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NANCY GRACE

Missing 2-Year-Old Bianca Jones`s Father Charged With Murder

Aired March 14, 2012 - 20:00   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 Michigan. 9:25 AM, Daddy driving along a busy thoroughfare with his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca. Suddenly, broad daylight, the Mercury four-door carjacked by two armed unknown assailants. Within minutes, cops spot Daddy`s car less than a mile away, the car in mint condition, but the baby gone.

Daddy lawyers up and fails a polygraph. As of tonight, he`s yet to go out and search for his little girl. Reconfirmed, cadaver dogs hit on Bianca`s carseat, and in Daddy`s apartment. After we air 2-year-old Bianca`s story, eyewitnesses tell police Daddy is spotted parking the car in an alley, then just walking away.

Bombshell tonight. Sources reporting an arrest warrant in baby Bianca`s disappearance. Is it for Daddy? Daddy under surveillance 24/7. At this hour, as new eyewitnesses emerge, tonight, is there a crack in the case of missing 2-year-old baby Bianca?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police are closing in on Bianca`s father, D`Andre Lane, skeptical of his initial carjacking story.

D`ANDRE LANE, MISSING BABY`S FATHER: This whole situation is a tragedy, and I feel like I`m being pushed around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s the timeline. Lane says he was home with Bianca and two of his other daughters.

LANE: There were two people in the car. One person got out of the car and aimed the firearm at me. I could not describe to them what the person behind the wheel of the car looked like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His attorney tells me his client has done nothing wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve gone in with guns drawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us know, please. We want BB (ph) home. That is our main concern. I don`t care about anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But cops are not buying the story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My daughter does not need to be subject to someone else coming in and trying to make her father to be (INAUDIBLE)

LANE: When I talk to my daughter, all she says is, Daddy, I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bianca`s loved ones just want to find her, wherever she may be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe my daughter is alive. I believe my daughter is alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight, live, Michigan. 9:25 AM, Daddy driving along a busy thoroughfare with 2-year-old Bianca, suddenly, broad daylight, the Mercury four-door carjacked by two unknown armed assailants. And within minutes, cops spot Daddy`s car less than a mile away in mind condition, but the baby`s gone. Sources are reporting an arrest warrant in baby Bianca`s disappearance. Is the arrest for Daddy?

To Rob Davidek, WWJ 950 news director. Rob, what do you know?

ROB DAVIDEK, WWJ NEWSRADIO 950 (via telephone): Well, Nancy, we know that Wayne County prosecutor Kim Worthy (ph) is charging D`Andre Lane with first degree felony murder and child abuse. Obviously, the murder carries life in prison without parole, if convicted. That`s just happening this afternoon, where those charges are being filed today.

GRACE: Rob Davidek joining us, the news director, WWJ. Rob, it`s been a long time coming, his story never holding up. I interviewed him myself. He refused to answer even the most basic questions about the time when baby Bianca disappears.

Liz, let`s cue up my interview with the daddy, the daddy now behind bars, charged in murder one. While we wait for that video, Rob Davidek, what can you tell me about the charges? Do they state the cause of death?

DAVIDEK: No. At this point, they don`t. The prosecutor`s saying they don`t have the body. Obviously, as you know, it`s tough to put a case together with that. She did say, though, they found the story of Mr. Lane about the carjacking to be false. She does say that Bianca Jones was the victim of abuse on the day she disappeared.

GRACE: Does it outline the type of abuse, Rob Davidek?

DAVIDEK: No. No. We talked to the prosecutor. She did not outline that. She did say it does not appear that there was any sexual abuse.

GRACE: Everyone, we are waiting for a police presser to happen. We`ll take you there the moment it kicks off. But what we know right now, in the last hours, behind bars for murder one, baby Bianca`s dad. And here he is. Let`s hear it from the horse`s mouth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: How have you been treated since this incident, Mr. Lane?

LANE: I mean, at first, I looked at everything, I was just trying to give them as much information as I could. And then all of a sudden, I heard someone say, Oh, he has a criminal record. The next thing you know, I`m thrown into a police car. I`m taken down. I`m interrogated, made to ask (ph) questions. I`m telling these people I don`t -- I mean, I can`t even think straight at the time.

You know, this -- I`ve never had anything like this happen to me. There`s nothing like this has happened to my family, to Banika`s family. I mean, this -- this whole situation is a tragedy, and I feel like I`m being pushed around and being put in front of the media as the bad guy. And I`m not. I`m the father that`s out here...

GRACE: OK. Mr. Lane, at any time tonight did I bring up your...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Wah-wah! He`s whining about his treatment. His daughter`s dead. I`m hearing in my ear -- we`re going to go live to the presser.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this point in time, we`re going to announce the charges and -- for Bianca Jones -- what`s become known as the Bianca Jones case. We are charging today Bianca Jones`s natural father, D`Andre Louis Lane, 2 of Detroit, with the homicide of his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca Jones.

At approximately 9:45 AM on December the 2nd, 2012, he reported that he was allegedly at a location of Brush (ph) and Grand River (ph) when he was forced from his car at gunpoint by two men who then drove them away. His infant child was in the rear passenger seat, according to him. And then he -- it was later reported to the police, although not right away.

Within 40 minutes of Lane`s report, the car was discovered without Bianca Jones in it, and she has been seen since December the 12th (sic). An investigation was conducted by all the parties that you see standing before you. And his allegations of a carjacking and child abduction were proven to be by the facts that we have been able to gather in this case inconsistent, totally inconsistent with the facts.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Bianca Jones was subjected to child abuse on the day of her disappearance, and a warrant request was submitted by the Detroit Police Department to the Wayne County prosecutor`s office on December 13th of last year.

On March 12, 2012, our extensive warrant review process was completed. The facts and evidence in this case will be introduced with specific facts at a preliminary examination or later a trial, if there is one.

Today we are charging Mr. Lane with first-degree felony murder, which carries a mandatory life term in prison without the possibility of parole, and one count of child abuse in the first degree. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, March 15th, 2012, in the 36th district court at 1:00 PM.

GRACE: We`re keeping an eye on that presser. Liz, let`s keep it in a box at the bottom so I can see what`s happening -- a presser. There is an arrest in the disappearance of baby Bianca, a 2-year-old baby girl.

Straight out to Marc Klaas, president, founder of Klaas Kids Foundation. Marc, weigh in.

MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, first of all, every parent of a missing child is going to believe that their child is alive until a body is produced. So the behavior of her mother is exactly what one would expect. And you`ve got to love a prosecutor who is willing to make the tough prosecution and go after the bad guy.

GRACE: You are hearing not only from police but the district attorney`s office in the presser right now. Let`s take a dip back in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is clearly what you would call a classic circumstantial case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m not so sure there is a classic circumstantial case, but this is a case that certainly contains a lot of circumstantial evidence, which under the law is just as good as direct evidence, some would argue even better sometimes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Lane going to be transferred from the other jail to the Wayne County jail (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s my understanding that sometime today, he`ll be taken to an area within the Detroit Police Department and prepared for arraignment tomorrow.

GRACE: Presser just going down. There is an arrest in the disappearance of baby Bianca, the district attorney, Kim Worthy, stating there`s plenty of circumstantial evidence in this case.

Daddy says he`s driving along a busy thoroughfare -- let`s see a map, Liz -- when suddenly, his car is carjacked by armed unknown assailants. The car is found a couple of blocks away in mint condition, Baby Bianca gone.

After we first aired the story, eyewitnesses then call into police stating they see Daddy parking the car, then calmly walking away, no baby ever in that car.

We are taking your calls. With me right now, special guest Bianca`s aunt, Kelly Jones. Ms. Jones, thank you for being with us.

KELLY JONES, AUNT (via telephone): You`re welcome. Thank you for having me.

GRACE: Ms. Jones, I understand that Bianca`s mom to this day believes that little Bianca is still alive. Could you address that? And I`d like to hear your response to the murder charges.

JONES: Yes, as a family, we all believe that she is still alive. Until we do have proof that she isn`t, we`re going to continue to stay positive because once our minds and everything goes into a negative mind state, we will kind of lose our drive. So to continue on with our drive and to continue searching until we find her, we will continue to believe that she is alive until we have proof.

I mean, as far as the charges, that is how the prosecutor is handling things, and if those are the charges that they are going to file, that is understandable. As far as with the child abuse information, because I guess with the interview that they did with him originally, he said he had abused her. So with the child abuse, I can understand that.

As far as the murder, they may have more details that they haven`t disclosed to us as a family. But until we have proof, we`re going to continue to believe that she is alive.

GRACE: To Bonnie Druker, joining us on the story. Bonnie, let`s go through the timeline. What do you recall?

BONNIE DRUKER, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, remember, Nancy, there was a nephew in the car who said that he saw Bianca alive in the morning. But apparently D`Andre Lane says that he was carjacked. He stopped at a red light. Two guys came out, pointed a gun in his face and he was carjacked. They took off with the car, and then when police found the car, there was no baby.

GRACE: And isn`t it true, Stacey Newman, that people watching from apartments see the dad park the car and then calmly walk away? And for days before her disappearance, mom was trying to get in touch with her and couldn`t?

STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s right, Nancy. And eyewitnesses also say there`s surveillance video showing D`Andre Lane in this car, and that has been captured on surveillance. Authorities are looking at that tape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: You`ve given a composite of one of the suspects. Tell me, how did you get to the phone to call police?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Nancy, again, we`re here to work on getting Bianca back. You want to constantly...

GRACE: Great. Then just answer my question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And again, as any attorney...

GRACE: That would be great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Nancy, you`re an attorney. You understand he`s cloaked -- and that maybe as a DA, you`re forgetting that. But he`s cloaked with the presumption of innocence...

GRACE: No, actually...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and he has been cooperating...

GRACE: ... I am here trying to find...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... with the police...

GRACE: ... Bianca. And you...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then let`s talk about that and...

GRACE: ... don`t want your client to talk about anything...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... let`s not talk about what happened on the 2nd.

GRACE: ... other -- well, why? That`s the whole reason we`re here. We`re here about what happened on the 2nd and who took this baby!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANE: I don`t know what else they want from me, but I`m giving them everything that they asked for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are pointing the finger at him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would these hoodlums want with a baby? It doesn`t make much sense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lane say it was just he and Bianca inside his car when he says he was carjacked.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was called and told that there had been a carjacking, that my daughter had been kidnapped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Skeptical of his initial carjacking story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bianca and her father have never had restricted visitation or anything like that. She had been visiting with her father all that week since her birthday, and they had been going out, hanging out and doing activities and visiting with family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls. Is there a break in the case for missing 2-year-old Bianca Jones? At this hour, an arrest goes down.

Liz, let`s get the sound of Daddy answering questions when I asked him tough questions here on our show. After that evening, viewer outrage. Tipsters call in spotting Daddy parking his car and just leaving it there in the alley.

And isn`t it true -- to Charlie Langton, morning talk show host, WXYT, you interviewed Bianca`s parents together in studio. What did you learn?

CHARLIE LANGTON, WXYT (via telephone): I did interview the two of them together, and I tell you what. For the most part, they were very forthcoming. The mother said, Listen, I don`t really -- I don`t believe that D`Andre had anything at all to do with this murder whatsoever, or the disappearance, because she was very concerned about finding little Bianca.

But they were actually holding hands during the interview. They seemed like they were a couple, although they were not living together. But he was on his way, supposedly, to her house to pick up more clothes because he had had Bianca for a couple of days before this.

I mean, listen, he seemed to be very credible. The problem that I had with him is when I pressed him on some of the details about the carjacking, that`s when he said he didn`t want to get into the specifics. And I think that that hurt his credibility.

GRACE: Holding hands, Mommy insisting Daddy has nothing to do with it? I don`t understand the thinking of these mothers, always covering for the man. The man, Daddy, now behind bars in the last hours. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Since you`re saying you don`t care about yourself, then I`m going to ask you to tell me what happened when Bianca was taken. What happened? Where were you, at a red light or a stop sign?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nancy, again, the focus is to get Bianca back.

GRACE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m sure you`re going to cut me off. I know you`re going to cut me off and not let me finish. But again, we`ve given those statements to the police. You guys are going on information that`s a little leaked here, a little leaked here, he passed this one, he didn`t pass that. He did this, he did that...

GRACE: Well, here`s your chance to clear all that up, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there I`m cut off again. Well, you know, Nancy, I wish I could just get a point out without interruption. But we`re here today -- my client has cooperated with the authorities. We`ve done everything, plus more, that they have asked. We`re willing to continue to cooperate with the authorities. But instead, what we`re hearing now, everybody is pointing a finger at him. Why? Because you guys in the media need somebody to point the finger at, and that`s what you and a lot of the panel are doing.

We are here to focus on getting that little girl back.

GRACE: You know, actually, sir -- Mr. Johnson (ph), actually, you`re arousing suspicion because instead of answering the questions head on or straightforwardly...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve answered them.

GRACE: ... you`re using this as an infommercial for you and for your client, who claims he doesn`t care about himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No.

GRACE: Frankly, sir, his story stinks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve answered those questions.

GRACE: It stinks to high heaven.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: ... and he won`t answer any specific questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get Ralph Gazi (ph)...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are charging today Bianca Jones`s natural father, D`Andre Louis Lane, 32, with the homicide of his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca Jones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to Bianca? Police found the car and Bianca hasn`t been seen since.

LANE: I was enjoying my time with her. I mean, (INAUDIBLE) for something like this to happen is a true tragedy, and I just wish that they would just bring BB home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, please to just bring Bianca home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: There is an arrest at this hour in the case of missing 2-year- old Bianca Jones. Straight out to Rob Davidek, WWJ 950 news director. Rob, bring me up to date.

DAVIDEK: Well, D`Andre lane was charged with first-degree felony murder and child abuse. Right now, he is being transported to Wayne County jail. He was actually -- the arrest warrant came last night. Officers went to arrest him, and those officers found out, hey, he`s in the jail north of Detroit, one county north of Detroit. He was being held there in jail under a -- for a violation of a PPO, personal protection order.

And he was to spend 14 days up there but, now he`s going back to Detroit where he`ll be arraigned tomorrow afternoon on those charges, first-degree felony murder and child abuse. Those charges just announced today by the prosecutor.

GRACE: And even now, baby Bianca`s mom still refusing to believe that the Daddy had anything to do with her disappearance.

Unleash the lawyers. Joining me tonight, defense attorney Peter Odom, Atlanta, Karen Conti (ph), defense attorney, Chicago. Also with me, death- penalty-qualified prosecutor Eleanor Odom.

Eleanor, this is Michigan. There is no death penalty. But as the local district attorney has pointed out, there`s a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including repeated lies. I only hope they can bring in him here with me refusing to answer questions. He talked about everything but the moment his daughter was abducted by unknown armed assailants. What about that, El?

ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: Oh, yes, Nancy, I love it. I remember that show, as well, when he kept denying everything and wouldn`t answer anything in particular. And what`s interesting, Nancy, is the truth doesn`t change, but lies change. It`s like you can`t keep your stories straight. So you really want to look at these statements he made and the inconsistencies in them and what that evidence shows, that strong circumstantial evidence. It`s really good stuff.

GRACE: OK. Peter Odom, why did he refuse to answer any question I asked him? He was not in custody. I`m not a cop, so Miranda doesn`t apply. He answered every question -- he just rambled about everything but when Bianca goes missing, Peter Odom.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know what, Nancy? I am astounded when attorneys bring their clients on television. Half the DA`s case here is based on his lies. If he had kept his mouth shout, he wouldn`t have produced half the evidence that the DA has. Without his statements to you and to other people in the media, all they would have is a missing child.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D`ANDRE LANE, FATHER OF MISSING BABY GIRL BIANCA JONES : I`ve never had anything like this happen to me.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What has police investigators so disturbed believing strongly little Bianca is dead.

LANE: There`s nothing like this has happened to my family.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: His daughter was abducted.

LANE: There`s a lot of things being mishandled in this investigation. There were two people in the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are pointing the finger at him.

LANE: One person got out of the car and aimed the firearm at me.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police seen removing items from the home.

LANE: I could not describe to them what the person behind the wheel of the car looked like.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Investigators are secretive of what`s happening inside the house.

LANE: I don`t care about anything else that is going on right now but my daughter`s safe return home to her family. When I talked to my daughter, all she said is, daddy, I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe my daughter is alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: And tonight, even in the wake of a crack in the case of missing baby Bianca, her mom still refusing to believe the baby`s biological father, the mom`s lover, has anything to do with the child`s disappearance. This as an arrest warrant goes down. And with me, Bianca`s aunt, the sister of the mom, Kelly Jones is with us.

Kelly, I don`t understand why the mom still refuses to believe D`Andre Lane, the biological father, had anything to do with Bianca`s disappearance.

KELLY JONES, AUNT OF MISSING BABY GIRL BIANCA JONES, 2: You`re asking if as of the information that was provided today, if she still feels that way? I don`t believe you talked to her or anybody in your staff has spoken to her. So you can`t speak on what her beliefs are as of today. At that point, no one wants --

GRACE: You know what? You are so right, Kelly Jones.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: You`re absolutely right because she would not give a comment. You`re so right, Kelly, because she would not give a comment. So I`m asking you, why she has refused to believe her former lover, D`Andre Lane, had anything to do with the child`s disappearance?

JONES: And her comment at the time, and she wanted to continue to say is, no one wants to believe that she doesn`t want to believe that someone that she had a relationship with will hurt her child. That`s the only thing that I`ve heard her say with all of her interviews. She never said, oh, he didn`t do it and I know 100 percent. The only thing she said is, she does not want to believe that. She does not want to. She does not want to have that much of a burden on her heart, on her mind, or anything. No one wants to believe that someone that they know hurt a 2-year-old child. And that`s the only comment that she --

GRACE: To George Langton, "Morning Show" host at 1270 WXYT, interviewed Bianca`s mom and the biodad together in studio. After the child`s disappearance, the two came together and were holding hands throughout the interview. This, as her 2-year-old child is missing, last spotted with her former lover, D`Andre Lane.

Charlie Langton, let`s go through what Bianca`s mom had to say during the interview regarding D`Andre Lane`s possible involvement in the child`s disappearance. What occurred, Charlie Langton?

CHARLIE LANGTON, INTERVIEWED BABY BIANCA`S PARENTS TOGETHER IN STUDIO: Nancy, they`ve known each other for about 20 years and in that 20-year time -- these are almost childhood sweethearts to some extent. There was no violence ever, according to the mother, Banika Jones. They were -- as you said, they were holding hands during the interview, not enough in an affectionate way but in a supportive way. They had a good relationship. They talked about the fact that little Bianca had a birthday party just a few days before the disappearance and that they were participating in.

In fact, they were discussing the fact that D`Andre wanted more time, more visitation, more parenting time with Bianca Jones and that was perfectly fine even before all of these charges came out. In fact, as the story goes, D`Andre was actually on his way to Banika`s house, the mother`s house, to pick up more clothes so that he could spend more time with Bianca. They seemed to be totally in agreement with everything. No denial of any kind but again, no stories of any violence, nothing along those lines at all during my interview with the two of them.

GRACE: Well, Charlie Langton, I appreciate that and I appreciate all the hand holding mommy does with her former lover. But he`s behind bars tonight for murder and felony child abuse on this 2-year-old child. So as far as I`m concerned, everybody that enabled this man to be with that child who is now dead should all go to jail.

It seems to me, Woody Tripp, former police commander. Tripp, you and I have been on many a crime scene together that nobody in this whole scenario was taking care of this child. What about it, Tripp?

WOODY TRIPP, FORMER POLICE COMMANDER, POLYGRAPH EXPERT: Well, absolutely, Nancy. And you know you were gracious enough to have me on that show where obviously Ray Charles could have seen this coming. I mean it was obvious from your questioning of the gentleman, and I use that term rather loosely, that, I mean, we all saw it`s coming.

And you`re absolutely right. And now I have to wonder if I`m in a parallel universe considering what I just heard from a family member that - - no one wants to acknowledge this. Really? I mean we have a dead child here. A child who should be alive and growing up and riding bicycles and having a good time. And now we`re talking about, you know, the child is dead.

So, absolutely, Nancy. This is a travesty. And it`s -- and again, here we have another child literally gone. Thanks to people who were supposed to be protecting her.

GRACE: To Dr. Bill Lloyd, board certified surgeon and pathologist. Dr. Lloyd, I don`t know why, but I`m just having things flash through my mind of when my twins turned 2. I had these big t-shirts that said "2! Kabam" underneath it and how little they were and still are.

This child is dead. Nobody wants to believe that because no body has been found? But the district attorney, Kim Worthy, believes it. If her body is now found, Dr. Lloyd, will we ever know cause of death?

DR. BILL LLOYD, BOARD CERTIFIED SURGEON AND PATHOLOGIST: I think the answer is yes, Nancy. It`s only been several months.

Here`s what we do know. There`s a massive disconnect between the father`s story and the facts. And wherever there`s a disconnect, there`s a secret in between. We will find the secret when we find her body. And at three months, there is still plenty of clues available to identify the cause, manner, and mechanism of death.

GRACE: To Pat Brown, criminal profiler, author of "Only the Truth."

Let`s see him again, Liz, where he was here with us a couple of weeks ago, denying, denying, denying, refusing to answer questions, his lawyer butting in every time I would ask him anything, whining about how he has been treated.

Let`s hear your analysis, Pat.

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "ONLY THE TRUTH": Well, Lane has a criminal mind, in my opinion, and he lies a lot. He says this has never happened to him or his family. Well, I guess he never murdered anybody before. Is that the problem? And his story does stink. He says that his car was carjacked. Really? Have you seen what he was driving? That`s like number 200 on the carjacking list. No respectable carjacker would take that.

And then you wouldn`t leave the car and take the baby. So we know that`s all ridiculous. And the cadaver dogs hit in his apartment, hit in his car. I think they`ve got a fantastic case. The witnesses, too, that saw him walk away. Where`s the carjacker, where`s the baby?

So I think they got direct evidence, circumstantial evidence. Love that prosecutor. It`s about time a parent doesn`t get away with hiding a body well and never being charged.

GRACE: Breaking news at this hour, an arrest goes down in the disappearance of 2-year-old baby Bianca. Even her own mother refuses to believe the biological father D`Andre Lane is responsible. Her former lover steadfastly refusing to answer questions about when his baby girl goes missing. Well, you know what? He is behind bars right now. I only wish the people of Michigan would rise up. There is no death penalty in that jurisdiction so he can kill a baby girl and walk free in a matter of years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My day went from normal to horror in just two seconds.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Cadaver dogs got a hit in the baby seat.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Detected just that at Lane`s home and around Bianca`s car seat.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Make a positive hit on odors of decomposition in multiple locations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spoke with my daughter the night before and she was fine.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What happened to Bianca? Police are closing in on Bianca`s father D`Andre Lane.

LANE: I`m the bad guy right now.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Lane says it was just he and Bianca inside his car when he says it was carjacked. The cops are not buying his story.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Skeptical of his initial carjacking story.

LANE: I`m not the villain here. The villain is the person who has my daughter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Actually, you are the villain, according to the district attorney, the elected D.A., Kim Worthy, who says you are responsible for felony child abuse and murder.

At this hour, is there a break in the case of missing baby Bianca? Her own mother steadfastly supporting her former lover, the biodad of the baby, last seen with baby Bianca.

Out to the lines, Judy in Mississippi. Hi, Judy. What`s your question?

JUDY, CALLER FROM MISSISSIPPI: I just wonder, if he was in the big carjack in the middle of a busy street, why were there no witnesses that saw it happen and call it in or at the very least saw a frantic man standing out in the middle of a busy street, upset and crying for help because his car and his daughter had just been carjacked at gunpoint?

GRACE: Good question. Let`s throw that to the defense lawyers, Peter Odom and Karen Conti.

Karen, where are all the eyewitnesses? It`s broad daylight in a busy thoroughfare. How come no one called 911 or no witnesses at all to a carjacking with four armed assailants?

KAREN CONTI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: These things happen very quickly. People don`t pay attention to these kinds of things. These are high-crime rate areas. This could happen in a matter of seconds. It`s not surprising that there weren`t any eyewitnesses.

GRACE: Please put her up. It`s not surprising. All right, Karen Conti, have you ever defended a carjacking case?

CONTI: I sure have. I sure have.

GRACE: And there were no eyewitnesses?

(CROSSTALK)

CONTI: It was just --

GRACE: How about the victim?

CONTI: It was the witness who was the person -- and the victim, yes. And those people are not very credible because they are in such a panic state they don`t know who these people are.

GRACE: Excuse me. Karen, Karen?

CONTI: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: The victim of the carjacking that you defended, did the victim make an identification?

CONTI: No.

GRACE: Why?

CONTI: It`s a very difficult thing when you`re under that kind of stress. You`re driving your car, someone sticks a gun in your face, and you`re supposed to decide who that person is in a line up? Very, very difficult.

GRACE: You know, Eleanor, I`ve had just the opposite experience with the carjacking case that I prosecuted. As a matter of fact, when you get a gun stuck in your face, very often the memory of your attacker will haunt you the rest of your life. What about it, Eleanor?

ELEANOR ODOM, FELONY PROSECUTOR, DEATH PENALTY QUALIFIED: Well, I agree and I`ve had many victims be able to testify and identify their attacker and a lot of these carjacking cases, Nancy, if there is a child in the car, and it`s a true carjacking, I`ve seen the carjacker leave the child on the side of the road once they realize, oops, there`s a child in the car. So this whole story doesn`t really ring true.

GRACE: And back to you, Karen Conti, on the carjacking case that you defended. What was the name of the defendant?

CONTI: I really shouldn`t say that right now. That would be probably be attorney/client --

GRACE: Well, isn`t the case over? Is the case over? You said he tried --

(CROSSTALK)

CONTI: The case is still up on appeal. It`s still up on appeal. It`s still up on appeal.

GRACE: Really? And --

CONTI: Yes.

GRACE: Since it`s public record, the name of the case, it`s up on appeal, you`re telling me the name of the defendant is privileged? Because that`s not true.

CONTI: Nancy, let me just tell you this. I`m not going to say on television what I did with a particular case. That`s irrelevant. I will tell you that people wrongfully identify perpetrators all the time. We know how many people go to jail wrongfully accusing people that eyewitness testimony is very unreliable.

GRACE: Actually, no, I don`t. I asked you about your defending a felony carjacking case, you say you have, you said the victim could not identify the person. You say it`s up on appeal which says to me -- your client was convicted. All of this is public record and you`re refusing to give me the name so I can`t look it up to find out if the victim did make an I.D.

CONTI: Well, Nancy, I didn`t come on your television show to talk about my cases in particular. I can tell you my general experience and that is eyewitness testimony is very unreliable.

GRACE: OK. Peter Odom, your experience with moms in this situation, I`m sure to all three of us, is very similar, including mine, to all four of us. Very often mothers will not testify against lovers, sweethearts, ex-husbands, husbands. Why is that, Peter?

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. Well, because their wagon is hitched to them economically and emotionally. Also, Nancy, to testify against them would be admitting to themselves that they were aligned with someone that harmed their child. That`s a very difficult thing for someone to admit. So they are really in denial and it`s a phenomenon that we see again and again in criminal cases.

GRACE: You know what? I`ve usually held them with -- in such derision, Peter, but when you`re saying that, it doesn`t excuse what they do.

P. ODOM: No.

GRACE: But it sheds some light on understanding, Eleanor Odom, why a lot of moms -- I mean a lot. And it`s happened to me. I`ve had moms that absolutely will not testify against the defendant when it`s very clear that they murdered or harmed their child. Their child. That they gave birth to.

E. ODOM: Well, and Nancy, what`s even sadder is I see sometimes moms going to the jails to visit the perpetrator who`s committed the crimes and take at least the child abuse cases where the child (INAUDIBLE), taking that child into the jail to actually see that person.

GRACE: Karen Conti, have you had the same experience with mothers when their former lover, husband, ex, boyfriend, live-in has been charged with, for instance, child abuse, child molestation, even manslaughter or murder on a child, the mothers, they will not testify against the boyfriend?

CONTI: Yes, Nancy, that`s a real -- that`s a sad phenomenon. And I do think there`s a lot of guilt there. I chose this man, I had sex with him, I let him have the child for the afternoon. There`s a lot of guilt associated with that so that disbelief and disconnect happens all the time. I`ve even seen it with neighbors who don`t want to believe that that person was the serial killer in the neighborhood because I live next door to him. It`s sort of guilt by association.

GRACE: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Somehow possibly, Leslie Seppinni, clinical psychologist, thinking that they are somehow in part to blame.

LESLIE SEPPINNI, PSY.D., CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, I buy it, yes and no. It depends on the individual. But there`s also cases in which women don`t want to feel culpable. In other words, they are not sure if the legal system is also going to hold them accountable for knowing that their child was being abused. And I`m not sure that I totally believe the story that he`s never done anything abusive. So suddenly out of nowhere, he becomes so rageful that the child dies and then you have a decomposing body being sniffed out and the child is missing. It doesn`t make -- none of it adds up.

GRACE: You know what, Leslie Seppinni, I think you`re right and I think all three lawyers, Eleanor Odom, Karen Conti, and Peter Odom are right as well, about these women refusing to see what`s right in front of their nose. I mean this case, the mother, even now, steadfastly standing by her former lover, D`Andre Lane, the biodad of the little girl, there you see her with him in the studios of Charlie Langton at WXYT. Even holding hands, this is after the little girl goes missing. She never had a chance. But tonight, felony charges.

The "Nancy Grace Family Album" back showcasing your photos from iReport. Here our British Columbia friends, the Haney family. Michaela and Dale love taking their little girls camping and swimming at the local pool. Both premies beat the odds.

Share you photos with us through iReport family album, go to hlnTV.com/Nancygrace and click on "Nancy`s Family Album."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: After daddy claims his toddler girl kidnapped in a carjacking, the mystery of missing 2-year-old Bianca Jones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I just want to ask you please, please to just bring Bianca home. I have to have faith that she is OK. I believe my daughter is alive.

LANE: This whole situation is a tragedy. And I feel like I`m being pushed around.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Heartbreaking mystery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe my daughter is alive. I am desperately searching and seeking and trying to find her.

LANE: Let us know, please, we want Bibi home. That is our main concern. I don`t care about anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The cops are not buying the story.

LANE: My daughter does not need to be subject to someone else coming in and trying to make her father to be a villain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe my daughter is alive.

LANE: They can say what they want.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I just want to ask you, please, please, just bring Bianca home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re going to pass a flyer or knock on the door and they`ll say we just found her, and she`s here, here she is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wouldn`t that be a miracle?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will be. It will be a wonderful thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trying to keep her up front and focused. And we are trying to keep the information out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are continuing to search for Bianca.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant Joshua Brennan, 22, Ontario, Oregon, killed Afghanistan, on a second tour, three Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts. Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service medal. Loved the outdoors, camping, fishing, skiing, wake boarding. Leaves behind grieving parents, Michael and Janice. Stepmother Michelle. Brother Robert, sisters Jessica, Brooke, Courtney, Christina, Brittany.

Joshua Brennan, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you. See you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern and until then, good night, friend.

END