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CNN Saturday Morning News

Missing Georgia Woman Located

Aired April 30, 2005 - 10:30   ET

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

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


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: For those of you just joining us, you may be wondering where is Jennifer right now? She is still in Albuquerque, New Mexico, waiting to be reunited with her family. We're going to take you to Albuquerque in just a moment to get an update on the situation there. Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's an update now on our top story of the day. Police say a missing Georgia woman is safe at this hour. They also say Jennifer Wilbanks, reported missing last Tuesday, had taken a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, then headed to New Mexico on another bus. When she first talked to police in New Mexico this morning, Wilbanks claimed that she had been abducted. Hundreds of people searched for Wilbanks after her fiance reported her missing on Tuesday. The couple was going to be married today. Now in her absence, a prayer vigil was supposed to be held. Her uncle says that that has been determined that Wilbanks has some issues that the family wasn't aware of which led to all of this.

We got other news to tell you about today as well, more violence in Iraq. Four American soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device detonated in Tal Afar. The U.S. military made the announcement today. Now two other U.S. troops were injured in that same blast west of Mosul.

The lawyer for Army private first class Lynndie England says she will plead guilty to seven charges connect to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. England was seen in notorious photographs depicting abuses that were taken in the Baghdad prison. Her plea is set for Monday in a military court. Her trial was to begin Tuesday.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator says that country plans to make a decision to resume its uranium enrichment program next week. Experts say that highly enriched uranium can be used as material for nuclear weapons. The European Union and Iran have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Back to our top story, what at first appeared to be a story with a happy ending has instead turned into another confusing chapter. Jennifer Wilbanks called her family from New Mexico early this morning telling them she had been abducted. Reporter Ellen Goldberg with CNN affiliate KOAT joins us live with more on the odd twist in this developing story. And Ellen, take your time, if you would for viewers who are just joining us and walk us through the events as they unfolded there in Albuquerque.

ELLEN GOLDBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the police substation where Jennifer Wilbanks was questioned overnight. Police brought her here around midnight mountain time after she called 911 from a pay phone at a 7-Eleven gas station. Once she got here, police say she stuck by that story that she had been abducted and it wasn't until around 4:00 this morning that police say she cracked and she admitted that she had concocted this elaborate hoax in order to avoid getting married.

Since she disappeared Tuesday, police say she boarded a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas and stopped here in Albuquerque on her way back. Police suspect that she possibly ran out of money and that's why she stopped here in Albuquerque at that 7-Eleven and it does appear that Wilbanks tried to disguise herself. Police say her hair was significantly shorter when she was being questioned here, almost as if it appeared she had cut her own hair. Police also say she was wearing a sweatshirt, quite possibly the same clothing that she was wearing when she disappeared. Now, right now Wilbanks is getting showered and cleaned up and we're told she will be reunited with her family here in Albuquerque around lunchtime.

As for Albuquerque police, they say they do not plan to file any criminal charges against Wilbanks. However, they will hand over all of their information and their evidence to authorities in Georgia, but, again, it has been a long night for police here. We can see some of them starting to go home and try and get some sleep after what has been a long and eventful evening here in Albuquerque.

HARRIS: Ellen, I've got to say to you this morning when we first started talking to you, when you started to unravel some of these events, you used what at the time seemed like an odd word. You said that Jennifer was being interrogated. As it turns out that might have been the perfect word. Were you getting indications pretty early on that authorities were challenging her in this interview, that they weren't quite happy with the story she was telling?

GOLDBERG: Well, early on, you're correct, they were using the word interrogating when we did talk to police here and they said that the FBI were questioning her but we were told at that point, that they were trying to determine who possibly had abducted her and get some more information on that blue van you may remember hearing about all week long, but it wasn't until about 5:00 mountain time, our time here in Albuquerque when police held a press conference here and made that announcement that indeed, she made up this entire story.

And I must say that all the reporters, all of the media seemed absolutely shocked by that announcement and were expecting more on a description of a car and numbers to call in for anybody who had possibly seen these abductors, but quite the opposite, when police told us that she in fact had never been kidnapped in first place.

HARRIS: And Ellen, describe this area for us once again, where she was ultimately found.

GOLDBERG: I'm sorry. Can you repeat that question? HARRIS: Describe this area where she was ultimately found. I understand there was a convenience store?

GOLDBERG: It was a convenience store. It was a 7-Eleven off of Central Avenue. The cross street was Salano (ph), which is -- Central Avenue is a very busy street here in Albuquerque. It's in the area near the University of New Mexico, the largest university here in the state. And she had picked up a pay phone, from that 7-Eleven and made the phone call from there. In fact, it's interesting that police say when they responded, they had seen her picture on the news and they thought possibly it could indeed be her and in fact it ended up being exactly that.

HARRIS: Do we know whether or not any charges will be filed locally or maybe by the FBI at a field office there?

GOLDBERG: Surprisingly, Albuquerque police are telling us they don't plan to file any criminal charges at this point. They seem to prefer to hand over all of their information and evidence to authorities in Georgia and we get the impression here that they're going to let them take it from there.

HARRIS: And am I correct that she had money with her at the time?

GOLDBERG: We are told she had some money with her at the time that she was picked up by police at that gas station, but they also tell us that they suspect the reason that stopped here in Albuquerque in the first place is that she was running out of money. We're told she was alone and she had possibly made some friends on this bus ride out to Las Vegas. But again they suspect that she was running low on funds and that's why she stopped here.

HARRIS: OK, Ellen, thank you. You've been great for us this morning. We appreciate it.

GOLDBERG: Thank you.

NGUYEN: As you can tell by all of this, there are so many questions to be answered. And when we come back, we're going to be talking with the police in New Mexico to find out what they've learned so far in this investigation, lots of twists and turns. What a day it's been.

HARRIS: Yes. We'll take a break and come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If you're just joining us, thank you for watching CNN Saturday. We want to recap our top story for you right now and it is the Jennifer Wilbanks case four days after her disappearance and on the day she was supposed to get married, a Georgia woman has turned up alive and safe in New Mexico. Jennifer Wilbanks first told police in Albuquerque she had been kidnapped, but then changed her story. Wilbanks admitted she was lying and left Georgia after getting stressed -- stressed out over her approaching wedding. Her family is asking for time and space as they try to sort out their ordeal. A friend of the young woman called the case shocking, overwhelming and baffling. Police say they don't plan to file any criminal charges against Wilbanks.

NGUYEN: All right. Earlier today I spoke with Trish Ahrensfield with the Albuquerque police department and she described what happened when investigators questioned Jennifer Wilbanks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT: We received the phone call about 11:38 p.m. last night that a woman was at Salano (ph) and Central in reference to possibly being abducted from Georgia. When officers arrived there, we contacted her and actually an officer actually recognized her because he'd been following the news story. And she stated who she was. We confirmed that. We took her back to our substation here when the FBI, as well as our detectives started interviewing her.

At that time she still stated that she been abducted and that she was brought here to Albuquerque and then released and that actually went on for quite some time and I think with the experience of the detectives as well as the FBI detectives, they kind of all thought that there was something more to the story. And that's when, I think, that she finally stated that she need to tell the truth and then stated that with the stress of the upcoming wedding, that she needed some time and that's how the rest of the story played out.

NGUYEN: What did she appear -- what was her -- I guess her demeanor at the time? Was she nervous? Was she upset? Was she hysterical? Because we heard many different descriptions on the phone with her parents this morning when she made that call to tell them that she was OK and told them about this whole abduction story. Was she calm? Was she collected? What did she seem like during that interrogation?

AHRENSFIELD: You know, when I actually -- when I first came to the substation, I contacted her and I think we were all shocked at the fact that we were so glad that she was safe and she did seem upset. She looked tired and she seemed worried and seemed upset, genuinely upset.

NGUYEN: Can you hear us?

AHRENSFIELD: Yes. Anyway, she did seem very upset, and then the interviews continued after that.

NGUYEN: OK. So she seemed very upset, and she continued on with this story about being abducted. When in there did the agents learn that -- or decided or determine, that indeed this was not the case? Was she not telling the story the same every time she was being asked it? Was she not being consistent about her answers?

AHRENSFIELD: There were some inconsistencies in her story and I think her body language, I'm sure, with again the experience of the detectives and what they see when they talk to victims and it was finally several hours later. She finally said that they asked her, do we need to look for the blue van anymore and she said, no. There was a turning point there when I think she finally stated she needed to tell the truth and then said of the stress of everything and she needed some time again. And so it took several hours, but she did the right thing by finally telling the truth.

NGUYEN: So what happens to her now? Where is she?

AHRENSFIELD: She is no longer at the substation. She is with the FBI victim assistance as well as our victim advocates and they've taken her to another location to get her showered and cleaned up. She's tired. She's had a long couple days and she will be reunited with her family later today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that was Trish Ahrensfield with the Albuquerque police department. I spoke with her earlier today to try to figure out exactly how the questioning went down and that it was determined that all of this was just a hoax. Tony?

HARRIS: Throughout the investigation, Duluth police Chief Randy Belcher never discounted the possibility that Jennifer Wilbanks had simply gotten cold feet. This morning hours after she had been located and interviewed by the FBI, Belcher told reporters what really happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH,GEORGIA POLICE DEPT: As you all know, the last three or four days we've been looking for Miss Jennifer Wilbanks, who came up missing after she had gone for a jog last Tuesday afternoon. I'm happy to announce that this morning at 2:00 a.m., we located Miss Wilbanks and she was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The police through direction was able to find her. The FBI then took Miss Wilbanks and took her to their headquarters and began talking to Miss Wilbanks to determine what had taken place. Originally, it appeared that she been kidnapped, but after talking to the FBI, it turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it. And, therefore, she got on a Greyhound bus, and she went to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

So at this point in time, we're just waiting for Miss Wilbanks to come back. The family will be making a statement shortly. And right now we expect that that when she comes back, her and the family will go through a time where they can try to heal one another and put this behind them. Thank you.

QUESTION: Will there be criminal charges pressed?

BELCHER: No criminal charges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Georgia police Chief Randy Belcher there, the man who's been at center of all of this. The search and all of the anguished moments leading up to today, when we learn the truth about our top story, and that is of course, Jennifer Wilbanks has told an incredible story that has turned out not to be true about her abduction on Tuesday. She, in fact, made it up, because she was worried and concerned about her impending marriage, a wedding that was supposed to take place this evening in Duluth, Georgia. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we'll check some other news, including a weather situation through the southeast, a wave - a line of storms is moving across the southeast and we'll check in and get an update with Jill Brown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, if you live on the east coast you want to pack that umbrella and stay tuned to the television, because there are storms.

HARRIS: Really?

NGUYEN: You haven't seen the clouds roll in? It's gotten awfully dark out that window.

HARRIS: Something else on our plate.

NGUYEN: We've had a lot to deal with this morning. Jill Brown is here to talk about these storms rolling across the east. Hey, Jill.

JILL BROWN, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Betty and Tony. (INAUDIBLE) raining in Duluth, anyway?

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

BROWN: OK, well, that's the storm system. Let's take a look at the radar. You can see that in Duluth, on the north side of Atlanta, rain should be ending soon. We have this on main band. You can see how it kind of notches right through here. That's where the most severe weather would most likely be right now. As a matter of fact, we had a tornado warning for Chattahoochee County in Georgia, that has now spawned no more tornado warnings in effect right now, at least at last check. Usually when I say that, one's coming off the (INAUDIBLE).

In any case, we think that things will get a little bit better as we go through the afternoon. These are going to be fast-moving thunderstorms. So what we'll most likely see will be strong winds with them and maybe a few tornado reports, but we don't think that that will be the real focus today. Again, there's our line of very strong thunderstorms, moving at maybe 50 miles per hour. When they're moving that quickly, you get some strong winds that can do some damage. That what we're worried about at moment, also some heavy rain, maybe some large hail.

As we get up toward Washington, it's raining. It's still fairly warm here and we may see a few thunderstorms but as you get further a little bit farther to the north, chances are it will be kind of a cool rain and when the temperatures are cooler, typically you don't expect as many thunderstorms and that's exactly what we have today.

Chilly and rainy in Boston and New York and back to Buffalo. So here's what's going on around the country. Let's take a look. We'll take it sort of region by region. Start you off in the southeast. There's our line of thunderstorms. Out ahead of it, things are fine in Orlando and Miami for today, pretty nice actually, sunny, in the mid-80s. As you get farther to the north, the warm air kind of ends at Washington, north of there, again, cool rain.

After that, as you get back into the great lakes, rain's gone, should see some sun today, but it's going to be cool and we'll probably even be talking about a little bit of snow for Minneapolis to Denver. Back to you in the studio.

NGUYEN: Snow, rain. You got everything on that map! Thanks Jill.

OK. Friends of the bride and groom are stunned this morning, to say the least, but very happy, though, that Jennifer Wilbanks is alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELINDA LARSON, FRIEND OF FIANCE JOHN MASON: I'm certain that it's just a wave of emotion people are experiencing this right now. It's shocking. It's overwhelming. And it's baffling.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Actually, you're a little closer to Jennifer on this than just about every single person involved, because you actually are on your way to a wedding, too, in just a few weeks and you have been dealing with this together. Can you give us any clue about where her head might be?

LARSON: Well, anyone that's planning a wedding knows that it's just stress. There's drama. It's challenging. It's overwhelming. There's so much pressure involved that 95 percent falls on the bride. So the fact that there is stress and concern regarding the pressures involved with the wedding is of no surprise to anyone that has ever planned a wedding.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What would you want to say to Jennifer?

LARSON: We love you. We're glad you're OK. That's all that matters.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about John? John's got to be having a real hard time, at the guy, who suddenly, once again back in the middle of this after what looked like a break? What about him?

LARSON: John -- it's just -- we love you. And whatever you need right now. John and Jennifer are going to take this one day at a time. And at this point, the overriding factor is that Jennifer's alive.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Early on in this investigation from the family and from police, we heard that the idea she might have just had cold feet and taken off was pretty much not in consideration. Where would that have sat with you if the idea was broached?

LARSON: Having cold feet is a joy compared to what the alternative could have been.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about the idea that it might have been that -- back with her, did you discern anything along these lines as you were doing the same things together? Planning your weddings?

LARSON: No. It did not cross my mind at all.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Was she stressed? Did she look like she might have had some deep dread, anything along those lines?

LARSON: No deep dread. Stress, absolutely. Weddings are extremely challenging, overwhelming, a wonderful occasion but tend to consume your time, your life and all of your energy in the actual planning. So stress is a definite.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It looks like we're not going to see this great, big wild party, this joyous reunion that we anticipated, but she is OK. What do you think will happen now? What should happen now with this family?

LARSON: Jennifer and John need space. They need time. And they need privacy to deal with things at hand.

UNIDENTFIED REPORTER: Can you see how something like this might have materialized as someone in a very similar situation?

LARSON: I think Jennifer had no idea that this would turn into a criminal investigation. And had she known I think that things would probably have been handled probably a little differently. But sometimes things take a life of their own, just like weddings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: This story did take a life of its own. Many twists and turns involved in it. Of course, we're going to continue following at the top of the hour coming up and more coverage. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired April 30, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: For those of you just joining us, you may be wondering where is Jennifer right now? She is still in Albuquerque, New Mexico, waiting to be reunited with her family. We're going to take you to Albuquerque in just a moment to get an update on the situation there. Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's an update now on our top story of the day. Police say a missing Georgia woman is safe at this hour. They also say Jennifer Wilbanks, reported missing last Tuesday, had taken a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, then headed to New Mexico on another bus. When she first talked to police in New Mexico this morning, Wilbanks claimed that she had been abducted. Hundreds of people searched for Wilbanks after her fiance reported her missing on Tuesday. The couple was going to be married today. Now in her absence, a prayer vigil was supposed to be held. Her uncle says that that has been determined that Wilbanks has some issues that the family wasn't aware of which led to all of this.

We got other news to tell you about today as well, more violence in Iraq. Four American soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device detonated in Tal Afar. The U.S. military made the announcement today. Now two other U.S. troops were injured in that same blast west of Mosul.

The lawyer for Army private first class Lynndie England says she will plead guilty to seven charges connect to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. England was seen in notorious photographs depicting abuses that were taken in the Baghdad prison. Her plea is set for Monday in a military court. Her trial was to begin Tuesday.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator says that country plans to make a decision to resume its uranium enrichment program next week. Experts say that highly enriched uranium can be used as material for nuclear weapons. The European Union and Iran have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Back to our top story, what at first appeared to be a story with a happy ending has instead turned into another confusing chapter. Jennifer Wilbanks called her family from New Mexico early this morning telling them she had been abducted. Reporter Ellen Goldberg with CNN affiliate KOAT joins us live with more on the odd twist in this developing story. And Ellen, take your time, if you would for viewers who are just joining us and walk us through the events as they unfolded there in Albuquerque.

ELLEN GOLDBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the police substation where Jennifer Wilbanks was questioned overnight. Police brought her here around midnight mountain time after she called 911 from a pay phone at a 7-Eleven gas station. Once she got here, police say she stuck by that story that she had been abducted and it wasn't until around 4:00 this morning that police say she cracked and she admitted that she had concocted this elaborate hoax in order to avoid getting married.

Since she disappeared Tuesday, police say she boarded a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas and stopped here in Albuquerque on her way back. Police suspect that she possibly ran out of money and that's why she stopped here in Albuquerque at that 7-Eleven and it does appear that Wilbanks tried to disguise herself. Police say her hair was significantly shorter when she was being questioned here, almost as if it appeared she had cut her own hair. Police also say she was wearing a sweatshirt, quite possibly the same clothing that she was wearing when she disappeared. Now, right now Wilbanks is getting showered and cleaned up and we're told she will be reunited with her family here in Albuquerque around lunchtime.

As for Albuquerque police, they say they do not plan to file any criminal charges against Wilbanks. However, they will hand over all of their information and their evidence to authorities in Georgia, but, again, it has been a long night for police here. We can see some of them starting to go home and try and get some sleep after what has been a long and eventful evening here in Albuquerque.

HARRIS: Ellen, I've got to say to you this morning when we first started talking to you, when you started to unravel some of these events, you used what at the time seemed like an odd word. You said that Jennifer was being interrogated. As it turns out that might have been the perfect word. Were you getting indications pretty early on that authorities were challenging her in this interview, that they weren't quite happy with the story she was telling?

GOLDBERG: Well, early on, you're correct, they were using the word interrogating when we did talk to police here and they said that the FBI were questioning her but we were told at that point, that they were trying to determine who possibly had abducted her and get some more information on that blue van you may remember hearing about all week long, but it wasn't until about 5:00 mountain time, our time here in Albuquerque when police held a press conference here and made that announcement that indeed, she made up this entire story.

And I must say that all the reporters, all of the media seemed absolutely shocked by that announcement and were expecting more on a description of a car and numbers to call in for anybody who had possibly seen these abductors, but quite the opposite, when police told us that she in fact had never been kidnapped in first place.

HARRIS: And Ellen, describe this area for us once again, where she was ultimately found.

GOLDBERG: I'm sorry. Can you repeat that question? HARRIS: Describe this area where she was ultimately found. I understand there was a convenience store?

GOLDBERG: It was a convenience store. It was a 7-Eleven off of Central Avenue. The cross street was Salano (ph), which is -- Central Avenue is a very busy street here in Albuquerque. It's in the area near the University of New Mexico, the largest university here in the state. And she had picked up a pay phone, from that 7-Eleven and made the phone call from there. In fact, it's interesting that police say when they responded, they had seen her picture on the news and they thought possibly it could indeed be her and in fact it ended up being exactly that.

HARRIS: Do we know whether or not any charges will be filed locally or maybe by the FBI at a field office there?

GOLDBERG: Surprisingly, Albuquerque police are telling us they don't plan to file any criminal charges at this point. They seem to prefer to hand over all of their information and evidence to authorities in Georgia and we get the impression here that they're going to let them take it from there.

HARRIS: And am I correct that she had money with her at the time?

GOLDBERG: We are told she had some money with her at the time that she was picked up by police at that gas station, but they also tell us that they suspect the reason that stopped here in Albuquerque in the first place is that she was running out of money. We're told she was alone and she had possibly made some friends on this bus ride out to Las Vegas. But again they suspect that she was running low on funds and that's why she stopped here.

HARRIS: OK, Ellen, thank you. You've been great for us this morning. We appreciate it.

GOLDBERG: Thank you.

NGUYEN: As you can tell by all of this, there are so many questions to be answered. And when we come back, we're going to be talking with the police in New Mexico to find out what they've learned so far in this investigation, lots of twists and turns. What a day it's been.

HARRIS: Yes. We'll take a break and come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If you're just joining us, thank you for watching CNN Saturday. We want to recap our top story for you right now and it is the Jennifer Wilbanks case four days after her disappearance and on the day she was supposed to get married, a Georgia woman has turned up alive and safe in New Mexico. Jennifer Wilbanks first told police in Albuquerque she had been kidnapped, but then changed her story. Wilbanks admitted she was lying and left Georgia after getting stressed -- stressed out over her approaching wedding. Her family is asking for time and space as they try to sort out their ordeal. A friend of the young woman called the case shocking, overwhelming and baffling. Police say they don't plan to file any criminal charges against Wilbanks.

NGUYEN: All right. Earlier today I spoke with Trish Ahrensfield with the Albuquerque police department and she described what happened when investigators questioned Jennifer Wilbanks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT: We received the phone call about 11:38 p.m. last night that a woman was at Salano (ph) and Central in reference to possibly being abducted from Georgia. When officers arrived there, we contacted her and actually an officer actually recognized her because he'd been following the news story. And she stated who she was. We confirmed that. We took her back to our substation here when the FBI, as well as our detectives started interviewing her.

At that time she still stated that she been abducted and that she was brought here to Albuquerque and then released and that actually went on for quite some time and I think with the experience of the detectives as well as the FBI detectives, they kind of all thought that there was something more to the story. And that's when, I think, that she finally stated that she need to tell the truth and then stated that with the stress of the upcoming wedding, that she needed some time and that's how the rest of the story played out.

NGUYEN: What did she appear -- what was her -- I guess her demeanor at the time? Was she nervous? Was she upset? Was she hysterical? Because we heard many different descriptions on the phone with her parents this morning when she made that call to tell them that she was OK and told them about this whole abduction story. Was she calm? Was she collected? What did she seem like during that interrogation?

AHRENSFIELD: You know, when I actually -- when I first came to the substation, I contacted her and I think we were all shocked at the fact that we were so glad that she was safe and she did seem upset. She looked tired and she seemed worried and seemed upset, genuinely upset.

NGUYEN: Can you hear us?

AHRENSFIELD: Yes. Anyway, she did seem very upset, and then the interviews continued after that.

NGUYEN: OK. So she seemed very upset, and she continued on with this story about being abducted. When in there did the agents learn that -- or decided or determine, that indeed this was not the case? Was she not telling the story the same every time she was being asked it? Was she not being consistent about her answers?

AHRENSFIELD: There were some inconsistencies in her story and I think her body language, I'm sure, with again the experience of the detectives and what they see when they talk to victims and it was finally several hours later. She finally said that they asked her, do we need to look for the blue van anymore and she said, no. There was a turning point there when I think she finally stated she needed to tell the truth and then said of the stress of everything and she needed some time again. And so it took several hours, but she did the right thing by finally telling the truth.

NGUYEN: So what happens to her now? Where is she?

AHRENSFIELD: She is no longer at the substation. She is with the FBI victim assistance as well as our victim advocates and they've taken her to another location to get her showered and cleaned up. She's tired. She's had a long couple days and she will be reunited with her family later today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that was Trish Ahrensfield with the Albuquerque police department. I spoke with her earlier today to try to figure out exactly how the questioning went down and that it was determined that all of this was just a hoax. Tony?

HARRIS: Throughout the investigation, Duluth police Chief Randy Belcher never discounted the possibility that Jennifer Wilbanks had simply gotten cold feet. This morning hours after she had been located and interviewed by the FBI, Belcher told reporters what really happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH,GEORGIA POLICE DEPT: As you all know, the last three or four days we've been looking for Miss Jennifer Wilbanks, who came up missing after she had gone for a jog last Tuesday afternoon. I'm happy to announce that this morning at 2:00 a.m., we located Miss Wilbanks and she was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The police through direction was able to find her. The FBI then took Miss Wilbanks and took her to their headquarters and began talking to Miss Wilbanks to determine what had taken place. Originally, it appeared that she been kidnapped, but after talking to the FBI, it turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it. And, therefore, she got on a Greyhound bus, and she went to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

So at this point in time, we're just waiting for Miss Wilbanks to come back. The family will be making a statement shortly. And right now we expect that that when she comes back, her and the family will go through a time where they can try to heal one another and put this behind them. Thank you.

QUESTION: Will there be criminal charges pressed?

BELCHER: No criminal charges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Georgia police Chief Randy Belcher there, the man who's been at center of all of this. The search and all of the anguished moments leading up to today, when we learn the truth about our top story, and that is of course, Jennifer Wilbanks has told an incredible story that has turned out not to be true about her abduction on Tuesday. She, in fact, made it up, because she was worried and concerned about her impending marriage, a wedding that was supposed to take place this evening in Duluth, Georgia. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we'll check some other news, including a weather situation through the southeast, a wave - a line of storms is moving across the southeast and we'll check in and get an update with Jill Brown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, if you live on the east coast you want to pack that umbrella and stay tuned to the television, because there are storms.

HARRIS: Really?

NGUYEN: You haven't seen the clouds roll in? It's gotten awfully dark out that window.

HARRIS: Something else on our plate.

NGUYEN: We've had a lot to deal with this morning. Jill Brown is here to talk about these storms rolling across the east. Hey, Jill.

JILL BROWN, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Betty and Tony. (INAUDIBLE) raining in Duluth, anyway?

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

BROWN: OK, well, that's the storm system. Let's take a look at the radar. You can see that in Duluth, on the north side of Atlanta, rain should be ending soon. We have this on main band. You can see how it kind of notches right through here. That's where the most severe weather would most likely be right now. As a matter of fact, we had a tornado warning for Chattahoochee County in Georgia, that has now spawned no more tornado warnings in effect right now, at least at last check. Usually when I say that, one's coming off the (INAUDIBLE).

In any case, we think that things will get a little bit better as we go through the afternoon. These are going to be fast-moving thunderstorms. So what we'll most likely see will be strong winds with them and maybe a few tornado reports, but we don't think that that will be the real focus today. Again, there's our line of very strong thunderstorms, moving at maybe 50 miles per hour. When they're moving that quickly, you get some strong winds that can do some damage. That what we're worried about at moment, also some heavy rain, maybe some large hail.

As we get up toward Washington, it's raining. It's still fairly warm here and we may see a few thunderstorms but as you get further a little bit farther to the north, chances are it will be kind of a cool rain and when the temperatures are cooler, typically you don't expect as many thunderstorms and that's exactly what we have today.

Chilly and rainy in Boston and New York and back to Buffalo. So here's what's going on around the country. Let's take a look. We'll take it sort of region by region. Start you off in the southeast. There's our line of thunderstorms. Out ahead of it, things are fine in Orlando and Miami for today, pretty nice actually, sunny, in the mid-80s. As you get farther to the north, the warm air kind of ends at Washington, north of there, again, cool rain.

After that, as you get back into the great lakes, rain's gone, should see some sun today, but it's going to be cool and we'll probably even be talking about a little bit of snow for Minneapolis to Denver. Back to you in the studio.

NGUYEN: Snow, rain. You got everything on that map! Thanks Jill.

OK. Friends of the bride and groom are stunned this morning, to say the least, but very happy, though, that Jennifer Wilbanks is alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELINDA LARSON, FRIEND OF FIANCE JOHN MASON: I'm certain that it's just a wave of emotion people are experiencing this right now. It's shocking. It's overwhelming. And it's baffling.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Actually, you're a little closer to Jennifer on this than just about every single person involved, because you actually are on your way to a wedding, too, in just a few weeks and you have been dealing with this together. Can you give us any clue about where her head might be?

LARSON: Well, anyone that's planning a wedding knows that it's just stress. There's drama. It's challenging. It's overwhelming. There's so much pressure involved that 95 percent falls on the bride. So the fact that there is stress and concern regarding the pressures involved with the wedding is of no surprise to anyone that has ever planned a wedding.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What would you want to say to Jennifer?

LARSON: We love you. We're glad you're OK. That's all that matters.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about John? John's got to be having a real hard time, at the guy, who suddenly, once again back in the middle of this after what looked like a break? What about him?

LARSON: John -- it's just -- we love you. And whatever you need right now. John and Jennifer are going to take this one day at a time. And at this point, the overriding factor is that Jennifer's alive.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Early on in this investigation from the family and from police, we heard that the idea she might have just had cold feet and taken off was pretty much not in consideration. Where would that have sat with you if the idea was broached?

LARSON: Having cold feet is a joy compared to what the alternative could have been.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about the idea that it might have been that -- back with her, did you discern anything along these lines as you were doing the same things together? Planning your weddings?

LARSON: No. It did not cross my mind at all.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Was she stressed? Did she look like she might have had some deep dread, anything along those lines?

LARSON: No deep dread. Stress, absolutely. Weddings are extremely challenging, overwhelming, a wonderful occasion but tend to consume your time, your life and all of your energy in the actual planning. So stress is a definite.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It looks like we're not going to see this great, big wild party, this joyous reunion that we anticipated, but she is OK. What do you think will happen now? What should happen now with this family?

LARSON: Jennifer and John need space. They need time. And they need privacy to deal with things at hand.

UNIDENTFIED REPORTER: Can you see how something like this might have materialized as someone in a very similar situation?

LARSON: I think Jennifer had no idea that this would turn into a criminal investigation. And had she known I think that things would probably have been handled probably a little differently. But sometimes things take a life of their own, just like weddings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: This story did take a life of its own. Many twists and turns involved in it. Of course, we're going to continue following at the top of the hour coming up and more coverage. Stay with us.

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