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Your World Today

Colombian Hostages Freed; Kofi Annan to Take Over Mediation Efforts in Kenya; Sheriff: Missing Pregnant Marine is Dead and Buried

Aired January 11, 2008 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARA ROJAS, RELEASED HOSTAGE (through translator): He was the smallest and sweetest thing. What touched me the most was his smile, and of course his crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The last six years have been hell. The last two days, heaven. A day after she was freed from the Colombian jungle, Clara Rojas is about to be re-united with her little boy.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The time frame, not clear. But the message certainly is. Kenya's opposition leader calling on his supporters to take to the streets.

SESAY: Guess who is about to become the largest mortgage lender in the U.S.? Bank of America.

CLANCY: And Mt. Everest is scaled regularly these days, but the world stops and it remembers the first man to ever reach the summit, Sir Edmund Hillary.

It is 8:00 p.m. right now in Nairobi, 12:30 p.m. in Caracas, Venezuela.

Hello and welcome, everyone, to our report seen around the globe.

I'm Jim Clancy.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay.

From Mt. Everest to the U.S., wherever you are watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: Well, first, a dramatic release from deep in the jungle. Now a long-awaited reunion with families and friends.

SESAY: It's a day two Colombian women have dreamed of for years, but one former hostage will have to wait a little while longer to see her son, snatched away when he was only 8 months old.

Clara Rojas, an aide to French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, had a child in captivity almost four years ago. After leftist rebels released her Thursday, Rojas told reporters the boy's name is Emanuel (ph), calling him a gift from God. Emanuel (ph) is in state custody in Colombia, but President Alvaro Uribe promises mother and son will be reunited very soon.

CLANCY: Well, right now, Rojas is in Caracas, Venezuela, along with the other former hostage, Consuelo Gonzalez. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez negotiated their release with the FARC, the revolution armed forces of Colombia. Venezuelan helicopters picked up the women from a jungle clearing Thursday.

We are waiting to hear from them any moment now. We are going to bring you their news conference just as soon as it happens.

SESAY: While Rojas and Gonzalez are savoring their freedom, the FARC is still holding hundreds of other hostages.

CLANCY: Now, getting the rebels to release the women, not an easy feat. This was the first time that they had freed any captives in five years.

SESAY: That's right.

Karl Penhaul has more now on just how it all happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The final seconds of captivity, the first moments of freedom. Free to smile again, free to head home to their loved ones.

In a clearing deep in the Colombian jungle, gun-toting rebels of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia known as FARC turn over former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez to a Venezuelan-led delegation. Rojas puts in a call to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the man who brokered the handover deal.

ROJAS (through translator): Mr. President, I'm so grateful in my heart for this. A thousand thank-yous.

We are being reborn. You don't even imagine our emotion when we saw the helicopters.

PENHAUL: Rescue helicopters airlift them across the border to Venezuela. From there, they jet off to Caracas.

For Rojas, the first embrace from her mother since she was kidnapped six years ago.

ROJAS (through translator): We were on the move for over 20 days without stopping for a minute. We are truly exhausted. We have gone without proper sleep for many days.

PENHAUL: For Gonzalez, it's been almost six and a half years. Her husband died a year after she was taken hostage. Tearful hugs from her daughters and the very first cuddle with her new granddaughter. FARC had promised to liberate three hostages. The third was Rojas' son, born in captivity to a guerrilla father. But the rebels no longer had the boy in their custody. They took him from Rojas at just 8 months and handed him over to a surrogate civilian family.

On New Year's Eve, the Colombian government announced that the child called Emanuel (ph) had ended up in the care of Colombian social services. On her release, Rojas was wearing a photo of her son around her neck. In comments to a Colombian radio, Rojas said she was desperate to be reunited.

ROJAS (through translator): He was the smallest and sweetest thing. What touched me the most was his smile and of course, his crying.

PENHAUL: In Caracas, a personal thank-you and political photo-op with President Chavez. Chavez's bid to win the liberation over Christmas floundered when the guerrillas failed to reveal the coordinates where they were holding the hostages. A week ago, political analysts were suggesting the rebels had duped Chavez, but Thursday's liberation was a chance for Chavez to play regional peacemaker rather than troublemaker, as he's been portrayed by the U.S. administration.

Freedom is sweet for these two hostages, but the Colombian government estimates the FARC has 750 other captives.

(on camera): Among the comments and anecdotes we've heard from Rojas and Gonzalez, there's one message Colombia cannot afford to overlook, and that's their plea not to forget the other rebel-held hostages still waiting for their freedom.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, now that you know a little bit about who the hostages are and who brokered their release, you may be asking yourself, who took the hostages in the first place?

SESAY: They are the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia, often simply called FARC.

Here's a bit more of what you need to know.

CLANCY: The U.S. Department of State says FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable and best-equipped Marxist rebel group. Both the U.S. and European Union call them a terror group.

SESAY: FARC have worked to overthrow Colombia's government since the late 1960s.

CLANCY: Colombia's government is estimating that FARC still hold around 750 hostages -- you know, as we heard Karl Penhaul tell us. Three of those hostages, though, are Americans.

SESAY: The group also justifies hostage-taking, calling it a legitimate military tactic.

CLANCY: Let's change our focus now to Africa, where there are new fears Kenya, on the east of the continent, could be plunged into more of the deadly violence it's already seen. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, Orange Democratic Movement, calling for three days of mass demonstrations next week.

It is to protest President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election. Despite meeting separately with Mr. Kibaki and Odinga in Kenya this week, the head of the African Union unable to get either one of them to budge as he tried to reach some kind of a solution.

A U.S. diplomat telling CNN now that the former U.N. secretary- general Kofi Annan is going to take over these mediation efforts.

David McKenzie is in Kenya's capital of Nairobi. He joins us now -- David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. As you said, Kofi Annan is due here next week. The opposition is really piling on the pressure on the government by calling for these mass actions that they are saying are going to take over three days both here in Nairobi and across the country. The government is saying that this is just political mischief, and the head of the police are saying that they are reinforcing their ban on mass action, setting up already dangerous confrontation here next week in Kenya -- Kenya.

CLANCY: What's it going to mean for a lot of the people that are with the president's own tribe, the Kikuyu? They had been forced out of their homes, many of them had been killed. Reprisal killings on both sides. What's happening with people leaving some of these troubled spots?

MCKENZIE: That's right, Jim. The Kikuyus, who are often seen as supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, have been targeted by other groups who feel that they have been shortchanged in the political system here.

They are streaming across the border into Uganda, as well as displaced internally within the towns of Kisumu and Eldoret in the west. The U.N. is saying that there are at least a quarter of a million people who are displaced, and generally the humanitarian situation remains extremely fragile here.

CLANCY: All right. David McKenzie reporting to us there live from Nairobi, the latest on the troubles, calls for street demonstrations that could create a flashpoint once again for Kenya.

SESAY: Well, away from Africa, the health of former Indonesian strongman Suharto has reportedly taken a turn for the worse. Doctors caring for the 86-year-old at a hospital in Jakarta say he suffered multiple organ failure. They say Suharto is on a ventilator to help him breathe.

He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition a week ago, suffering from anemia. A small crowd gathered outside to protest Suharto's legacy of corruption and brutal intimidation of political foes.

CLANCY: All right, Isha. We're going to take a short break here. But coming up, riding the tiger.

SESAY: Will Bank of America's acquisition of Countrywide help relieve the subprime mortgage mess, or just drag America's biggest bank right into the middle of it?

CLANCY: We're going to see how Wall Street is reacting to this $4 billion deal in our upcoming business report. Here's a Big Board preview. You can see there the Dow down almost 150.

SESAY: And later in our U.S. election report, we'll find out why Barack Obama's campaign calls his wife Michelle "The Closer."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back.

We're going to turn our sights for a minute here to business news. And Bank of America putting up some serious cash.

America's largest consumer bank says it's going to buy out mortgage lender Countrywide for $4 billion. Bank of America picked up a 16 percent stake in Countrywide last summer for about $2 billion. Countrywide has been plagued by foreclosures and delinquencies.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you now live to Jacksonville, North Carolina, where we are getting new information in the disappearance of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach.

Let's take a listen.

SHERIFF ED BROWN, OSLOW COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: Sorry to keep you holding but I didn't realize this many people would come up here.

NGUYEN: And it sounds like he's trying to get things in order. But essentially the story is this: Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, who's only 20 years old, went missing back on December 14th. And there's some question as to not only where she is, but she is 8 months pregnant. She was also expected to testify.

We understand there's been a major break in this case. That is why we've been listening all day long to hear what they are saying in this news conference.

So let's take a listen again to Sheriff Ed Brown.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BROWN: ... been very instrumental in working with us on this case. As a matter of fact, he's the one that gave me the call in this case.

You've got the release here. I have for a week now been dealing with positive/negative, positive/negative. It is very stressful in an investigation when it goes that way because you can't get set in one direction and feel comfortable there. You feel uncomfortable all the time.

But today, this morning, we received this information that you've been provided, and that information is that Mrs. Lauterbach is dead, and has been buried here in Oslow County. The suspect in the case is the Marine accused by her for assaulting her. And while you all have been getting up here, we have been getting out there and/or stretching the area for the grave that could be in and around the place where she was murdered, or where she is claimed to have died at.

Understand, I'm not calling it murder because the story has got some twists and turns in it.

At this time, since you've got all the information before you, I will -- and Mr. Chickarelli (ph) also will be available to answer what questions we can answer. Even though we've come to this place, there will still be questions we can't just come right out and give you -- answers we can give you, but we'll try to answer what we can and do anything we can.

QUESTION: Did you say the person involved in the sexual assault case is the suspect?

BROWN: Yes, sir. That's in your report, in your letter -- in your release there.

QUESTION: Sheriff, you said yesterday that wasn't a factor for you all, that that was a factor for the Marines. Is it now a factor for your department as well?

BROWN: The factor is you investigate this case regardless of where it takes you. And it's taken us here. The person that we had brought back had some answers that we needed. He is not a suspect in this case and he is not the key witness in this case.

QUESTION: So you have interviewed Sergeant Durham?

BROWN: Yes. Sergeant Durham is in the building at this time, and I do not expect anybody to be taking photographs of him because he has -- at this time, he does not appear to have any relationship to her.

QUESTION: Did he have any information you needed?

BROWN: No, he did not have the information we needed.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BROWN: I don't like to put anybody in that category, but right now we're just looking at him as a key suspect in her disappearance and relative to her death. (CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: What kind of information did Durham give you?

BROWN: Ma'am?

QUESTION: What kind of information did Durham give you?

BROWN: That is irrelevant to the release I'm giving you now. I don't know -- really don't know.

You've got to understand, we've been -- I told you earlier the wheels have been turning so fast, and you've bound to be seeing people coming and go, too. They've been turning so fast, that I don't have everything right before me.

I told you I'd give you a news release at 12:00, and I was 20 minutes late. Therefore, it has been -- I couldn't keep the appointment.

Durham has not at this time, as I know of, given any information that makes him any part of a suspect in this case.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Have you ever talked to Lauren (ph) at all?

BROWN: Have I? No. I do not even know him.

QUESTION: I guess the serious question here is, given this woman's situation, had this case pending, she's been missing since December 14th, how you guys don't ever talk to him and he now turns up to be the suspect raises serious questions about what you guys have been doing since December 4th.

BROWN: I'm glad you mentioned that, sir, because Mr. Lauren's (ph) attorney was standing there yesterday when you all were trying to get me to answer questions that would expose where we were going. He was standing there listening while you all were listening.

We can't talk to somebody because their attorney won't let us talk to him. So don't come hollering at me. You asked me a question. His attorney would not let us talk to him. He has said (INAUDIBLE) wants to talk to us, but he did not show up.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Sir, I'm trying to understand exactly -- I mean, you guys are going to come under a lot of pressure.

BROWN: I'm not coming under any pressure. We've done a professional investigation in this case.

QUESTION: Have the Marines talked to him?

BROWN: The Marines have not -- has not -- kept us from talking to him. Lauren (ph) is a person like you're a person, and when we need to talk to him and they provide him -- and he would not talk without an attorney. The thing I think really you all need to understand, while you all were questioning me yesterday wanting facts, his attorney was standing there with his hands folded to see what I was going to say. That's why I'm very close-collared about what I say in a release of where we're going.

QUESTION: Sheriff, when did you learn she was dead?

BROWN: This morning.

QUESTION: Did you have an indication of how long she's been deceased?

BROWN: For some time, yes.

QUESTION: Any word on how she died?

BROWN: Can't give you that. But she is dead and she is buried.

But now I'm sorry, but don't jump...

QUESTION: I'm just trying to -- so he's had an attorney for some time?

BROWN: He's got three attorneys.

QUESTION: Do they know where he is?

BROWN: Huh?

QUESTION: Do they know where he is?

BROWN: Not now they don't. He's out of town, he's gone. That's why we put a BOL (ph) out for him.

QUESTION: Was there ever any consideration to say, hey, this is the guy we want to talk to perhaps ratchet up pressure on him?

BROWN: You don't pressure anybody who won't talk to you without their attorney. And I know this system in America.

If you ask -- if they have an attorney, they ain't going to let you talk if they can give you any information. And I'm just telling you how sensitive it is in an investigation, because his attorney was one of the closest persons listening to that release yesterday that we had with you all at 2:00.

He's got three attorneys. And I have talked to the attorneys but I haven't talked to him. We've tried to get -- to talk to him. And it hasn't been because the military won't let us talk to him. His attorneys won't let us talk to him.

QUESTION: Do you now believe he raped her?

BROWN: Sir, I don't know. Believing -- I've released here what I know or what I've been told.

We are trying to validate that. But I do get offensive when I have people that accuse us of not doing something that we've tried to do. And in America, we know what happens if somebody's got an attorney.

QUESTION: What county was she found buried?

BROWN: She hasn't been found yet. We've got the team out there right now looking for her, supposedly where she's been buried, where we've been told.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BROWN: No, it's -- right now it's -- you don't bury people in the water. You drown them in the water.

QUESTION: Right.

BROWN: But it's supposed to be in a shallow grave near -- out off of (INAUDIBLE) Road.

QUESTION: Did Durham provide that information?

BROWN: Durham has not provided any information that I'm providing you.

QUESTION: How did you know she was buried?

BROWN: The key witness that has come forward has given us that information.

QUESTION: Someone other than Durham?

BROWN: And I will not discuss any further with the key witness.

QUESTION: What rank is Lauren (ph)?

QUESTION: Sheriff, do you believe she was killed around the 14th, when did she disappeared, around that time?

BROWN: Someone close to the -- between the 14th and 20th.

QUESTION: And the murder took place in your jurisdiction, in your belief, or...

BROWN: It's -- the evidence is Oslow County.

QUESTION: So you'll follow charges if...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Is this suspect believed to be the father?

BROWN: I don't know nothing about the father. I do know the suspect is the accused in her accusations at the military. QUESTION: Sheriff, Sergeant Durham, it sounds to me like you're...

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Sir, I will answer that question one more time. Sergeant Durham has not provided any information that has got us in the direction we're going right now. Sergeant Durham doesn't appear to have any -- doesn't appear -- now, I'm not saying -- at this time, I don't know what Sergeant Durham has provided. So let me be clear about it.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) make himself available to us?

BROWN: I don't know.

QUESTION: Can you identify those attorneys?

BROWN: No, sir, I won't.

QUESTION: Sheriff, do you know whether or not she had the baby?

BROWN: No, sir. I've told you what I can tell you.

I mean, I've been right up front with you and told you what -- now we are trying to establish that. And really, even after this release, there's going to be a lot more investigating that's got to be done to put this case together.

And realize when you're putting an investigation together is one thing. When you're looking at criminal charges, it's another thing. And your mouth has to be a lot more controlled after the criminal charges are filed than it was while the investigation was going on.

So you haven't got a whole lot, but you've got about all I can give you at this time. And hope that -- understand, at this point, when charges are filed, it becomes a criminal case in the court. And I won't have nothing to say about it. It would have to be from the D.A.'s office.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Is this a nationwide manhunt for him then?

BROWN: A BOL (ph) has been put out. As you say, I contacted his mother before I've done anything about -- I wanted to contact the mother, I was hoping I'd be able to contact the mother and give her some positive feedback at 12:00 noon today.

QUESTION: How long has it been since you've had contact with Lauren (ph)?

BROWN: Lauren (ph)?

QUESTION: Yes. How long has it been since NCIS or the sheriff's office... How big a job has he got?

BROWN: Lauren's probably got about an eight-hour ride ahead of us. Eight-hour ride.

QUESTION: So he was last seen eight hours ago?

BROWN: That's correct.

QUESTION: Sheriff, had Miss Lauterbach expressed concern to any family members or those on base that she might have been afraid of Lauren in the process of the trial?

BROWN: I have talked to will Mr. Lauterbach a while ago, who was married (ph). And our conversation was very direct about what this release was going to cover. I don't know anything else about her conversation with anyone else.

QUESTION: Do you believe Lauren was the man seen in the ATM video on December 24th?

BROWN: Again, what I can't prove in this here, we are seeking to prove what we've been told this morning. I don't know and that will be part of the continual part of the investigation.

QUESTION: Can talk to us more about the bus ticket that was purchased and never used?

BROWN: Right now it is believed Lauren is the one that purchased the ticket. I can't go into detail with you what took place after the ticket was purchased.

QUESTION: You said he was last seen eight hours ago. Could you tell us where he was seen (INAUDIBLE)?

BROWN: Onslow County. And I say "seen." We believe he left this morning about 4:00.

QUESTION: Sheriff, I spoke to the man who says he sold Maria Lauterbach that bus ticket. Is that not the case that she ...

BROWN: No, because I just said, she did purchase a ticket, yes. Yes, she did purchase the ticket. But remember, it was not redeemed. It was not used.

QUESTION: How did her car end back up at the bus station?

BROWN: She drove it there.

QUESTION: Sheriff, this morning you, in a number of interviews, you seemed to be somewhat optimistic, certainly still middle of the road but leaning more in the optimistic direction. Can you characterize all what it is that has caused you -- what exactly has -- can you give us any sense of what this person said to make you now come to the conclusion so far from your sense of optimism this morning, sir? BROWN: In an investigation, I wished every one of you would pull some time in the investigative field. And you are news investigators. But in the investigative field, you get a multitude of reports, statements, calls, and you've got to check them all out. You get one that's positive. You check it out. And then again, you get one that's negative, you check it out.

The one that was positive, this morning I went out before you all feeling like, man, I was on cloud nine because I had some positive information. And then I had my insides knocked out with this negative information, which cancelled out the positive information.

You all may not understand this, but these cases and investigations become personal. I just wanted to cry. You want to give people -- and you want the results to be positive. And I tell you, I'm just, at this time, I'm down. I'm way down.

QUESTION: Sheriff, the person cooperating with you, are they doing that because they made some kind of deal or are they just ...

BROWN: No, this person is just like any other citizen doing the right thing. They had information an they brought it forward.

QUESTION: I just want to be clear. Do you -- I just want to be clear about going back to Lauren. Have you tried to speak to him from the very beginning?

BROWN: We have called Lauren and he has promised to come down, promised to come down, cancel the dates, cancel the dates, and then we're called and says, I won't be coming down because my lawyer said you can't talk to me.

QUESTION: And this is going back to the very beginning, December 14th, 15th (INAUDIBLE).

BROWN: That is going back before yesterday.

QUESTION: Did the NCIS not consider Lauren a threat to (INAUDIBLE)?

BROWN: Because the information that I had got this morning would have been irrelevant for a warrant two days ago. If I'd had this information two days ago, I wouldn't have been as positive this morning in these conferences with you all.

QUESTION: Sheriff, did NCS ...

BROWN: Sir.

QUESTION: What is Lauren's rank? What is Lauren's rank?

BROWN: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a corporal.

BROWN: Corporal. QUESTION: Did NCIS consider him -- not consider him a threat to Lauterbach?

BROWN: That's Mr. Ciccarelli's.

PAUL CICCARELLI, NAVAL INVESTIGATOR: He was not considered a flight risk. As a matter of fact, the information that was developed this morning, there are some indications that there may have been a relationship, could be friendly in nature, that occurred after the incident was reported between the subject and the victim.

QUESTION: Can you identify yourself, please, sir?

CICCARELLI: Certainly. Paul Ciccarelli. I am the special agent in charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service aboard Camp Lejeune.

QUESTION: Can you spell your last name?

CICCARELLI: I certainly can. It's C-I-C-C-A-R-E-L-L-I.

And while I've got the mike here, let me just make a statement.

I know there's been a lot of concern expressed about the cooperation provided by the Marine Corps. Let me just state, as far as the Marine logistics group, two (INAUDIBLE) Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune, they've been extremely, extremely cooperative throughout this investigation.

As a matter of fact, the reason we're here this afternoon is because of information we received from command that led us to this press conference. The information that was developed that's so crucial to this investigation was a result of a call received from a Marine Corps member.

QUESTION: But, sir, with all due respect, it's been, in the last couple of days, this case has gotten attention. She's been missing since December 14th. This information comes out because of the publicity. There are going to be a lot of people saying, why wasn't this guy stopped before if indeed it turns out to be him.

CICCARELLI: Again, he was considered not a flight risk. There's a lot of factors in this investigation that I obviously can't divulge. It's still an active investigation as far as this rape complaint that I can't share with you at this point in time. But at that time he was not considered a flight risk and ...

QUESTION: Was he considered a danger to her?

CICCARELLI: No, he was not. And again, as I stated, the information developed this morning, there's indications that they carried on a, I would say, a some type of friendly relationship after she had reported this incident.

QUESTION: Is there any federal warrant issued for Corporal Lauren? CICCARELLI: No, this is strictly a Onslow County Sheriff's Office, they've got primary jurisdiction on this. Obviously the NCIS and the base is concerned. We now have suspected Marine-on-Marine incident and that's why we're involved. But this is the Onslow County Sheriff's Office ...

QUESTION: It was released yesterday that there was information in a police report, an investigative report, that there were some problems with the case after she reported the rape and that problems may be related to her. It sounds like you're saying now that the rape was reported and then there was a potential friendly relationship between these two and she was somewhat uncooperative after that? Is that kind what have we're hearing?

CICCARELLI: Again, this investigation is still ongoing. All I could state again, it's the information that was developed over the last 24 hours that leads us to believe that they still made some type of contact after she had reported the incident.

QUESTION: Is there any truth to the rumor that she had dropped the charges against the alleged attacker?

CICCARELLI: Still, active investigation. I can't share that information.

QUESTION: Well, if she dropped the charges, it's ...

CICCARELLI: IF she dropped them, then it wouldn't be an active investigation.

QUESTION: Is Corporal Lauren now facing charges in rape, still just an investigation or ...

CICCARELLI: The investigation is still active. Still open.

QUESTION: Corporal Lauren, was he in 2nd NLG (ph) with her same unit?

CICCARELLI: Yes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

CICCARELLI: Yes, there's some confusion here that the news was reporting that he was a superior officer. He is not a superior officer. She was a lance corporal. If you know the military ranks, he was a corporal. He's one step up above in the enlisted ranks.

QUESTION: What are the other charges against him? Maybe the sheriff can answer that.

BROWN: I don't believe I mentioned any charges. We're looking at him in connection as being the key suspect in this investigation.

QUESTION: So your naming him a suspect. He's not a person of interest. He's clearly a suspect. BROWN: He is clearly a suspect. The key suspect. And he is entered in NCIC throughout the United States and we will go where he's at and I'm hoping, as this investigation moves on, he will be not only a suspect, but a person wanted in charges that ...

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) people know who to be on the lookout for?

BROWN: We are working on that.

Let me get this -- a lot of you folks I've never met. And we have had some good relationships since you got here. I don't need to be accused by you. And law enforcement, these other folks, don't need to be accused by you. There's a lot of things that you got to understand. This morning you were talking to me and I was ready to tell you that, man, we got good news.

So this thing has gone this way, it's gone this way, but I believe I can say this -- from what we understand right now, the relationship that brought them together has happened since her disappearance. Since the 14th. Let me say this -- their relationship seems to have gotten together since the 14th.

QUESTION: When do you think she died?

BROWN: Sir?

QUESTION: When do you think she was killed?

BROWN: Shortly after probably talking with her mother before the 20th.

QUESTION: Sheriff, you said you believe she drove her car to the bus station and purchased a bus ticket. Do you think she was abducted at that point?

BROWN: No, I do not. She seemed to have walked in there and got the ticket on her own understanding (ph).

QUESTION: And then left on her own (INAUDIBLE)?

BROWN: Can't go into all that. We're investigating that. We're trying to -- right now put together this lead. And I just get offended, not only do I get offended, but I get offended when people don't know nothing and you can't tell them everything and they start accusing you about it. That's offensive.

QUESTION: Sheriff, understanding that there are things you can't say at this point with the investigation ongoing, but can you tell us -- you have not actually found her body. Can you tell us why you're so certain at this point in time that she is dead?

BROWN: Because the -- like Mr. Durham (ph), he is close and personal and could have provided us information about probably as close as anybody could concerning her. The person that gives us this information is, in my opinion, I believe it's valid. And as I've told you, we've got tangible, not only a statement, but a tangible piece of evidence that, as I've told you in the beginning, and all of you, tangible things don't change, statements are sometimes varies depending upon who gives them. So the tangibles don't change and that tangible is what we are putting more action on right now than anything else.

QUESTION: You said there was no deal or charge with this witness. Do you believe they just gleaned this information, sheriff, and they didn't delay in coming forward?

BROWN: I can't make a statement to that.

QUESTION: Do we know how she was killed in (ph) this miliary ...

BROWN: Sir?

QUESTION: Is the witness military?

BROWN: I can't -- I don't know that. I can't say that.

QUESTION: Didn't you say that, Mr. Ciccarelli?

CICCARELLI: No. No. I did (INAUDIBLE). But since you asked, she's forward military.

BROWN: Somebody asked me a question ...

QUESTION: Do we know how she was killed?

BROWN: We know how we was told. But until we can prove that, I'm not going -- you know, speculating on it. OK.

QUESTION: Mr. Ciccarelli, can you shed light on when she was supposed to testify or be involved again in the process?

CICCARELLI: Discussions were underway to have an Article 32. For those not familiar with an Article 32, it's equivalent to a civilian grand jury. Fact finding. Determine if there's enough information from the investigation to go forward with a court-martial. That's what was scheduled. An Article 32 on the sexual assault investigation.

QUESTION: Was there a date was there a date ...

CICCARELLI: It was during December.

QUESTION: During the time she disappeared?

CICCARELLI: Yes.

QUESTION: I'm confused and I hope you'll clarify for me. I thought earlier you said the information that led to this development came from a Marine Corps member.

CICCARELLI: Came from the Marine Corps base, yes. QUESTION: The information that led you to the witness. Because you said the witness is not currently a Marine.

CICCARELLI: Yes. Yes. Yes.

QUESTION: OK. OK. So you developed information on Camp Lejeune that led you to this witness who had the information you need.

CICCARELLI: Right. Once the information was received, I received that phone call, within 10 minutes I was on the phone with Sheriff Brown (ph).

QUESTION: Did Lauren tell this witness directly what he had done or did she just learn about this through other means.

CICCARELLI: I'll refer this to the sheriff.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) question to the sheriff. Sheriff, and I apologize, we all know you're under (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Understand, I really get offensive when you accuse my counterparts of not doing their job. If you want to upset me, jump on me but don't jump on my counterparts. They've done a good job. And I do, I get brought out of the sandbox a little bit.

QUESTION: Can ask you a question?

BROWN: Ask me the question.

QUESTION: The question is, this witness, did she -- did Lauren tell her directly what he had done or did she learn about the information another way?

BROWN: This witness that brought the information -- I never said whether it was a he or she, you put it in that category. OK. But maybe he did, I didn't. But the information that we have would be what this witness was told.

Now that makes me feel like we need to investigate. When they bring something that's tangible that I can put my fingers on and we can look at, that ain't going to change. You know, that's physical evidence. Physical evidence is good evidence. And I told you in the past, I don't walk out on something. Physical evidence is good evidence.

QUESTION: Sheriff Brown, so it sounds like you have perhaps physical evidence indicating the death of Miss Lauterbach?

BROWN: And connects Lauren to it. I can't give that evidence to you.

QUESTION: Sheriff, here.

BROWN: Yes.

QUESTION: Sheriff, did Lauren live in the same house as Lauterbach?

BROWN: No. No. That person lived there with her is Mr. Durham.

QUESTION: So there was more than one person that lived there with ...

BROWN: They weren't Lauren. They weren't Lauren.

Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Sheriff, the area where you're searching for the body right now, can you repeat that, Gumbrax (ph) Road?

BROWN: Gum Branch.

QUESTION: Is that a wooded area or describe that?

BROWN: It's a residential wooded area. It's not a deserted area exactly, but it's out where people live and a housing development and all that.

QUESTION: Sheriff, this may be an obvious question, but we can assume that the child is also deceased?

BROWN: You can assume that. And right now I have nothing to counter your assumption.

QUESTION: One question. Can the Marine Corps assist in any way with the search for him?

BROWN: They are.

QUESTION: In what way?

BROWN: Manpower. Manpower. The Marine Corps is assisting. The SBI is assisting. Probably right now there's 30 people out there doing this. We've got it this morning. Like I told you, when I talk to you all earlier, I was excited. We had gotten a piece of information about 2:00 in the morning.

This is how investigations go. You investigate, you get positives, you get negatives, you can get jerked from one corner then jerked to the other. This morning I was ready to give you a good, positive release at 12:00 and this information just come in. And it was not positive. And you probably saw the expression in my releases. It knocked the air out of my sails.

But we've got all these folk right there right now. We have met at the courthouse. We have deployed the people to that area. And we've got the place cordoned off. And we've got people are out there with dogs and we're doing their job.

And I'm telling you, that's the way law enforcement works. Investigations works. We don't set back and wait. We go and march forward. And when we got this. Since we've got it, we put at least 30 people or more in action. QUESTION: Forgive me if you've already answered this. Do you believe that Lauren is the father of the child?

BROWN: I don't have a clue. Don't have a clue.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) might there be anybody else involved in this?

BROWN: Right now there's no indication that anyone other than Lauren is -- can answer some questions we want answered.

QUESTION: Do we know his hometown? Is he from here originally?

BROWN: Somebody may have that question. Mr. Stoke (ph), do you? I don't know what his hometown is.

QUESTION: Sheriff, can you talk a little bit about how their relationship started back up again in December?

BROWN: From what we know, the initiation was from the missing lady to Mr. Lauren. I don't know. All I can -- right now -- but that is from what we are told. And as Mr. Ciccarelli and I have told you too, this doesn't stop the investigation, this just accelerates now the investigation in the direction of eventually a court trial with a warrant.

QUESTION: Sheriff, you said it's an assumption that the child she is carrying is also dead. But if that's the case, what a person could possibly be facing charges in (INAUDIBLE)?

BROWN: In this case I would imagine the D.A., that would be a good answer which would probably be yes. And I think there's cases, court cases to support that.

QUESTION: Mr. Ciccarelli, what kind of Marine is Lauren? What kind of background can you give us on his (INAUDIBLE)?

CICCARELLI: As far as a character reference, you've got to remember now, I'm a federal agent, civilian federal agent. That's something you'd have to refer to the command.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

CICCARELLI: We have. We've looked at it. My agents that have been involved in investigating this case with the deputies could answer that.

QUESTION: Are you in touch with the attorney for Corporal Lauren and can you identify them for us?

CICCARELLI: I am not. Remember now, primary jurisdiction on this investigation lies with the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.

QUESTION: Was there ever any pressure from the Marine Corps or whatever side you guys do saying, you guys -- and put pressure on Corporal Lauren and said, you need to go talk to the sheriff? Can you guys even do that?

CICCARELLI: That's -- obviously you're looking at someone's civil rights, obviously. You're going to pressure somebody to do something that they don't want to do. So, you know, we contacted him. Command was willing to release him to Onslow County Sheriff's Office so they could conduct their interview. He got his lawyer and he opted not to come.

QUESTION: Did that raise red flags along the way that perhaps ...

CICCARELLI: If you probably looked at it that, OK, he didn't want to speak, but also -- he is also a suspect now in a previous investigation. So I know the sheriff stressed that we only wanted to talk to him regarding the missing Marine. It had nothing to do with the other charges preferred (ph) against him. However, in his mind, maybe he felt that.

QUESTION: Mr. Ciccarelli, do you believe he's the father of the baby?

CICCARELLI: I cannot answer that.

QUESTION: Can you please go through those charges? What were the charges against him relative to the assault on the victim?

CICCARELLI: It was a rape charge.

QUESTION: So I'm not familiar with military law. Is rape not a sort of a capital thing?

CICCARELLI: It's a felony investigation.

QUESTION: Why was he not held?

CICCARELLI: Again, he was not considered a flight risk. And again, as we mentioned previously, this investigation, as you have reported over the last couple of days, there may have been some inconsistencies in this investigation. But he was not considered a flight risk.

QUESTION: Sheriff, you can say again that Durham is just -- he's just a witness. He's not a suspect at all?

BROWN: Durham is just a person that we believe would provide -- could provide some solid information about her behavior. And the reason I've seen what you all shows on TV and I've seen what the mother says and everybody's got different remarks about her. But I wanted to talk to Mr. Durham to see what he had to say because he lived right in the same house. Nobody knows you better than those who live in the house with you.

QUESTION: Did you all know the sex of the baby?

BROWN: No, I don't. I don't know anything about her pregnancy as far as who is the father or what the child is. I've been told the pregnancy was in its eight and a half months and that's what I'm relying on that it is. Other than that, I don't know.

QUESTION: Did you find out Lauren's hometown, sheriff?

BROWN: Nevada. What part of Nevada, Rick?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says a Nevada issued drivers license.

BROWN: Nevada.

QUESTION: If you -- I remember you said earlier that she may have been killed between the 14th and the 20th. If her due date, from what we've been told, wasn't till the middle of January or early on in January, is it your belief that maybe she had not given birth yet?

BROWN: We have nothing to support either way. I know this, that my feelings is very emotional about what the child, as well as her. But, you know, that's a child that never had a chance to become a person.

QUESTION: Sheriff, just to be clear on the time line, her mom reported her missing on the 14th. When was the bus ticket purchased?

BROWN: Her mama reported her missing on the 20th. I mean the 19th. The 19th.

QUESTION: The last she had talked to her was the 14th.

BROWN: Right. Right.

QUESTION: What, as far as the bus ticket.

BROWN: The bus ticket was purchased on the 15th.

QUESTION: Sheriff, can you give us some indication of how this witness may have come to have this information?

BROWN: I don't have a clue. Do not have a clue.

QUESTION: Since he has no prior relationship ...

BROWN: I'm sorry. Let me say this because (ph) I don't know how she come about it. When I say don't have a clue, I think that would be a little stretching my honesty. But I don't know how she got it.

QUESTION: But she had no former relationship with Lauren?

BROWN: I can't answer that question.

QUESTION: Sheriff, why might she have been going to El Paso? What was in El Paso?

BROWN: I don't have a clue. I mean that's where the ticket's going. I don't have a clue. And I understand there's a lot of people by the last name of Lauterbach in El Paso, Texas. Whether they were kin or not, do I not know. QUESTION: This might not be a question for you, but could you potentially elaborate on whether there was any sort of witness protection program to protect people who accused their counterparts of sexual assault and if she was eligible for anything like that.

CICCARELLI: Absolutely. Command always makes that available to victims on board the base. And there's a victim advocacy program that insures the safety of the victims. There was no reason at the onset of the investigation where she actually sought any type of relief under that program.

QUESTION: It is a voluntary thing? The plaintiff must come to you?

CICCARELLI: No. These individuals actually seek out the victims and talk to them and find out if there's any issues, any help they can give them during the course of the investigation.

QUESTION: So she was aware of that (ph) service?

CICCARELLI: I can't answer that right now.

QUESTION: Major Ciccarelli, was there an MPO filed for on Lauterbach to have her (ph)?

CICCARELLI: Not that I'm aware of, no.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

CICCARELLI: Protection order. A military protection order.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) the date of the alleged incident?

CICCARELLI: I believe it was -- I know it was reported to us in April.

QUESTION: April?

CICCARELLI: Yes.

QUESTION: Can you spell the name of the street where the search is going on?

BROWN: U-E-A-D-O-W (ph). Am I right, major?

QUESTION: Gum branch.

BROWN: No, that's the street. OK. You wanted just ...

QUESTION: G-U-M B-R-A-N-C-H?

BROWN: Gum Branch. Two words.

QUESTION: Sheriff, are you making a public plea for Lauren to turn himself in?

BROWN: I'm putting a BOL out there. I'm not giving him a choice. I can answer that one pretty clear.

QUESTION: Thank you.

BROWN: Again, thank you for your involvement in this investigation. If I have offended you, Mr. Ed (ph), I apologize, but ...

QUESTION: You haven't, sir. Just doing our jobs.

BROWN: OK. OK.

QUESTION: Sheriff, let us help you by giving us a picture.

BROWN: We're going to send you a release with the digital images on the car. And when we get his photograph, we will get it to you all. We have got him already out there for our -- but again, thank you. I'll be around. We are out doing our thing. And if we discover the body or discover evidence, tangible evidence, we'll get back up with you. All you have got my cell phone number?

NGUYEN: All right. You've been listening to Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown, as we have learned some really surprising, and for many people, shocking news in this investigation. We talked to the sheriff a little bit earlier today and he said he had some positive news. Well, it doesn't turn out to be the fact.

Here is what we know. And a lot of this is a bit confusing at the moment because this investigation is still underway. And the information is coming in, trickling in, at times. Twenty-year-old Maria Lauterbach went missing on December 14th. She was officially reported missing on the 19th from Camp Lejeune. She was eight months pregnant and we learned today, according to the sheriff, that she is dead and, in fact, buried.

But here's what we don't know. A body has not been found at this point. And as far as being buried, the sheriff just mentioned not too long ago that he believes that she was buried in a shallow grave in a residential wooded area. But again, a body has not been found at this point.

The sheriff went on to say that the man accused by Lance Corporal Lauterbach of rape is also the suspect in her death. Now follow me. This person is 21-year-old Caesar Armando Lauren, a corporal in the military. And that is according to the sheriff.

The point right now is, where is he so that he can be questioned in this investigation. Well, we have learned from the Naval investigator that the suspect is out of town and he was never considered a flight risk and so no arrest warrant was ever issued at this point.

So there are a lot of interesting questions surrounding this investigation. But we have learned from the sheriff that, according to him, there is physical evidence indicating not only the death of Lance Corporal 20-year-old Maria Lauterbach, who you see right there, who was 8 months pregnant. But not only that, but the physical evidence also connects the case to Corporal Lauren, who Lauterbach had accused in an earlier investigation of sexual assault. An investigation that is still open and perhaps closed very shortly as we learn more in this case and if indeed Maria Lauterbach is dead.

So the question now is, one, will they find the body, because they are searching for it at this hour. And, two, where is the prime suspect in this case. We are continuing to follow this story. There is so much more to come.

We have CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera on the scene. He has been speaking with the sheriff during that press conference. At times it was heated because a lot of this information is very confusing. We're going to try to sort it all out for you and bring you the latest right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Mrs. Lauterbach is dead and has been buried here in Onslow County. The suspect in the case is the Marine accused by her for assaulting her.

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