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NANCY GRACE

Body Found in Susquehanna River Is Missing Phylicia Barnes

Aired April 21, 2011 - 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, live, Maryland. Beautiful brown eyes, shoulder-length hair, gorgeous smile, the world in front of her, a 16-year-old beauty, straight-A honor student visiting her sister over Christmas break, Phylicia Barnes vanishes.

Bombshell tonight. After months of searching -- months! -- in the last hours, the body of a young woman surfaces in the Susquehanna River. Is it 16-year-old Phylicia?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking news. Two bodies have just been found in the Susquehanna River in Maryland.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maryland State Police describe them only as female and male, both adult size.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She comes up missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both are African-American.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s devastating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With every body found, the family of Phylicia Barnes is on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this lady right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen-year-old Phylicia Simone Barnes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She left the apartment where she was staying to get something to eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several hours later, her cell phone went dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do suspect some type of foul play.

GRACE: This girl seemed to vanish into thin air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No persons of interest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no smoking gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no suspects at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this point, there is no indication of how either person died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speculation rampant. Is one of the bodies missing student Phylicia Barnes?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. After months of searching, in the last hours, the body of a young woman surfaces in the Susquehanna River. Is it 16- year-old Phylicia Barnes? We are taking your calls live.

Let`s go to the presser. Is that it, in the middle? Yes. We are waiting on a live presser, which we`re going to take and bring to you live. We see it all set up there.

Straight out to Bonnie Druker, former crime reporter, joining us on the story. What do we know?

BONNIE DRUKER, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, we do know -- sources are saying that this is, in fact, the body of Phylicia Barnes. She was found yesterday. And again, we are finding out right now that it is the body.

I just want to explain something right now. Now, this is Baltimore, and this is the dam. She was found on the north side of the dam, so police are saying that it is impossible that she could have gone through the dam and northward, Nancy.

GRACE: Hold on. Hold on, Bonnie. What I`m interpreting what you just said is there`s no way that she could have been thrown in water where she went missing and floated to this location because she couldn`t get through the dam.

DRUKER: That`s exactly what...

GRACE: Is that what you just said?

DRUKER: ... police are saying.

GRACE: OK, everyone, we are waiting to go live with the presser. Take a look at this. This 16-year-old girl, a beautiful straight-A honor student, goes to visit her sister over Christmas break. She gets there. They`re together a few days. She`s never seen again.

To David Lohr, senior crime reporter with HuffingtonPost. David, thank you for being with us. What`s so odd about this -- and we don`t know that this is Phylicia. We don`t know that right now. But what is extremely odd, David Lohr, is that her body turns up, and then another body is found on the other side of the river.

DAVID LOHR, HUFFINGTONPOST.COM: Yes, that`s correct, Nancy. Her body was found yesterday around 7:30 AM by some dam workers. Then around 2:30 that afternoon, there was two men in a boat actually came upon the body of an African-American male. That body also has not been identified. And that body was roughly four miles from where Phylicia`s body was found. And right now, police...

GRACE: Hold on. Hold on, David. Liz, I want to see the water in -- I want to see that dam. Give it to me in full. Everybody, we are taking your calls live. We`re taking you live to the scene. A body of a young woman has just been discovered on the north side of this dam. I want to see more shots of the dam, Liz, because what we are learning -- if you take a look at the map, there`s no way this girl`s body, if, it is, in fact, Phylicia Barnes, could have been thrown into a body of water where she went missing and float to this area.

To Bernie Rayno, senior meteorologist at Accuweather.com, joining us tonight. Bernie, tell me about the currents and how this could possibly have happened.

BERNIE RAYNO, ACCUWEATHER.COM (via telephone): Well, the current in the Susquehanna runs north/south across eastern Pennsylvania, through towns like Harrisburg on southward. Now, the Susquehanna, Nancy is running higher than it normally is this time of the year, so the current is a little faster. It is a little stronger.

And I do want to point out, once you get north of the Conowingo dam where she was found, north of that dam, you start running in the area south of Harrisburg, which is less populated. And remember, this -- the current runs from north to south across south central Pennsylvania toward the dam.

GRACE: With me, Bernie Rayno, senior meteorologist. And joining me right now is a special guest, also taking your calls. Phylicia`s father, Russell Barnes, is with us. We are waiting to take you live to a presser to find out what authorities have to say at this hour.

Mr. Barnes, thank you for being with us.

RUSSELL BARNES, PHYLICIA`S FATHER (via telephone): Yes. Thank you.

GRACE: Mr. Barnes, what are police telling you tonight?

BARNES: Oh, pretty much not anything too much. They have to wait until a lot of things -- identification comes back until they let me know that it was Phylicia that was found. As I see that -- the guys that have been working on the case has been really heartbroke. This has touched a lot of people. So this is really a personal -- (INAUDIBLE) a lot of (INAUDIBLE) with everyone in (INAUDIBLE) in this whole country. So we`re still not finished. We want to find out what happened with Phylicia. How did she come up at this dam? Where -- who would bring her to this area that she knows nothing about? So that`s my heartfelt (ph). And we`re going to find out what happened with Phylicia.

GRACE: Russell Barnes is with us at this very, very difficult time. Mr. Barnes, I want you to know, ever since we heard about Phylicia -- it was in the middle, remember, of a blizzard in your area.

BARNES: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: And you know, we were trying to get you or her mother to the studio, and her mother braved the elements and got on the airwaves and begged people to help find her daughter.

BARNES: Yes.

GRACE: Mr. Barnes, thank you for being with us. What I don`t understand, Mr. Barnes, is how she can go visit this sister and then just vanish.

BARNES: We don`t know...

GRACE: What have police said?

BARNES: We do not know, either. There`s a lot of answers that we need to find out. Phylicia didn`t know anyone in that area that we know of personally but the immediate family. And that`s where it lies at. We know she had no -- there`s no indication (ph) it (ph) was against anybody. She`s a well loved individual with every...

GRACE: Well, of course she is! She was just 16 at the time she went missing, straight-A student, absolutely beautiful. And when I spoke to her mother on the phone, you could just tell her mother has poured her whole life into helping Phylicia make good grades, be an athlete, be an honor student.

We`re going to go live to the presser. Let`s go live.

GREG SHIPLEY, MARYLAND STATE POLICE SPOKESMAN: ... Maryland State Police, Baltimore police commissioner Fred Bealefeld, B-E-A-L-E-F-E-L-D. Also on stage would be Lieutenant Colonel Pete Landon -- L-A-N-D-O-N -- from the Maryland State Police, the chief of the field operations bureau, and Major Ron Cullison -- C-U-L-L-I-S-O-N -- from the Maryland State Police, who is the commander of the State Police Criminal Investigation Division. From the Baltimore police (INAUDIBLE) Colonel Dean Palmere -- P- A-L-M-E-R-E -- who`s the chief of detectives for the Baltimore Police Department.

Any questions on spellings or anything?

QUESTION: Can you repeat the last one, please?

SHIPLEY: Colonel Dean Palmere -- P-A-L-M-E-R-E -- chief of detectives for the Baltimore Police Department.

QUESTION: And the first one, please.

SHIPLEY: The first one was Maryland State Police superintendent Colonel Terrence -- T-E-R-R-E-N-C-E -- Sheridan -- S-H-E-R-I-D-A-N. Good?

QUESTION: And Cullison.

SHIPLEY: Who?

QUESTION: I think it was...

SHIPLEY: Cullison?

QUESTION: Yes.

SHIPLEY: Major Ron Cullison -- C-U-L-L-I-S-O-N, the commander of the State Police Criminal Investigation Division. Good? All right. Thank you for your patience.

GRACE: We are live in the presser. Let`s see what the cops have to say.

COL. TERRENCE SHERIDAN, MARYLAND STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: Good evening, and thanks for coming here today. With me, of course, as Mr. Shipley pointed out, is Commissioner Fred Bealefeld, Baltimore Police Department, Colonel Dean Palmere, directly behind me, chief of detectives for Baltimore PD, and Major Ron Cullison, commander of the Criminal Investigation Division with the Maryland State Police, and major -- or excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel Pete Landon, our chief of the Field Operations Bureau.

Just after 7:30 yesterday morning, two troopers were crossing the Conowingo dam on Route 1 when they were flagged down by persons at the dam who indicated there was a body floating in the water, the Susquehanna River. The body was spotted on the Harford County side of the river. And later that morning, about 10:00 AM, Natural Resource Police Department officers were able to remove the body of a female from the water. After an on-scene examination by police and forensic investigators, the body was taken to the office of the chief medical examiner in Baltimore city.

While the investigation was continuing, another body was reported below the dam. That would be to the east of the dam, about three or four miles away. That second body was recovered about 2:00 PM the same day, yesterday. This -- these were boaters who spotted that. The Natural Resource Police Department officers recovered that body also.

Both bodies were found unclothed. The distance between the locations of the bodies was about three to four miles. Autopsies were conducted on both bodies today at the office of the chief medical examiner. Doctors used dental records to positively identify the body of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes this afternoon. The cause and manner of death of Miss Barnes is still pending. The medical examiner is conducting further tests and forensic examinations.

The male has not been identified. His cause and manner of death has not been determined. But the medical examiner has indicated that it is a black male. He`s 6-foot-4, 240 pounds.

Maryland State Police homicide unit investigators notified police throughout the region about the recovered bodies, and we`re now working with the Baltimore Police Department homicide detectives and the ongoing investigation they had with Phylicia Barnes.

Baltimore police detectives responded to the scene at the Susquehanna River dam and again working with the Maryland State Police. We are now co- located with the Baltimore Police Department on the fifth floor of their headquarters building in Baltimore. There will be full cooperation between the departments and the State Police homicide investigators and the Baltimore police homicide unit.

This is not the first time that we`ve investigated crimes together, homicides and such. We work in task forces on guns, warrants and gangs. So there is no concern about us and the cooperation that`s going on. Our mission today, of course, is to find out what occurred in these situations with Miss Barnes and the unidentified male that was recovered at the same time.

With that, I`ll turn this over to Commissioner Fred Bealefeld from the Baltimore Police Department.

COMMISSIONER FRED BEALEFELD, BALTIMORE PD: Thank you, Colonel Sheridan. First of all, I want to, on behalf not just of the Baltimore city Police Department, but I know I speak for Colonel Sheridan and all of the state of Maryland in extending our deepest condolences to the Sallis and Barnes family. All of us, all of us, since that fateful day in December have been praying and hopeful for a different outcome. And unfortunately, we are here today.

As you know, from the very beginning, from December 28th of last year when young Phylicia Barnes went missing in northwest Baltimore, we`ve drawn on the resources of federal, state and local partners to try to bring this case to closure. We`ve worked closely during that time with the Maryland State Police...

GRACE: We are bringing you straight back into this live press release. What we know now -- this body, identified by dental records, is 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, along with an unidentified young male.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conowingo dam workers spotted the first body in the Susquehanna River. Investigators eventually pulled the woman`s body out of the water just north of the dam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And with every body found, the family of Phylicia Barnes is on edge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: We are live at a presser. We are just learning that the woman`s body just found in the Susquehanna River is, in fact, 16-year-old Phylicia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... going to be instrumental in giving us an opportunity to bring closure to the family. Just without it, it would have been an incredibly difficult case. But now, you know, it gives investigators a real opportunity.

QUESTION: Does this put us any closer to potential suspects?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, we`re at the very beginning of this phase of the investigation.

QUESTION: Can you talk to us a little bit about -- obviously, the -- Miss Barnes`s body was found at least 35, 40 miles from where she was last seen. Can you talk to us a little bit about what the investigation (INAUDIBLE) as far as that`s concerned? That`s a very far distance from where she was last seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. Again, if you -- and I know that all of you reported extensively about our efforts. We didn`t limit the scope of our efforts to the borders of Baltimore city. Most of you covered our most recent efforts out in Potapsco State Park. We work through national networks to get attention across the entire country. I believe there was foreign language stations that picked up this story. And so we didn`t limit our search to Baltimore. We didn`t limit our search to the state of Maryland. We set out a nationwide net to try to find out what happened to Miss Barnes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) a lot of access to that part of -- that part of the river by the dam there. I mean, I know there`s the Rock Creek (INAUDIBLE) Reservation that`s around there. Are you looking at the areas around there as part of the investigations as maybe piece them together and...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wouldn`t exclude anything. We just, again...

GRACE: We`re going to dip right back in there. But to Jean Casarez, legal correspondent, "In Session." We`ve been on the story since she went missing. Her mother and father advised us about their missing child -- we didn`t know about it -- and were upset. No media outlets were covering the disappearance of Phylicia Barnes.

Jean, this other body has got to be connected to the disappearance of Phylicia Barnes.

JEAN CASAREZ, "IN SESSION": And that is what law enforcement had said earlier. We haven`t heard it in the press conference tonight. But Nancy, you started covering this the day it happened. We covered it nightly. You focused on it in the missing persons series, "MISSING IN AMERICA." Her parents were reportedly on the show. And this is a moment that no one has waited for, but I guess at least they have closure.

GRACE: You know, Bethany, Bethany Marshall -- Dr. Bethany joining us out of LA, psychoanalyst, author of "Deal Breakers" -- I`ve heard that ever since I was a crime victim about closure. There is no closure, Dr. Bethany.

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: There`s no closure because the one thing this family, these parents are charged with in life is to keep their daughter safe -- raise her, protect her, see her through her wedding, her birthdays, her anniversaries. Every time there is a special occasion, they are going to think about her. When you grieve, you don`t just give up the past. It`s not just the intrusion of the crime. But you have to dismantle all of your hopes and dreams for the future with this one person, and that is going to retraumatize them throughout their lives.

GRACE: As a matter of fact, for 50 days, we went live looking for missing people, and one of the reasons we chose to launch that show was because of this girl, Phylicia Barnes. That search comes to an end tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: After months of searching, tonight we learn the search for Phylicia Barnes, a 16-year-old honor student, comes to an end. You are just hearing Terrence Sheridan from the Maryland State Police speaking at a live presser. We are taking your calls. There you see them filing down from the podium. We`re going to rerack that last part for you and play it for you that you missed on commercial break.

We are taking your calls. To Mari Jo in California. Hi, Mari Jo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I have something to say. But first I have to tell you -- you prayed for Dana, and in two weeks, at stage 4 cancer, she went back to work.

GRACE: Praise the Lord.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you are the biggest angel that I`ve ever seen on TV! You are the biggest angel, and you are the best of the rest!

GRACE: Mari Jo, thank you. I`m not, but thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are!

GRACE: I`m just so happy about Dana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are!

GRACE: You called in. You told us about her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

GRACE: I and many people on our staff have been praying for her. And when you think about this case, I remember talking to her mother -- tonight her father is with us. They just -- this was their whole life ,was Phylicia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, what I wanted to say about that young lady, which I`m praying for, is the fact that all boaters, they go out there and they fish. They go out there to fish, and they`re quiet at nighttime, at 4:00 o`clock in the morning. They should, instead of relaxing and waiting for their fish to be caught, they should listen to see if they can find anything that relates to somebody dumping somebody in the river.

GRACE: You know -- and apparently, this was a very popular area. Everyone, we are taking your calls. In the last hours, we have learned that a body has been discovered. And tonight, in fact, in the last few moments, we learned that body is honor student Phylicia Barnes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERENCE SHERIDAN, MARYLAND STATE POLICE: Just after 7:30 yesterday morning, two troopers were crossing the Conowingo Dam on Route 1 when they were flagged down by persons at the dam who indicated there was a body floating in the water of the Susquehanna River.

The body was spotted on the Hartford County side of the river, and later that morning, about 10:00 a.m., Natural Resource Police Department officers were able to remove the body of a female from the water.

After an on-scene examination by police, then forensic investigators, the body was taken to the office of the chief medical examiner in Baltimore City.

Doctors used dental records to positively identify the body of 16- year-old Phylicia Barnes this afternoon. The cause and manner of death of Miss Barnes is still pending. The medical examiner is conducting further tests and forensic examinations.

The male has not been identified. His cause and manner of death has not been determined. But the medical examiner has indicated that it is a black male, he`s 6`4", 240 pounds.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls. You are hearing Terrence Sheridan from the Maryland State Police. That is a live presser. And we are giving you the very latest in the search for 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes.

Back to Jean Casarez. How did she go missing to start with, Jean?

JEAN CASAREZ, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Nancy, she was at her stepsister`s house, the apartment. She actually spent Christmas there. And the stories are so conflicting because she had told her stepsister she was going to step out and get something to eat. There were some eateries nearby she could walk to.

The boyfriend or ex-boyfriend of the stepsister said that she was asleep on the couch, but the scent dog said her scent left the outside of that apartment. She didn`t walk away from there.

GRACE: And from that point on, police have conducted an incredible search for this 16-year-old honor student.

We are taking your calls. Out to Kishea in D.C. Hi, Kishea.

KISHEA, CALLER: Hi, Nancy. And hi, Jean.

Nancy, I have a comment and also a question.

GRACE: OK.

KISHEA: My comment is, God`s grace to you. And I look forward to seeing the twins in their Easter`s best.

GRACE: Oh, yes. Going to do the whole shebang. The Easter egg hunt with the Easter Bunny and of course the big, big Easter Day. Yes. We`re going to grandma`s house.

KISHEA: I know. I can`t wait to see them. I can`t wait to see them.

Just so happened, Jean was mentioning right before I was going to ask a question of course, because that`s what Jean does. She is ahead of everybody.

Phylicia`s family. I think they should start right back with them and put the fire under their feet because I think that the ones that she visit because -- I mean, how can you go from visiting to vanish? How thorough was the investigation with the family? Do you know?

GRACE: You know, that is a very good question. Unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, out of D.C., Eleanor Odom, senior attorney with the National District Attorney`s Association. Death penalty qualify. Joe Jackson, defense attorney in New York. And Peter Odom, defense attorney Atlanta.

You know what, Eleanor, all this time we`ve been thinking about men that come in and out of that apartment of the sister. What about the sister herself? Do you think she knows anything about the disappearance?

ELEANOR ODOM, FELONY PROSECUTOR, DEATH PENALTY QUALIFIED: Well, she was one of the closest people to her sister, obviously, and I would hope the police have questioned her thoroughly as well as her taking a polygraph exam to eliminate her as a potential suspect.

Because we don`t know if Phylicia`s body is connected in some way with the male body that was found as well. I think we`ll know more once they have determined the cause and manner of death.

GRACE: Listen. Paul Penzone, take a listen to what Phylicia`s mother said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANICE SALLIS, PHYLICIA BARNES` MOTHER: When I got there Thursday night searching for her, I found out that there was a listing of 20 different guys going in and out. I found out through her sister when I approached her, how I didn`t appreciate it that I find out that since she`s been here, you`ve allowed her to drink alcohol. You`ve allowed her to smoke marijuana.

And her half-sister said it only happened one time and it allowed her to open up to me. So you have to get her drunk to open up to you? She`s 16 years old. She can`t handle alcohol. She`s too young for all of this action, all of that activity. So when I found out about all of that when I got there, I was -- I was stunned. I was devastated.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I mean, what do we know about what happened with the sister that she was visiting? And with her half-sister, we know Phylicia wanted to renew her sisterhood bond with her so she travels all the way there. She`s never seen again.

This is in no way calling the sister a suspect, but what does the sister know?

And also remember -- remember this, Peter Odom. The half-sister didn`t tell the mother. In fact, the mother got a horrible feeling all these states away, 12 hours away. Got a horrible feeling that morning at work and calls the half-sister, says I can`t get in touch with Phylicia, where is she?

Then she goes, oh, I don`t know where she is. What does that say to you, Peter?

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it might mean something, it might mean absolutely nothing. The half-sister might just have been embarrassed --

GRACE: Yes.

P. ODOM: -- that she lost track of this person that was in her care for a time.

And I`ll tell you, Nancy, the biggest question I have, and I don`t know if we can -- if law enforcement can answer at this point is, does the degree of decomposition of this body that was found in the river match that date of December 28th? In other words --

GRACE: Well, hold on. Let`s go to the expert. That`s a good point, Peter Odom.

To Dr. Vincent Dimaio, former chief medical examiner, Bexar County, forensic pathologist joining us tonight out of San Antonio.

Dr. Dimaio, can you tell how long she`s been in the water?

DR. VINCENT DIMAIO, M.D., FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER, BEXAR COUNTY, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: No, because the problem is, this -- she disappeared in December. If -- when her body was thrown in the water it would sink and it would not rise until it began to decompose.

But since the water is very cold, it retards decomposition. So what happens is a lot of people drown or are thrown in the water during the winter and then when the spring comes, all of a sudden, these bodies start coming up. And, you know, in some metropolitan areas you can get five, six, seven, eight bodies over a month time.

GRACE: Joey Jackson, what about the half-sister?

JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think we can`t only isolate the half-sister, Nancy, I think it`s important to determine everybody who potentially was in that apartment at the time she was there --

GRACE: Well, of course we know that, Joey Jackson.

JACKSON: Yes.

GRACE: We`re all trial lawyers here. We know that everybody has got to be looked at. But why didn`t the half-sister report it immediately?

JACKSON: You know, it certainly is problematic that she did not do it, but it could be --

GRACE: That`s certainly a nice way to say it. It`s problematic.

JACKSON: It is. I mean -- you know, but there could be a number of instances. There could be --

GRACE: Like what?

JACKSON: Well, it could be that she was unaware of the fact that she was missing.

GRACE: She told her mother.

JACKSON: It could be --

GRACE: She told her mother.

JACKSON: It could be that she had left --

GRACE: She told Phylicia`s mother --

JACKSON: Nancy --

GRACE: When the mother said where is she, she goes, I don`t know.

JACKSON: Maybe she was covering for her. Maybe she was off somewhere and didn`t want to get her in trouble.

GRACE: OK.

JACKSON: There could be a number of innocent explanation.

GRACE: OK. Now that`s -- that`s a legitimate theory, Joe Jackson. Yes, that`s a good -- that`s ray legitimate theory.

To Paul Penzone. Paul, former sergeant, Phoenix PD and child advocate joining us out of Phoenix.

Paul, nobody went up and kidnapped a man and a woman. A 240-pound, 6`4" male? No. And you cannot tell me, Paul Penzone, that this girl`s body, this 16-year-old honor student who is now stuck in the water by this dam you`re seeing, is on one side and then this young male is on the other side.

They have got to be connected. It`s just common sense, which leads me to my point, Paul Penzone, no, some guy driving around in a van trying to snatch people did not sign up for snatching a 6`4", 240-pound guy. That didn`t happen.

PAUL PENZONE, DIRECT OF PREVENTION PROGRAMS, CHILDHELP.ORG, FMR. SERGEANT, PHOENIX PD: No, it`s a considerable amount of work. And this man, the body they found is going to be key to the investigation. If he can be tied specifically back to the apartment to the stepsister, that circle of friends then you know the point of origin.

And I just have to say this. Irresponsible behavior, not taking action when you know someone may be in jeopardy is inexcusable. If that`s a -- that`s a young lady. If she`s missing for an hour, you have to do -- take steps in order to ensure her safety.

GRACE: Marc Klaas, weigh in.

MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: Well, I agree with everything Paul said.

I`d like to talk briefly about the idea of closure that you and Bethany had mentioned. And I think that everything that you both said is exactly right, but you know what -- and I`m in -- I was in the same position.

My daughter was missing for 65 days. During that 65 days, I was ruled by fear. Fear of what was happening to my child. Was she being hurt? Was she being tortured? Was she being raped? What was going on. And we find out finally 65 days later that she was dead, in fact.

And that ended a horrible ordeal. An ordeal that was based on fear. And we lost our fear. We were no longer fearful after that. Now finding out that your child is dead is the worst possible thing you can imagine. But at least it`s something that you can move forward from.

You know that they are not still out there and you know that not still being abused. You know in fact that they`re in heaven and they`re looking down on you and hopefully they want you to put your life together so to that end, I would like to offer my condolence to Phylicia`s family. She just was such a beautiful girl with such promise. It`s such a loss to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALLIS: It took a lot for me to let her come here in the first place because I`m strict and I need to know where she`s at the all times. And to send her here and she comes up missing, it`s devastating.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIDAN: Our mission today, of course is to find out what occurred in these situations with Miss Barnes and the unidentified male that was recovered at the same time.

Phylicia Barnes went missing on December 28th of last year. And the medical examiner said it`s not out of the realm of possibility that the body could have been in the water that long.

Remember, the Susquehanna River is a cold and running river. It`s 200 miles long. We`ve had a cold winter, and when you put a body in a cold body of water it will stay pretty much intact for a long period of time.

And it`s only when the heat from surrounding environment gets into the body that we see a difference in -- or a change in the body. But the medical examiner has indicated to us that it`s not out of the realm of possibility that the body could have been there.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls. Straight out to the lines to Sherry in New Mexico.

Hi, Sherry.

SHERRY, CALLER FROM NEW MEXICO: Hello, Nancy. Good evening. My question is, if there`s been any reports of missing young men in the Baltimore area that match the description.

GRACE: Good question. Good question. Out to David Lohr, senior crime reporter, "Huffington Post."

David, as soon as we can identify who the other body is -- for those of you just joining us in the last hours it has been confirmed through dental records a young woman`s body found in the Susquehanna River is 16- year-old Phylicia. And, oddly, across the river on the other side is the body of a 6`4" young male, 240 pounds. Police are saying they are connected.

So my question to you David Lohr, is Sherry in New Mexico`s question. I assume that they are looking for young men missing at the same time.

DAVID LOHR, CRIME REPORTER, HUFFINGTON POST: Yes, that`s correct. And one of the reasons they suspected right off the bat they had Phylicia was because there were no other girls in the area matching those characteristics that had gone missing and also there was a tattoo visible on the leg that had matched one that she had.

And another thing that`s interesting is, as far as between her and the male`s body that was found, there are some similarities and they are both African-American. They were found close to each other and sources are telling us the level of decomposition is very similar between the two. So they could have been placed in the water around the same time period.

GRACE: We are waiting on a cause of death. We are taking your calls. We know the body was identified through dental records.

Back to Russell Barnes. This is Phylicia`s father joining us. He was with us tonight listening to that press conference live.

Mr. Barnes, they have absolutely identified your daughter. Is this a burden lifted off of you that now you know she`s at peace?

RUSSELL BARNES, FATHER OF HONOR STUDENT, JUST FOUND DEAD, PHYLICIA BARNES: Well, this is pretty much personally as a family this is pretty much the first step. I`ll go to find out what happened. Why was Phylicia there and what happened to Phylicia.

There`s been a lot of rumors like where my daughter (INAUDIBLE) implicating which is not true. She got home that night when she got off work. Everything is on a timeline. And that she had called everyone abruptly, along with the BC -- Baltimore City police department letting them know that her sister was missing.

A lot of things were blown off proportion with the police department because she was just a missing person. She`ll come back. But when we make phone calls with the mother and myself and family members they say this is not out of her characteristic. That`s what makes it worse. So everyone was contacted immediately.

GRACE: Well, that`s not what her mother told us, Russell.

BARNES: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: Her mother told us that she had a horrible feeling and out of the blue she called the half-sister. And the half-sister told her.

BARNES: Yes, and you know and -- right. And as a mother`s instinct, yes, it probably was horrible, but it was her daughter. You know it was the love that her sister has for her that was not true. When she got home, she immediately called myself and before she found out where Phylicia was at, she contacted her mother within that hour. So --

GRACE: You know what, if that is correct --

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: If that is correct, I am glad to hear it.

BARNES: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: Take a listen to what the mom told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALLIS: The way I found out that she was missing, I was at work. And I am a private duty nurse. And I take care of sickly children. And I had a very, very bad gut feeling. And I didn`t know where it was coming from. Approximately between 8:00 p. and 9:00 p., I called Phylicia to see if she could cheer me up.

The call went straight to voice mail. And five minutes later I called her phone again and it went straight to voicemail. I called her half- sister`s number and I said, where is she at? And she said we can`t find her. She`s missing. I said what do you mean you can`t find her, she`s missing?

And I didn`t even get a call. I had to call. That, to me, there raised the red flag.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Back out to Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids Foundation.

Marc, what do you make of this? You have evaluated so many missing people. The fact that this young man`s body is found just across the river. You know they are connected.

There`s no way, Marc Klaas, that a random person is driving along in a white van and grabs Phylicia and a 6`4", 240-pound friend and kills them. It didn`t go down that way.

KLAAS: No, it didn`t go down that way, and that`s the mystery. Although I have no doubt whatsoever that she was taken to be raped and murdered. I have no doubt about that at all. You don`t take beautiful young girls and beautiful young women out of their comfort zone unless you have some pretty bad designs for them and almost inevitably those designs are about sexual exploitation and then ultimately getting rid of the evidence, unfortunately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On behalf not just those involved, the Baltimore City Police Department, but I know I speak for Colonel Sheridan and all of the state of Maryland, extending our deepest condolences to the Sallis and Barnes family.

All of us, all of us since that fateful day in December have been praying and hopeful for a different outcome.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of us, obviously, all of us, I don`t think you`re excluded, prayed for a different outcome to this case. And -- but finding her body is really going to be instrumental in giving us an opportunity to bring closure to the family.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are bringing you the very latest on the discovery of Phylicia Barnes` body. Right now to Dr. Drew Pinsky, coming up.

Dr. Drew, thank you for being with us. Dr. Drew, you`re covering a deadly love triangle, teen triangle. Explain what happened and how do teens become capable of this?

DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, HLN`S DR. DREW: It`s almost unimaginable, Nancy. It`s just -- in these stories, I get disgusted. I don`t know what to do with them. And one of the things I`m hoping to do is -- we`re all sitting at home scratching our heads trying to understand this, I`m going to bring in criminal criminologist in and a psychiatrist and try to get our heads around what happened here.

In this case a young man got in an altercation with an ex-girlfriend, his president -- her present boyfriend came forward, gathered a group of males together, lured him in using the ex-girlfriend and another girl, and brutally murdered this kid.

Took him apart. Burned him in a sleeping bag. Put his ashes into paint cans and threw that into a dumpster. And you know, all of this, a stepfather was involved. It`s truly an unbelievable story.

GRACE: Dr. Drew, we`re going to be watching.

Everyone, let`s stop and remember Army Specialist Dustin Harris, 21, Patton, Maine, killed Iraq. Awarded Bronze Star, Purple Heart, National Defense Service medal. Would volunteer for the most dangerous missions so others married with children wouldn`t have to.

Loved soccer, family, friends, remembered for love and life. Leaves behind parents, Lorna and Scott, brother, Dylan.

Dustin Harris, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us.

Tonight, happy birthday to tiny crime fighter, Malia. The beautiful baby girl of our superstar, the backbone of our show, Elizabeth. Malia loves her mommy, just like us. Her daddy, Dan and three brothers, Coa, Cai and Cemo.

Happy birthday, baby girl. Grow up just like your mother.

And happy anniversary to my husband, David. We`re celebrating our wedding anniversary right here with you tonight. There with me through thick and thin. The very best husband and father ever. He says he`s not perfect, but he`s perfect for me.

Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, and until then, good night, friend.

END