Return to Transcripts main page

NANCY GRACE

Anthony PI Says Family Split Over Casey/Haleigh`s Mother Suggests Baby-Sitter May Have Had Company

Aired March 26, 2009 - 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: Breaking news tonight in the desperate search for a 2-year-old Florida girl, Caylee. Six months of searching culminates when skeletal remains found in a heavily wooded area just 15 houses from the Anthony home confirmed to be Caylee, manner of death homicide. A utility meter reader stumbles on a tiny human skeleton, including a skull covered in light-colored hair, the killer duct taping and placing a heart-shaped sticker directly over the mouth, then triple bagging little Caylee like she`s trash.

Bombshell tonight. While tot mom undergoes another makeover for court, a far cry from photos showing her out of control, partying in lingerie, soul kissing other women, dancing the night away, where is little Caylee? At the same time, an Anthony private eye goes under oath and on video, the P.I. describing in detail the war between grandparents George and Cindy over what they tell police. It`s hearsay, of course, but will it come in at trial?

The private eye dropping another bomb, claiming a romantic relationship between grandmother Cindy Anthony and another private eye, but what does that have to do with Caylee`s murder? Nothing! And was the Anthony home bugged? It`s all caught on video, and tonight we have the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m concerned about the leaks we have, and I just want to make sure that everything that was in camera stays in camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I shouldn`t have to remind you, but what was said in camera should not be public information beyond what our court reporter did in recording it.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t need to be reminded of (INAUDIBLE) obligation, and that`s pretty -- I`m sorry. We understand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I`m not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? This is getting old. This is getting old. I`m getting tired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me your name, please?

CASEY ANTHONY, CAYLEE`S MOTHER: Casey Marie Anthony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dominic said that on several occasions that he thought that Mr. Baez had an inappropriate relationship with -- or was trying to have an inappropriate relationship with Casey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was something about some licorice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Supposedly, there was some kind of holes in the Plexiglas, and he put a piece through and he started chewing on one end and she started chewing on the other end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sticks the licorice through and he and Casey kind of nibble it until they get to the end?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that`s what he said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, to Satsuma, Florida. A 5-year-old girl tucked into bed, five hours later, she`s gone, vanished into thin air, the back door propped wide open. Dad comes home from the night shift to find not a single trace of little Haleigh.

Tonight, torpedo. Did girlfriend/baby-sitter now teen bride Misty Croslin Cummings, the last person to see Haleigh alive, entertain another man in the home the night Haleigh goes missing? After claims of child abuse and neglect in the home, the custody battle explodes over Haleigh`s 4-year-old little brother, photos emerging of the children with cuts and bruises on face, arms, legs. We have those photos. Tonight, the father fires back with lawyers. But where is 5-year-old Florida girl Haleigh?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MISTY CUMMINGS, STEPMOTHER: I didn`t hear anything at all. Nothing. If I heard something, I would have got up and I wouldn`t have let them take her!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not like that baby just disappeared into thin air.

MISTY CUMMINGS: I woke up about 3:00 o`clock, and I was going to the bathroom, but I didn`t make it to the bathroom. I noticed that a kitchen light was on. And I when I walked to the kitchen, the back door was open. So I run back to my bedroom to get my cell phone to call Ronald, and I noticed -- that`s when I noticed Haleigh was anyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her story`s changed several times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They almost have to tell her to watch what she says not because she`s hiding anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope she would not have nothing to do with this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just gets so mixed up, and then they start asking more questions (INAUDIBLE) she just doesn`t -- she`s just tired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, she said that (INAUDIBLE) it was her, Junior (INAUDIBLE) Haleigh, they were all in the bed, when what she meant was they were all in the bedroom together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just a different sleeping pattern. That`s all it was. (INAUDIBLE) the first pattern was that -- you know, in the bed with Misty, and then the second story was that she was sleeping on a mattress. But I think -- I don`t know for sure if that was Misty`s mistake on the story, or if it had been turned around by the media.

MISTY CUMMINGS: I would never hurt any little kid. I love Haleigh more than anything in this world. That was, like, my baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My babies loved her.

RONALD CUMMINGS, HALEIGH`S FATHER: Haleigh, if you`re watching, you know you`ll always be Daddy`s little girl. I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, "Dancing With the Stars" sweetheart, Olympic gold medal winner Shawn Johnson the target of a kidnapping. An armed man sneaks onto the "Dancing With the Stars" set to kidnap dancing beauty Shawn Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An alleged "Dancing With the Stars" fan who is obsessed with 17-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson is behind bars, arrested for having two loaded guns in his car. Robert O`Ryan allegedly jumped the fence at the LA studios where the show was filming, but was caught by security. O`Ryan reportedly told police he packed up all of his belongings in Florida to be with Johnson in California and that they were meant to have a baby together. Johnson`s mother requested and received a temporary restraining order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Tonight, one of the Anthony private eyes describes in detail the war between grandparents George and Cindy over what they tell police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did say to you, We -- him and Cindy -- we have thrown Casey under the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They thought they had thrown her under the bus, yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. What did you understand that to mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, having, you know, known that -- just the interviews that they had given, you know, about the smells in the car -- you know, it`s -- it`s pretty strong...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Evidence?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don`t know about evidence, but -- not so much evidence as an indication, indications of a body being in the trunk.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And -- and Cindy was upset that he had said that about the smell?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I didn`t hear her say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that`s your understanding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that`s what your understanding was that by George throwing her under the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight out to Natisha Lance, our producer, who`s been on the story from the very beginning. Apparently, George and Cindy are split over what they tell police, according to this P.I. He was testifying under oath. What happened?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, what he is saying is that George Anthony said to him that he thought that he and Cindy Anthony would not survive through this case because he felt that both he and Cindy -- or they felt that each other had thrown Casey Anthony under the bus. And Jim Hoover interpreted that to be them talking about those smells of decomposition in the trunk of the car, Cindy Anthony very early on talking about that smell, saying that the car smelled like there had been a dead body in there, and then later on, George Anthony giving that interview to investigators, saying, Don`t tell Cindy Anthony about this, but from -- due to my previous past as an investigator, I feel like this smells like there was a dead body in the trunk of the car, as well.

GRACE: OK, let`s take a listen -- one more listen -- to that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did say to you, We -- him and Cindy -- we have thrown Casey under the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They thought they had thrown her under the bus, yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. What did you understand that to mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, having, you know, known that -- just the interviews that they had given, you know, about the smells in the car -- you know, it`s -- it`s pretty strong...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Evidence?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don`t know about evidence, but -- not so much evidence as an indication, indications of a body being in the trunk.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And -- and Cindy was upset that he had said that about the smell?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I didn`t hear her say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that`s your understanding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that`s what your understanding was that by George throwing her under the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What else? What other things, other than telling the police about the smell, do you think that he was referring to by throwing Casey under the bus?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it`s -- I can`t think of anything else (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say that to you, that...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That term about throwing her under the bus?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he mention that he was sorry that he had told the police about the smell in the trunk?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. He never said that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he ever talk about the smell in the trunk?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he said, We`ve thrown her under the bus, you just interpret that to mean the things that he had said to the police...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... that pointed toward Casey as the abductor?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. From Atlanta, felony prosecutor Eleanor Dixon, Joe Episcopo, trial lawyer joining us out of Tampa, Peter Odom, defense attorney out of Atlanta. Weigh in, Eleanor.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: Well, I think this is very interesting because there are some comments between George and Cindy. But Nancy, think about this. What if they`re telling the truth? What if George is telling the truth? And I think we get the first kernel of it in these early interviews with police.

GRACE: And to you, Joe Episcopo. Apparently, the grandparents obviously are the only ones that have been standing behind the tot mom, and Lee Anthony, the brother. Now we learn through this P.I. under oath that they are split. Now, if they`re split over what story they`re telling to police on this one issue, what about everything else they`ve told police?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, you know, they`re split on this issue because they feel she`s guilty. At the same time, they`re hoping she`s not. So this is more significant than the other issues. They really feel now that she did it and they don`t want to be the person that convicts her.

GRACE: To Peter Odom, veteran defense attorney out of Atlanta, former prosecutor. Peter, I know that this is hearsay, all right? This is the P.I., the private eye, hired by the Anthonys saying this is what the Anthonys said. But there are exceptions to hearsay, Peter Odom.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

GRACE: So it`s not if but when George and Cindy Anthony take the stand, this will very likely come into evidence.

ODOM: Well, Nancy, I have to disagree with you. This is what is sometimes referred to as rank hearsay, meaning the lowest form of hearsay. And it`s very unlikely that it`ll ever come into evidence...

GRACE: Why is it the lowest form of hearsay? It`s hearsay one removed, Peter.

ODOM: It`s very unlikely to ever come into evidence...

GRACE: Peter...

ODOM: ... and frankly, it`s got zero relevance. This is rank speculation.

GRACE: OK, Eleanor, I don`t know if Peter Odom is familiar with prior inconsistent statements, but it will very likely come in under that theory, Eleanor.

DIXON: It could. If they say something different at trial, then they could be impeached with those statements.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY`S MOTHER: Who has her? Do you have a name?

CASEY ANTHONY: Her name is Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.

CINDY ANTHONY: Zanny is the baby-sitter that has watched Caylee consistently for the last maybe year-and-a-half.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Zenaida Gonzalez that has been (INAUDIBLE) to us by Casey is nonexistent to this point.

ZENAIDA GONZALEZ, ALLEGED BABY-SITTER: I haven`t been able to get a job. I haven`t been able to do much of nothing because everybody`s just judging me by my name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever call the baby-sitter on your cell phone, ever receive a call from the baby-sitter on your cell phone number?

CASEY ANTHONY: I most definitely did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The affidavit says Casey`s cell phone records show no numbers belonging to a Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s a misstatement.

CASEY ANTHONY: They arrested me because they said that...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, because they said that the person that you dropped Caylee with doesn`t even exist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did there ever become a time that you felt like Dominic may have been having an inappropriate interaction with Cindy Anthony?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. (INAUDIBLE) uncomfortable sometimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: OK, now you`ve got one Anthony private eye claiming the other private eye had a romantic relationship with Cindy Anthony, grandmother Cindy Anthony.

To Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst and author of "Dealbreakers." You know what? That has absolutely nothing to do with Caylee`s disappearance. And if it were reversed, if the father, the grandfather, became friends with one of the P.I.`s, nobody would say that. This is wrong to make this attack on Cindy Anthony, to suggest that she`s having sex or some romantic relationship with the private eye. It`s because she`s a woman.

And you know, Bethany, I don`t know if you`re familiar with court investigation, criminal investigations, but it`s such a high-pressure situation, you do bond with the people you`re working with.

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Oh, of course.

GRACE: That doesn`t mean because you`re a woman and you bond with a private eye that you`re out having sex with them. Some of the closest friends that I`ve ever had were my investigators that I worked with in the district attorney`s office for 10 years.

MARSHALL: Well, and people do bond under crisis. And I think what`s happening and what we saw in the earlier clips, Cindy Anthony has a great deal of pathological denial about her daughter. But on the other hand, she goes to jail and questions her daughter about where Caylee is. So there`s these two realities that she hasn`t integrated, much like the abused woman where the guy disappears for two weeks, she`s mad at him, but when he comes back through the door with roses, she forgets that he`s disappeared for two weeks. She can`t integrate realities.

When George Anthony speaks the truth about the body smelling like -- the car smelling like a body, he forces Cindy Anthony to integrate everything she`s noticing. Now, what I`m wondering is with Dominic Casey, if he fed into Cindy`s fantasies just a little bit more, and so it kind of smoothed over all these different things that she was taking a look at, and therefore, she bonded with him. And he may have also held himself out as a hero to her and made her feel that he was going save the family.

But they`re strange bedfellows, too, because the ultimate betrayal is that Dominic Casey went searching in the woods for the body at a time when Cindy felt that the little girl was still alive.

GRACE: Joining me right now from Orlando, renowned attorney in that area, John Morgan. He`s the attorney for Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, the woman that tot mom fingered as the kidnapper. She`s no nanny. She`s never even met the Anthony family.

Mr. Morgan, thank you for being with us. You are the one that put this private eye under oath and made him answer questions. What was your take on, number one, the splintering between George and Cindy Anthony over what they told police?

JOHN MORGAN, ATTORNEY FOR ZENAIDA GONZALEZ: Well, I think what it is, is in the beginning, they were obviously telling the police the truth. He`s a former police officer/investigator. And now, once the genie is out of the bottle, they`re sorry it is and they`re blaming each other for saying things that may send their daughter to prison for the rest of her life.

GRACE: Mr. Morgan, no offense because I know you`ve handled, you know, thousands of cases literally, but why did you feel it was necessary to ask about whether one of the P.I.`s, private eyes, had had a relationship with grandmother Cindy?

MORGAN Well, it had nothing to do with Cindy. It had to do with Dominic Casey. One of the things that this private eye spoke to me about before the deposition is that Dominic Casey was trying to please Cindy Anthony. If you listen to the deposition, he talks about...

GRACE: I see. OK.

MORGAN: ... when they`re out there in the woods, he was showboating.

GRACE: Enough said. Enough said, Mr. Morgan. Now I understand your motive and it makes sense to me.

OK, very quickly, Mr. Morgan, what can you tell me about the home of the Anthonys possibly being bugged?

MORGAN: I`ve heard that. I can`t substantiate that, but I have heard that.

GRACE: And out to Nikki Pierce with WDBO. According to what we are hearing in these sworn depositions, each of the Anthonys feel the other has hurt tot mom -- in their words, thrown her under the bus. Why?

NIKKI PIERCE, WDBO: Well, I think it largely goes back to referring to the smell of the body in the car in the very early stages. When Cindy Anthony made the phone call, she said it smells like a dead body in the car. And George Anthony said the same thing when he later went to police and said, Don`t tell Cindy, but I think it`s a dead body.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MISTY CUMMINGS: We have a very good relationship. She wants to be right on my hip the whole time. She don`t want to leave me. We always did make-up and hair. And every morning, (INAUDIBLE) like a queen to school.

Did I drive her to school? I didn`t drive her to school in a while, actually. She -- Daddy has been driving her to school lately. When he has a long night at work and he don`t want to get up or (INAUDIBLE), then I`ll drive her to school, along with my nephew, too. I have the kids 24/7.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Everything in turmoil in the investigation regarding little Haleigh. Straight out to Art Harris, investigative journalist. Art, I understand new claims are emerging. Explain.

ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, there are new claims now by Ronald`s lawyer, saying that the abuse photos that were submitted by -- by Crystal`s lawyer are not accurate. They have their own photos taken by his mother the day of the injury on the playground, and they have their own timeline.

As far as the investigation, I can tell you, Nancy, that investigators are looking at conflicts and comparing stories that have been told by Misty to see what statements may differ between the stories and statements she`s given.

GRACE: OK, you are seeing photos provided by Artharris.com. That is the photo that school authorities say resulted from this little girl falling off monkey bars, a fall on the playground. But the father is firing back with his own photos. His photos, just delivered to us, show the progression of those very same injuries. We see how they change over days to come, and she ends up at the hospital where a CAT scan is ordered.

Not only that -- straight out to attorney for biological mother Crystal Sheffield. Kim Picazio is joining us. Kim, you are making the assertion, the claim that Misty Croslin Cummings, now Haleigh`s stepmother, entertained another man in the home the night Haleigh goes missing?

KIM PICAZIO, ATTORNEY FOR HALEIGH`S MOTHER: No, I don`t believe we`ve officially made that claim. I believe that we think a lot of things happened that night that have not been told to the media. We`ve spoken with numerous eyewitnesses that allege seeing Misty out that night. I believe the police have that information. I don`t know if they`ve questioned the particular individual that she was alleged to be out with that night. But I believe we have a concrete understanding now of what happened that night, and it`s not Misty`s version.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD CUMMINGS, FATHER OF MISSING 5-YR-OLD HALEIGH CUMMINGS: I`m not here to answer any questions. I`m here to plead for the life of my daughter.

CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD, MOM OF MISSING 5-YR-OLD HALEIGH CUMMINGS: When me and Ronald were together he had nothing to do with the children. I took care of them. I did everything. He had nothing to do with them and then when I left he decided he wanted to take them from me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hitting in the face until bloodied, hitting with sticks, hitting with belts. I could go on and on.

CUMMINGS: I have nothing to do with this. I`ve been slandered into being a sorry father. I was seeing in most cases the fathers don`t get custody of their children. I take good care of my kids the three years I had them by myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Straight out to the attorney for biological mother of little Haleigh, Kim Picazio, is joining us.

Miss Picazio, you have just told me on live TV that you have not said Misty Croslin-Cummings had another man in the home. Let me refer you to a statement that you made March 26, 2009 to FOX 35. They`re reporting from Satsuma, Florida.

They say you, Kim Picazio, shared new details about what happened the night Haleigh was taken and I read, "Picazio says Ronald, Jr., Haleigh`s brother woke up when a man came into the house to see Misty Croslin. He stated to his mother he saw a man in black clothing take Haleigh. She says, are you asleep? And he says I woke up. The man had squeaky shoes and the couch was bouncing, says Picazio."

Now, did they misquote you?

KIM PICAZIO, ATTORNEY FOR CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD, HALEIGH`S MOTHER: I believe that should not be a quote. And again, we have a lot of theories and none of us were there that night. Ad with regard to Misty`s statements to the press and with regard to her statements to the police, they`re clearly inaccurate.

We have uncovered people, eyewitnesses that have seen her out that night with another individual. Whether or not she propped open the door and allowed a person in that night, we don`t know. None of us were there, but we surely know that she was not home with the children that night according to our eyewitnesses.

With regard to statements, these are things that I think, not things that I know, none of us do. I wasn`t there.

GRACE: With me is Kim Picazio, she is a well respected member of the Florida bar. I want to go out to our lawyers. Eleanor Dixon, Joe Episcopo, Peter Odom. If this is true, if this is true, what the FOX News Channel, the local 35 News, is saying Picazio told them, and it`s in quotes, that Misty Croslin-Cummings had another man in the home that night with squeaky shoes and the sofa was bouncing.

If that`s true, the timeline police have constructed right now means absolutely nothing, Eleanor.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: You`re exactly right, Nancy. And remember the only person who have given the police a timeline is Misty and we don`t know how truthful that is at this point. We`re getting more and more information every day.

GRACE: Peter Odom?

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If this is the only evidence of a guest in the home that is the statement of a 4-year-old child, this is reckless disregard for the truth and it should not be repeated until there is some verification, Nancy.

GRACE: Peter, have you ever prosecuted a child molestation case?

ODOM: I have.

GRACE: For the state?

ODOM: For the state.

GRACE: And in that case, did you believe what the child told you?

ODOM: In every case.

GRACE: But you say in this case not to believe what the child says.

ODOM: But, Nancy, it is -- it would have been irresponsible for me as a prosecutor to not get some kind of verification, some kind of corroboration.

GRACE: I would like to see Odom`s face. Let me remind you, Peter Odom that it has been nearly two decades since the requirement in your jurisdiction for corroboration for a sex attack on a woman or a child.

ODOM: Well, not legally required, Nancy.

GRACE: That`s absolutely correct. So what you are saying is not founded in the law.

ODOM: Correct, but in every case I prosecuted with a child victim we always found corroboration before we went public with it.

GRACE: To Joe Episcopo, thoughts?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Pardon me?

GRACE: Thoughts? Weigh in.

EPISCOPO: Well, my thoughts. First of all, if this is true, then Misty is implicated in the kidnapping. She`s passed the polygraph. So I don`t know. I think it`s kind of unreliable and certainly a 4-year-old needs to be corroborated in order to bring any kind of a case.

I`ve prosecuted and defended these cases. A 4-year-old is generally not even competent to testify because they don`t know what perjury is.

GRACE: And we also have to take into account, not Miss Picazio, the attorney, but she is relying on what her client and their contacts are telling her.

To Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst and author of "Dealbreakers," the mother is filing a custody suit against the biological father and when that happens, al sorts of claims are made in court. I believe I would want verification of this as well and believe me, Bethany, I`ve prosecuted many cases on nothing but the word of a child.

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": Well, I mean, in child custody cases the parents often say horrible things and you`ve said before on your show that family court is one of the most dangerous courts in the United States because parents become so angry at each other, but the only way to get at the truth with Junior is to have a trained professional do a lot of play therapy with him and see what he acts out.

And they should have a camera rolling the entire time to make sure that no suggestions are made because a man coming into the house dressed in black could just be the bogeyman in this child`s mind or maybe she was having sex with someone else, that`s why the sofa`s bouncing, and that would be a good explanation as to why Misty used the other bathroom and not the bathroom in -- that was adjacent to the bathroom, but one other quick thing.

You know, Crystal`s lodging all these claims, but she failed to pay child support for many years, so that`s negligent as well.

GRACE: Out to T.J. Hart, program and news director of WSKY 97.3 FM, joining us from Florida. T.J., is there anything to support this claim against Misty Croslin other than what the mother`s sources are telling?

T.J. HART, PROGRAM & NEWS DIR., WSKY 97.3FM, COVERING STORY: Yes. I spoke with a private investigator by the name of William Staubs (ph) who is investigating this case and he spoke with Ronald and he says that Ronald confirms that Misty had a friend that he -- that she had been with a week before and possibly even the night of the disappearance.

GRACE: I want to go.

HART: And this could play right into this as well.

GRACE: To Detective Lieutenant Stephen Rogers, the former member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Stephen, you have investigated so many cases. Police seem to be at a standstill in the search for Haleigh. Will this shed new light?

DET. LT. STEVE ROGERS, NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, I`m sure it will. The police are not going to let that statement of that 4-year-old or any information they get. They`re not going to disregard that. They`re going to look into this and that might change that timeline you talked about, Nancy.

GRACE: And back to Art Harris. The photos you`re seeing are coming from Artharris.com. Art, you originally told us about photos where little Haleigh had horrible bruises and so forth. We then uncovered a document from the school showing she had fallen from the playground that day.

Now the father has sent us. Ronald Cummings has sent us photos, time- progressed photos of how those bruises and injuries seem to get worse to manifest more over the next few days. What do you make of it, Art?

ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, ARTHARRIS.COM, INTERVIEWED MISTY CROSLIN, HALEIGH`S NEW STEPMOM: Well, they are coming back, Nancy, with time-stamped photos and statements from Ronald`s mother, Teresa Neves who took little Haleigh to a nearby hospital and she had a CAT scan. They had documented the medical treatment and the progression of these injuries.

So it`s a very powerful comeback that has documentation.

GRACE: Right.

And to Dr. Bruce Levy, medical examiner joining us from Tennessee. Dr. Levy, if Haleigh was abducted by a stranger, would you expect to find some trace of them in the home?

DR. BRUCE LEVY, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST, MEDICAL EXAMINER: Well, it`s almost inevitable that somebody, if you come into a room, you`re going to leave something of you behind. The real trick is finding it and analyzing it. But, you know, going back to what they were saying before about the injuries, it`s not unusual for injuries as they progress to appear worse after a day or two than they initially appeared. So you have to take that into context as well.

GRACE: Very quickly to tonight`s "Case Alert.` Broward County Florida judge, Ian Richards, a hero. Richards literally jumped to the defense of a woman in court after she was attacked in court by a defendant she sent to jail for domestic violence.

As the victim was being pummeled and chased, Richards jumps over the bench to help. The defendant eventually taken down in custody.

Tonight, Judge Richards, we salute you.

And tonight at your request, new photos of the twins. They`ll be on the Web tonight. I hope you like them. Lucy found potato chips. I didn`t give them to her. Here she is with the doorman, Angel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: People are so upset that they want to blame somebody. Have you been unfairly blamed?

MISTY CROSLIN, RONALD CUMMING`S WIFE, LAST SEEN HALEIGH: A lot of people are trying to blame me for something like that, but I would never hurt any little kid. I love Haleigh more than anything in this world. That was like my baby. They used to call me stepmom. You know? They`d rather be with me than their own mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Allegations emerging through the biological mother`s lawyer that girlfriend/babysitter now teen bride, the stepmother of little Haleigh, who went missing in the middle of the night, entertained another man in the home the night Haleigh disappears.

Now the attorney is denying that that was a statement that she made.

With me is Marlaina Schiavo, our producer. Did you speak to Miss Picazio prior to tonight`s show and what did she say?

MARLAINA SCHIAVO, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, SPENT TIME WITH MISSING HALEIGH`S FAMILY: I have spoken to Kim Picazio, Nancy, and she has said that she has her own sources on this. She has spent a lot of time in Satsuma and she has people who say that Misty was out partying that night. And she also says that Junior, Haleigh`s little brother, came -- said that he saw a man in black and it corroborates with the stories that she`s been hearing around Satsuma.

GRACE: So Miss Picazio, are you asserting that Misty Croslin had a man in the home the night Haleigh goes missing?

PICAZIO: Again, I can`t make that assertion. I`ve given what my sources have revealed to me, to the police and also I`ve given them to the Department of Children and Families because that would be a neglect issue with regard to the kids if she was out partying that night, she left the children home alone. Then Ronald should be chastised for leaving them in the care of someone who he knows is doing that.

This household was -- there are things that went on in this household I hear that I wouldn`t even let my own children watch on TV. So -- it was conducive to rolling out the red carpet for something to eventually happen to one of these children. Something now has happened.

GRACE: Miss Picazio.

PICAZIO: I`d like to know if that has a link.

GRACE: Miss Picazio, your client alleging the biodad has a sex, drugs and rock `n` roll lifestyle. Isn`t that the pot calling the kettle black? I mean, your client lost custody for a reason.

PICAZIO: No, but my client was doing drugs in the household. We`ve never denied that. After she broke up with Ronald she put herself, voluntarily, in rehab. Stayed there for a week. Didn`t have insurance so they told her she had to leave. She has been clean and sober ever since.

She has visited her children. She`s been an involved parent. She had no idea that she could ever change the custody situation or she probably would have before now.

GRACE: Everyone, we`ll keep you posted, but right now I want to tell you about a story regarding "Dancing with the Stars." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An armed fan tried to break on to the set of "Dancing with the Stars" has been arrested. A restraining order was issued against Robert O`Ryan who reportedly told police he wanted to meet 17-year- old gymnast Shawn Johnson.

He claims Johnson speaks to him through his television. Police say O`Ryan had two loaded guns in his car and some duct tape and that his plan was to move to California to be with the Olympic gold medalist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Olympian Shawn Johnson has a restraining order against a guy accused of trying to break on to the set of "Dancing with the Stars." Well, here she is on the show. That`s Shawn. And court records allege that the man had guns and duct tape in his car.

Now her mother says police told her that he believed that he was meant to have a child with the 17-year-old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight out to Dorothy Cascerceri with "National Enquirer," the entertainment editor. Miss Cascerceri, thank you for being with us. What happened?

DOROTHY CASCERCERI, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, NATIONAL ENQUIRER, COVERING STORY: Well, Nancy, a CBS security detail saw Robert O`Ryan jumping a fence to get into the lot. They then found him in a hallway close to the studio where "Dancing with the Stars" happens. They asked him for identification. He presented an expired weapons concealment license.

And they asked him, do you have any weapons? And he finally said, yes, in fact, I do have two weapons loaded in his car. They also found paraphernalia used for kidnapping in his car. They found duct tape, they found wiretaps, they found love letters to Shawn Johnson.

Now Shawn Johnson is only 17 years old and Robert O`Ryan is 34.

GRACE: Now did he show up -- everybody, by the way, you`re seeing video of Shawn Johnson from ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars." Didn`t he say that he was meant to be there that they were going to have a baby together?

CASCERCERI: He did in fact say that. He said that Shawn Johnson has been speaking to him personally through the television set via ESP. He claims it`s some kind of a psychic connection and he also claims that he`s going to be with her no matter what.

GRACE: There you go. You saw exclusive photos of the alleged stalker from TMZ.com and you`re seeing video of "Dancing with the Stars" from ABC.

Dr. Bethany Marshall, I only have one word for this, freak.

MARSHALL: Crazy.

GRACE: But I`m sure you have a different analysis. Go ahead, hit me.

MARSHALL: OK. Well, the M.O. of the stalker, the stalker imagines he`s loved by someone who doesn`t love in return so he goes after the victim to punish the victim for having rejected him. Every stalker has that mind set.

Now this guy, if he felt that she was speaking through the TV, that`s what`s called broadcasting and that is a sign of paranoid schizophrenia. Now the frightening thing is that paranoid schizophrenics have the highest rate of lethality of any mental disorder. More therapists are killed by patients who have paranoid schizophrenia than any other population.

The fact that he drove across the United States, he had the duct tape. He was either going to seek revenge against her for having rejected him or maybe go after her partner which he perceived as a love rival. This is what we saw with Lisa Nowak, the astronaut who drove all night in a pair of diapers to sort of get her perceived love rival. And Paula Abdul, the suicidal -- committing suicide in front of Paula Abdul`s house, that was also revenge for perceived rejection as well.

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers, Eleanor Dixon, Peter Odom and Joe Episcopo.

You know, it`s not just stalking, Eleanor. This is attempted kidnapping. This guy jumping the fence, getting all of the way through security on to the set of "Dancing with the Stars" to try and kidnap Shawn Johnson, a 17-year-old girl, an Olympic winner, now on "Dancing with the Stars."

What is this guy facing? How many years?

DIXON: It depends on the aggravated circumstances in this case. It could be two, three or five years, Nancy, and this is the worst kind of defendant, these stalkers, because even if there`s a temporary protective order in place sometimes that piece of paper means nothing to a person like this.

GRACE: There you see that video of Johnson on ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars."

OK, to the defense attorneys, Odom and Episcopo. Odom, let me guess. He`s insane.

ODOM: Well, Nancy, insanity is a legal concept. But you can`t look at the case without seeing the red flags of mental illness and the mentally ills don`t belong in prison. He needs to be evaluated and perhaps secured somewhere. But he`s clearly got mental problems and should not be incarcerated.

GRACE: Joe Episcopo, secured somewhere. That`s what Odom says. Translation, he`ll get on some meds, get stabilized and jump the fence in about three months.

EPISCOPO: No, he`s a crack pot. There`s no question about it. If he makes the bond and he goes anywhere near her, he`ll never get a bond again. He`s a dangerous person. He needs to be in jail. And I don`t this young lady has anything to worry about. She`s got people watching her. If he goes anywhere near her, it`s all over him.

GRACE: He -- he`s already jumped the fence and gotten through security. Hello? He`s already gotten near her.

EPISCOPO: He didn`t get anywhere near her. He didn`t get anywhere near her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Olympian Shawn Johnson has a restraining order against a guy accused of trying to break on the set of "Dancing with the Stars" and court records allege that the man had guns and duct tape in his car.

Now her mother says police told her that he believed that he was meant to have a child with the 17 year old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Los Angeles police arrested a man trying to break onto the set of "Dancing with the Stars." They say he wanted to meet Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson. Police say Robert O`Ryan had two loaded guns in his car along with duct tape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Out to Dorothy Cascerceri. Miss Cascerceri, it`s not a good sign when police ask you for I.D. and all you can produce is your license to carry a concealed weapon. All right, that`s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. All right? How -- what type of weapons did this guy have?

CASCERCERI: This guy had a loaded handgun and a loaded shotgun in his car. So he was ready for something we can assume.

GRACE: And to Bethany Marshall, so he wants to woo Shawn Johnson and have a child with her. How is the loaded weapon supposed to help him do that?

MARSHALL: Well, because if the M.O. is to undo the perceived rejection, let`s say he kidnaps her, he has the child with her, but at some point he feels rejected by her so he could kill her and, of course, there`s a paranoid attachment to her so the idea of loving her and then hurting her and having power over her, all those things are fused together.

They`re not considered different things. They`re all one and the same in the mind of the stalker.

GRACE: And back to the lawyers, Eleanor Dixon, Peter Odom, Joe Episcopo.

Eleanor, there are claims that he is insane. He knew what he was doing when he got in his car, drove across the country, loaded the weapon, concealed the weapon. Could you go find the set, Eleanor, of "Dancing with the Stars" and find a way to get past security and get in there?

This guy is crazy like a fox.

DIXON: Well, I think you`re right, Nancy. And Mr. Odom brings up a good point. He really doesn`t meet the legal definition of insanity because you could see his plan. People who are legally insane can`t plan a trip to the bathroom much less a trip to Shawn Johnson.

GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember Air Force Sergeant Brian Hause, 29, Stoystown, Pennsylvania, died, Iraq. Awarded the Air Force commendation medal, Iraq Campaign media. Loved motorcycles, guitar, reading, writing poetry. Leaves behind two children, Lexie and Cody.

Brian Hause, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END