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JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Girl, 6, Disappears from Bedroom; John Edwards Trial Begins; Zimmerman Free on Bail, Sheriff Resigns

Aired April 23, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live from New York City.

A fall from grace that could give you whiplash. Former U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards goes on trial for allegedly funneling illegal campaign funds to the mistress and mother of his love child. Did John Edwards put his entire career and reputation on the line for this one woman? Find out next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, sex, lies and videotape. Did former presidential candidate John Edwards use campaign cash to hide his secret affair with pregnant mistress Rielle Hunter? What did his cancer- stricken wife know and when? And what about that sex tape he made with Rielle? We`ll bring you inside court and take your calls.

And George Zimmerman walks out of jail as the police chief who many say dropped the ball officially resigns. We`ll have the very latest.

Plus, a 6-year-old girl vanishes from her own bedroom. Little Isabel Celis` parents say they put their daughter to bed, and the next morning she was gone.

Now, as cops search for clues, sources claim a window screen in the home was found knocked down. We`re investigating this mysterious disappearance.

Then, one of America`s reality stars in her own new show. Seven-year- old Eden Woods joins me. She and her mom and manager will talk to me about all the beauty pageant mama drama and a controversial new song.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The latest on day one of Edwards` scandalous criminal trial in just a moment.

But first the hunt is on right now as we speak for an adorable missing 6-year-old Tucson, Arizona, girl who may have been kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night. Her father says he discovered her missing on Saturday morning.

Now, search dogs may have found a clue inside Isabel`s home. Investigators have interviewed her parents at length and say they are fully cooperating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY LITTLEJOHN, WORKS WITH MISSING GIRL`S MOTHER: That`s just not a possibility, if you knew this family. These two have -- they`ve been married, they`ve been together since they were teenagers. There`s no separation going on. There`s just no possible way that the family would have anything to do with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Straight out to KTBK reporter Crystal Cruz (ph). You are at the police command post right now in Isabel`s neighborhood. What is the very latest?

CRYSTAL CRUZ (PH), KTBK REPORTER: Well, Jane, we are waiting for the very latest right now. The chief of police is set to take the podium behind me and give us an update.

What I can tell you, we`ve been at the command center all day. We`ve seen Border Patrol. We have seen U.S. Marshals, even the FBI out here searching for this 6-year-old girl.

Behind me is Isabel`s home. It is blocked off. So is the neighborhood. Her parents aren`t even allowed in the house at this point.

Now we have learned the FBI sent out two cadaver dogs from the East Coast. One is a cadaver dog -- excuse me, one is a search dog. Now, the chief of police told us two hours ago that the cadaver dog did hit on something inside the home. But the chief of police is being very secretive, giving out very little information, because they don`t want to compromise this case right now.

But like I said, there is some information between what the cadaver dog found and what the police department has. And they are keeping very tight-lipped.

But like you said, the window was open in the little girl`s house, and the screen was off. We are not sure if this was the little girl`s bedroom or is this was a kitchen window. That is something we are waiting to hear right now.

But Jane, still this little missing 6-year-old girl missing. The volunteers are out here. There is a volunteer camp about 10 feet away from me. And of course, people are coming out, handing out thousands of fliers. Everyone wants this little girl home safely tonight -- Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Precious child. Thank you. And Crystal, we`re going to have much more on the search later in our show, but first, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards`s criminal trial begins today. He`s trying to avoid spending 30 years in prison.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has you or your -- anyone affiliated with your campaign provided any financial help to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Rielle?

JOHN EDWARDS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have no idea what you`re asking about.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But as it turned out, Mr. Two Americas here, had two very different faces himself, and one of them wasn`t very pretty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A presidential candidate and former U.S. senator with a cancer stricken wife has an affair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We said to him, "Don`t you think it`s about time to actually tell everyone that you are actually the father of this child?

EDWARDS: It`s time for me to step aside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andrew Young, an Edwards campaign staffer, said last year he was the father, not Edwards.

EDWARDS: I hate to admit it, but I`m not the best parent in my family. The best parent in my family is here with me today. It`s my wife Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, FORMER WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: I have seen the child, absolutely.

J. EDWARDS: There`s no question that I`ve done wrong, but I did not break the law.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, sex, politics, cash and betrayal, a real- life soap opera featuring a man who could have been our president right now.

How could John Edwards seek the highest office in the land and risk it all by having an affair with a staffer, making her pregnant and even making a sex tape, all while his wife was battling cancer and he`s running for president.

Former U.S. senator, John Edwards` extraordinary fall from grace leads to the question, will his cheating ways land him in prison? Today, day one in Edwards trial for campaign fraud. He allegedly follows a million dollars worth of illegal campaign dollars to keep his then-pregnant mistress, Rielle Hunter, underground, and their sexual affair secret. Edwards faces 30 years in prison.

When the "National Enquirer" broke the news that Hunter was pregnant with candidate Edwards` love child, Edwards flat-out denied it live on ABC`s "Nightline."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. EDWARDS: I have no idea what you`re asking about. I`ve responded to -- consistently to these tabloid allegations by saying I don`t respond to these lies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A reported has been published that the baby of Ms. Hunter is your baby. True?

J. EDWARDS: Not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it was true. He was just lying. You heard him right there.

The truth is Rielle Hunter was hiding at the home of an Edwards staffer so Edwards could keep his presidential campaign going. Edwards even convinced Andrew Young to tell the news media that the baby was his. It took John Edwards two full years to tell the truth.

Here he is again on "Nightline."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see this in the reports. You see this, how it breaks out. Why did you continue to deny it and not tell the truth?

J. EDWARDS: Because I did not want the public to know what I had done. Embarrassing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What was it about John Edwards that made him think he could get away with all of this? Was it a life of power and privilege that made him feel completely untouchable?

Or could he have consciously sabotaged his own campaign because he didn`t really want to win?

What do you think? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297. I want to hear from you.

Straight out to Robin Wolensky (ph), anchor and reporter with "The Blade." Andrew Young, Edwards` former advance man and his current nemesis, his enemy, took the stand. This is the guy who wrote the tell-all about the scandal. What happened when Andrew Young took the stand today?

ROBIN WOLENSKY (PH), ANCHOR/REPORTER: Well, Jane, the arrogance of these two. The salacious story. Andrew Young, the -- is the prosecution`s star witness, Jane. And this is Edwards` old buddy, his campaign aide.

And the bottom line is that these two concocted this massive cover-up, and they got caught.

And so the prosecutor today in court came out with a double one-two punch. And the first statement during opening statements was that John Edwards made a choice to break the law. And what the prosecutor meant by that is that John Edwards knowingly took the money from two campaign donors, to the tune, Jane, of almost a million dollars, to cover up the girlfriend, or her lavish lifestyle, to hide her away in houses, on various trips in various cities. And of course, to hide the baby. Of course, he was in denial.

The arrogance of this guy, the one-two punch. The prosecutor then came back and said this affair was a gamble which exceeded high stakes. It was really a gamble.

And so the jurors are going to, you know, listen to Young`s testimony. And the bottom line, Jane, is that he`s cut a deal. So he`s kind of off the hook. He can say whatever he wants, and of course, he wrote a book about this entire matter.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, and by the way, he sold that book to a top screenwriter. In a little while, we`re going to discuss who might be playing John Edwards and Rielle Hunter in the movie.

While this was all going on, John Edwards was, of course, married to his wife of 33 years, Elizabeth. Edwards told ABC how Elizabeth reacted to the affair. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. EDWARDS: She was mad. She was angry. I think furious would be a good way to describe it. And it was painful for her, hard and painful for her, but she responded exactly like the kind of woman she is. She forgave me, and we went to work on it. She was -- I`m not saying she thought it was OK. I`m not saying that, but she did forgive me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Edwards also publicly reaffirmed his love for his wife, and they later took a trip to Japan. She wrote a book. But that enraged Rielle Hunter.

So it`s very interesting. I want to bring in Kelly Goff, contributing author of 21.com. You`re the author of "The `GQ` Candidate."

He was also -- every time he would go on camera and reaffirm his love for Elizabeth, his wife, he would enrage his mistress. And then he would reportedly, allegedly, call his mistress up and said, "Oh, it didn`t mean anything. I was just basically talking to the cameras."

KELLY GOFF, AUTHOR/REPORTER: Yes. And we`ll be married and dancing to the Dave Matthews Band. I believe that was the plan, right? To get married with the Dave Matthews Band? I have to say, for the record, I was a big Dave Matthews Band fan, but for some reason, every time I hear their music now, it makes me kind of nauseous. Is there a connection there?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I still love them. But let me ask you this. Is this trial going to reveal that Elizabeth Edwards actually knew more about this affair? I mean, we perceive of her as a victim and a martyr, but did she know more?

GOFF: Look, I think there`s not a question that there is possibly -- that she knew a little bit more than initially was let on. I mean, we even knew when -- that footage you were showing of them coming out together just then, to talk about her health problems, that she already knew something about the affair. Right? And she still encouraged him to run for office.

So, look, I think that people, you know, they search for a stain (ph) -- and at the end of the day, though, I don`t think that anyone`s image is going to be tarnished any more than John Edwards. I think he`s the real, you know, bad guy in the story, not the wife who decided to stay with him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, absolutely. We were just talking about how, though, more will be revealed in this trial.

And we`re taking your calls: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Now, coming up, George Zimmerman out of jail. We`ll have video of him leaving jail in the dead of night as the police chief officially resigns. But the shocker isn`t city officials. Well, in a little bit, I`ll tell you what they`re saying. Trying to block that resignation.

But first, more on day one in the John Edwards trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: There`s no question that I`ve done wrong, but I take full responsibility for having done wrong. And I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I have caused. I did not break the law, and I never, ever thought that I was breaking the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIELLE HUNTER, MISTRESS OF JOHN EDWARDS: I`m so glad you like it.

J. EDWARDS: I like it. Wait `til you hear me give it live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, that was a Webisode that Rielle Hunter -- you see there, the blonde -- she was hired to do videos with John Edwards, but apparently, all they did on these Webisodes was flirt.

Now, for two years, Rielle Hunter battled over some other video, a now-legendary sex tape featuring her and John Edwards. The nemesis, Andrew Young, supposedly found the tape after Rielle moved out. And Andrew told me, on this show, that he wasn`t sure why Hunter was so worried about this particular tape. What? It`s a sex tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: The tape does not show her at all. It doesn`t show her face at all. She -- she could have easily claimed that it was not her in the video. The tape that we had appeared to be a dub, because there was no noise on it. I think one of the questions is are there other sex tapes?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, boy, in addition, basically the tape was given back to her, and she was supposed to destroy it. There was another document called "The Slut Club," and there is -- allegedly, this Slut Club is a list of Hunter`s reported sexual conquests.

I`ve got to bring in a shrink here. Dr. Jeff Gardere, what was John Edwards thinking? Was he a love addict who wanted the drama of a crazy relationship while he`s running for president?

DR. JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I think he could have been a love addict, certainly not about being a sex addict, believe it or not. Because it was more about this narcissistic personality, always having themselves filmed, whether in the Webisode. Now in this situation with the possible sex tape.

Let`s not forget, Jane. This is a guy who made millions of dollars as an attorney through torts and so on. And so now here we see him, stuck and stupid, because anyone knows, if you, first of all, don`t make a sex tape, but secondly, if you make it, you better erase it right after your get your thrills from it. So just leaving it around tells me that this a guy who threw common sense out the window because he may have been so high on love.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree with you, because there`s no other explanation for a presidential candidate to get somebody pregnant and then make a sex tape with that pregnant lady. Oh, my gosh.

All right. We`re going to go to the phones. Chris in South Carolina?

CALLER: My question is, I hope that John Edwards gets what`s coming to him for cheating on his wife, exposing the sex tape out there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wouldn`t be surprised if somebody made a dub of it somewhere along the line. I don`t know. And you heard there could be other sex tapes, for all we know.

Rielle Hunter, who was in the sex tape, as you just heard, sat down with Oprah in April 2010. She wouldn`t answer Oprah`s questions about the current state of her relationship with John Edwards. But she did say this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you still love him?

HUNTER: Yes, very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does he still love you?

HUNTER: I believe he does. You would have to ask him, but in my experience, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Joe Gomez, senior investigative reporter, KTRH. What do we know about the relationship between John Edwards and Rielle Hunter today? And there you see the little baby, Quinn.

JOE GOMEZ, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KTRH: Right. He still is acting in some sort of a fatherly, you know, capacity with this kid. You know, this was a real-life soap opera, Jane. I mean, a real fall from grace for this guy. He was once a Democrat darling, and he could have been a potential VP pick for President Obama. And then he got involved with this Rielle Hunter, made this alleged sex tape. Meanwhile, his wife was apparently dying of cancer, Jane. I mean, my goodness. Tugs on the heartstrings of the public here. I`d be really interested to see what the jury`s going to find out in this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And as we leave this, I`ve got to tell you the rights have been sold to Aaron Sorkin. And so there could be a movie. Let`s take a look at some of the possibilities. Let`s show them. Who should play these two, Greg Kinnear, Kevin Costner, those are two picks that came from our viewers and on Facebook. And as far as Rielle Hunter, Roseanna Arquette, or Lindsay Lohan -- ha! -- to play Rielle Hunter! What do you think? Straight up, more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Still many questions: where is he now?

As portrayed by Martin`s parents, their attorney says, quote, "It`s tough for them to see their son`s killer walk free again."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re also just getting word that Sanford`s embattled chief, Bill Lee, is resigning for good. He said he was stepping aside temporarily last month in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: George Zimmerman got out of jail in the dead of night around midnight, two months after the deadly shooting of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman posted bail, and he is now hidden somewhere for his own safety, awaiting trial.

Police Chief Bill Lee officially resigned. You remember he had stepped aside. But we`re just learning a little while ago that the Sanford city commission rejected his resignation. They`re saying they didn`t think it necessarily was fair.

Straight out to HLN legal analyst Mark Nejame. Mark, Zimmerman`s attorney, Mark O`Mara, pulled another surprise move today, waiving George Zimmerman`s arraignment and entering a written plea of "not guilty." So this means that May 8 hearing is cancelled, essentially. Is that a smart move? And are we going to have to wait months, maybe even a couple of years to see Zimmerman again?

MARK NEJAME, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, actually, in respect, it`s extremely common. I don`t know if I`ve ever had a case where we didn`t do that.

In Florida, the defendant is not required to appear at his or her arraignment, if in fact, their lawyer files a written plea for the arraignment. In this case, he filed a written plea of "not guilty" and waived his appearance at arraignment. So it`s done all the time, and an individual defendant is not required to attend.

So that means that, you`re correct, that you will likely not see George Zimmerman until and unless such time as there`s a hearing which requires his presence, which will likely be the "stand your ground" motion, the immunity hearing that will likely take place in a few months.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that apparently is going to be absolutely crucial. What is going to happen at that hearing? There`s been some talk that maybe the judge at that point could even throw this out and say, "Well, `stand your ground` applies here."

NEJAME: Well, that`s exactly right. Florida, the whole "stand your ground" motion -- excuse me, law is now being scrutinized. It started in Florida 2005 under Jeb Bush administration, and now it`s carried over into other states. So it`s an NRA law, and they`ve strongly supported it.

Now, it`s properly being looked at very closely, and it`s going through a lot of scrutiny. One of the provisions requires that it allows that a defendant through his -- her counsel can file a motion, basically dismiss the case, claiming that if they can establish that "stand your ground" was appropriate, that the judge, if the judge deems that that`s exactly what it was, the case is dismissed. It will never see a trial. It will never see a plea. That`s going to be a mini trial over this issue, and you can count on that`s going to get as much attention as any trial may.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Jeff Gardere, briefly, if they hold a "stand your ground" hearing, and they say, "Well, nothing to see here," isn`t that going to enrage the public that wants a trial?

GARDERE: It`s probably a good thing for George Zimmerman that this is actually going to take so long to actually come to trial. But what`s going to happen in the community, referring directly to your question, people are going to be enraged. They`re going to be upset the longer this takes.

And if this is thrown out in the way that it possibly could be, then I really do fear that there will be public unrest throughout the United States.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. Oh, my gosh. All right. Well, we`re going to stay on top of that case, as always.

Up next, a 6-year-old is missing. We`re going to try to find her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a parent`s worst nightmare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have very little information to go on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six-year-old Isabel Celis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now on the hunt for missing six-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis. Searching the home where a six-year-old girl vanished over the weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re labeling it as suspicious circumstances and a possible abduction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Checking each and every car that went in and out of this east side neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was checked on this morning at about 8:00.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They woke up Saturday and she was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found out she was not in her room at that point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators found quote, "suspicious circumstances" in Isabel`s bedroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a window that was open and the screen removed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation had set a road block.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Contact each and every one of the identified sex offenders that live within a three-mile radius.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have blood hounds that are checking the area as well, pick up any scent of the little girl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isabel`s parents were questions all night long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her family has been cooperating with us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s just not a possibility if you knew this family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not ruling out anything in this investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s just no possible way that the family would have anything to do with this. .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We place everything in the hands of God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her mother is beside herself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still no sign of Isabel and the clock continues to tick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don`t think anything like that would actually really happen to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Tonight a race against the clock to find a precious little girl who apparently vanished from her Tucson home in the dead of night. Could a kidnapper have climbed right through a window in Isabel Celis`s home?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ROBERTO VILLASENOR, TUCSON POLICE DEPARTMENT: We have a window that was open and the screen removed. We`re labeling it as suspicious circumstances and a possible abduction, mainly so that we keep all possibilities open. We don`t want to focus just on one path. We want to be open to all leads that may come in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More than 100 leads reported so far. Possibly none were solid than what search dogs may have found inside Isabel`s home. Police say the bloodhounds may have tracked down a clue and they`re keeping her family away from that home while they investigated.

Isabel`s parents say they put her to bed Friday at about 11:00 p.m. When they went to get her Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. she was gone. Investigators have questioned dozens of sex offenders in the area, they`ve canvassed two and a half miles around the home, a radius and still no sign of Isabel.

And we`re delighted to have with us tonight, Tucson police chief Roberto Villasenor. Chief, have you gotten -- first of all, tell us about this hit, the dogs hit near the home or in the home?

VILLASENOR (via telephone): I`m sorry. We`re having some difficulty with the reception. I couldn`t quite hear the question.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did the dogs hit near the home or inside the home, chief.

VILLASENOR: Actually, we have the dog searching in both areas, around the home, approaching the home and inside the home as well. We don`t want to talk too much because of investigative purposes as to what the dogs hit on or where, but they did alert on items which caused us to have some need to re-secure the house and take our investigators back into the residence once we obtained a warrant so they can do further investigation.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you get a warrant for that house because the family didn`t voluntarily allow you inside or did they say you can go in and check whatever you want in the home?

VILLASENOR: No. The family has been cooperating with us and they understand. But really for these type of cases and complexity, it`s always safer to err on the side of caution. There was no greater need for exigency. When we first arrived at the scene, we did a very thorough processing the house. However we didn`t have the availability of these specialized canines from the FBI. When they were flown in and they did alert us on things then that caused us to want to go back in just to make sure in case we do find anything of evidentiary value there it`s protected. We obtained the warrants just to make sure everything`s done correctly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Now you`ve said that you`ve done a door-to-door search within a two and a half or three mile radius of Isabel`s home. This reminds me of the Jessica Lunsford tragedy. 2005, registered sex offender John Couey went into Jessica`s home through an unlocked door, kidnapped her and held her captive for two days in a trailer about 100 yards away from that home, before murdering her tragically after sexual assaulting her.

Sir, chief, when you go and canvas these homes, do you go inside and look in the closets? Because one of the problems in the Couey case -- this is the guy who kidnapped and killed Jessica Lunsford, they never went into that closet. They knocked on the door and the child was believed to be inside there when police visited that trailer.

VILLASENOR: Correct. And it`s stories like that that we keep in mind when we conduct our search. For that reason, what we have instructed our office to do is to explain to people when they contact and met residents what they`re there for, the tragedy that we`re investigating and the request for cooperation from the residents.

We received overwhelmingly positive response from a lot of --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But do you go in and open the closet door?

VILLASENOR: -- look around.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So they do let you in to look around? And you`ve looked around in closets.

VILLASENOR: Yes, ma`am.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`ve opened the closets?

VILLASENOR: Yes, our officers go in there and they look in the rooms and they look in the house to make sure there`s nothing there we need to be concerned of.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And if I can ask you Chief -- you`re very kind to stand by, try not to hang up. I want to bring in a very special guest Erin Runnion, founder of the Joyful Child Foundation. Go to JoyfulChild.org and get involved. This is so important. This case has to feel painfully familiar to you. Your beautiful daughter Samantha -- right around Isabel`s age, 2002 -- was kidnapped and murdered and her killer is now on death row.

What would you say -- how would you describe what Isabel`s family is going through right now, two and a half days into this nightmare? They`re not being allowed home as this investigation continues.

ERIN RUNNION, FOUNDER, JOYFUL CHILD FOUNDATION: Oh, it`s just the worst not knowing. Not knowing if she`s in pain, knowing that she would be afraid; and there`s just no words to describe it. It is the absolute worst nightmare possible for any parent and my heart just bleeds for this family.

The investigation I would think would -- it`s probably making them feel good that they found some leads, that they have something to go on. Those specialized dogs are trained in all different kinds of special scents and things for them to pick up on. So that`s a good sign. So I`m sure that they`re just doing everything they can to keep the hope alive that she`s going to be recovered alive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, let`s talk a little bit about her family, Isabel`s mom is a nurse at a hospital, her father is a dental hygienist. Friends say there`s no chance they could have hurt their precious daughter intentionally, in any way.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY LITTLEHORN, WORKS WITH MISSING GIRL`S MOM: That`s just not a possibility if you know this family. These two have -- they`ve been married -- they`ve been together since they were teenagers, there`s no separation going on. There`s just no possible way that the family would have anything to do with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Pat Brown, criminal profiler, they`re regular churchgoers -- not that that means anything one way or the other in the sense that there have been people who committed crimes who are regular churchgoers -- but they have no criminal record. There`s no history of marital problems. What do you make of the fact that they`re not being allowed in the home?

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, I think the police are doing a fabulous job. I am so impressed by what they`re doing. In other words they`re taking care of all possibilities that it could be an abduction or that it might not be an abduction.

Let`s say it isn`t an abduction then they`d taken care of that by separating the parents, hearing what their stories are. Getting them out of the home, doing all the proper things in the home, bring the dogs in. And if it is an abduction, they`re following the possibilities there as well, looking at all the situations in the room and what happened with the window, and looking at the sex offenders and who else came and went.

They`re doing the right thing, both of these.

And for the parents, if they`re innocent or anything, they should be glad it`s being done because at least nobody later can go back and say now you`re accusing us and you didn`t do your job.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And parents in this area are terrified. They`re two-by-fours, Joe Gomez, senior investigative reporter KTRH, over their children`s windows because in their mind there could be some kind or child snatcher loose in the neighborhood.

JOE GOMEZ, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KTRH: That`s right Jane. I mean you and I both have covered enough of these cases to know that if this is some, you know, random act, some guy came in through the window and snatched this girl in the dead of night. I mean the whole neighborhood should be put on alert.

But we have to find little Isabel. Every hour that she`s out there, Jane, the dangerous level increases for this little girl.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We got the chief back with us. Chief Roberto Villasenor, the usual list, you start with the closest -- the family itself; then friends of the family, neighbors, sex offenders, family acquaintances, local handymen. Have you been able to essentially cover all of that?

VILLASENOR: Yes we have. And that`s exactly right. You do start from the inner circle and work your way out. You try and look at the most obvious people that you want to talk and get their information on what they know. And we`ve been doing that and then expanding the search, particularly with sex offenders, we started with a three-mile radius and we went to that right away first and used the (inaudible) throughout our division to help do that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chief, quickly, did neighbors hear anything in the middle of the night.

VILLASENOR: I don`t want to comment on that. We do have some information, but that`s something I don`t want to put forward yet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So that wouldn`t be a no, neighbors didn`t hear anything. You remember in the Baby Lisa case, neighbors heard a commotion that woke up a dog in the middle of the night?

Psychologist Jeff Gardere, just weigh in quickly on -- should these parents take a polygraph just to eliminate them?

JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Absolutely. Look, we don`t want to think that they had anything to do with this, such a heinous act and against their own child. But we`ve learned from a lot of these cases you have to within the inner circle. Sometimes even so-called "perfect parents", especially perfect parents have some issues that we don`t know about. Accidents happen. Corporal punishment happens. You have to look not just at the parents, but all of the friends and investigate who knew where this girl was sleeping and why they went right to that window to find this girl.

Someone was casing it. It could be someone that they knew.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly. A stranger wouldn`t know their child was inside that room and know to open that particular screen.

Have to leave it right there. We will stay on top of this case.

Next, you know her from "Toddlers and Tiaras". Now, she`s got her own reality show. Boy, she`s a veteran of 300 pageants. And guess what; she`s only 7 years old. Eden Wood and her mom join me to talk about beauty pageant mama drama straight ahead.

Call them. Ask a question, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I give you one bit of advice? Do you know what enunciation is, sweetheart?

EDEN WOOD, REALITY TV STAR: I don`t know that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s when you say your words very clearly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They call us crazy pageant moms but they don`t understand. Our world is filled with glitz and glitter, make up and spray tan. My baby`s prettier, sweeter, and more poised. Look at her sparkle. I`m so glad I don`t have boys.

Pageant mama drama rocking your TV. Pageant mama drama for all the world to see. Jumping, screaming, yelling, antics all abound; dancing, screeching, cheering, madness all around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. Glitter, glamour, sparkle and let`s not forget the spray tan, pageant mom secrets put to music in a controversial new song by a pageant mom herself. The singer Mickey Wood, the mommy of legendary seven-year-old beauty queen Eden Wood and they`re both here to talk to me and maybe even sing to me a little bit.

Eden, of course, was a staple on TLC`s "Toddlers and Tiaras" and now she`s spun off and gotten her own big show, "Eden`s World" on Logo. Here`s a sneak peek from tonight`s episode.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a headshot and resume for me? Oh, my god, what a supermodel.

E. WOOD: He loves it, I can tell he loves it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to sing for me today.

E. WOOD: Under Puppy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, what`s "Under Puppy"?

E. WOOD: I wrote it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Has the stage mom become the main attraction? Just one of our questions and you can call and ask Eden or her mom a question, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

All right. Straight out to mom and daughter Eden and Mickey Wood -- so much to talk about. But first, I want to talk to Eden.

First of all, Eden, congrats on your new show on Logo. And we just saw -- we see you have a little puppy right there -- we saw a clip of you talking about your new song "Under Puppy". Could you please "Under Puppy" for us, Eden?

E. WOOD: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Go ahead, sing "Under Puppy" for us.

E. WOOD: How about I do this great song, it is the one that Heather wrote for us, you remember?

MICKEY WOOD, MOTHER OF EDEN WOOD: I`m not sure which one you`re talking about.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Whichever one you want to sing, Eden, you could go ahead and sing it.

E. WOOD: Pageant mama drama rocking your TV. Pageant mama drama for all the world to see. Kicking, bucking, screaming, yelling, antics all around.

M. WOOD: Thank you, Heather.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well done. That was good. Let`s hear it for Heather. Heather that was well done. Yes.

Now, Eden, Heather is your publicist and I know you`re calling out to that, but Eden, that was very, very good, I like that. In fact it`s probably better than "Under Puppy".

Now, you are best known for your song "Cutie Patootie". We`re going to play it, you singing it on YouTube and then I`m going to ask you a couple of questions about it. So let`s hear that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E. WOOD: They call me cutie, cutie patootie. Walking up the pageant stage and shaking my booty. Cutie, cutie patootie. (inaudible) but you`re not snooty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Eden, I hear you have an album in the works. Do one day do you hope to be on "American Idol" or "The Voice" or some other kind of singing competition?

E. WOOD: Oh, yes, baby.

M. WOOD: That would be Miss Mitchell to you, dear.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, no, you can call me Jane. It seems like Eden is having a lot of fun. What would you say to those who wonder oh, is it really a good thing for her to have her own reality show?

M. WOOD: As long as she`s acting like this and, you know, enjoying it, that`s what it`s all about. That`s part of the reason that she actually retired from pageantry is because I saw a change in her that, you know, she -- her heart wasn`t in it anymore. And as a mom, I picked up on that.

So we retired and had a talk, what do you want to do and I just want to be me and be on stage and that`s kind of what we have been doing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side. Hang on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More of "Eden`s World" in a moment but first, a little laugh break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGH BREAK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. WOOD: A flipper is not a fish and a cupcake is a skirt. Say my girl`s not facial and you`re going to get hurt. Red Bull and Pixie Stix give us the winning touch. Shellack that fall with freeze it, you can never have too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, that`s Eden`s mother, whose name is Mickey, her song, the mom`s song, called "Pageant Mama Drama".

Now, Mickey, you sing about giving Red Bull and pixie sticks to kids and there is this controversy about pageant children getting something called go-go juice to amp them up for the performances. Do you give little Eden anything to get her worked up and ready to go? Hello, Mickey? Mickey? Mickey, can you hear us?

All right. I`m going to throw that out to Heather Ryan, Eden Wood`s manager who`s observing all this on Skype. Heather, does little Eden get any go-go juice.

HEATHER RYAN, MANAGER OF EDEN WOOD: I think I can tell you by the interview she`s giving today, she doesn`t need go-go juice. That would be me. I need the go-go juice.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I mean if she had the go-go juice, maybe that`s why she`s so up. Do you give her any of it? does anybody give her that.

RYAN: Eden doesn`t need go-go juice. We`ve never given her anything more than Coca-Cola. We actually got some negative press a while back because "Toddlers and Tiaras" had some can of soda that are Red Bulls I was drinking because I drink Red Bull on pageant weekends. But Eden doesn`t drink Red Bull or pixie sticks, but it`s a funny line in the song because a lot of people do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Thank you for answering that question. Now "Toddlers and Tiaras" is still generating controversy. In last week`s show, one mom put on a thong in front of her 2-year-old, check this out from TLC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My style of parenting is extremely different.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little less arch. There you go. There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think exposing your children to whatever you can is just a really great way to be culturally diverse. Also since I had had my breast augmentation, she has become a little obsessed with bras. It`s probably just because she has seen a change in me and noticed it. She loves Victoria`s Secret. So she does her home work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Mickey, you`re back. You`re Eden Wood`s mom, she`s got her own reality show, "Eden`s World" on Logo. You just saw that controversy over one of these moms putting on a thong in front of her two- year-old child? Are you careful not to cross the line in that manner and keep everything on this reality show age appropriate?

M. WOOD: I tried to the best of my ability, you know. There`s a lot of things that go on with her management team and -- when I see something coming, I try to get her out of the situation. And you know, I have always tried to be smart with the decisions --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is Eden saying, is she imitating you? Is she just mouthing your words?

Listen let me ask you this. A lot of people wonder, is it healthy for -- these reality shows, you`ve got dozens and dozens of people following you everywhere. Where do you draw the line? When do you say camera crews go home now, we have got to have a little bit of private time.

M. WOOD: Well, I draw the line when it interferes with her life. Eden, that is not acceptable.

I draw the line when it interferes with her being a child. And I say no to stuff all the time. I try to practice what I preach. Can I always hit the mark? No, but I do try.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EDEN WOOD SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s from YouTube. Eden Wood, the star of Logo TV`s "Eden`s World"; you`ve got to be the youngest person in America with their own reality show. What`s it like having all those cameras and all those people with headsets and cameras and lights around you?

E. WOOD: Awesome.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Awesome?

M. WOOD: We`re very lucky. Yes, she said awesome.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you ever -- how do you feel -- how often are they around you, every day?

E. WOOD: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Once a week?

E. WOOD: I don`t know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`re out of time, Eden and mom Mickey, thank you for joining us. Again, the show is "Eden`s World" -- Logo.

END