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Paula Zahn Now
BTK Describes Murders in Open Court; Another Summer of the Shark?
Aired June 27, 2005 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. Glad to have you with us tonight.
Tonight, shedding light on two killers, one a part of nature, the other a chilling reminder of the evil that some humans can do.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): The calm, cold demeanor of a serial killer.
DENNIS RADER, CONFESSED BTK KILLER: Just a neighborly type thing. It wasn't anything personal.
ZAHN: Describing his crimes without feeling.
RADER: Well, it was total mess, because I didn't have control on it. She was bleeding.
ZAHN: Without remorse.
RADER: I had some sexual fantasies. But that was after she was hung.
ZAHN: Inside the mind of BTK.
And terror on the Gulf Coast, sharks along the shoreline.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have seen a lot of bad things in my line of duty. And that was the most horrific thing that I have seen.
ZAHN: Tonight, two attacks in three days. And the summer has just begun.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: We start tonight with something so rare, so disturbing that you might not want your young children to listen to this. It's two perspectives of a single murder, accounts from an eyewitness and from the killer himself.
In a Kansas courthouse today, Dennis Rader pleaded guilty to 10 BTK serial killings. The initials stand for bind, torture, and kill. For almost 40 minutes, in vivid, excruciating detail, Rader described every single killing, including this one, 24-year-old Shirley Vian, who was strangled in 1977 while her 5-year-old son watched.
Last March, in an unforgettable interview, Steve Relford relived that terrifying day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: When he came to your front door, after having gone to the home a couple homes down, what did he say to you to get inside?
STEVE RELFORD, SON OF BTK VICTIM: Are your parents here?
ZAHN: And then he just...
RELFORD: Where are your parents?
ZAHN: And then he just walked in?
RELFORD: Yes. After I said, my mother's sick in bed, I let the BTK in my house.
RADER: Told them I was private detective. And, at that the time, I had the gun here and I just kind of forced myself in. I just walked in, just opened the door and walked in.
RELFORD: So, immediately, he starts pulling down the blinds, turns off the TV, reaches in his shoulder holster and pulls out a pistol.
RADER: I told Mrs. Vian that I had a problem with sexual fantasies, that I was going to tie her up and that I might have to tie the kids up.
RELFORD: The phone rang. I asked mom, do you want me to answer it? No. Leave it alone, he said.
RADER: So, we went back to her bedroom. And I proceeded to tie the kids up. And they started crying and got real upset, so I said, oh, this is not going work.
RELFORD: At the time, my brother and sister, they start tripping out.
RADER: So we moved them to the bathroom. She helped me. And then I tied the door shut. We put some toys and blankets and odds and ends in there for the kids to make them as comfortable as we could.
We tied the -- we tied one of the bathroom doors shut, so they couldn't open it. And then we shoved -- she went back to help me shove the bed up against the other bathroom door.
RELFORD: He told my mom to put some toys and blankets in the bathroom for us kids.
RADER: And then I proceeded to tie her up. She got sick, threw up. I got her a glass of water, comforted her a little bit. And then I went ahead and tied her up and then put a bag over her head and strangled her.
ZAHN: How much of the horror did you actually see? RELFORD: The plastic bag and the rope going on over her head and around her neck.
ZAHN: So, you...
RELFORD: That was the last time I seen my mother alive.
JUDGE GREGORY WALLER: Was this to gratify some sexual interest or...
RADER: Yes, sir.
RELFORD: What possessed him to kill my mother and these other innocent folks out here? He had no right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Steve told me in March that witnessing his mother's death ruined his life. It says -- or he says it drove him to alcohol and drugs.
Well, today in court, Dennis Rader said killing his victims was a sexual turn-on, a twisted confession that is no surprise to the people who spent more than 30 years trying to understand him and stop him.
Their story from David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLER: What did you do then?
RADER: I took her to the basement and eventually hung her.
WALLER: You hung her in the basement?
RADER: Yes, sir.
WALLER: Did you do anything else at that time?
RADER: Yes, I had some sexual fantasies. But that was after she was hung.
TONY RUARK, PSYCHOLOGIST: If you look back on this man, it's always all about him. His victims died for his gratification.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Looking into the eyes of a mass murderer, psychologist Tony Ruark sees exactly the man he's been looking for since 1979. That year, as a young family man, he assisted the Wichita police in the hunt for the serial killer BTK. He read BTK's chilling letters and found himself inside the mind of a monster.
RUARK: I think what bothered me the most was his description of when he murdered the young Otero girl and hung her in the basement of their home, because that is where he spent the most time talking about the ecstasy of that feeling, of watching her struggle and beg for mercy and his enjoyment of that.
MATTINGLY: And as he watched Dennis Rader's stunning courtroom confession, the killer Ruark came to know as a depraved homicidal egomaniac was, in true character, he believes, enjoying the spotlight.
RUARK: Look at this very occurrence. The television cameras are there. The public was there at 6:00 in the morning to wait to get the seats. He's the center of attention. This man enjoys that aspect of it.
MATTINGLY (on camera): If he's getting that much out of this, is there justice in this?
RUARK: Yes, I think there is justice in this. He's also not going to commit any more...
MATTINGLY (voice-over): (AUDIO GAP) Rader's matter-of-fact accounting of his crimes and his apparent lack of compassion was to expected. Rader's frequent letters and poems to the media and authorities long ago painted a portrait of a killer without remorse.
RADER: The strangulation wasn't working on her and I used a knife on her.
WALLER: You say you used a knife on her.
RADER: Yes.
WALLER: What did you do with the knife?
RADER: I stabbed her -- she was either stabbed two or three times, either here or here.
MATTINGLY: Rader confirms what police always believed, that his victims were selected at random, trolling, he called it in court. He referred to the murders as putting his victims down and called them projects.
RADER: They were called projects, hits.
WALLER: And why did you have these potential hits? Was this to gratify some sexual interest or...
RADER: Yes, sir. I had a lot of them. So it just -- if one didn't work out, I just moved to another one.
MATTINGLY: His attorneys did not seek the insanity defense. Rader claimed he knew exactly what he doing. His words were met with silence in the courthouse.
RELFORD: I just wish I could get five minutes with him. But...
MATTINGLY: As a young child, Steve Relford watched helplessly as Rader murdered his mother, Shirley Vian, in 1977.
RELFORD: I seen the same thing I seen back in 1977, when my mom was killed, the same cold anguish.
MATTINGLY (on camera): But the story of Dennis Rader could have several morning chapters because there was no death penalty in Kansas when he committed his crimes. He could the rest of his natural life seeking the spotlight from behind bars.
(voice-over): For others close to Rader, there will be a lifetime of questions. How could they have suspected nothing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My answers will be in my faith. And my faith and the faith of our congregation will carry us through.
MATTINGLY: Paul Carlstead (ph) attended a Park City Lutheran church with Rader and his family for 30 years. He says the church has rallied around and taken collections for Rader's devastated wife. The Rader home will soon be put up for auction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: That was David Mattingly reporting.
As we said earlier, Dennis Rader told the judge today that he killed people to fulfill his sexual fantasies.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADER: That was it. I went -- took -- she went through -- I tied it -- she was already dead. So, I took pictures of her in different forms of bondage. And that's probably what got me in trouble was the bondage thing. So, anyway, that's probably the -- the main thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Joining me now from Kansas is Wichita district attorney Nola Foulston, who has spent almost 30 years being exposed to this case.
Thank you very much for being with us.
You hear this testimony, and it makes you absolutely sick to your stomach. Why wasn't this man charged with sexually assaulting his victims?
NOLA FOULSTON, WICHITA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Well, during the period of time that these assaults and other crimes related to the homicides occurred, the statute of limitations had run, because police didn't have Mr. Rader in custody.
So, any of those crimes, usually the burglaries, the sexual assaults, the thefts that might have occurred at the same time as the homicides, those would be subjected to two-year statute of limitations. And, unfortunately, they were not able to be included. The penalty or the statute of limitations for a first-degree murder is without any statute. And so, those could be brought at any time.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: But you have fervently believed all along that these were sexual crimes?
FOULSTON: Yes, they were.
And, unfortunately, you can't bring those other allegations with the crimes of homicides, because they don't survive the statute of limitations problems. But they are definitely, most definitely, each and every one of them, sexual crimes that are sexual homicides committed by a sexual psychopath. And we see that in court today with the limited amount of information that was given before the court during the plea by Mr. Rader.
ZAHN: One of the pieces of testimony that was particularly disturbing and chilling was when he recounted killing one of his victims and then taking her body to church. Why?
FOULSTON: That would be the -- that would be the killing of Marine Hedge.
In that particular instance, he killed Mrs. Hedge in her home, after he had broken into the house and waited a period of time after he had strangled her within the home. And, by the way, this was one of his neighbors. And I think he talked a little bit about just being neighborly.
He removed her body from the home, along with items of her clothing, and then took to her to what was then the old Christ Lutheran Church, and brought her into the church, where he photographed her in different positions of bondage.
ZAHN: And he told it in such a dispassionate way. Was there anything about that that surprised you? You were someone who has pored over every single piece of evidence associated with this case.
FOULSTON: You know, Paula, the talking that he -- the discussion that he had in court with the judge was totally dispassionate.
If you listened to his testimony, each time that he talked about killing a human being, he talked about putting them down. This was a compliance officer for the city of the Park City whose duty was to take care of animals. And animals, when they're euthanized, are put down. He never once talked about murdering these people. He talked about putting them down.
So, you're reflecting upon an individual who is not only talking about the sexual fantasies and the sexual assaults and the murder of 10 human beings. But he relates them to nothing more than putting down what he would consider to be animals in this testimony that he gave in court today.
ZAHN: DA Foulston, what haunts you most about what you heard today? FOULSTON: I think that, because of the fact that I'm totally immersed in the evidence in this particular case, to know the facts and to know and live with the photographs of these episodes and to listen to this individual as he relays in this court this information in the most controlled manner, the way in which he controlled his subjects, and his wish to control the court system, his wish to control the media, I think that fact is that this is a serial killer who wants, above all, to be recognized for something that he did that he knows is -- is a sick episode in the lives of many people.
(CROSSTALK)
FOULSTON: And yet this individual has no remorse.
I think that it's unfortunate that we spend our time talking about him, rather than celebrating the lives of the people that were killed. And I know that we'll have to study this individual for his illness and sickness in being this kind of a person. But I wish that he would go away and that would be the end of him and that we could start anew.
ZAHN: I think a lot of people share that wish tonight.
DA Foulston, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate your joining us tonight.
FOULSTON: Thank you, Paula. I appreciate it. Thank you.
ZAHN: Thanks.
Coming up next, a surfer fights to try to save a teenage girl during a vicious shark attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM DICUS, SHARK ATTACK WITNESS: She was floating face down. And that is why I had to go in right then, because she was going to drown if I didn't get her face out of the water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Coming up, a day at the beach turns into a deadly encounter with nature.
And the search for Natalee Holloway goes on. I'll be talking with her mother about the latest on the suspects and the investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Still ahead, you'll get a front row seat on a search that's finally getting serious and high-tech.
Right now, though, 18 minutes past the hour. Time for Erica Hill at Headline News to update the other top stories.
Hi, Erica. Welcome back.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paula. Thanks. Thanks for having me back. Nice to be back.
We start off in Washington, where both sides can claim a win in the battle over the Ten Commandments. A split decision from the Supreme Court today means monuments like the one you see here can stay on public property. However, the court decided they cannot be displayed inside a courtroom.
In Iraq, two American pilots were killed when their Apache helicopter crashed in Baghdad today. Another U.S. soldier died in a firefight. Nearly 900 American troops have been killed in the first year of Iraqi sovereignty. And an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Iraqis have died, the latest, a bombing in eastern Baghdad that killed four and injured another 29 today; 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the president's overall job performance. That's according to the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll.
It is the highest disapproval ever for Mr. Bush. The poll finds Americans are worried about the economy, health care and Social Security, as well as energy.
And, speaking of energy, oil prices on the rise, closing up above the $60-a-barrel mark for the first time today. It even flirted with the $61 level, just what you want to hear as everybody gears up for their summer vacations, Paula.
ZAHN: Ouch. That's when we all think about walking.
HILL: Exactly.
ZAHN: See you again in about a half-hour from now.
Coming up. Natalee Holloway's mother is getting angry and impatient with the search for her missing daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: We have been here for a month. And all we've had to do is focus on leads and tips and this (INAUDIBLE) investigation. And we have not turned loose one of them. So, I still think there are plenty of other options to pursue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: A mother's anger. Plus, some of the suspects go free.
And then a little bit later on, a shark attack and the surfer who attempted a heroic rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: In a world of more than six billion people, there are only about 60 unprovoked shark attacks every year. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being attacked by a shark. But two shark attacks 95 miles away from each other within three days, that is news.
The first one happened on Saturday at Miramar Beach, Florida, where a 14-year-old girl was killed. Her story in just a moment.
The other happened just a few hours ago at Cape San Blas, where a teenage boy was fishing on a sandbar.
Adaora Udoji joins me now from Bay Medical Center in Panama City, where the boy was flown for treatment.
Adaora, what happened?
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Craig Hutto, it's a 16- year-old boy who was here in the Panhandle vacationing with his family.
According to sheriff's deputies, they were fishing, as you said. They were using shrimping as bait about 60 yards from shore. They were in the water up to their waist when suddenly a shark attacked. Witnesses said they heard screaming, that they saw gushes of red that flowed into the ocean.
And he was immediately pulled to shore. And as would happen to be, there was a doctor there, who administered emergency medical assistance. And then he was airlifted, as you said, here to Bay Medical Center. And, of course, Paula, his parents are watching this entire thing taking place on the beach.
ZAHN: Oh. What a nightmare. And how's the little boy doing tonight?
UDOJI: Hospital spokeswoman says that he suffered severe injuries to his leg and also to his hand. We're told that he went into surgery immediately. It was two surgeons working for about two hours.
They say, at this point, he's now critical, but stable, though he will be in surgery again tomorrow morning. But they do have every expectation that he will make it.
ZAHN: And I imagine his family is feeling a little hopeful based on what doctors have told him today. And at the beginning of the day, it didn't seem like there was any good news.
UDOJI: Exactly.
In fact, the hospital here, they said that when the family came in -- I mean, as you can well imagine, they were in absolute pieces. We spoke with that spokeswoman not too long ago, several hours later. And she said that they were feeling a little bit calmer because he had gone through that surgery and apparently had done so very well.
ZAHN: Well, we hope his progress continues.
Adaora Udoji in Panama City, Florida, thanks so much for the update. Appreciate it.
And, as I mentioned a little bit earlier, the other shark attack happened about 95 miles away on Saturday in the water off Miramar Beach, Florida. This one was deadly, despite the heroic effort of a surfer who saw it all happen. His name is Tim Dicus. And he is the focus of tonight's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profile.
Here's Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saturday June 25, a sparkling day on the Florida Panhandle's Emerald Coast. And two teenage girls, one of them 14-year-old Jamie Daigle of Gonzales, Louisiana, were floating on their boogie boards far beyond the beach-hugging crowds.
(on camera): In fact, the girls were extremely far out into the water. Eyewitness say those two girls on boogie boards were out here, past the second sandbar, a good 200 yards from the beach.
Local surfer Tim Dicus was catching waves on the side of the second sandbar and took notice when the girls went out.
TIM DICUS, WITNESS: Well, when the girls went out too far, that was -- it disturbed me. So, I keep an eye on anybody that goes out any further than I do.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Dicus was concerned about sharks. Although attacks are rare, sightings occur almost every day. Mostly, they are species not harmful to man, but tiger sharks and aggressive and persistent bull sharks can be found here close to shore, feeding on the gulf's plentiful schools of bait shift.
Still, it was a gorgeous day, says Dicus, nothing unusual, until he saw the shadow of a shark, a fin, then a scream.
(on camera): The scream, you knew what that scream meant?
DICUS: Yes, pretty much. As soon as I turned around and saw situation, I knew pretty much what had happened. So...
GRIFFIN: And your decision...
DICUS: Was to go get the girl.
GRIFFIN: Right. Go right into...
DICUS: Go get the girl.
GRIFFIN: Right into the blood pool.
DICUS: Yes. So, I went in and got her.
GRIFFIN: No hesitation?
DICUS: Not a bit. And I'd do it again right now.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jamie Daigle had been attacked. Her friend was already rushing to shore. But Dicus turned towards the shark and paddled his 9-foot surfboard directly into a growing pool of blood.
DICUS: She was floating face down. And that is why I had to go in right then, because she was going to drown if I didn't get her face out of the water.
So, I shot into the blood pool, when I finally figured out which end of the shark was pointing -- where he was pointing. And, as I grabbed her, like I said, he had swung around and tried to make another pass at her. But he got confused when he saw my surfboard, so he broke off that attack without me having to do anything, except grab the girl and put her up on the board.
GRIFFIN: Dicus thought it was over. Sharks rarely strike humans. And when they do, it's mostly after mistaking them for something else. But this attack, says Dicus, was different.
DICUS: I would hit him. He would break off the attack, come back around, try another attack. I would hit him. He would break off the attack, come back around. It happened maybe half-a-dozen times or so.
GRIFFIN: The shark was no longer attacking, he says, but continuing to pursue Jamie, something local authorities say is very odd, since sharks usually bite humans and then go away. After several more terrorizing strokes, Dicus had reached others who had come out to help. Jamie Daigle was being lifted off his board onto a raft. That is when Dicus saw the wound, her left leg nearly torn off.
(on camera): And your feeling is, that was several bites?
DICUS: By the size of the shark, I would say, it had to have been several bites. His mouth wasn't big enough to do that all in one bite.
DEPUTY JIM PITMAN, WALTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY: It was pretty bad wounds.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Walton County Deputy Jim Pitman arrived just as the girl was be putting in an ambulance and says he knew almost immediately she wouldn't make it. Pitman says there was nothing anyone can do. In fact, he says, the surfer, Tim Dicus, had done more that anyone could ever ask.
PITMAN: He's a hero, is all I can say. There's no telling what would have happened with the girl, if we could have ever recovered her, had he not been there when he was there.
GRIFFIN: Tim Dicus' only regret is that, despite his efforts, Jamie Daigle didn't survive.
DICUS: I can't change what happened. I hoped I could do more. I was hoping she was going to make it.
GRIFFIN: Dicus says he will return to the water and soon. This is the first-ever shark attack in the Walton County history. And he doesn't ever expect to see one again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Drew Griffin reporting.
I guess, in some frightening, fascinating way, we all wonder what it might be like to be attacked by a shark. Joining me now is someone who knows. Four years ago, Krishna Thompson was in the Bahamas, celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary, when a shark attacked. He fought the animal off, but lost a leg.
So good to have you with us tonight.
KRISHNA THOMPSON, SHARK ATTACK SURVIVOR: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: I can't imagine what you think when you hear about two of these attacks in a two-day period. You must feel really lucky you're alive.
THOMPSON: I sure do, Paula. I feel extremely lucky to come out of that alive and able to do the little things that people take for granted, like shopping, going to supermarket, shopping, walking around the block, playing with my little daughter in the pool. I love those things. I live for it.
ZAHN: What do you remember about your attack by a shark?
THOMPSON: I remember being in the water, about -- it was cold. It was misty. The water was murky.
ZAHN: And you were in about six feet of water.
THOMPSON: Six feet, yes. I was treading water. And in the corner of my eye, I saw a fin approaching me. And I immediately tried to get out of the way by throwing -- lunging myself hard left towards the beach.
ZAHN: That didn't work?
THOMPSON: But as -- no. As soon as I lunged, it, like, caught me, mid-air, as I was lunging, and it just grabbed my leg, and I heard its teeth clamp down onto my bone in my leg. And it basically was carrying me out to ocean, towards -- further out.
ZAHN: How many yards did he pull you out?
THOMPSON: That I'm not sure. But quite a ways out, because after a while, it pulled me under. And I remember looking up and seeing the daylight disappear. And it was just violently shaking me left and right.
ZAHN: And how much pain were you in at that point? THOMPSON: Paula, I couldn't even think about pain. All I could do is try and brace myself, not take in any water and just concentrate, just ride it out.
ZAHN: Can you believe you had that presence of mind, to think you got to give this guy a one-two punch? That's exactly what you did, right?
THOMPSON: Yes, definitely.
ZAHN: And then it released its jaws.
THOMPSON: Right.
ZAHN: And then what?
THOMPSON: And I was so happy. I gave it two quick punches and just headed out. Just headed -- started swimming back to shore.
ZAHN: And if you're comfortable sharing with our audience what happened to you -- you basically lost your leg...
THOMPSON: Yes.
ZAHN: ... from mid-thigh down.
THOMPSON: Yes.
ZAHN: So under that business suit, this is what you live with...
THOMPSON: Yeah. This is my computer leg.
ZAHN: ... every day.
THOMPSON: It's microprocessor chip in my knee. It actually analyzes my gate and my analyzes the movement of my knee and space 50 times per second. And I also have a hydraulic knee -- in the back, if you can see the hydraulic. That prevents me from falling backwards.
And this actually gives back my independence, and it enables me to do whatever I want to do.
ZAHN: When you think back on that attack, what is the most vivid memory? You just described how it happened. Is it -- how it left you?
THOMPSON: Well, I feel -- you know like how sometimes when things, when people go through a tragedy, something good comes out of it. I really feel that basically I can do some good. I can have -- I can do good that -- you know, from this, I can just help people.
ZAHN: Well, your attitude in and of itself is inspiring.
THOMPSON: I really feel lucky, and I have the opportunity to help other people who have experienced similar tragedies, similar to mine. ZAHN: You ever gone back in the ocean?
THOMPSON: Sure.
ZAHN: You have?
THOMPSON: Sure.
ZAHN: You're one brave man.
THOMPSON: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: You set an incredible example.
THOMPSON: Thank you.
ZAHN: Thank you for sharing your story with us.
THOMPSON: Thank you very much. Thank you.
ZAHN: Wish there wasn't a wave of this in the news, but there it is. Krishna...
THOMPSON: Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity, Paula.
ZAHN: ... thanks again. Our pleasure.
Coming up next -- her daughter has been missing for nearly a month, and one suspect's father has just gone free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: He had information that could be used in helping us find Natalee. And that's been our goal all along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Natalee Holloway's mother frustrated and anxious, next.
And what you need to learn about car safety from the tragic deaths of three young boys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: In the last two days, authorities in Aruba have released two people being held in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. In both cases, the judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence to hold the men.
Well, today, it was party boat disc jockey Steve Croes who was freed. That's him yesterday, still in custody but smiling, because he knew he would be getting out.
Yesterday, Aruban Judge Paul Van Der Sloot was freed. He is the father of one of the three suspects still being held. Aruban authorities are giving no sign that they are any closer to finding out what actually happened to Holloway, and today a team of searchers from Texas spent their fourth day hunting for her. Alex Quade takes us inside that operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the sky, in the sea, across the island, the Texas volunteer searchers hunt for Natalee Holloway, with fresh eyes and special resources.
I go up in a helicopter with Equusearch director Tim Miller, and Natalee's father, Dave Holloway.
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE'S FATHER: It's kind of discouraging, because we have a lot of area to cover, and I have been working on the ground since day one. And we're at day 28 or 29, and these guys are basically my best and last hope of finding her.
QUADE: While the search on land has been exhaustive, the waters have been less explored. Using high-tech sonar and master divers, they try to find evidence of Natalee. This is now a full-scale volunteer operation, complete with cadaver dogs.
TIM MILLER, EQUUSEARCH: The best case scenario is that we find Natalee. You know, the odds are against us finding her alive.
QUADE: I go along as they search for the missing teen.
MILLER: If we see anything that even looks like evidence, and we brought -- we brought the flags, we just go ahead and we mark it, we step back in our same tracks and stuff.
QUADE: They search places of interest, including lakes and other bodies of water.
Here, they are searching abandon fishing huts and windy beaches.
(on camera): The volunteers are searching for brown flip-flops, a teal tanktop and a denim skirt. These are the last things that Natalee Holloway was seen wearing. They are searching at this location on the off chance they may have washed up on shore.
(voice-over): Many things do wash up here. Like garbage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you all search like this, you're looking for anything.
QUADE: Michael Monk (ph) is a volunteer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're always worried about where you're stepping. If we just trample through something, we have the likelihood of destroying and disrupting any evidence that may be in the area.
MILLER: There is a lot of highs when they think maybe we came across something. I mean, today, we found a shoe that we really thought might be leading us in another direction, but it ended up that it wasn't hers.
QUADE: Frustration is one thing. Dealing with the tropical heat and humidity is another. For all of the volunteers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying to get him cooled down. It's very important to keep him hydrated and cooled off.
QUADE: This is Rick, one of four cadaver dogs, and his handler, Diane Wetzel (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's getting pretty tired right now. He's been back and forth across these dunes. And it's a kind of a tough terrain. So he's doing well, though. He's searching. He's -- took a little sip of salt water, much to my chagrin, but it feels good. Now, we're getting wet.
QUADE (on camera): How is everybody feeling out here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tired.
QUADE: Yeah?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot. It's rough terrain, and it's hard for him to get over in some places. Some places, you just can't go into it. Right now, the shoreline here is just rough because of the sand dunes and the rocky terrain that we're trying to traverse.
QUADE (voice-over): Tim Miller says his team won't stop searching for Natalee, despite the difficulties.
MILLER: Once they get emotionally involved in this...
QUADE (on camera): And they are all emotionally involved.
MILLER: They're all emotionally involved. They have all -- they have all adopted Natalee. Every one of them.
QUADE (voice-over): This is no vacation. Rather a determined effort for a missing person none of these volunteers actually know. A fact not lost on Natalee's father, Dave Holloway.
HOLLOWAY: If foul play was involved, these guys are the best and last hope of finding her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And that was Alex Quade reporting for us tonight.
Joining me from Aruba, Natalee Holloway's mom, Beth Holloway Twitty. And with her is a family friend and spiritual adviser, David Saunders. Good to have both of you with us. Welcome.
So, Beth, over the last two days, we have seen two of the suspects in your daughter's disappearance released, including Paul Van Der Sloot, a well-known judge from the island, a man who also happens to be the father of one of the remaining suspects. Do you think he's telling investigators the truth?
TWITTY: Absolutely no. No, I do not, Paula.
ZAHN: Are you disappointed, then, he has been released from jail?
TWITTY: You know, I don't even know if disappointed -- I'll be honest, I was devastated. It was a blow to Natalee's family. Because I think we have been very clear in how hard we have worked since May 30th, from 11:00 p.m. on, and the accomplishes that we have made in how we were feeling like June 13th we were coming together in a collaborative effort and we were moving forward.
But I'll be honest, after this weekend, it was -- yes, it was a devastating blow to us. And it makes me feel as if we're back to that night at 11:00 p.m. on May 30th.
ZAHN: What do you think Mr. Van Der Sloot is lying about?
TWITTY: I know that he has information that he could share with the authorities to help us have a resolution and find Natalee.
ZAHN: Do you think it's more than the allegation that he's covering up for his son, to try to protect his son?
TWITTY: You know, I really can't comment on that, Paula. The main thing is, is, you know, I knew that he had information that night, on the 31st and those early morning hours. It was confirmed by me through a visit at his home for 90 minutes with he and his wife. And not that I have any inside or hard, technical information. But you know, yes, I had confirmation that he had information that could be used in helping us find Natalee, and that's been our goal all along, is just to find her.
ZAHN: So, David, Beth is devastated by the news that Paul Van Der Sloot has been released from jail, because she believes he has information critical to solving this case. Where do you go from here?
DAVID SAUNDERS, FAMILY FRIEND: Well, it's a great question, Paula. I think we're all very grateful to the Aruban people. You know, we are here as their guests. But we feel the time has come for a line to be drawn. And our prayer and our plea is that either the Dutch government or the American government can bring a new start to this investigation. You know, when you look at Paul Van Der Sloot, there are so many discrepancies. Here is a man that is a failed judge, who wanted to uphold the law, while his son was obviously openly flaunting it, drinking below age, driving below age, gambling below age.
ZAHN: Beth, do you think the Aruban government has blown this case?
TWITTY: Oh, no, Paula, I cannot -- I mean, I cannot comment on that. I mean, I'm -- I'm not the professional in the area, I'm not the expert in it, so I would have to leave that decision up to someone else. That it out of my league. ZAHN: But do you mirror what David said? Do you think the Aruban government needs outside help to solve this?
TWITTY: Absolutely, and I think that I have expressed that from early on, when I made my first initial plea that -- how we needed additional resources, so I have been very vocal about that from the beginning.
ZAHN: Well, Beth Holloway Twitty, David Saunders, we appreciate your time. Beth, it is absolutely inspiring to watch you and your fierce determination, and -- as you dig for answers. Good luck to you.
TWITTY: Thank you.
SAUNDERS: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: And just 16 minutes before the hour, time to check in with Larry King to see what he has coming up at the top of the hour. Hi, Larry. Who's joining you tonight?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Hi, Paula. We're doing three stories. We're doing a follow-up to that incredible BTK story this morning, the most riveting television I've seen in some time.
And then we're going to have an exclusive with the young Boy Scout boy in Utah, who was found alive. His whole family will be on with us.
And then, the Hiltons. Rick and Kathy Hilton. Their daughter will be checking in by phone. So we've got three subjects, three diverse areas, all ahead at 9:00.
ZAHN: We'll be there for the full hour. Thanks, Larry.
KING: Thanks, Paula.
ZAHN: Coming up next -- a warning for all parents. Tragedy may be as close as the nearest trunk of your car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GREG GULBRANSON, PEDIATRICIAN: There are other people who are going to have to go through this, unfortunately, because we're not being safe enough with kids and cars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Please stay with us for a story that could save lives on your street.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Three young boys climb into a car trunk on a sweltering day and suffocate. People in Camden, New Jersey are still struggling with how that could happen and why it would take 48 hours to find them. Here's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A memorial rests near the car where three little boys were found last Friday. It's still hard for many people in Camden, New Jersey to understand how so many police offers, 150 of them, could search so many places for so long, yet overlook the trunk of a car sitting in the very same yard where the boys were last seen playing.
Late Friday, Daniel Agosto's father opened the trunk, and was horrified to find his 6-year-old son dead inside. Next to him, his playmates, Anibal Cruz, 11, and Jesstin Pagan, who was just 5.
The medical examiner's office says the three suffocated.
Dr. Greg Gulbranson has special sympathy for the boy's father.
DR. GREG GULBRANSON, PEDIATRICIAN: And I just -- I just don't want them to have to go through it.
CARROLL: So does Janette Fennel.
JANETTE FENNEL, CAR SAFETY ADVOCATE: This is an incredible tragedy.
CARROLL: Both share personal stories involving cars and children. Both are now advocates for reducing the risks to children around cars.
GULBRANSON: We're not being safe enough with kids and cars.
CARROLL: Tragedy struck Dr. Gulbranson three years ago, he got in his car and accidentally backed over his 2-year-old son, killing him.
GULBRANSON: ... and just the most dove stating moment and I said that's what this family felt when this trunk was opened up.
CARROLL: Gulbranson, a pediatrician, channeled his grief into speaking about car safety.
GULBRANSON: You want to try and find a trunk-release latch.
CARROLL: Most importantly, trunk safety.
GULBRANSON: It is a -- designed to be pulled from any direction. It's been found that children will pull these devices, before they'll push them.
CARROLL: Once the trunk is shut, the latch release should glow. He says feel around for a tool to create an air hole. If there are none...
GULBRANSON: You pull this off, try to pull this out this light mechanism here and try push out, with your foot, the tail light. If you can actually get this out, you can stick your hand out and try to get someone's attention.
CARROLL: The car the three boys were in, was an older model Toyota with no trunk release. Disheartening news to Janette Fennel, who's been warning parents and children about trunk safety for years.
JANETTE FENNEL, CAR SAFETY ADVOCATE: Once they're in there, they don't realize that they can't get out again.
CARROLL: In 1995, Fennel and her husband nearly lost their lives in the trunk of their car. They were kidnapped at gun-point, robbed, assaulted and left for dead. Her husband found a latch release and Fennel found a new calling: She lobbied Congress to pass a law requiring trunk release in all cars made beginning in 2002.
FENNEL: What we got passed was a federal legislation. It doesn't matter where on Earth those vehicles are made, if you purchase or lease a vehicle in the United States, it must have a trunk release.
CARROLL: But, both Janette Fennel and Dr. Gulbranson say you can't mandate awareness. Perhaps, that is the one thing that could have saved three little boys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: What a double calling. We salute both of those folks for trying to make a difference in all of our lives.
Jason Carroll reporting.
Today, Camden City Council president said he would wait for a police report before deciding whether to investigate why it took two days to find the boys.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Five minutes before the hour, time to get another look at the top stories from Erica Hill at HEADLINE NEWS.
HILL: Thanks, Paula.
An independent panel says NASA is running behind schedule trying to get the shuttle fleet off the ground. The panel also says NASA has not fully met several of its safety recommendations. The space agency is still hoping for a re-launch in July or September. Shuttles have been grounded, since the Columbia accident more than two years ago.
Hope is fading for a Boy Scout missing in Yellowstone National Park. The 13-year-old fell into the swift-running Yellowstone River last Friday. The search was scaled back, today.
It is a win for the entertainment industry: The Supreme Court says file-sharing sites can be sued. Actually, the companies that offer those programs, if people use technology to download material illegally. And: The chill is the thrill at a shopping mall in Madras, India, where plenty of people have never experienced winter fun. So, now for 20 chilly minutes, you can crawl through and igloo or toss a snowball for less than two bucks at the Madras Snow Dome.
And that's the latest from HEADLINE NEWS.
Paul, back over to you.
ZAHN: Thanks, Erica.
Ice cream.
Now, to celebrate CNN's 25th year on the air, we're bringing you the best stories of the past quarter-century. This month, Ali Velshi counts down the 25 business stories that have had the most impact on our lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The top business stories of CNN's first 25 years. We asked the editors at "Money Magazine" to come up with a list.
At 25: By the early 1990's, the much-heralded Japanese economy took a tumble, while China, its giant neighbor and rival blossomed.
At 24: Playing the odds. Gambling had boomed, from Las Vegas to North Carolina, it's a multi-billion dollar industry.
Number 23: The S&L crisis. The government relaxed rules, risky business ensued and investors lost billions.
STEPHEN GANDEL, WRITER: Our nation's financial institutions are stronger because of the S&L crisis.
Number 22: Deregulation. It freed industries from government controls, giving consumers better prices.
Number 21: When IPOs shine, everyone from CEOs to secretaries, became rich. Now, that light has faded or has it?
Stay tuned, as we count down to number one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Tomorrow I'll be in Washington, along with Wolf Blitzer, bringing you live coverage when President Bush speaks to the nation about Iraq. That gets underway at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Please join us then.
"LARRY KING LIVE," is next.
END
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