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NANCY GRACE

Nationwide Manhunt Under Way for Death Row Escapee

Aired November 4, 2005 - 20:00:00   ET

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


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, breaking news, a nationwide manhunt for a Texas death row killer, Charles Victor Thompson. Thompson managed to get his hands on civilian clothes and a fake ID and walked out of jail. Convicted for the double murder of his girlfriend and an innocent friend, he also threatened from behind prison walls to assassinate state`s witnesses against him. This death row inmate, Charles Victor Thompson, who broke out, on the loose, tonight, no idea which way Thompson is headed.
Good evening everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight.

Tonight, an intense search for a beautiful Georgia woman. Forty-year- old Leslie Adams disappeared 14 days ago, just days after begging a judge to protect her from a violent lover. Also tonight, the theory is growing that 18-year-old American girl Natalee Holloway could be wrapped up in the sex slave trade. Where is that theory coming from? And is it actually harming the investigation? Natalee`s parents outraged. Natalee`s Mom with us tonight.

But first tonight, breaking news. A highly dangerous, possibly armed death row inmate on the loose after a Texas jailbreak., Charles Victor Thompson, dressed in civilian clothes, carrying fake ID. Thompson convicted in the brutal shooting death of a girlfriend and her friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can this happen? You know, he was in custody. He`s a -- you know, he`s a convicted murderer, and he was being sent back to death row. How can he escape? And you know, from what I saw on the news, that -- from what I hear, that he just walked out the front door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I want to go straight out to investigative reporter Harris Faulkner. How did a death row inmate escape, walk out of jail?

HARRIS FAULKNER, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, you know, Nancy, it was an elaborate scheme that was really quite simple in the end. He just simply changed his clothes. Let me set it up for you. He`s inside the Harris County jail, which is located in downtown Houston. He`s being escorted by a deputy over to a meeting area, where many inmates and attorneys have meetings out of the purview of cameras to protect client/attorney privilege. He goes into one of these meeting rooms, expecting, so he said, to see an attorney. He comes back out in different clothes, the orange jumpsuit thrown to the floor. He`s got on casual wear. He`s donning a fake badge. He walks past at least four employees in that jailhouse, and they just let him walk right out the door.

And the badge that he made apparently had, like, a black strip and his picture on it. And when someone did ask a question, he simply said, Well, I work for the Texas attorney general`s office, and they let him go.

GRACE: Here`s what police had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JOHN MARTIN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPT.: The items of clothing that Mr. Thompson had were the clothing that he wore to his last court appearance. Apparently, he smuggled those items back to his jail cell after his court appearance. He did have an attorney visit yesterday at approximately 1:45 in the afternoon. While he was in the attorney booth, he got out of his inmate jumpsuit and the orange clothing they commonly wear, changed into his civilian clothing. He was handcuffed when he was taken into the attorney booth, and apparently was able to get out of the handcuffs.

There had been an indication that he had a card identifying himself as being with the attorney general`s office. This morning, I was informed he did have some type of a card with him. It had his photograph on it. It was a laminated card like -- similar to a driver`s license. It did have some kind of black strip on the back of it. We`re not clear at this point if it was magnetic or simply a piece of tape placed on the back of the card to give that appearance. And it`s my understanding the only association he had with the attorney general`s office were the comments that he made to the deputies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Back to Harris Faulkner. Harris, where do we think he got the clothes from? And more intriguing to me -- because he could have had that to wear to court one day...

FAULKNER: Sure.

GRACE: ... because you don`t want jurors or practically anyone that may be on a jury seeing an inmate in their prison outfit. So he could have had his court clothes. But what about the picture he had of himself? And wasn`t he in handcuffs?

FAULKNER: Well, you know, there`s no explaining the Houdini trick of the handcuffs. But Nancy, you`re dead on when you say about the clothes. That`s what authorities are saying now. That`s possibly what he wore to court last week. He was in court because he thought he was going to get a break. He had appealed his case. They found him guilty of murder again, double murder again. He then got the death penalty again last Friday.

So you`ve heard the word brazen. You`ve heard the word daring. Really, he had nothing to lose. How he got of those handcuffs -- determination, who knows? But now, listen to this. This is a downtown area. I`m a little familiar with Houston. So this is Baker Street, Harris County mail, right? You walk out, it`s 3:30 in the afternoon. He simply walks out the door and melts into the population.

GRACE: Let`s go straight to Supervisory Deputy Steve Tiller. He`s with the U.S. Marshals Service, commander of Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force. What is being done to find this death row inmate, sir?

STEVE TILLER, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: We`re utilizing all of our resources, the entire Marshals Service, all of our federal, state and local counterparts, and the public and the assistance of the media to apprehend this individual.

GRACE: What`s the procedure for searching for him?

TILLER: Well, immediately after the escape, when we were notified of the escape, we immediately established a perimeter, began to gather information and worked with the Harris County Sheriff`s Department and the Houston Police Department, local agencies, disseminated as much information as we had of the individual to the public, and are continuing to follow up leads regarding the individual.

GRACE: Any idea which way he`s headed?

TILLER: We`re receiving multiple leads. The public has been outstanding. We`re receiving a lot of information, and we`re following every one of those leads up.

GRACE: Repeat question. Which way is he heading?

TILLER: Well, at this point, we have some very good indicators, but I would hesitate to comment on that at this time to not compromise the investigation.

GRACE: Elizabeth (ph), do you have a map? How far away is this from Mexico? Can you tell me that, Steve?

TILLER: Well, it`s -- mileage-wise, I`m not exactly sure. It`s going to be quite a drive, about eight, nine hours to the Mexican border.

GRACE: OK. To Ellie (ph) -- Ellie, how far -- you looked it up. How far is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) looks like the closest point in Mexico is about 350 miles away.

GRACE: OK, bottom line, the reality is, to Alan Ripka -- Alan this guy has gotten the death penalty not once but twice, all right, for a double murder. Not just a double murder, Alan, this guy threatened to have state`s witnesses -- state`s witnesses! -- assassinated from behind bars. If he goes to Mexico, he will not be extradited under Mexican law unless the U.S. agrees not to seek the death penalty. Alan, you know it`s true!

ALAN RIPKA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That`s right, Nancy, and this guy is dangerous. And you know something? This was well-planned out. And I can guarantee you, with a plan like this, he planned how to escape. He has money waiting and he had a way to go, and Mexico is probably it.

GRACE: I want to go straight out to Charles Thompson`s defense attorney. Everyone, joining us tonight, a very special guest, Terry Gaiser. Terry, thank you for being with us. I think I`ve got Terry. Terry, are you there?

TERRY GAISER, CHARLES THOMPSON`S MOST RECENT DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, I`m here.

GRACE: Terry, what is your response to your guy that you represented -- break from prison? I`m sorry? Can you hear me, Terry?

GAISER: I can now.

GRACE: OK. I`m just asking you your response. You worked with this guy. You tried to get him off, tried to get him acquitted. What is your response to the prison break?

GAISER: Well, first of al, I need to correct something. He was here for a retrial on the issue of punishment only...

GRACE: Right.

GAISER: ... not to be -- not on the issue of guilt.

GRACE: Yes, we know that. Apparently, at sentencing phase, it was brought in that a law enforcement agent had gone behind bars and gotten him to admit he wanted to kill state`s witnesses. That is totally disallowed under the Constitution, and for that reason, the sentencing phase of his death penalty case had to be redone. Right? Wrong?

GAISER: No, that`s absolutely correct.

GRACE: OK. Now, back to this. What is your response to your guy, that you tried to get off, a double killer, loose on the street tonight?

GAISER: Well, let me correct something again. I wasn`t trying to get him off. I was trying to get him a life sentence. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.

GRACE: OK. You know what? Never mind. Never mind!

I want to go straight back out to Harris Faulkner. Harris, any idea from the leads? We know the cops aren`t going to tell us, but where do we think this guy is headed?

FAULKNER: Well, they do have one thing that they`re saying, and they`re following a gray-colored vehicle, a 2003 Nissan, a Frontier truck - - I should say following it just in terms of trying to find it. They think he may be in that vehicle. So you know, there was a question early on whether he would have walked away, driven away from that jail, but now they`re saying that a gray-colored 2003 Nissan Frontier truck with Texas license plates, that`s what they`re looking for. You know, Nancy...

GRACE: OK, hold on. Hold on. I`ve got some breaking news right now. That vehicle has been found. That vehicle found. To Deputy Steve Tiller, what can you till me about the discovery of the vehicle?

TILLER: That vehicle was recovered earlier in the investigation.

GRACE: Right. Where was it?

TILLER: It was in the northwest part of Harris County. The vehicle was identified as being a family member of Mr. Thompson.

GRACE: You know, that opens up a whole `nother can of worms, Steve. You`re telling me that he miraculously, like Houdini, gets out of the courthouse and then he`s got a car, he`s got a set of wheels waiting right there for him?

TILLER: Well, not actually. That vehicle was a vehicle of interest because the information was obtained during the initial investigation. We had to follow all leads, and that vehicle was something we certainly wanted to locate the individual driving that vehicle. It was simply one of the many leads that we`re following up on.

GRACE: Sir, sir, I`m not asking about you about your hundreds of leads. I`m asking you whose car did -- who belonged -- whose car was this?

TILLER: It was his brother.

GRACE: And where did he get the car? Was the car waiting for him there?

TILLER: No. I don`t actually have any indication that the individual picked him up. It was simply a vehicle of interest that we are continuing to investigate.

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN: We are interviewing everybody who may have information regarding his escape, which includes staff members, other inmates. We`ve had a couple witnesses inside the lobby who said they actually saw him leaving. We`ll be attempting to contact them, as well.

There was a deputy that would have escorted him to the attorney booth and left him in the attorney booth. Now, that door should have been locked. It`s not clear, at this point, if the door was left unlocked or if he was able to defeat the locking mechanism somehow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN: Our criminal (INAUDIBLE) division is activated immediately, and they`re sent out to start checking out possible locations. We`ll also have the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force out looking for him. That`s a multi-jurisdictional task force. And again, they always help us to try to track down these escapees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. Breaking news tonight, a prison break from a death row inmate. Take a look at -- this is one of his Web sites, Charles Victor Thompson, who`s got a death row Web site. Can we put that up? "The fact is, my case should never have been tried, nor is it a capital murder. In the interests of justice, I have maintained my innocence, and I still do. I don`t deserve to die for the mistakes of a trio of doctors who couldn`t perform a routine procedure performed hundreds of thousands of times in hospitals across the nation. The defense I got to being attacked by a legally drunken man was none."

This is Charles Victor Thompson, one of his many, many sightings on his Web site.

I want to go straight out to the brother of the victim, Denise Haslip (ph). With me now, Devin Donaghy. Devin, thank you for being with us. I think I`ve got Devin Donaghy on the phone. Devin, are you there?

DEVIN DONAGHY, BROTHER OF ESCAPEE`S MURDER VICTIM: I am here.

GRACE: Sir, what is he talking about when he says it`s not his fault that the victim died?

DONAGHY: There were -- we`re not exactly sure of all the -- we`re not exactly sure of all the outs and ins to this thing. We`ve addressed it to the hospital. There has been, you know, a hearing over it. The hospital was found not guilty of any kind of charges that they are -- neglect towards this. Regardless of Charles`s role (ph) -- I`ve seen his Web site. It makes -- I -- I -- it makes me sick inside to even know that he`s even able to have a Web site. But anyway, reading his Web site, you know, the hospital tried to save my sister. There was no doubt that he tried to kill her. So I mean, to my knowledge, there is -- at this point, there`s no proof that the hospital actually did this.

GRACE: I think, Michelle Suskauer, what the defendant, the death row inmate who is now on the loose, is trying to say is that it`s the hospital`s fault these people died, not his. Michelle Suskauer, not a good argument for a death row inmate to advance, to try to blame the hospital for double murder.

MICHELLE SUSKAUER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What he was trying to do was really trying to bring up any possible defense that he possibly could. And apparently, there was some allegations that there was some surgeries that were performed, and he`s saying that there was another cause, there was a concurrent cause, which was the -- which is the reason why she died, so that they were to blame for her death and not him.

No, it wasn`t -- obviously, the appellate court did not feel that that was successful. That did not work for him. But there were some -- that`s the only thing that he possibly had to use for his defense in this case, and that was what he threw out there. It just wasn`t bought.

GRACE: Back to Harris Faulkner, investigative reporter. Let`s try to go through the timeline. Walk it through with me.

FAULKNER: About 3:30 -- well, closer to 3:00 o`clock yesterday afternoon, a deputy sheriff walks into what they call the J-pod unit of the Harris County jail, and that`s the highest-security section of that jail in downtown Houston. They walk in, and the deputy`s been told by the inmate, Thompson, that he has a meeting with his attorney.

And again, this is an area where the cameras are out of view to protect client and attorney privilege. So it`s already high security. It`s already -- he`s got an escort there. He goes into this room, and within minutes, between 3:00, 3:30, somewhere in there, he changes out of his orange jumpsuit, puts on the khaki jeans and the shirt and the tennis shoes and his badge, leaves the jumpsuit there in that empty room, and exits on his own.

By 3:30, he has walked past at least four employees inside that jailhouse, had some sort of verbal communication with them to let them know that he works for the Texas attorney general`s office. They might have questioned him, What is the badge for? And by shortly after 3:30, right out the door.

GRACE: Harris, didn`t one of these sheriffs actually walk him in?

FAULKNER: Well, he was escorted into that J-pod area, absolutely, and all the inmates are. So the question is, How did -- did he look different when he came out? Did he see that particular deputy sheriff when he came out? Logically, you`d probably think not. But whoever he scooted by, he looked convincing and he looked like he belonged.

GRACE: You know, that`s amazing to me -- here in the studio with me, Lisa Weinstock -- that one of the sheriffs who actually escorted him into the chamber to meet his lawyer, who never showed up, didn`t recognize him coming out in street clothes.

LISA WEINSTOCK, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes, I think that really goes to the character of how easily this guy was able to manipulate the people around him, and this is consistent with what we know about his personality. This guy has no conscience. He manipulates the people around him, and he`s able to fool them into thinking that he`s not an inmate at all but just a member of the district attorney`s staff. It`s really amazing that this could happen.

GRACE: To Deputy Steve Tiller. Where exactly is the search for the inmate?

TILLER: Our search right now is nationwide. We`re receiving leads, as I spoke of earlier, and we`re following them up. We`re concentrating areas of the best leads, and we`re receiving quite a bit of information and trying to process all of that information.

GRACE: Very quickly, to tonight`s "Case Alert," another tragic ending for one of our missing girls we told you about. Tomorrow more than a year after reported missing, Tamika Huston`s funeral this August, Chris Hampton (ph), Tamika`s boyfriend, led police to a makeshift grave where her remains were found. Hampton now charged with murder.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN: (INAUDIBLE) interviewing everybody who may have information regarding his escape, which includes staff members, other inmates. We`ve had a couple witnesses inside the lobby who said they actually saw him leaving. We`ll be attempting to contact them, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. Breaking news tonight. A Texas death row inmate on the loose. No idea which way he`s headed. If I had to put money on it, I would say to Mexico. Mexico refuses to extradite if the death penalty is being sought. This man, Charles Victor Thompson, convicted not once but twice of double murder, sentenced to death row both times.

I want to go straight out to CNN correspondent Keith Oppenheim. Keith, bring us up to date.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nancy, it was at 3:30 yesterday afternoon when this happened, that Charles Victor Thompson walks out of those doors that you see behind me, the doors to the Harris County jail.

Police here are telling us that he had taken civilian clothes from his jail cell, he smuggled them and brought them to a booth. It`s a booth that`s used by attorneys and inmates. And from that booth, he changes his clothes after an attorney/inmate meeting, and then he goes over to a security checkpoint dressed in these clothes.

He`s got an ID of some sort, an ID with a picture of himself on it, some kind of black stripe on it, and his performance with deputies is convincing enough they take him from a secure area to a non-secure area. That was the big mistake. If they had checked him out, and you know, really figured out who he was while still in the secure area, he probably never would have left. But instead, he gets into the public lobby, and while they`re still figuring out who he is, he says, Just one second, I got to check on something, and he`s out the front door.

GRACE: Question. How many people, how many sheriffs did he encounter on his way out?

OPPENHEIM: Well, it was definitely a few, and that is, in part, what the Harris County Sheriff`s Department is investigating, is who did he encounter? What did each staff member know? At this point, they are not pointing to any complicity either from staff or from the attorney that he met with. Still, at the same time, they`re investigating whether or not there was any assistance, but there`s no evidence of it at this time.

GRACE: With us, Keith Oppenheim, CNN correspondent there on the scene. Do investigators think Thompson had help escaping?

OPPENHEIM: I don`t think that they know that he had any help escaping, but they are certainly questioning whether or not he did. I mean, Nancy, there`s a possibility that the guy just got very lucky, that he had this idea of putting on civilian clothes...

GRACE: Keith...

OPPENHEIM: ... and seeing if he could, with an ID, just get out the front door.

GRACE: Keith, Keith...

OPPENHEIM: And it worked for him.

GRACE: Keith, he just happened to have a picture of himself to turn it into a fake ID? He just happened to have wheels waiting outside the courthouse, which coincidentally belong to a relative?

OPPENHEIM: Look, I`m not telling you, Nancy, that he did not get help. They are investigating that aspect of the case. But right now, the information that this department, which is dealing with an embarrassing fumble, is that they don`t yet have evidence that he had help on the inside, or at least they`re not saying so publicly.

GRACE: With us at the scene, Keith Oppenheim, CNN correspondent. Keith, please stay right there.

Very quickly -- we at "NANCY GRACE" want very much to help, in our own way, solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Take a look at 21- year-old Timothy Robertson, killed December 2004, Eureka, California. Still no answers. If you have any information on Timothy Robertson, please call the Carole Sund Carrington Foundation toll-free, 888-813-8389. Please help us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, I`m Sophia Choi. And here`s your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

We`re continuing to follow the anti-American demonstrations in Argentina where President Bush is attending the Summit of the Americas. Protesters have smashed windows and set fires. Police are responding by firing tear gas into the crowds.

On to New York, where construction has now begun on the new World Trade Center. Workers built a 168-foot wooden trough through the south footprint at Ground Zero. The area will eventually become a transportation hub designed to serve more than 80,000 riders a day.

And if you`re in the market for a home in Denver and a bride to boot, the online auction site, eBay, might have what you`re looking for. The house is 600 grand and it comes with the woman who owns it. Forty-eight- year-old Deborah Hale is running the ad and says she`s looking for a soul mate. The bidding, by the way, ends on Valentine`s Day, if you`re interested.

That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi. Now back to NANCY GRACE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL MCGRAW, "DR. PHIL" HOST: Just imagine if you have been abducted and you`re catching news somewhere, you`re seeing yourself in the news and then all of a sudden it just goes away, and you`re just left and nobody`s looking for you. And I truly believe that if that young girl`s alive, we`re going to find her. And if she`s not, we want to find her body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is from Wednesday night`s "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Dr. Phil with a very unique theory into Natalee Holloway`s whereabouts.

Welcome back, everybody.

Elizabeth, do we have that sound yet? Could you play the sound?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCGRAW: Without creating false hope, we have reasonable belief and some credible evidence that Natalee Holloway is alive.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Is alive?

MCGRAW: Is alive. We can`t -- we cannot prove that at this point, and we don`t know where she is, but, you know, there is a huge sex slave underground in some of those countries down there. Young women have disappeared from that part of the world before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I`m going to go straight out to the managing director and editor of "Diario" newspaper, Jossy Mansur.

Jossy, is there any evidence to support the theory that Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old American girl, is being held as a sex slave? I think I`ve got Jossy on the phone.

Jossy, are you there?

JOSSY MANSUR, EDITOR, "DIARIO": Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Hi, Jossy. Nice to hear your voice. Jossy, is there any indication that Natalee Holloway is being held as a sex slave?

MANSUR: No, none whatsoever that I know of. I know the theory has been around from the beginning, but I haven`t seen one shred of evidence so far to either prove that she is alive or to prove that she is not.

GRACE: Where do you think this theory keeps coming from, Jossy?

MANSUR: I have absolutely no idea, because what they`re saying about this, this traffic of prostitution, of selling young girls, that`s unknown to me in Aruba. I mean, I`m maybe one of the ones that haven`t seen any traces of it whatsoever on the island.

GRACE: Well, where would Dr. Phil have gotten this information? And why would it be disseminated?

MANSUR: I have no idea where he would have obtained this information, but unless he has any evidence, hard evidence to prove it, I think it`s just another theory that`s been around for a long time.

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCGRAW: We`re in contact with Beth on a regular basis. Beth believes that is a possibility.

I don`t want to create false hope, but I`ll tell you what. I`ll tell you what. I`ve got every resource at my disposal looking for that young woman right now.

I think it is unacceptable what`s happening. This is an American citizen in a foreign country that`s been abducted. And she`s just kind of -- she`s a lightning rod for it. It`s not just about her. I mean, it`s about a lot of young women going into foreign countries and having bad things befall them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Back to Jossy Mansur with "Diario" magazine. Jossy, I know you`re familiar with the fact that the Kalpoe brother has spoken to an undercover -- I mean, excuse me, to a private investigator, in which he admits all three of them had sex with Natalee Holloway.

So what would the theory be, that after that happens, someone else comes along and puts her into sex slavery?

MANSUR: That`s what they base it on, only because Joran remembers that, that he left her on the beach. And the other two Kalpoe brothers also confirmed or affirmed that same theory.

But it`s only a theory, that they left her on the beach, that someone else came around, took her, and sold her to this unknown slave trade, sex slave trade in Aruba. I have no knowledge of that kind of trade there. No family in Aruba has ever reported missing a daughter or a young girl under those circumstances.

GRACE: Joining me now is Natalee`s mother, Beth Twitty.

Beth, thank you for being with us.

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: Thank you.

GRACE: Beth, what do you make of this theory of Dr. Phil`s?

TWITTY: Well, when you listen to his interview a little bit further, he also states that, if Natalee is alive, then we need to find her. But, if she`s not, we need answers.

And I think we`ve known all along that, as far as the family goes, we have been able to -- of course, with the huge, unbelievable support from EquuSearch -- been able to cover the aspect if she`s not alive. You know, we`re searching in sand dunes, we`re looking in ponds, we`re looking in the dumps, we`re looking in the waters.

But, you know, something the family has not been able to do, to do resources and, you know, just having knowledge of how to begin this, is to look for Natalee, if there`s a possibility or if we`re saying, like Mr. Mansur -- it`s a working theory, that, should she be alive, then I would hate for us not to at least be exploring that avenue. We just don`t know.

GRACE: You know, Beth, you`re absolutely right. Where do you think Dr. Phil is getting the information Natalee could still be alive?

TWITTY: Well, I think it`s coming from -- you know, we don`t have any clear answers either way, but, you know, we have tips that come in, some, the majority of them, have Natalee not alive.

But, you know, occasionally we will get a reasonable suspicion that is a possibility or theory that she could be. And, you know, we just feel like we knew we needed to cover that aspect of it.

You know, we`ve had a lot of people supporting us during this investigation. People have posed this question to us repeatedly from all of your viewers, and they send letters and concerns of this.

And this is something that we have not been able to investigate. And I am so grateful, and our entire family is, that we`re at least looking into this as a possibility.

And, you know, we would just hate to be a year from now thinking we never even approached that. And, you know, Nancy, it doesn`t look good. No, it doesn`t. But, you know, I still think that it is a necessary avenue that we should explore. And I`m very grateful that Dr. Phil has these resources and knowledge of how to go about this.

GRACE: Aren`t we all? Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCGRAW: In America, I think sometimes -- me included -- we all have kind of a short attention span. And when the next big thing hits, you know, we move on that. The headlines change. And we move to the next story.

And I just don`t think that`s going to happen here. We`ve got some shows coming up on this with Beth on the show and with our people on the ground down there.

And we`ve had to extract a few of them recently. I had to send a private jet in for a couple of them just recently in Mexico, because things were getting really hot, and, you know, maybe we`re getting close.

MCGRAW: Just imagine, if you have been abducted, and you`re catching news somewhere or you`re seeing yourself in the news, then all of a sudden, it just goes away. And you`re just left, and nobody`s looking for you.

And I truly believe that, if that young girl`s alive, we`re going to find her. And if she`s not, we want to find her body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That`s from Wednesday night`s "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Dr. Phil has joined in the search to try to find Natalee, whether she`s passed away or whether she`s being held somewhere against her will. A lot of people have debunked that theory, but as long as a hope is alive.

We have also learned that Natalee`s mother has called for changes in the investigation. Beth Twitty, you signed off on a letter to the Aruban government asking for changes in the investigation. What do you want to see done?

TWITTY: Oh, Nancy, we want an entirely -- we want a new investigative team in place. We want the prosecuting attorney removed. We want the lead investigator replaced, lead detective.

We laid it out. It is crystal clear what has to take place in order for us to have and proceed in this investigation and have answers. We couldn`t have been heard any louder.

GRACE: So, Beth, you want major people taken off the investigation in Aruba, correct?

TWITTY: Correct.

GRACE: Who?

TWITTY: Namely, Karen Janssen, the prosecuting attorney. We have concerns of Gerald Dompig. And we have huge concerns with Dennis Jacobs (ph). And I think they`re clearly stated in the letter.

GRACE: Very quickly, everyone, to tonight`s "Case Alert."

Remember how FEMA distributed money to hurricane evacuees to help them after Hurricane Katrina? Well, tonight, three Georgia men arrested for using FEMA money to run drugs. Authorities say the men were selling crack cocaine from a hotel room paid for with our tax dollars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE SKEETERS, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: If it was an accident, I can help all of you. And if you were guys were partying -- even if somebody had given here a date drug, I`m sure she had sex with all of you.

DEEPAK KALPOE, SUSPECT IN NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE: She did. You`d be surprised how simple it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. I want to go straight out to Harris Faulkner.

Harris, the sentiment toward Beth Twitty and Natalee Holloway`s entire family has taken quite a turn in Aruba.

FAULKNER: Well, you know, a few people, Nancy, have been demonstrating in the last couple of days. I know the editor-in-chief of "Diario" has talked about this in detail, about how some people on the island just suspect that this case may not get solved in the way in which it`s going forward, meaning that they`re not happy with the reputation that their island is getting through this entire thing, the black eye that the island is getting as a tourism place.

And we`ve seen this from the very beginning. What`s different now is that people are much more, you know, demonstrative and vocal about it.

However, Beth Twitty will tell you that she was recently there and she didn`t necessarily feel -- she`s told me this -- didn`t necessarily feel negativity coming from the people. So this is a pocketful of people who said things as harsh as "Beth Twitty is equal to terrorism on the island," because of causing so-called boycott against Aruba.

I do want to say this about the investigation. The FBI is saying tonight that they`ve been contacted by Aruban authorities to interview some of the American students who were on the trip with Natalee Holloway. Now, this is new and important and interesting, because they think some of those students may know more than what they`ve been saying.

Now, we`re here all these months later, and now this is being asked about. In a late-day news release from the Aruban authorities, Nancy, we did learn that, on point, they wouldn`t respond necessarily to the letter from Beth or on her behalf, but they did talk about where this investigation is going.

GRACE: Very quickly to Beth, Beth, I understand that you have been back down to Aruba and that the police would not meet with you?

TWITTY: Absolutely, Nancy. And not only would they not meet with me, but I was presented with a letter when I arrived on the island from the prosecuting attorney, Karen Janssen, specifically stating that she didn`t have time for her and her agenda.

GRACE: After you fly all the way down to Aruba to meet with them?

TWITTY: Absolutely. And after I`m hearing them -- you know, accusations coming from them that I`m not cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.

GRACE: In what way?

TWITTY: By not coming to the island to meet with them, Nancy. I believe that was the allegation made a couple weeks ago when my trip was suddenly postponed.

GRACE: I thought they wanted you to leave? Now they`re mad you`re not there?

TWITTY: Well, I`m just so confused. I just keep trying to do the right thing, Nancy, and it just never ceases to amaze me.

GRACE: I know you are. I know you are. I know you are.

With us is Natalee`s mother. Very quickly to Jossy Mansur with "Diario," are the Aruban people getting angry at Beth?

MANSUR: No.

GRACE: Really? Because that`s not what...

MANSUR: No, absolutely not, not the majority of the people. You always have in a community a group that thinks different, that has nothing else to do but go to the streets and vent their anger or whatever they feel, frustration, whatever. But the feelings of the...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Are you telling me that there are people in the streets complaining about Beth? Jossy?

MANSUR: I can hardly hear you.

GRACE: Isn`t it true people have been in the streets complaining about Beth?

MANSUR: Yes, there was a demonstration, I think, yesterday at 6:00 in the afternoon.

GRACE: There was a demonstration against her, and you`re telling me people love her, they want her there? There was a demonstration against her! Her daughter is dead! She wants answers!

MANSUR: But few people -- but very few people, Nancy.

GRACE: Oh, please. A demonstration, the police won`t meet with her. There`s a demonstration against her. People publicly complain about her. And we still don`t know where Natalee Holloway is.

You know, Jossy, thank you very much.

Beth, thank you being with us.

Very quickly, we have to switch gears. I want to tell you about a missing girl, and maybe you can help us. I want to go quickly to Leslie Wiggins, a reporter with the "Gwinnett Daily Post."

Leslie, bring us up-to-date.

LESLIE WIGGINS, "GWINNETT DAILY POST" REPORTER: Well, basically, as far as I know, the police are still investigating leads. They`re just interviewing people, friends, relatives. And it`s still an ongoing search for Leslie Adams.

GRACE: Well, can you give me some details? When was she last seen? Who last spoke to her? Tell me about the TRO against her boyfriend.

WIGGINS: Well, Leslie Adams files a -- had an argument with her boyfriend on Wednesday the 19th. And then, later on that day, she filed a temporary police restraining order.

Then she went to work Thursday. After that, she went to a club called Compound, went out with a friend.

The next morning, Friday, she called her mother just to chitchat, about 8:30, normal daily chitchat. And her mother reminded her that it was her sister`s birthday and for her to give her a call after she talked with her.

Leslie said, "Sure, I`ll call her right after I get off the phone with you," but her sister never heard of her, and that`s the last anybody has heard of her.

GRACE: Straight out to Officer Darren Moloney. He`s PIO with the Gwinnett Police Department.

Officer, thank you for being with us. What can you tell me? What is being done to find Leslie Adams?

And, Elizabeth, could you run her picture again?

DARREN MOLONEY, GWINNETT COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Hi, Nancy, thanks for having me on. We`re exhausting all of our resources. We did obtain some evidence that caused us great concern at her house that is currently being analyzed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

We`re also talking to family members who have been very cooperative with us. We`ve been talking to friends, family members, associates, trying to get an idea, trying to retrace her last-known steps.

And we`re also taking advantage of the media. Anyone that`s willing to talk to us, just to get the name and the story out, we couldn`t -- bottom line is, we need help.

GRACE: You know what? You do.

Take a look at this girl. Leslie Adams lived alone, held a job, never had a day`s trouble in her life. Tip line, 770-513-5356. This is a real beauty, beautiful on the inside and the outside. Please help us find Leslie Marva Adams.

With me now, Leslie`s cousin Alayne Adams. Alayne, what do you think happened?

ALAYNE ADAMS, LESLIE ADAMS` COUSIN: Well, Nancy, we have no idea. We`re just still hopeful that Leslie`s going to come home. And we`re just staying positive.

GRACE: Tell me about this boyfriend that she got a TRO against.

ADAMS: I`ve met him several times, have been in his company. I really don`t know much other than, you know, as it relates to her. And we`ve had barbecues together, and he`s visited our hometown, but I never really had an opportunity to speak to him one on one.

GRACE: Let me reiterate. He is not an official police suspect.

Very quickly, back to Officer Moloney. Officer, has there been any cell phone activity, credit card usage, since she went missing?

MOLONEY: We are investigating those avenues. As of now, no, that has not provided any fruitful leads.

GRACE: Why did Leslie have a restraining order against Cook?

MOLONEY: Is that question for me?

GRACE: Yes, sir.

MOLONEY: According to her testimony with the judge, there was some disagreement between the two of them. The disagreement was of such it put her in fear for her physical safety.

Here in Georgia, the process was she appeared before a judge, gave her side of the story. The judge felt there was credence, issues the restraining order, and then says, "In the future, I need both of you to appear before me so I can decide whether to keep this restraining order or to make it go away."

GRACE: With us, Officer Darren Moloney from Gwinnett County Police Department.

Very quickly, to tonight`s "All-Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country, on the lookout for this man, Moises Galvan Gonzalez, wanted in connection with the `98 California murder of 22-year- old Alfonso Vargas.

Gonzalez is 27, 5`7", 140 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. If you have info on Moises Galvan Gonzalez, call the FBI, 916-481-9110.

Local news next for some of you. But we`ll all be right back. And remember, live coverage of the Florida death penalty trial, a man accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl, Carlie Brucia, 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern, Court TV.

Stay with us as we remember Second Lt. Mark Procopio, 28, an American hero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: What a week in America`s courtrooms. Take a look at the stories and, more important, the people who touched all of our lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Breaking news, prison break from a maximum security facility out of South Carolina. The prison did not know they were missing until they got an anonymous tip three hours later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody called in saying that, you know, they spotted one of the guys, Causey, and then they did a count and realized that it was true, that two people were missing.

GRACE: A condemned killer, 55-year-old Melvin White, executed just moments ago by needle, lethal injection.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The name we should be remembering maybe isn`t Melvin Wayne White, but Jennifer Lee Gravell.

GRACE: This guy has her blood on his tennis shoe, his DNA on her body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person who committed that crime was in prison, exactly where he should be, and should have been for the rest of his life.

GRACE: OK. Well, thanks for that insight that death is better than life.

Is there a brand-new motive for murder in the Pam Vitale murder case?

JIM MORET, CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Scott Dyleski`s dog was struck by a neighbor. That dog was eventually euthanized.

GRACE: You think it`s going to help the defense?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is going to help the defense.

GRACE: You`ve got, "Oh, I thought you stole my pot, my marijuana hydroponic lighting equipment" as a motive, and now, "I think you killed my dog"?

More mystery at Neverland. Under a harsh new child visitation rule, the mother of two of Jackson`s children reportedly can`t even tell them she`s their mom.

Where is 26-year-old Sueann Ray? The Woodstock, Georgia, woman disappeared 10 long weeks ago. The dog went and followed Sueann Ray`s scent from the estranged husband`s place to the in-laws` house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no way that these dogs could carry this scent for eight miles, in my estimation.

GRACE: I`ve had cases where dogs -- in the Laci Peterson case, they followed her scent all the way out to the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, true enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I want to thank all of my guests that were with my tonight. But my biggest thank you, as always, is to you for being with all of us, inviting us into your home. And we will be in that Florida courtroom on Monday for the trial of the man accused of killing 11-year-old Florida girl Carlie Brucia.

Coming up, headlines from all around world. I`m Nancy Grace signing off for tonight. I hope to see you right here 8:00 sharp Eastern on Monday.

And until then, good night, friend.

END

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