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NANCY GRACE

Boy Scout Missing in Blue Ridge Mountains/Body Found at Purdue University May Be Missing Student

Aired March 19, 2007 - 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. Nighttime temperatures drop to the 20s as search and rescue teams scour rugged terrain in the North Carolina Blue Ridge mountains, all to find a missing 12-year-old Boy Scout. He disappeared off a weekend camping trip. Tonight, new clues, footprints and a mess kit, found just a half a mile from the campsite. That mess kit has been used.
And tonight, to Cajun country, a Shreveport mom questioned by police after her 1st-grader brings crack cocaine to 1st grade "show and tell." That`s right, you heard it. Mommy`s going bye-bye to the big dollhouse, the ladies` penitentiary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve-year-old Michael Auberry, the Boy Scout who has been missing since Saturday, has still not turned up in the very heavily wooded area of the Blue Ridge mountains, in spite of an intensive search since Saturday that has yielded only a couple of clues but no result whatsoever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s one of those things, you turn your back a minute and they`re gone. And we`ve put our resources on it. (INAUDIBLE) that first search area. I wanted to have all the high-probability areas searched before daylight. So I`ve been on this almost since the inception early afternoon Saturday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do have one correction to add to an earlier statement that I made about an Amber Alert that was issued for this young man. That was not an Amber Alert, it was a missing persons alert that was sent out by Wilkes County, North Carolina. That was issued yesterday through NCIC. And then it was also a BOLO, a "be on the lookout," within a 50-mile radius of area for that young man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officials also announced that the young Boy Scout had attention deficit disorder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has not been on his medication, so that we`re not sure what that might cause. That may cause him to not behave as rationally as you would like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His early (ph) mental state was described as a little bit depressed. He had some friends who were supposed to come with him on this trip, and they did not come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`ve been a couple of clues that they`ve spotted over time. They have dogs on the ground and they have search parties overhead. They have aircraft with heat-sensing devices. Just a very intensive search.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s very hazardous terrain up in that area. There`s some places where we did not want to place searchers at night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meanwhile, they`re looking for some possibility that maybe he wandered onto a highway and got a ride somewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for be with us tonight. First to breaking news. We are just receiving reports a 19-year-old missing Purdue student may have been found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So because Steffey was last seen in this area and no one else was missing from around here, police say this could very likely be the body of Wade Steffey. Now, the body was found here in Owen Hall, inside a high-voltage room. The police say they`re not even sure this room was even checked since Steffey went missing January the 13th. Now, the room`s supposed to be locked at all times, so police are confused about how a body could have gotten inside there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Has the body of 19-year-old Wade Steffey been found? Let`s go straight out to Mike Loizzo, reporter with WBAA. Welcome, Mike. What can you tell us?

MIKE LOIZZO, WBAA: Well, at this time, we`re just waiting to hear confirmation -- identification of this body found. The Tippecanoe County coroner is expected to make that information known tomorrow morning. Otherwise, we just know it was a body found in this utility room of a residence hall on campus. As your opening said, the doors should have been locked. There`s a door from the outside, a door from the inside of the residence hall. Do not know how a body got in there, at this point.

GRACE: That doesn`t even make any sense, Mike. I mean, why would he be inside a utility room? What`s the cause of death that we know of so far?

LOIZZO: At this point, the coroner is not saying much at all. A university spokesperson has said that this body was found inside the utility room, on top of some of the utility apparatus, was their words. I guess you could infer that electrocution was the cause of death, but at this time, nothing is certain.

GRACE: He has been missing since January 13. As I recall, he was last seen leaving a party of some sort around 12:00 AM outside a residence hall on the northwest side of the campus. Is this utility room, Mike Loizzo, anywhere near that location?

LOIZZO: The residence hall that he was last seen at is, in fact, Owens Hall. The utility room is maybe 50 yards at most from the site where they last think Wade Steffey was. Again, he was trying to get into that residence hall. I believe he left a jacket there, and trying to get inside to a friend`s room to get that jacket. And again, from the corner of that building to where the utility room is was no more than 50 yards.

GRACE: Well, you know, I`ve got another question. He`s been missing since January 13. And if this is the body of a 19-year-old missing student there at Purdue, why has it taken so long to find, if he`s right there within the residence hall? Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because Steffey was last seen in this area and no one else is missing from around here, police say this could very likely be the body of Wade Steffey. Now, the body was found here in Owen Hall, inside a high-voltage room. And police say they`re not even sure this room was even checked since Steffey went missing January the 13th. Now, the room is supposed to be locked at all times, so police are confused about how a body could have gotten inside there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The utility room is part of that building, but it`s not accessible to people in Owen Hall. The only people with the keys to that room are people who work in our utilities area, so it would not normally be an accessible room. I don`t know how many people work in our utilities area, but I`m told that it is a very limited number of keys that are available for the room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I`m confused, too. We`re going on three months and there has been an extensive search, and here the body is allegedly popping up within the residence hall where the boy went missing? It`s not really fitting together for me.

Let`s go out to Jeanne Norberg. She is the Purdue University spokesperson. Ms. Norberg, thank you for being with us. This is kind of surprising news.

JEANNE NORBERG, PURDUE UNIVERSITY SPOKESPERSON: Well, you know, Nancy, thank you very much. You have been with us and very helpful in our search, and we appreciate that. The police have not said that they think that this is Wade Steffey. The coroner has not released any information concerning that. He is certainly the only student here on the Purdue campus that we know of that is missing. And so, of course, all of our attention is drawn to that, but we don`t have confirmation on that from the Purdue police or from the coroner`s office.

GRACE: With us is Jeanne Norberg. She is with Purdue University. She`s their spokesperson. Again, Ms. Norberg, thank you for being with us. Well, there`s two bad possibilities. There`s two bad answers. One, it is Wade Steffey, and after nearly three months, he`s popping up there in the residence hall where he went missing. Or number two, another person, another body has been found, and someone we don`t know is missing. Ms. Norberg, how were campus authorities alerted to this?

NORBERG: Well, today there was a noise coming from this room. It`s a locked room. And when they heard this noise, it didn`t seem quite right. It was like a popping noise. People in the residence halls were alerted. They called our utility folks, and they came out to check the room and they were very surprised at what they found.

The room is about the size of a one-car garage. It has three transformers in it. It`s a high-voltage area. Certainly, what they saw was not something that could have been seen very easily from the doorway. We don`t know how the individual did get inside, but this is something that we`ll have to investigate. We have more unanswered questions than we have answers right now. But our main focus is on the individual and that person`s family and wanting to bring that information to close, at least.

GRACE: The search for 19-year-old Purdue student Wade Steffey has been extensive. Now the shocking news that he may have been found. And it seems like an electronics room, some type of a utility room there within the residence hall where he went missing. Here are his parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was just attempting to get his coat back. The friend told him that he was actually -- there was a poker game in the dorm where Wade lived and invited him to come to that game, and Wade said he wasn`t interested. And that was the last I think anybody heard from him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a freshman, and he didn`t have a parking privilege, as his car`s in our driveway. His cell phone is a really big mystery. It was triangulated to phone records to be on campus, or near campus. But we searched with about 300 volunteers and didn`t find it, on the outside, anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Breaking news tonight out of Purdue University. Apparently, a body has been found in a residence hall storage room, a storage room full of electronics and high-voltage equipment. Is it the body of a 19-year-old we have been helping to search for? This young man, Wade Steffey, just 19 years old, has been missing since January 13, about 50 yards from this very residence hall.

Out to Pat Brosnan. He`s a retired NYPD detective. You know, Brosnan, I`ve been told this was an extensive search. A lot of people have been searching for a long time. But if this is Wade Steffey, how the heck could he have not been found right there in the residence hall?

PAT BROSNAN, RETIRED NYPD DET., BROSNAN INVESTIGATIONS: It`s astonishing, Nancy. I mean, what is this room? Is it off-limits for three months at a time? These transformers, they never need any maintenance, they never need any oversight, no one enters that room? I mean, irrespective of the limited access, the individuals with the key, still, no one goes into the room for upwards of nine weeks?

GRACE: Well, I...

BROSNAN: Very difficult to swallow.

GRACE: You know, a lot of equipment that doesn`t need maintenance, but the fact that a search had allegedly been conducted, and now we find out this room was totally neglected.

Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight out of the Georgia jurisdiction, Ray Giudice, out of the Alabama jurisdiction Lisa Borden, both joining us here in our Manhattan studios. Welcome, colleagues. To you, Ray Giudice, if this door is to a high-voltage area, what about the locks?

RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, the report is that it was double-locked, and that`s concerning. You have a young man that`s coming out of a fraternity party. There may have been alcohol involved. He may have wandered off looking for a warm place, perhaps a place to go to the restroom. But how did he access at this time of the night or morning a high-voltage room? I mean, that should be off-limits.

GRACE: And what about it, Lisa Borden? Of course, if there is such a claim, which there may not be, the fact that he was intoxicated -- allegedly intoxicated, may weigh into any liability Purdue may have, Lisa.

LISA BORDEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Sure could. Of course, if the room was supposed to be locked, as it obviously should have been, it`s a very dangerous area. Even if the boy was intoxicated and he accidentally wandered into that room, trying to gain access to the building, leaving that room unlocked and allowing somebody to just wandering in there and get electrocuted could certainly lead to some liability, whether or not the kid was intoxicated.

GRACE: Back out to...

BORDEN: Certainly, the university knows (INAUDIBLE) happened.

GRACE: Back out to WBAA reporter Mike Loizzo. Mike, have we heard from the parents?

LOIZZO: The parents are here in West Lafayette. They have not spoken to the media. They arrived at about 4:30 this afternoon, spoke to detectives, and they are speaking with a university counselor.

GRACE: Back to Purdue University spokesperson Jeanne Norberg, who has been a tower of strength throughout the entire search effort dating back to January 13, when he went missing. Ms. Norberg, if this is not Wade Steffey, then why have his parents been called to the university and why are they speaking to a counselor?

NORBERG: Well, the parents were called at about 12:30, shortly after the body was found, because we have been in very close contact with them and we did not want them to hear anything that would be concerning to them other than through us. We wanted them to know what had happened and to tell them we don`t know if it`s Wade, but we thought that they would want to know. They decided -- they elected to come here to campus.

I wanted to clear up on one thing. There`s no indication that Wade was in any way impaired or had drunk to excess that evening.

GRACE: That`s good to know, which makes me wonder all the more how easily it was -- how easy it was to stumble into this storage room full of high-voltage equipment. I mean, it may be more understandable if he had had a couple of beers. But the fact that this was unlocked, and anyone, even a child, could walk in there and be exposed to high-voltage equipment unknowingly is a big problem.

Out to the lines. Karen in Louisiana. Hi, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to know if an employee who had access to that room -- has anyone quit since this young man`s come up missing, have they just abruptly quit their job?

GRACE: Good question. Do we know anything about that, Mike with WBAA?

LOIZZO: I am not aware of anyone who has quit because of this or prior to it.

GRACE: OK. We will continue to update you throughout the hour program tonight as we learn whether or not the newly discovered body there in a high-voltage storage area at Purdue University is that of a 19-year- old young man, no criminal record whatsoever, no history at all, a great student, loved by many -- 19-year-old Wade Steffey went missing January 13. We`ll bring you the very latest on that.

But right now, let`s switch gears. The search turning desperate in the rugged terrain of the North Carolina Blue Ridge mountains in the search for a 12-year-old missing Boy Scout. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Early on in the first day of the search, we were able to find a mess kit that Scouts traditionally carry and some snack wrappers. So we know he did have a little bit of food, that he ate early on. So whether or not he had some other food or other supplies with him, we don`t know. But we haven`t been able to find any articles of clothing or any trash or any debris or any signs.

We have seen some footprints along the trail that do match up a little bit to the type of hiking boots that he was wearing, but that has not been confirmed at this point, to confirm for sure that those were his footprints that we found out in the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Clues found tonight -- we know that there are footprints allegedly of the 12-year-old Boy Scout. And his canteen and kit, mess kit, have been found. The mess kit has been used. It`s not as if he just dropped it. It seems as if there are empty wrappers left behind.

Let`s go out to Marcy Young (ph) with "The Charlotte Observer." What can you tell us about this little boy?

MARCY YOUNG, "CHARLOTTE OBSERVER": Well, Tina`s probably -- Tina White, the National Park Service spokesman, is probably the best person to get some better information about Michael. But from what we know, it sounds like he is a prepared Boy Scout who has some training, who knows about surviving in the wilderness. And I think that authorities are hoping that he`s using some of those skills tonight.

GRACE: Let`s go to Tina White, national park ranger there in the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have hiked there, and it is very rough terrain. What can you tell us about the search, Tina?

TINA WHITE, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: Well, you`re right, the searchers are working in some very rugged terrain, very steep areas with cliffs and drop-offs and rock overhangs. So there`s a lot of challenge in working an area like along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But the rescuers have -- are very talented, very skilled, and they have a lot of good equipment, and all of that is in their favor.

GRACE: When we come back, the who, what, why, where and when of the missing 12-year-old. The little Boy Scout was out on a camping trip. Now he`s missing. A search has been ongoing, and tonight we expect those temperatures to drop down into the 20s. We`ll have a survivalist with us to describe what the boy should be doing, what he could be doing and what his chances of survival are.

But very quickly, to tonight`s "Case Alert." It is day one, jury selection, high-profile record producer Phil Spector`s murder one trial. Already inducted into the hall of rock-and-roll fame, Spector is largely responsible for hits by Ronnie and the Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner, the Righteous Brothers, John Lennon, George Harrison and the Ramones, the famed "wall of sound" producer charged in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. It all went down inside Spector`s California mansion, Spector possibly facing life behind bars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL SPECTOR, RECORD PRODUCER: The actions of a Hitler-like district attorney and his storm trooping henchmen to seek an indictment against me and censor all means of me getting my evidence and the truth out are reprehensible, unconscionable and despicable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Not nearly as despicable as the shooting death of a young actress, Lana Clarkson, her teeth found strewn all over Phil Spector`s entrance hall, her body apparently moved in some attempt to pose it as if there had been a suicide. At least, that`s what cops allege. And why, may I ask, has it been three years since Lana Clarkson was killed in Spector`s mansion? Why is justice moving so slowly. Is it because of money and fame?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do have one correction to add to an earlier statement that I made about an Amber Alert that was issued for this young man. That was not an Amber Alert, it was a missing persons alert that was sent out by Wilkes County, North Carolina. That was issued yesterday through NCIC. And then it was also a BOLO, a "be on the lookout," within a 50-mile radius of area for that young man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A 12-year-old Boy Scout is missing. He was at a camping trip and seemed to wander away from the others.

Out to Leslie Snadowsky, investigative reporter. How exactly did this happen?

LESLIE SNADOWSKY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, poor Michael is now facing his third night in the wilderness alone. On Saturday, he was enjoying a Boy Scout trip with 10 other Scouts, about three adult troop leaders. And on Saturday morning, all the other Scouts went on a hike, but he decided, Michael decided, to stay behind, supposedly told one of the troop leaders he wanted to sleep in. The other Scouts came back. They all had lunch together. And then all of a sudden, about half an hour later, Michael was missing.

GRACE: Let`s go out to the lines. Joe in Florida. Hi, Joe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, looking great, Nancy.

GRACE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first report I heard about this young man was that he was left out of the hike. And could he have been angry about something like that or -- and now his attention deficit disorder pops up. And what do you think could have caused him to wander off?

GRACE: Well, I`m just wondering about the whole "left out of the hiking" thing, Leslie. It was my understanding he chose not to go on the hike.

SNADOWSKY: Yes, that`s what I was -- that`s what I found out, as well. He chose not to go. He stayed behind with an adult troop leader, and supposedly, the other Scouts did see him. In terms of the adult deficit -- excuse me -- the attention deficit disorder, supposedly, he did not bring his backpack with him when he went missing, so his medication was left behind. I know his family is very concerned about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Early on in the first day of the search, we were able to find a mess kit that Scouts traditionally carry and some snack wrappers. So we know he did have a little bit of food, that he ate early on. We have seen some footprints along the trail that do match up a little bit to the type of hiking boots that he was wearing, but that has not been confirmed at this point to confirm for sure that those are his footprints that we found out in the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A 12-year-old little boy lost in the Blue Ridge mountains. He was there on a Scouting trip.

Let`s go try Marcy Young again with "The Charlotte Observer." You have been there throughout the day during the search. What`s happening?

YOUNG: Well, it looks like -- I was able to go to the staging area where a lot of those rescuers are coming back from searching for Michael and are getting ready to go out and do more searches. And it seems like everyone is pretty hopeful up there. I think the family has a lot of support from family and friends. And everyone`s pretty hopeful, from the impression I got, that they`re going to be able to find him.

GRACE: Joining us tonight, Greg Davenport. He is a wilderness expert and survivalist. Welcome back to the show, Greg. It`s great to see you again. Greg, explain to us what is the best advice for a child in these conditions.

GREG DAVENPORT, SURVIVALIST, WILDERNESS EXPERT: Well, obviously, the first thing is, they need to stop and stay put. I mean, anybody who has a concept of survival knows that search and rescue teams are going to look for you in your last known location. So the more movement you have, the further you`re getting out of that search pattern.

And then basically, they have to -- when they`ve stopped, they need to meet their needs, and that means avoid exposure injuries, stay hydrated and signal for help. I understand he left his pack (ph) behind, but he could still do things like pound on a tree three times every five minutes or so. And that would alert rescue to come into his area.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the temperatures definitely play a factor. It`s been very cold here at night, but this young man is very well-dressed for this situation. A lot of times what people who will be out on a day hike, like they were planning on doing, and being out just away from your campsite, you don`t traditionally dress as well as this young man was prepared for this situation.

So that`s a huge thing that`s in his favor is, the fleece jacket, like what I`m wearing, he had a fleece jacket on, but also a jacket on top of that. Reportedly he had gloves and a hat which could make a big difference, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Can a 12-year-old boy survive? It`s boy versus wilderness in the Blue Ridge Mountains there in North Carolina.

Out to Tina White, national park ranger there in the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tina, I want to talk to you about the mess kit. How do we know that he had eaten the food as opposed to an animal getting into it?

TINA WHITE, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: Well, the report I received from the incident was that this mess kit was located and that it was identified positively by his father as belonging to him. And then also the report stated that there were (INAUDIBLE) wrappers, a candy wrapper.

But as far as the mess kit being used, this is the first I`ve heard of that. The children did all have lunch together back at the campsite, so he could have used his mess kit then.

GRACE: I want to go back to you, Leslie Snadowsky. What is being used in the search? How are they trying to find the boy?

LESLIE SNADOWSKY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "NEW YORK POST": It`s very well organized search. There were over 130 people involved. I believe last night they started using a helicopter with a special infrared sensor to sense heat, or, you know, people, bodies, or hopefully living people, you know, out in the terrain.

There are dog teams, I believe five of them, scouring, a lot of volunteers. The North Carolina state park rangers and McGrady volunteer fire department, there`s just a lot going on in that area. And I think they`re going over a five-mile radius.

GRACE: Let`s go out to the lines. Meryl in South Dakota, hi, Meryl.

CALLER: Hi. How are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. Thank you for calling in. What`s your question?

CALLER: I wonder if anyone has checked that young man`s computer to see if maybe he`d gone into a chat room or anything and been talking to anyone, telling them, you know, about this scouting trip. There`s so many perverts out there anymore, maybe someone knew he was going to be up there.

GRACE: You know, that`s an interesting point. Out to you, Marcy Young with the "Charlotte Observer," have police thought of that?

MARCY YOUNG, "CHARLOTTE OBSERVER": I think that would probably be a question better directed to Tina.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: OK, let`s go to Tina White. Tina, do you know anything about that aspect of the police search?

WHITE: No. At this point, we`re still focusing on the fact that we`re dealing with a young man who is lost in the woods. We do have several different agencies responding to the scene. So as far as law enforcement that are here, missing report, the bolo, all that information was to give us a wider search area. But, no, I don`t know. There is no clues and no indication whatsoever to represent foul play.

GRACE: Out to Pat Brosnan with the NYPD, a retired detective, now a private investigator. Pat, let`s go through this search. What are they doing? What should they be doing?

PAT BROSNAN, RET. NYPD DETECTIVE, BROSNAN INVESTIGATIONS: Well, what they should be doing and what they appear to be doing, Nancy, is very methodical, concentric circle in each direction search, with the teams, the 130 searchers, the tracking teams, and most importantly the canine dog teams.

So the fact that he inadvertently left his backpack there is actually on the plus side, in terms of the investigative efforts, because those dogs will be able to get a scent from the backpack, those tracking teams. And that should be able to assist, in terms of locating his body. So it seems like a very well-organized, very methodical.

GRACE: Out to Greg Davenport, survivalist and wilderness expert. OK, he`s been missing three days. We assume that he is still dry, although it is set to rain tonight. What are the possibilities?

GREG DAVENPORT, WILDERNESS EXPERT: Well, even if it rains, he could get in a tree well, where he uses the branches of the trees, just like the shingles on a roofs, to protect him from both down pouring rain and the wind. And that`s really important. He doesn`t want to lose body heat from wind or lose it from getting wet.

Do you know, Nancy, if you`re wet, you lose body heat 26 times faster than if you`re dry in the same temperatures. So for him to stay dry is very important. And he`s going to have to use not only the clothes on his back, but what Mother Nature provides him in order to make that happen.

GRACE: You know, Greg, another issue, as we have been told that he is ADD, I don`t know how that attention deficit disorder, how that will affect him out there, disoriented in the wilderness.

DAVENPORT: Well, I don`t know if you know, but I also work as an emergency room physician assistant, and I`m very familiar with the diagnosis of ADD and the medications that are used with that. And I really don`t think being off his medications is going to be that big of a deal.

I mean, what ADD does is it decreases his ability to keep his attention focused on one thing, and it decreases his ability to complete tasks. However, he is going to be extremely focused right now, because he`s going to be cold, he`s going to be scared, and he`s going to have to pull from within anything that he`s been taught.

I mean, if he`s moving, if there`s nothing else involved, he`s already broke the cardinal rule number one, and that`s not to stay put. Now, if he can pull from within and realizes he has to avoid exposure, stay hydrated, and make himself known -- I mean, even the bum on the street that has the cardboard sign is asking for help by writing there, "Please give money." The bum`s not standing there, looking down at the road saying nothing.

So he has to do the same thing. If he doesn`t have a whistle (INAUDIBLE) pick up a three-foot branch and pound it on a tree three times every three to five minutes.

GRACE: All those tales we`ve been told about follow the running water and it will ultimately lead you somewhere, about moss growing on the north side of the tree, all that`s a bunch of bunk.

DAVENPORT: That is such bunk. I almost vomit when I hear people say that. I mean, come on, seriously. I`ve been all around the world. I`ve been in jungles, deserts, arctic areas, tempered forests, there are creeks that go absolutely nowhere.

And I believe that was a detriment from Mr. Kim is that`s why he got off the road was to follow that creek. This young man should not follow a creek downstream and hope it leads to a river and to town, because even if it does, he could go 30, 40 miles, and the travel next to a creek is almost impossible with all the heavy overgrowth and the woods that are there that are falling down. Moss on the north side, moss can grow anywhere, where the conditions are appropriate.

GRACE: Joining us right now is a very special guest. It is the head of the Missing Boy Scouts Council, John Meeks.

John, we are big believers in the Boy Scouts here. I`ve got one and a half eagle scouts in my own family. John, tell us what you can about the trip, where they were, why he stayed behind.

JOHN MEEKS, MISSING BOY SCOUT COUNCIL: Well, Nancy, they were, as you know, in Doughton State Park. And the area that they were in was known as a primitive camping area. And I was back there yesterday to look at the camping area, and it`s a beautiful spot, but it is surrounded by very dense growth.

As far as what happened during the day, as I`ve been listening this evening, the accounts are very accurate. They had been on a hike, came back, Michael joined them for lunch and, shortly thereafter, simply walked away or wandered off.

GRACE: So the other little boys there, were they off on another hike and he was behind? Was he with them when he wandered away? How did it happen, to your knowledge?

MEEKS: Well, he was not on a hike. The other boys in the troop did go on a hike that morning. He elected to stay behind and rest. When they got back, they all had lunch together. I`m told that Michael was in a good mood, that there was nothing that appeared to be different about him at all. He enjoyed lunch with his troop. All of the leaders were there. Everybody was in the site together. And that`s when he left.

GRACE: John Meeks, for those that are not familiar with the various classes of Boy Scout, this is a first-class Boy Scout. What wilderness training should he have, if any, at this juncture?

MEEKS: Well, each step along the way, he`s learning something about hiking and camping, and a little bit about wilderness survival. Just to give you an example, as a tenderfoot scout, he has to have been at least camping one night on a camping trip, and he, at that point, has to be able to explain the rules of safe hiking.

And he`s actually supposed to explain what to do if you get lost. He`s taught about proper clothing, that type of thing, to wear. As he progresses up the ranks, he is to prepare a personal first aid kit for hiking. He`s also supposed to demonstrate what to do for hypothermia.

GRACE: Right. He is still at first-class scout. John Meeks is with us, the head of the Missing Boy Scout Council. And here at the show, we are big, big fans of Boy Scouts of America.

To you, Andrea Macari, clinical psychologist, ADD, do you think it will affect him?

ANDREA MACARI, INSTRUCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY: Well, theoretically, it could affect him, but I would highly doubt it. What happens with ADD is we have distractability, we have an inability to focus. We have problems with activities that require sustained effort.

But I will tell you this, Nancy, that when this boy was inducted into the Boy Scouts, he raised his right hand, he said a pledge, and what he gave the oath of, I will maintain -- I will be physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

GRACE: Well, the reality is, he`s a 12-year-old lost in the Blue Ridge wilderness. I don`t care what oath he took when he joined the Boy Scouts. We`ll all be right back.

And when we do come back, a first-grader brings crack cocaine for show and tell. Mommy, going bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Show and tell takes a different twist inside a first-grade classroom in Shreveport, Louisiana, turning criminal. A 20-year-old mother arrested after her 6-year-old son brings crack rock to school. Police are shocked, because the boy, so used to seeing crack cocaine at home, saw nothing wrong with bringing the drug to show his classmates, even telling police he watched family members smoke crack. Lachristie Thomas now charged with improper child supervision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That`s right, a first-grader shows up at school, he`s 6 years old. It`s time for show and tell, and what does he show and tell? The crack he got out of his mommy`s car. Six years old, and he apparently didn`t know anything was wrong with having crack cocaine, a rock of it, in front of the other first-graders.

Out to you, Agent Michelle Sanderlin, she is with the Narcotics Division with the Shreveport Police Department, she`s investigating the case. Agent, right when you think you`ve seen it all, along comes a case like Lachristie Thomas. What happened?

MICHELE SANDERLIN, SHREVEPORT POLICE: Well, the child arrived at school, and he immediately presented the item to his first-grade teacher early in the morning. And the teacher was shocked, to say the least. She took the item directly to the office. The school handled the situation exceptionally well. They contacted Child Protection Services and the Shreveport Police Department immediately.

GRACE: You know, I am stunned, I am stunned, Leslie Snadowsky. The kid gets his hands on crack cocaine. What if he had eaten it? He`s six years old. Where is the kid tonight, Leslie?

SNADOWSKY: Well, Child Protective Services did put him in a foster home. I found out from Captain Mike Holly (ph) at the Shreveport Police Department that actually the little boy`s grandmother tried to get custody, but CPS decided that the kid was better off in the care of a foster family. And also, the mom, 20-year-old Lachristie Thomas, she`s out of jail -- she was booked, but she was out on bail on Friday.

GRACE: On about $338 bond.

SNADOWSKY: And it`s a misdemeanor.

GRACE: Agent Sanderlin, where do the kids say the little boy got the crack?

SANDERLIN: He said that he took it from the cup holder in his mother`s vehicle.

GRACE: Yes, that`s a great place to keep your crack cocaine.

Out to Dr. Jennifer Shu, she is a pediatrician and co-author of "Baby and Child Health," Dr. Shu, it`s great to see you. Doctor, what would have happened if this 6-year-old had ingested a rock, as it is called? It can be a $5, $15, or $25 hit of crack. It`s a rock.

DR. JENNIFER SHU, PEDIATRICIAN: Nancy, the fastest way to get cocaine into your blood stream is to either smoke it or to inject it, and that can affect you within seconds. If you snort it or eat it, that can take up to 10 minutes to affect the brain and the heart.

So with the heart, you can get a high heart rate. You can get increased blood pressure. Sometimes it can stop your heart and give a heart attack. And with a brain, you can get seizures, confusion, violent behavior, and even stroke and bleeding in the brain.

GRACE: Well, here`s my concern, Dr. Shu. Rock, which is a hit of crack, it`s cooked to look like a rock, it looks like a sugar cube, an off- colored sugar cube. If this kid had eaten it -- I mean, with crack cocaine, you`re supposed to light it, burn it down, and then ingest it, not eat the whole thing at once. If this 6-year-old boy -- he can`t weigh more than 40 pounds max -- had eaten that, he would be dead.

SHU: Well, that certainly could happen, depending on how soon they would have caught it. The other thing, Nancy, is that some of these drugs are mixed with other drugs, so who knows if there might have been heroin or anything else in there, and that could be even more serious.

GRACE: That`s right, Pat Brosnan. She`s right. Nothing is pure by the time it gets on the street. It`s cut with all types of additives.

BROSNAN: Absolutely. Well, you know what the irony is, Nancy, that the fact that this 6-year-old was aware of the smoking of crack in his residence, that he`d seen it before, he probably knew intuitively that it got smoked, which is shocking by itself. I mean, it`s a terrible case.

GRACE: Out to you, Susan Moss, family law attorney and child advocate, what do you think?

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: It is absolutely outrageous what has happened. Parents all around this nation have an affirmative obligation to take care of their children. When they do not, there are criminal consequences and consequences for custody. This child must not be returned to her parents and her family.

GRACE: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I agree with you, Susan Moss. And I wouldn`t let it go to the grandparents, either. No, the whole family is tainted now.

MOSS: I can say that the state of Louisiana has worse problems than Katrina. Katrina, you can rebuild. This is going to cost Louisiana a generation, a generation of little children who are all too familiar and comfortable with the smoking of crack.

They don`t realize it`s wrong. It`s what everyone does. It`s what their family members, the people they trust, the people who take care of them, this is what they are learning. And we must do whatever we can to stop them.

This child cannot be returned until the mother has been re-educated and shown and understands a remorse for what she`s done, and we are certain that she will not do this again, because not only is this child at risk, all of this children`s friends, all of the children that come into contact are all at risk.

GRACE: Out to the lines. Evelle in Mississippi. Hi, Evelle.

CALLER: Hi, Nancy, how are you doing?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

CALLER: How could just this be a misdemeanor, improper child supervision?

GRACE: I am stunned. Out to you, Ray Giudice, Lisa Borden, this mother needs to be charged with possession of crack. My fear is, there are more children at home. Why is she only charged with bad supervision, Ray Giudice?

RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, I`ll tell you, even as a criminal defense lawyer, I think that there`s actually a possession case that could be made here. You`ve got the crack found inside the mother`s vehicle, so you`ve got sort of a chain of custody that the child could testify to.

GRACE: Eyewitness, if you can get him to testify on the stand.

GIUDICE: Yes, I don`t think it`s the greatest case in the world. And, of course, it`s a prosecutor...

GRACE: Of course you don`t.

GIUDICE: You`re pitting a 6-year-old child to testify against his mother.

GRACE: Lisa Borden, agree, disagree?

LISA BORDEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I agree, it may be a tough case. You`ve got to get the child to testify. And you don`t know what the mother may have to say about where the crack came from. She may say, "I don`t know anything about that crack."

GRACE: Oh, and we`re going to believe the mom? The little boy tells police it came out of his mommy`s cup holder. It is highly potent crack cocaine at first-grade show and tell. This lady needs to be behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Police in Shreveport, Louisiana, say they are shocked a 6-year-old boy had access to crack cocaine and brought it to school for show and tell. His mother, 20-year-old Lachristie Thomas, arrested and charged with improper child supervision. Apparently, the young boy was able to get his hands on the drugs from his mother`s car. His teacher immediately notifies the school principal and security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You know, I`m going to try again with Andrea Macari, although, Andrea, I`m a little scared of you after you told we should hold the 12- year-old to his Boy Scout oath.

MACARI: No, you didn`t let me finish. You interrupted, Nancy.

GRACE: We went to break.

MACARI: I was saying that we hope that he remembers that.

GRACE: Right. OK, what about this case? I`m going to give you another try.

MACARI: Oh, my god, improper supervision? Improper? That is the understatement of the year. How about horrific, despicable, dysfunctional? This case is a disgrace! And we should look at the bigger picture. It`s not about Lachristie Thomas; it`s about drugs and how our society is plagued by them. How was that?

GRACE: Well, that was better than holding the 12-year-old to his oath. We are reporting tonight on a 6-year-old that shows at first-grade show and tell with crack cocaine from mommy. All I can say is, mommy`s heading to the big doll house, the lady`s penitentiary.

Let`s stop for a moment. I want to remember a true American hero, Marine Private First Class Brett Witteveen, 20 years old, Shelby, Michigan, killed, Iraq. Enlisting straight from high school, he was an all-star football player. His smile lit up a room. Fiancee Tricia counting the days until his return. He leaves behind a grieving father, Rick, and two stepbrothers and stepsister. Brett Witteveen, American hero.

Thank you to our guests, but most of all to you, for being with us. NANCY GRACE signing off again for tonight. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END

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