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ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Mom`s Disappearance `Highly Suspicious`; Is Casey Anthony $1M Offer Real?

Aired July 22, 2011 - 19:00:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): A race against time as a desperate family hunting for a beautiful animal-loving California mom. After taking her daughter that morning to get her learner`s permit, the massage therapist mysteriously disappeared from her office, leaving her cell phone behind. Look at this beautiful woman.

Tonight, in an ISSUES exclusive, I will talk to her devastated teenage daughter and her ex-husband as they desperately try to solve this mystery before it`s too late.

And the battle over Casey Anthony`s TV deal heats up. Oh, my gosh, who is telling the truth?

AL TAYLOR, INDEPENDENT TV PRODUCER: Trying to explain to her why she should take my deal and not another deal. Because I said, "I`m going to give you the money up front."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got all the details.

Plus...

DESIREE YOUNG, KYRON HORMAN`S MOTHER: It`s a nightmare, but I don`t even know I can put into words exactly what it feels like to just have that constant hole in your soul.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A mother`s heartbreak. In an ISSUES exclusive, I`ll talking with a mom refusing to give up hope in her search for little Kyron Horman, her precious son.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live from New York City tonight. An ISSUES exclusive. We need your help to find a mother who vanished Tuesday without a trace. Her suspicious disappearance has her family devastated and in a panic. And they are my special guests tonight.

Cindy Sambueso dropped off her daughter Tuesday morning and went to work at a massage therapy clinic. She sent a text around 11:15 a.m., but when her client showed up for an appointment at 3:30, Cindy was nowhere to be found. Her car, her purse, her appointment book, all gone. But her cell phone was found inside the clinic, which was locked. Police say there has been no activity on her credit cards or her bank account. This is unbelievable. This woman, a wonderful mother, a beautiful woman, loves animals, cares for people. It`s unbelievable. And we`re very concerned about her.

Straight out to Kat and Robert Sambueso, Cindy`s daughter and ex- husband. Now, just to clarify for our viewers, Cindy moved back into your home, Robert, about a year ago. She had had surgery. She had some financial difficulties and you opened your heart and your home to her and to Kat, 15 years old.

First of all, I have to say this has to be a horribly, horribly scary time, a difficult time. We want to help. We at ISSUES want to get this out there, because if you`ve something, if you`ve seen anything, you call police immediately. First of all, sir, what happened, in your opinion?

ROBERT SAMBUESO, EX-HUSBAND OF CINDY: We don`t know. The facts are showing that there`s been no foul play, and we`re just hoping for the best at this time. We`re trying to stay positive and relying on each other with family and friends. And you know, I`m really appreciative to all the social and national media we`re getting to get the word out.

So we`re not sure what happened. She went to work. Unfortunately, she showed up and she disappeared, and we don`t know any further. So we`re asking for the community and their help.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Kat, what, are you 15 years old? You saw your mom the day she disappeared. My understanding is you said that on the day she disappeared, Tuesday, July 19, that morning, she was acting strangely. And she actually sent out two sort of unusual text messages to you and to her ex-, Robert, who`s sitting next to you, at about 11:15 a.m. Remember, her cell phone was found in her office, which was locked. But -- so we have a window of between 11:15 a.m. when she sent the texts and 3:30 when she failed to show up for an appointment.

Tell us what those texts said, Kat, and how she was behaving in an odd fashion.

KAT SAMBUESO, CINDY`S DAUGHTER: I mean, it wasn`t really strange. I think she was just kind of a little scattered after we took my DMV test. I think we were just both extremely happy. I mean, those text messages, again, I think she was just extremely happy for me. And I think she was just so proud of me that I did pass and now I can start my driving career.

And usually, yes, that`s not very strange at all. I think she was just in a very happy mood.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What did the texts say, Kat?

K. SAMBUESO: It was just saying, "You`re my whole entire world. I love you so much. You`re the best kid in the world." But I mean, my mom would always send me those kinds of things. I mean, me and her had such a tight bond. We were so close to one another. Yes, it was -- yes, it was an inseparable bond.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me tell you something. We are not referring to this lady in the past tense. We hope to find her safe and sound and bring her back to you, Kat.

Chief Jerry Dyer, you`re the police chief of Fresno. You`ve labeled this very suspicious. This beautiful woman, 50 years old, in great shape, brown eyes, 5`10", 130 pounds. Drove a red four-door Honda Accord, license number 4LV-P286.

I actually want to direct this to Casey Jordan, criminologist. My understanding is she did have some kind of mystery 12 noon, a massage appointment. And we don`t know who that mystery massage appointment was with. Then suddenly at 3:30, the family gets a call, "Oh, she missed the 3:30 appointment." So my mind tells you, go find out who the 12 noon appointment is, and that person might lead you to her.

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Absolutely. And there`s got to be a lot the police are looking into.

We know she had a 12 appointment, and ironically, even though her cell phone was left at the office, and we all know that the cell phone signals can be pinged and traced if the cell phone is moving, well, that got left at the office. So we can`t trace that, but also her appointment book got taken. Now, that is a huge, huge red flag. Even if somebody forced her out of the office, forced her to lock the office, allowed her to bring her purse with her, but made her leave her cell phone with her, for them to have the foresight to bring that appointment book makes you think it could have been her mystery 12 appointment.

But without that book, if she didn`t have any computer files to record that, if it was a brand-new client she was seeing for the first time, the police are probably going to hit big obstacles in trying to figure out who that person is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And let me show you a Google map of the area. It shows Cindy`s last two known locations. A spot near the 41 freeway in the Fresno area where she dropped off her daughter at 10:30 in the morning. And then it advances to, well, where she supposedly went to work just a few minutes away at the massage parlor. And -- OK, so that`s not very far. And her massage parlor, by the way -- we want to say this -- at the intersection of Niece and Palm. Anybody who lives in the Fresno area, keep your eyes out.

We`re delighted to have Chief Jerry Dyer, who is the police chief of Fresno, here.

Thank you for joining us, sir. What can you tell us about this woman`s disappearance?

JERRY DYER, POLICE CHIEF, FRESNO (via phone): Well, No. 1, it`s highly suspicious in terms of the fact that she had left her cell phone behind at the business. She missed an appointment that she had at 3:30 at the massage therapy business.

But we have really no information that would cause us to believe that there`s foul play involved, at least at this point in time. And we have had information provided to us, you know, regarding places where, you know, folks think that she may be. Some other information that`s been helpful. And we`re following up on every one of those investigative leads. But at this point, we` not confirmed where she`s at.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`m wondering a couple of things. One, no offense to Robert Sambueso. You are her ex-husband, and often when somebody is living with an ex, which is unusual -- but I totally understand it and I have no judgment on that at all whatsoever -- if they have a new love interest, they might try to keep that love interest from the ex- husband for just for the sake of not hurting somebody`s feelings.

Are you investigating that possibility, Chief? That she might have had another love interest?

DYER: We`re looking at a number of avenues, but obviously, we`re contacting all of her past acquaintances that we`re aware of. Fortunately, we do have the phone so we know what contacts she has within that phone. And there`s always that possibility.

And when we`re doing these types of missing persons investigations, it`s important that you`re open-minded and not allow one piece of information to drive you in a certain direction. And so we are looking at past acquaintances. Any recent acquaintances. And we`ve obviously done a number of things that I can`t say publicly, because I don`t want to give away those investigative leads or strategies, but I can tell you that we`re looking at every single aspect of this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chief, can I ask you, what about the 12 noon appointment? That strikes me as very bizarre. She had this mystery 12 noon appointment, and then suddenly she gets a call from her 3:30 appointment, saying she didn`t show up. So what happened? Do you know who the noon appointment was with?

DYER: We do not know who the 12 p.m. appointment was with. She had a -- her book, her calendar that was -- was taken, and we`re assuming that she took that with her, because it was not in the business. And we do not even know, really, if she even had a 12 p.m. appointment other than what she told her daughter that she did.

Now, we put that out in the media in the yesterday, asking if anyone had a 12 p.m. appointment with her to contact u, and we`ve not received any calls. So maybe that person is not in town, wasn`t aware of what`s occurred, or for what other reason doesn`t want to contact us.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let me ask you this question. Her car, did you recover her car?

DYER: We have not recovered the car yet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So her car, a red four-door Honda Accord, license plate 4LV-P286, you are looking for that. Do you have, like, an all-points bulletin out for that red four-door Honda Accord?

DYER: Yes, we`ve entered both Cindy`s information as well as the vehicle information, not only in the state but the national database. And we`ve been in contact with a number of locations where have we know that Cindy has frequented in the past.

We had our license plate readers, which automatically read license plates in the city. We had three of those out yesterday circulating the entire area. So we`ve done everything we can to try to locate that vehicle up until this point.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, can you hang on for the other side, Chief? Just a couple of seconds. I`ve got a couple more questions for you. We want to find this woman. We want to get her back safe and sound.

Now, we`ve got so much more on this missing mom.

Plus later, does Casey Anthony have a $1 million TV deal or not? Is it all a hoax?

And I`ll talk more with this daughter and ex-husband of this animal- loving mom who is a massage therapist. And she went to work and has vanished from the Fresno area. We want to help find her here on ISSUES. Where is Cindy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight, we are on the hunt for this missing woman. She is beautiful. She`s a 50-year-old from the Fresno area, a massage therapist. She has a 15-year-old daughter. She lived with her ex-husband and her 15-year-old daughter. She disappeared from her office Tuesday, July 17.

She sent two text messages to her family at 11:15 a.m. She was supposed to have a noon massage appointment. And then at 3:30, her 3:30 appointment called the family and said she had not shown up for that appointment. Her cell phone was found inside the office, which was locked. Her car, her purse, her appointment book, all missing.

Chief Jerry Dyer, have you done a check of the cell phone pings to see where her cell phone was? Or did she simply go straight to the massage therapy place and that`s where it ends?

DYER: Well, we`re doing some -- some tracking in terms of what her path was, but what we do believe is that she left the home and went directly to the -- to the massage business.

The fact is when she left home, she had a basket filled with clean linens. That basket was found at the business, along with the cell phone being inside. So we`re not only tracking that down, but we`ve also tracked down the use of credit cards...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Any credit card use?

DYER: Any type of bank withdrawals.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Anything?

DYER: And we do -- pardon me?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you get any bank withdrawals, any credit card use?

DYER: I can`t talk about that yet because it`s pending the investigation.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I just want to jump in. What about video from the mall where this massage therapy place was?

DYER: Yes, there was no video at that mall. We`ve checked some nearby video policing cameras that we have, going through, trying to locate the vehicle. And we also are checking some nearby video that we believe may allow us to see that vehicle pass.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Thank you, Chief. I appreciate it. If you want to hang on, that`s great.

Kat Sambueso, did your mom have any kind of a new love interest? And it might be awkward for you to discuss that in front of Robert, but we can`t worry about that kind of embarrassment -- Kat.

K. SAMBUESO: No, not at all. And I mean, like I said, my mom and me have a tight bond. She tells me everything. And I mean, no love interest. I know that she loved every single one of her friends and that she loved us so much. And she was so giving and gave 110 percent to everything that she did. But I mean, no, there was nothing of that going on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And is Robert your dad, your biological dad?

K. SAMBUESO: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. So Robert, did you notice anything about Cindy`s behavior in the last couple of days that would seem like she would want to leave on her own accord?

R. SAMBUESO: No. You know what? Of course, Cindy was under some stress financially, because you know about the surgery, and she lost a portion of her business clientele. And with the recession, and you know, that`s tough always, because massage is one of those things that, it`s a luxury. And a lot of people can`t afford it. So that`s what drove Cindy to have that critical conversation to move in.

And the understanding was you know what? No pressure. I`ve got an extra room anyway. I`ve got three bedroom. And Kat and I had one bedroom a piece and we had the extra one. So she moved in. And I said, "Focus on paying your bills down," so that`s what she was doing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey Jordan, criminologist, I want to bring you in, because I have a very good friend who`s a massage therapist. And this is the truth. She tells me all the time that the men she`s giving massages to ask for something more, and I think you know what I`m talking about.

JORDAN: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And it`s a very disturbing aspect of her job that she doesn`t like. And she considers herself a professional. And she`s like, "No, that`s not what this is about." But she says she`s often -- these men can become very aggressive. Do you think that could be something that happened, something like that?

JORDAN: Yes, I`m proud of you for broaching that subject, because I was thinking the exact same thing, that this was a first-time client, apparently. Somebody came picturing a different kind of massage, looking for sexual services. And of course, that`s not the kind of work she did.

And some people take no for an answer nicely, and some people do become very aggressive and fight -- or try to force an issue if they don`t get the answer they like.

But I have a quick question for Chief Dyer, if he`s still on the line. I did a little research and found out another woman went missing from the Fresno mall about four to six weeks ago, and -- Heather Ballinger. I wanted to know if she had been found, because she answered a Craigslist ad for a job, and I don`t think she`s been found yet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chief?

DYER: What was the name on her?

JORDAN: Heather Ballinger. Do we...

DYER: Pardon me?

JORDAN: Was Heather Ballinger recovered?

DYER: I`m asking your for the name of that individual.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Heather Ballinger.

DYER: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She went missing from this very same strip mall, this same one? Or another one.

JORDAN: A different mall.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK.

JORDAN: A different mall.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it`s in the Fresno area?

DYER: Yes. I`m not aware...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Could there be somebody targeting, Chief, women at strip malls? In the Fresno area?

DYER: No, there`s absolutely no indication that anything like that has occurred. We`ve checked any and all missing person, recent missing person cases. No similarities that we know of. And again, we keep an open mind. But there`s no indication of that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Chief -- Chief, this is suspicious. Let`s be real. This is not -- she has no -- she`s not the type of person, obviously, to just pick up and take off and leave her precious 15-year-old daughter and all her animals and her business. This is -- the clock is ticking here. We`ve got to find her.

DYER: Exactly right. And that`s why we`ve done the national broadcasts and we`re tracking down some other leads that -- that give me some optimism in terms of us being able to locate her. And so...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s hope.

DYER: Yes, and -- and ...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, sir. We`ve got to -- we`ve got to wrap it up there. We`re going to stay on top of this story.

Kat and Robert, come back. We`re not done.

Kyron Horman, missing over...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you believe Casey Anthony is watching right now?

TAYLOR: I do believe she`s watching everything that`s being talked about her. Especially, I think, your show. Because obviously, she mentioned it during a meeting that she saw me on the show, making the plea, and that`s why she wanted to meet with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a war of words over an alleged $1 million interview offer for Casey Anthony. Is she in negotiations for a sit-down interview? Or is it all a big sham?

Freelance TV producer Al Taylor told ISSUES Thursday night that he met with Casey in Palm Springs, California, and that a deal is on the table, but ISSUES got this statement from Casey`s attorney, Jose Baez, who is also acting as her agent.

And it says, quote, "Neither I nor Casey Anthony have ever met with or have any intention of meeting with Al Taylor."

Well, Al Taylor then sent us this statement, and it says, "We did meet and I am willing to take a lie detector, and I think they should, as well."

All right. We`ve got both sides there. Straight out to Radar Online`s Dylan Howard. Dylan, you know Al Taylor. So which is it?

DYLAN HOWARD, RADAR ONLINE: Well, Jane, as always in this case, truth is stranger than fiction. We don`t know who`s telling the truth in this instance. But I corresponded with Jose Baez last night, and he was emphatic, absolutely not, he told me when asked whether or not Casey Anthony, or indeed someone close to Casey Anthony, met with Al Taylor in Palm Springs earlier this week.

Al Taylor, on the same hand, told me that he`s prepared to undergo a lie detector test as to whether or not he did have this meeting.

Who`s telling the truth? All I know is that an attorney at law is unlikely to be lying.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, this is a unique case, as you said. And I`ve got to tell you, I got a call from Jose Baez again on Thursday night after the interview aired. And I called him back. And he said that it was -- he was appalled, is the word he used that we interviewed Al Taylor.

And then I said, "Well, come on our show and talk about it. We want to get your side."

And then he said, "I`m having dinner," and hung up.

And here`s what I was going to try to say to him before he hung up. OK, there`s a problem, a credibility problem here with the defense team. Because normally you`re right. The defense attorney says something you said well, OK, an attorney is over some freelance TV producer. But take a look at this stunt, OK? remember this?

Happened on Tuesday the very day, I believe, that Al Taylor said he was meeting with Casey Anthony in Palm Springs. There`s this video of this woman dressed like Casey Anthony in the same pink outfit. And I`m wearing pink, but I`m not her. Running from the executive airport and get into a vehicle.

What`s interesting about this, this plane is reportedly owed by Todd Macaluso (ph), a former attorney for Casey Anthony. And the SUV she jumped in is connected to the Baez defense team. So they`re saying this is a stunt. Well, if they`re pulling stunts, where`s their credibility? You see what I`m saying, Dylan?

HOWARD: Absolutely. And adding intrigue to that story is that that plane that we see there in that vision actually originated on that same day out of California. So it gives credence to Al Taylor`s suggestion that on the same day that morning he met with Casey Anthony, and then we possibly see her there.

Well, the defense team lied, it seemed, about Casey Anthony`s father. So who quite knows? We don`t know. And all we know at this point is that Jose Baez is negotiating.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you. Thank you.

A mother`s worst nightmare. Kyron vanished.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESIREE YOUNG, MOTHER OF KYRON HORMAN: I want them to talk to her. I want them to ask, where is Kyron? There`s someone out there that has him and there`s someone out there that knows information and they have not come forward.

KAINE HORMAN, FATHER OF KYRON HORMAN: He`s still out there. He`s still out there. We just need to find him.

YOUNG: Yes, we just want him home. I`m tired of dreaming.

I hope every day that Kyron comes through the door, and that we find him ok. I want that with everything.

HORMAN: One minute away was awful enough. And to be this far along and have him not home, it`s terrible.

YOUNG: We love you, Kyron. Never give up hope. We are all coming to get you, to bring you home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, an ISSUES exclusive; Desiree Young, the mother of Kyron Horman, who has been missing now for more than a year, is here live to talk to us about the latest in the case. Desiree wants to shout it from the mountaintops, "Where is my son?"

Kyron vanished June 4th of last year during his school science fair. He was last seen with his stepmom, Terri Horman. She has never been named a suspect, but Terri Horman is still a big part of this investigation, especially after claims surfaced that Terri allegedly tried to hire someone to kill Kyron`s dad Kaine.

Kaine then left Terri, filed for divorce and took their young daughter with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terri, how can you stay silent when Kyron is still missing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kaine Horman still has a protective order against Terri, and she`s still not talking. Despite search after search after search after search, not a shred of evidence has turned up in little Kyron`s disappearance.

Look at this precious child. Imagine what his mother is going through not knowing what happened to her little boy. It`s unimaginable.

I`m very honored tonight to be joined by Kyron`s mother Desiree Young. Desiree, first of all, I feel like I know you, because we devoted so much of our shows over the past year to finding your child. We want to bring him home. Thank you so much for being here.

We hope that somehow talking to you will spark somebody`s memory, to cause somebody who may have some information who`s not coming forward, to come forward and tell everything they know.

I have to ask you, Desiree, police are still saying that they cannot say for sure whether your son is dead or alive.

YOUNG: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a difficult question, but what do you think has happened to your precious boy?

YOUNG: Well, obviously I have changed my opinion over time, but in the beginning of the case, I -- I definitely thought Kyron was going to come home any second. I knew that we were going to find him, he was going to be ok and everything was fine. I didn`t think for a second that Terri could have ever done any harm to my son.

I know differently now, and it`s further reinforced a year later, we know way too many details about Terri and what she`s been doing and what she was doing prior to Kyron going missing, and everything about her personality just screams to me that we know that she hates Kyron, just hates him. And we see a lot of writing from her communicating that she did not like him and did not want him in her life.

And I just feel now, over a year later, I just feel like she probably harmed him. And we just need to bring him home, and we just need answers. We need her to just tell us what she did with him and where he is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we reached out to Terri`s attorney, we have not heard back. She has been living in relative seclusion, reportedly with her parents and there are signs outside the yard that say, basically don`t come in, leave us alone.

If Terri is watching, since we did reach out to her attorney and we didn`t hear back, and since she`s not considered a suspect or being called a suspect, but clearly the news reports would indicate that she`s the focus of the investigation. Do you have a message for Terri Horman?

YOUNG: I do. Where is Kyron? We want him home, we want answers. We`re tired of waiting. It`s been over a year, you know. You win, we give in. Just tell us where he is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And if she does? If she does know? She was the last person with him, seen with him at a science fair. She says she left him at the science fair and left. And obviously you have your doubts about that story, but again I have to emphasize that she`s not been charged with anything, she`s not under arrest. She`s living with her parents in seclusion.

If she knows something that she isn`t telling, what motivation would you give her to come forward, Desiree?

YOUNG: Well, we`re -- above everything, above punishment or justice for what`s been done, we just want answers. We just want Kyron home. So, you know, above everything else, that`s all we want. I know that -- that we`re willing to get what we can. I`m sure that they`re willing to negotiate with her and talk with her about it.

But she just has refused to talk at all. She`s refused to clear herself. She knows what happened that day. I can`t go into any of the details, but she knows what happened and where Kyron is. And she knows exactly where she went and what she did with him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, even though she has moved to live with her parents in Roseburg, and is in seclusion, you have actually put up billboards near where she lives. Tell us about that, and what is your message?

YOUNG: Yes. I have put billboards up. I just want her to see his face every single day. I want her reminded every single day of what she`s done. I want her to suffer. I want her to suffer as much as Kyron has.

And those billboards are a reminder that I will never stop. I won`t stop until we find him. And it`s my promise to Kyron that we will never stop. And it`s my promise to her that I will be here every single day, reminding her that she needs to talk, and she needs to tell us what happened.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What have these 13 months been like for you?

YOUNG: A roller coaster of emotions. I`ve said before it`s a nightmare, but I don`t even know if I can put into words exactly what it feels like to just have that constant pull in your soul, because he`s missing.

We went and saw "Harry Potter" the other night. I went with my older son. And there was a scene in there, a little baby that`s supposed to be "Harry Potter". He looks just like Kyron at 9 or 10 months old. And I started bawling.

It`s things like that. It`s every single day, constantly. Just things that remind you and remind me of everything he is missing out on, and everything that Terri took from us, his whole family, and Kyron. He doesn`t get to experience all the stuff. And it`s sad.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m so sorry. I can`t even imagine. I know that everybody who is watching, all of our hearts go out to you. We want to be helpful. We want you to have some kind of -- I know the word "closure" is ridiculous -- everybody says who has been through something like this that there is no closure, but answers -- answers.

YOUNG: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What happened to the grand jury? I mean, months ago we all saw, we heard Terri Horman, we heard her best friend Didi Spicer (ph), I think that`s her best friend there. Didi Spicer had appeared before the grand jury and showed up at the grand jury location, anyway. And what happened about that?

We heard about gym workers who testified that Terri was upset with her husband, Kyron`s dad, Kaine because allegedly apparently he had insisted Terri`s oldest son move out of the family home, which could have created resentment. That resentment could have -- who knows. But whatever happened to all of that?

YOUNG: Well, it`s my understanding the grand jury is still convened and still working on the case. I heard reports recently that they were still working on it and still making decisions for it. So it`s my understanding it still is being used as a tool and still active.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, law enforcement has scaled back their task force, their Kyron Horman task force, apparently just the lead investigator is on it full time and he works in coordination with the prosecutor and the FBI. How does that feel?

YOUNG: You know, I know -- I was prepared that eventually that would happen. It`s disappointing, and at times very frustrating. We`ve been waiting for searches to happen since January, because the weather was a factor before, so we are patiently waiting for the weather to warm up. There`s these three key areas they still need to search, and we`re still waiting on those searches, because the sheriff`s office just doesn`t have the resources.

And it`s disappointing. It`s -- those searches are what keep our hope alive. We, as a family, feel like Kyron`s being forgotten, because we`re not doing the searches. That`s the only way we`re going to bring him home is if we complete those key areas. If nothing else it rules out another area we know Kyron isn`t.

You know, it`s --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Desiree, more on the other side. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That adorable child. Such an adorable child, and he is gone from his mother`s life and his father`s life, and they are heartbroken and devastated. And they need your help to find him and find out what happened. It is every mother and father`s absolutely worst nightmare, incomprehensible.

We have no idea what Desiree Young is going through, but she is here, courageously joining us to talk about her thoughts, her feelings, her theories, in the hopes of somebody out there hearing something. It jogs their memory or somebody who`s hiding information, especially if somebody is hiding information and they know something, please come forward.

Desiree, I have to ask you, how is your relationship with your ex- husband Kaine, Kyron`s dad. Do you speak at all? What`s happening there?

YOUNG: Well, I separated myself from some of the stuff that was going on, and I`m not speaking with him outside of anything that involves the case or Kyron. I just have chosen to make a statement, because I was -- well, not just me, my husband as well, we were both extremely disappointed and really upset finding out some of the stuff that was going on in the house that we found out from the media and the court paperwork and all of that stuff. We didn`t find out from Kaine directly, and it was really upsetting.

It was upsetting because there were so many opportunities for him to share that information with us, and he didn`t choose to do that. And so, you know, unfortunately it`s a difficult position to be in, being divorced, and having to go through the situation and try and, you know, be on the same mission to find Kyron. But at the same time we`re completely separate people and separate lives, and we live our lives in two different ways. I just had to make that choice for myself, because I -- I couldn`t do it anymore.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we haven`t spoken to Kaine, but he is always invited to also come on. We`ve had him on in the past. I know you can`t get into any details, but are you basically suggesting that there were things that you weren`t pleased with, lifestyle?

YOUNG: Correct, yes, there were lots of things that we`re finding out now that I would have never allowed.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to go to Bruce McCain. He is a person who is a former county sheriff. He had some pretty tough words about how this investigation has been handled. Let`s listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE MCCAIN, FORMER COUNTY SHERIFF: Frankly, to borrow the President`s analogy about driving this into the ditch, this investigation has been in the ditch for some time no.

The Sauvie Island searches were basically a PR gig in order to get $200,000 in overtime, which worked, by the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: These are the searches of Sauvie Island, which Bruce is referring to. He`s very critical of this investigation, saying essentially that there were a lot of things that weren`t followed up as effectively as they could be. Do you agree or disagree, Desiree?

YOUNG: I think that some of the stuff probably hasn`t been handled in a timely enough fashion that I would like. But I don`t think that the case has been mishandled in any way.

I`m sure that from the outside Bruce McCain might think that, but I think for the most part they have been really diligent about covering everything possible out there. We`ve ruled out every other person that was even involved at the school that day or not involved at the school that day, so we`ve narrowed all of that down.

There`s been tons of electronic correspondence from Terri specifically. And --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can I ask you one last question because we have only about ten seconds --

YOUNG: Sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: If your son, and I hope God willing, is alive, what would you say right now?

YOUNG: We`re coming to get you, Kyron. I will never stop. And be brave.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to thank you, Desiree for joining us. I know what you`re going through is just unimaginable heartbreak. And just know that we will do everything we can to keep your case alive. We are not going to let it become a cold case. And please come to us with any information you get.

Thank you so much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: We`re trying to end childhood obesity in a generation so that kids born this day grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Childhood obesity is at epidemic levels. You just heard it. First Lady Michelle Obama wants kids to exercise more, but it`s going to take more than that to solve this crisis.

Now a new article is claiming that overweight children should be taken away from their parents. Some say obesity is child abuse and this is causing a firestorm of debate all around the country.

Two prominent pediatric doctors are writing in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" that in extreme cases of obesity, the government should step in and remove the obese children from the home. And their logic is very simple -- just like starving children is against the law, then overfeeding children should also be against the law. They say it`s like any other form of child abuse and that kids need to be protected.

Is it child abuse to overfeed your children? Or is the problem more about what you`re feeding them.

All right. We have some people here who disagree. They`re going to agree to disagree. We`re going to have a healthy debate.

I`m going to start with Sandy Schaffer, New York chapter of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Why do I think you might disagree with this idea of taking kids away?

SANDY SCHAFFER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE FAT ACCEPTANCE: You`re going from looking at a child that`s fat and assuming they`re unhealthy and going straight to taking them away from their parents and putting them in a system that`s already overcrowded and overworked. And these children may come from loving, happy families and may or may not be healthy. You don`t know.

And the other thing is if you want to look at behavioral changes and make behavioral changes that are good for all children, then that`s the way to go. But once you make it weight-based, it`s like weight profiling. How heavy is too heavy?

You`re going to panic parents. You`re going to panic children. They`re destroying their families. And even the children that they`re put with, you`re going to panic them because if they don`t lose weight. So there`s nothing good that can come out of this except traumatizing and demonizing children.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I disagree respectfully with Sandy Schaffer. I don`t see it as a lifestyle choice. I feel that feeding a child until the child becomes obese is akin to giving the child alcohol or drugs -- Dr. Neal Barnard.

DR. NEAL BARNARD, AUTHOR, "21-DAY WEIGHT LOSS KICK START": Taking the child away from the home is really something that`s reserved only for the most extreme cases, but there are cases where that occurs.

And there are really two criteria. The first criterion is the child has to be massively overweight to the point of the very serious health problems. I`m talking about the 12-year-old child who has developed Type 2 diabetes and you`re thinking of gastric bypass surgery. You`re in a very dangerous situation.

And the second criterion is that the parents either through drugs, alcohol or chaos in the home are not able to get the situation on a better path.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That child was 3 years old and weighed 124 pounds. She was taken away from her parents. And foster care apparently didn`t solve her problems but she was only in foster care supposedly two-and-a- half months. At age 8, she weighed more than 200 pounds according to published reports.

Wendy Walsh, you`re a psychologist with momlogic.com. You`re also a mother. Weigh in here -- pun intended.

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: You know, I got to start by saying these medical doctors do mean well but they`re not thinking about mental health. Plenty of these children are eating because they have anxiety and depression. You give them a giant attachment injury on top of that, Jane, that isn`t going to solve their anxiety and depression.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Food addiction is a real problem and there is a program for it. It is called Overeaters Anonymous. That`s another thing we haven`t gotten into. There is a program for overeating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I suggest everybody rescue a dog from the pound. You never know when you`re going to need them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is my feel good story of the night. I just had to show you this and share it with you, because there`s so much violence out there, and there is one little hero, Paco, the rescue Chihuahua.

Paco saved the day when two armed robbers, which you see here in this YouTube clip, burst into his human companion`s store and get this -- guess who chased them out, this little 6-pound Paco.

These guys are armed and dangerous. Look who is chasing them out. All right. He`s nipping at their heels and chased them all the way down the street.

Paco is a hero. He wasn`t afraid of masked gunmen. He wanted to protect his master. And I just love this. You`ve got to check it out. That`s why they call them man`s best friend.

"NANCY GRACE" next.

END