weigh in.
CEVALLOS: Look, this is clearly a case of opiate addiction. It is the scourge of our country. Mom is an addict. She is not necessarily a
criminal. There are thousands of people like her. Whether it is a first or third offense, people cannot kick opiate addiction. What will happen,
if you want justice, if you want justice, then trust me. CP and P will investigate mom and if appropriate, will terminate her parental rights --
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Okay. Listen for one moment. Listen, Matt, it is not just about doing heroin and leaving it out for your baby to eat and have brain
swelling and rushed to the ER. These two tried to hide it and lie to police about what happened. Matt Zarrell, please explain to Jason Oshins
and Danny Cevallos what you and I know. I`d like to see the lawyers as they soak it in. The depths that mommy went to, to hide how her baby
ingested heroin. Go ahead, Matt.
ZARRELL: So authorities say the couple at first denied knowing anything about what happened. They knew nothing. Then the cops seized
their cell phones and they looked at text messages, specifically deleted text messages between the couple in which they talked about the plan to
deny they knew the baby had eaten heroin.
CEVALLOS: Nancy, we are going back to the original charge, which was endangerment.
GRACE: You are. I`m talking about the facts. I know what you`re doing. You are trying to say, look over here, Nancy, not at the facts.
Matt, I want to get back to the deleted emails, Matt Zarrell. Please keep the defense lawyers up, Liz, as they, you know, drink in the fact that this
woman not only leaves out heroin for the baby to eat. The baby nearly dies, but then tried to cover it all up. And blame who, Matt? Did the
baby go out and score a hit of heroin on the corner?
ZARRELL: That is a great question because it appears here they were claiming ignorance. They didn`t know what happened. But the deleted text
messages specifically say, indicating they were both aware the child has ingested narcotics, and their intention to deny any knowledge of that.
GRACE: Dr. Charles Sophy, you got to help me out. Liz, please show what could happen to the baby. Dr. Sophy, psychiatrist in L.A. Author of
"Side by Side." I mean, are they to the point where it doesn`t matter if your baby eats heroin?
SOPHY: The bottom line is a drug addict is a drug addict. Their brain chemistry is thrown off. They don`t think properly. Their judgment
is off, and at the end of the day it is child endangerment.
GRACE: To Dr. William Morrone. What lasting effects can there be of a tiny baby eating heroin and mommy walking free?
MORRONE: You might not like this, but I agree a little bit with the last guy. The first thing we need to do is make sure the child`s opiate
overdose is reversed. And all across America in about 27 different states, naloxone is the antagonist to reverse opiate overdose death. We have
20,000 overdose opiate deaths. There is probably 4 or 5 million people using heroin. And there is another 20 million misusing opiates. This has
to be out in high risk communities, in pain patients, yes, and in drug addicts, to prevent death of children around the scene. Because it has to
be stop the deaths first, and then get people help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Tonight, we go live tonight to Grafton, North Dakota. A woman puts four children in dog cages. Well, I think she needs to be in a dog
cage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A North Dakota woman has been arrested after shocking allegations that she punished her partner`s four children by
locking them in a dog cage in the basement. One of the children was also allegedly forced to eat dog food.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Okay. So this woman puts four children in dog cages. This is her pictured right here. This is not the first time children have been
forced to live in dog cages. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, police rescue 11 children, children kept in cages. Cages built off chicken wire and 2 x 4s. First, a 10-year-old boy placed
in a cage wearing an electronic shock collar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A three-year-old girl was allegedly kept in a cage, according to authorities. But that`s not all. The allegations if
proven to be true, disturbing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Out to Michelle Southern. This woman puts four children in dog cages and makes them live in the basement, forcing them to eat dog food
until the children actually begin to vomit? I don`t understand how long did it go on and how was it discovered, Michelle?
SOUTHERN: Well, one of the boys was inside the dog cage. They were ages 5, 6, and 8. And the reports actually indicate that she would put
them down in the basement to punish them. Turn the lights off. And one of the children actually had to draw a picture of himself in the cage with the
words "help me," and that`s how it was discovered.
GRACE: Did you say he drew a picture of himself with the words what?
SOUTHERN: Help me. It was a picture of him in the cage and the words "help me" written right underneath it.
GRACE: Bottom line, Michael Christian. This woman is the friend of the mom. Jordan McKay Nelson (ph) is the friend. It seems to me that the
mother had to know what was going on. This is not the first time the children had been put in cages. For those of you just joining us, children
forced to live in dog cages, placed down in the basement, turning the lights off. Making the children eat dog food. Now as of tonight, the only
one charged is the mom`s friend. Jordan McKay Nelson. But how could mommy not know what was going on?
CHRISTIAN: Unfortunately, there is a lot about the case the police just haven`t told us. We don`t know exactly the time frame when this
happened or how often it happened. But we do know it must have happened more than once. Because the oldest boy who was nine told police he gets
put in the cage when he`s not listening.
GRACE: Out to the lines. Hi, Lisa. What is your question?
CALLER: Can I please ask the question, Nancy -- hi, I`m sorry. Can her punishment be hopefully her being put in the cage herself, which is
prison?
GRACE: You know, I want her not only to be put in a cage but I want her to eat dog food until she vomits. Because that is what she did to
these children. And what`s interesting to me, Lisa who has just called in, she`s the only one charged. Are you trying to tell me, Michael Christian,
that mommy didn`t know anything about her children, ages, 5, 6, and 8 being forced into a dog cage, forced to eat dog food until they vomited? I think
mommy needs to be in on this as well.
CHRISTIAN: All I can tell you is at this point the mother is not charged and there is nothing in the police affidavit mentioned her.
GRACE: I don`t understand why. Unleash the lawyers. Jason Oshins out of New York, Danny Cevallos out of Philly. Cevallos, why shouldn`t
mommy be charged with this?
CEVALLOS: Mommy might have a legitimate constitutional defense, Nancy. She may not be mom of the year but parents do have a constitutional
right to discipline their children. And that includes confining them places. Is a dog cage a particularly nice place? Listen --
GRACE: Are you telling --
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: -- founding fathers okayed putting children in dog cages.
CEVALLOS: Our founding fathers did a lot worse than put kids in dog cages, Nancy.
GRACE: -- eating dog food. Hold on. --
CEVALLOS: I think our founding fathers would have totally authorized that.
GRACE: Are you actually saying that it is constitutional to put children in dog cages and make them eat dog food?
CEVALLOS: No. You have to listen. That is not what I said. What I said is parents have a right to confine their children to places. Maybe a
timeout room. Maybe even a closet. It stands to reason that constitutionally, that could extend to a cage. After all, there is no
striking involved. There is no cutting involved. There is no actual physical abuse. And parents have a limited constitutional right to
discipline their children, including putting them in a timeout.
GRACE: Now this time, you need to listen. Because just because you, Danny Cevallos, keep saying it over and over, doesn`t make it true. You
are saying that parents have a right to discipline children, I agree, but that does not extend to any case law I`ve ever seen to putting children in
dog cages and making them eat dog food, Danny. Do you know of a single case that allows that?
CEVALLOS: No, I don`t. And that`s why this could be a case of first impression.
GRACE: Okay, Jason.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I know you`re a defense lawyer. I also know you have a little boy and a little girl. Now, are you actually going to buy into -- this is
a real litmus test, Oshins. Are you going to buy into the fact that parents have a constitutional right to discipline, including putting
children in a dog cage in a basement with the lights off and make them eat dog food?
OSHINS: Nancy, I`m going to acknowledge my co-defense counsel that different states afford different degrees of --
GRACE: Don`t make me lose all respects for you, Jason. You`re walking a fine line here.
OSHINS: Nancy, my approach in representing, if I was representing the defendant here, I`m going to go dish on mom. What did mom order, what did
mom know?
GRACE: You better.
OSHINS: I am going to cut a deal, and I`m going to dump on mom and have her parental rights removed.
GRACE: What I call that defense is S.O.D. Some other dude did it. I didn`t do it. Mommy did it. An interesting fact, to Dr. Charles Sophy,
these children may very well not want to rat out their own mother, because even -- the worst mothers in the world very often the children are very
attached to them, they love them even though they are abused and mistreated, so they very well may blame the mom`s friend instead.
SOPHY: There is no child that wants to put their parents on the line like that and risk losing them, but that`s the conflict. Because they are
angry at what they did, but they really love them and feel guilty, and that`s where the mental health treatment has to focus.
GRACE: Michael Christian, why is it the mom is not part of this charging decision? Why is only mom`s friend pictured here, Jordan McKay
Nelson?
CHRISTIAN: That is something that we can not answer because the police have not answered that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A North Dakota woman has been arrested after shocking allegations that she punished her partner`s four children by
locking them in a dog cage in the basement. Police say that Jordan Nelson of Grafton disciplined the four children, who are between the ages of 5 and
9, by confining them to a cage and then leaving them alone in the dark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Back to you, Michael Christian, children aged 5, 6, 8 and 9 forced by Jordan Nelson into dog cages in a dark basement and forced to eat
dog food until they vomit. Michael Christian, could you tell me, is there a plea offer in the works in this case?
CHRISTIAN: You know, I don`t think it`s gotten to that part, Nancy. They haven`t had a preliminary hearing yet. Right now this defendant is
out on $20,000 bond, but they have not got to the point where I think they have reached that point of plea negotiations.
GRACE: Michelle Southern, do we know where the children are? Please tell me they are not back with the mommy.
SOUTHERN: The woman, the suspect has been ordered to stay away from the children. That was one of the conditions of her $20,000 bond.
GRACE: That she has no contact with the children. But do we know where the children are? Are they back with the mother?
SOUTHERN: The police report (inaudible). The important thing is that the suspect, this woman, is no longer allowed --
GRACE: Michael Christian, I don`t really buy into that, because if the mother let this happen before, forget about Jordan Nelson not being
near the children. If the mom is the one responsible, not her friend, the mom is responsible for her children. She let this happen before. Why
should she get the children back? Do we know where they are, Michael?
CHRISTIAN: We don`t, Nancy. Police have not released that information.
GRACE: You know, another issue, Michael, is that nobody else knew? No teacher knew? No neighbor knew? No friend knew? No one knew what was
going on in that house? I find that very hard to believe, Michael. Very hard.
CHRISTIAN: It`s interesting, Nancy, because one of the neighbors said that he found the charges really hard to believe because the defendant
always seemed very friendly and always easygoing.
GRACE: Everyone, we are bringing you a story about this woman, 23- year-old Jordan McKay Nelson, forcing her friend`s children into the basement, into the basement in dog cages, forced to eat dog food until they
vomited. I pray there will not be a sweetheart deal, and tonight I`m asking local prosecutors why mommy is not part of this. She didn`t know
what was happening with her own children? She didn`t wonder why they are vomiting up dog food in the basement? I would wonder.
Let`s stop and remember American hero, Marine Corporal Michael Ledsome, 24, Brownwood, Texas, Purple Heart, National Defense Service
Medal. Loved golf and the Texas Longhorns. Parents, Tammy and Mike. Step parents Kevin and Shauna. Brother Brad, who also served in the Marines,
sister Alex, widow Megan, son Caleb. Michael Ledsome, American hero.
And happy birthday to South Carolina friend, 10-year-old Nini. Happy birthday. Drew up next with the latest on the LAPD shooting scandal. I`ll
see you tomorrow night at 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
