Friday, February 28, 2014

Michaela Bruce case: Nancy Grace transcript

On Feb. 27, 2014, Nancy Grace covered the Michaela Bruce case. Michaela is 14-years-old and has been missing since Feb. 25, 2014. She is believed to be with 44-year-old Mark Edwards.

Here is the full transcript from Nancy Grace's show.

Click here for the latest news and Twitter updates on the Michaela Bruce case.



NANCY GRACE

Ohio Girl, 14, Kidnapped by Pedophile

Aired February 27, 2014 - 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, Springfield, and the desperate search for a little 7th grade girl cops say kidnapped by a 44- year-old pedophile. Bombshell tonight. Help us find Michaela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man is a predator with a child.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lost my daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fourteen-year-old girl...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michaela Bruce missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man is a pedophile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Possibly armed with knives and guns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t know what he will do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And to Houston. An eagle-eye maintenance worker spots a white plastic trash bag when he hears a baby animal in the dumpster. It`s a baby, all right, but not an animal. It`s a newborn baby boy, umbilical cord still attached,+ thrown in a dump like he`s trash!

Breaking news tonight. Mommy says she gives birth in a bathtub and throws away her baby boy because she says she thought he was dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An innocent child in a dumpster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inside a cinched trash bag.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who left him in the dumpster?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clues among the trash found in the same bag.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: School papers with the name of the 16-year-old mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And to Highpoint (ph), a 3-year-old girl little girl mauled to death by the family pet, even after Mommy`s desperate fight to wrestle the pet off little Braelynn (ph). Neighbors say they`ve been so terrorized by the family pet, even keeping their children and pets indoors. Tonight, criminal charges against Mommy and Daddy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I need (INAUDIBLE) police (INAUDIBLE) immediately. I have a child with me that was attacked by a dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three-year-old Braelynn Coulter (ph) was mauled to death by the family`s pitbull.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m going to kill the dog or it`s getting shot, put down, whatever, I don`t give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A dad of two goes to pay phone and threatens to blow up Hershey Arena when he can`t get tickets to One Direction? Daddy, a bomb threat? You`re busted!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After failing to secure concert tickets, 47-year- old father of two William Klein (ph) phones in a very deadly threat, reportedly saying if One Direction plays tomorrow, the stadium will blow up!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. To Springfield and the desperate search for a little 7th grade girl cops say kidnapped by a 44-year-old pedophile. Tonight, help us bring Michaela home alive.

Straight out to Dave Mack, talk show host. Dave, this is not the first time he`s targeted this little girl. But what happened this time?

DAVE MACK, SYNDICATED TALK SHOW HOST (via telephone): Well, she has somehow been brainwashed by this family friend to believe that he loves her. And they`ve got to save her from this guy.

GRACE: Joining me right now, Sheriff Gene A. Kelly, Clark County sheriff`s office. Sheriff, thank you for being with us. When were they last spotted?

SHERIFF GENE A. KELLY, CLARK COUNTY (via telephone): Well, Nancy, it was actually on Tuesday evening. He was in a rental car and she was with him. And they had rented a motel room...

GRACE: Oh, dear Lord in heaven! They rented a motel room? That`s not good, Sheriff.

KELLY: No, it`s not. He was in this rental car with Kentucky plates. We tried to make a traffic stop. He took off, started driving through red lights and stop signs. We called off the stop. A short time later, the car was found abandoned. They left behind their cell phones, so they must have taken off running. In Ohio, it was minus-10 degrees. There are several vacant houses where they abandoned this car, and we brought in our K9. We searched, and we have not been able to locate them since that time.

GRACE: Everyone, for those of you just joining me tonight, the desperate search for a 7th grade girl, braces and all. Police say she is with a pedophile, a 44-year-old white male. He is on the run with this little girl. Tonight, we need your help. Tip line, 973-328-2560.

Clark Goldband, what more can you tell me?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, you just heard from law enforcement that they thought they were in a hurry (ph) leaving that Knight`s Inn motel room. And let me show you what else they think. They believe they`re still in the county. Here`s why.

You see that hotel from the home, just about 2-and-a-half miles, the car abandoned about two-and-a-half miles away. Now, law enforcement does not think they have substantial cash or credit cards on them, so in order to travel, Nancy, they either, A, would have to be getting help, or B, have to commit some other crime, according to authorities.

GRACE: Take a listen to this 911 call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: What is your name?

TAMMY BRUCE, MOTHER: Tammy. I`m her mother -- Tammy Bruce.

911 OPERATOR: What is his name?

BRUCE: His name is Mark Edwards. He`s got her. And God, I hope this...

911 OPERATOR: You think he has her?

BRUCE: I`m almost positive.

911 OPERATOR: How old is your daughter?

BRUCE: She`s 14. She doesn`t know anybody out there!

911 OPERATOR: What is her name again?

BRUCE: Michaela Bruce. Oh, my God!

911 OPERATOR: Do you know what your daughter was wearing today?

BUSH: She had shorts on and a shorty top. She was just hanging around the house with her cat. And she goes to school on line, and I had to take her out of Northwestern because she was being bullied.

911 OPERATOR: What color shorts?

BUSH: I think they were, like, leopard print.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You are listening to the mom`s desperate 911 call when she realizes her 7th grade girl is gone. Alert. At this hour, Michaela believed to be with a 44-year-old white male cops say is a pedophile.

Take a look at this guy. Mark Edwards, age 44, 5-1, 135 pounds, black hair, brown eyes, believed to be armed and dangerous, a known survivalist.

With me right now, Tammy Bruce. This is Michaela`s mother. Tammy, thank you for being with us.

BUSH: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: I`m just sick, sick about this. Your little girl was being home schooled, correct? Because she was being bullied at school, you took her out?

BUSH: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: So she does not have a lot of -- I don`t know how to put this -- social skills dealing with other people. She`s just been taken out of school for being bullied, correct?

BUSH: Yes. She was being bullied about the first time that he took her.

GRACE: Everyone, what Ms. Bruce is talking about -- this guy apparently has tried to target this same child before. He was stopped. There were criminal charges against him.

Clark, what happened to that case?

GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, it all occurred in the span of about 90 minutes. Authorities say this gentleman took the girl from her bus stop, was tracked down 90 minutes later, and when they got to his truck, authorities say they were shocked at what they found.

Take a look behind me. This is the hall haul that authorities took in. You can see a taser there, guns, survival equipment. This guy is a survivalist. But perhaps most disturbing, Nancy, authorities also found condoms as the girl was hiding under a blanket.

GRACE: To Sheriff Gene A. Kelly, Clark County sheriff`s office. Sheriff, again, thank you for being with us. Charges were brought against him that time. Some judge let him out on a low bond. He gets out and goes after the same girl again.

When he was found, after your people busted him the first time, somebody lets him out on bond. He comes back after the same girl again. And in his truck the first time he takes this girl, they find rubbers. They found a whole host of evidence.

I`m just sick he got out of jail and he goes out after the same girl again, Sheriff!

KELLY: Well, he was currently out on $50,000 bond. He had a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, and a plea was offered. He refused that plea, and he is supposed to go -- or is supposed to go to trial next Tuesday. And tomorrow, we have a bond revocation hearing. He has an opportunity to be present, and we had to go through ALL the legal process to make sure that his attorney, at least, would be notified. I hope he does show up, but I doubt that he will unless he is in the Clark County jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a missing child. This man is a criminal. He had rented a motel at the Knight`s Inn. There was a machete found in the motel room. There was a book bag found in the motel room. Her identification was in there.

BUSH: I hope it comes out safe and that she`s OK and that he knows he`s going to be found and it ain`t going to be good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Where is Michaela? A 7th grade girl is with a 44-year-old pedophile, according to police. We are trying to help find her at this juncture. He already has one criminal charge against him, a felony charge, for abducting the same girl. He goes to jail. He gets out on a low bond. He goes right after the girl again.

In fact, isn`t it true, Sheriff Kelly, that when you approach his wife, she gives you his rental car information? She says he went and rented a car.

KELLY: That is true. She gave us the information and the license plate number. It had Kentucky plates. And we spotted it and tried to stop it, and he took off. And we called off the pursuit so we didn`t harm her, Michaela, or any other citizen.

GRACE: Joining me right now, in addition to Michaela`s mom, Tammy, Fred Stegner, joining us tonight. He spotted Michaela with the guy, with the pedophile, walking along the road.

Fred, thank you for being with us. What did you see, Fred?

FRED STEGNER, WITNESS (via telephone): Well, you know, I was driving along and I kind of turned my head because it was so cold out. And when someone`s walking along on the sidewalk, you kind of wonder.

And these two -- the girl was walking in front of the man. And of course, are not your average height. They`re, I think, 5-1, 5-2, something like that. And they were bundled up and they were just walking down the sidewalk in the cold weather.

So I run a soup kitchen, and right now, we`re in a warming center. I have a warming center for homeless. And they came in later on and asked for some food and something hot to drink, but then just turned around and went out. And of course, we didn`t know who they were at that time.

GRACE: With me is Fred Stegner, who is the director of this Springfield soup kitchen. Fred, when you observed them, how was the girl acting?

STEGNER: She was just complacent, just walking in front of the man. But when they came in the soup kitchen, the man was in front of her. So we really didn`t get a good look at her.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining me, Trent Copeland, LA, Peter Odom, defense attorney, Atlanta.

OK, Peter, what`s your defense? He`s already taken this girl once. He was apprehended. He was arrested, felony charges. Some -- let me just be blunt -- idiot let him out. Now he`s going after the same girl again, Peter Odom!

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it sounds as if he`s going to try the defense of, They can`t prove the case because the witness isn`t going to be there to testify against him.

GRACE: What do you mean?

ODOM: And I will tell you...

GRACE: You mean he`s going to kill her?

ODOM: No, no, no, no, no. He was probably trying to make her unavailable. And I`ll tell you, that`s going to be the biggest problem for...

GRACE: He had rubbers in his front seat!

ODOM: Nancy...

GRACE: That doesn`t sound to me like that`s what he`s up to, Peter!

ODOM: But if she doesn`t testify against him, they`re going to prove nothing.

GRACE: Disagree. Completely disagree. We don`t need her...

ODOM: Where`s the evidence -- but where`s the evidence...

GRACE: ... to testify -- well, you just heard...

ODOM: Where`s the evidence without her?

GRACE: ... Fred Stegner, who spotted them! We know she`s with this pedophile!

ODOM: It`s not illegal to go to a warming center and it`s not illegal to have rubbers in your car. And if she doesn`t testify...

GRACE: Well, what about taking a child...

ODOM: ... they`ve got no case.

GRACE: ... without her parents` consent? What about that, Peter Odom?

ODOM: If she doesn`t show up for trial, there will be no trial. The charges will be dropped.

GRACE: Well, there`s only way she`s not going to show up for trial.

TRENT COPELAND, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, wow. Wow.

GRACE: And that`s if he takes her out of the jurisdiction. What are you "Wow, wow, wowing" about, Copeland?

COPELAND: Well, look, I got to disagree, respectfully, with my defense brethren (sic) here. I mean, of course there`s going to be a trial. You can`t take a child without the custodial consent of the parent. You just can`t do that.

GRACE: So what`s your defense?

COPELAND: The defense is not going to be much of one unless this guy turns himself in very quickly. And when he does turn himself in, God willing, he comes back with this child.

I think what`s going to have to happen is that this guy, at the sentencing of this case -- he`s going to have to argue -- the lawyer`s going to have to argue that, look, this guy`s got some sort of diminished capacity. This guy`s...

GRACE: Put him up!

COPELAND: ... got some sort of arrested development.

GRACE: Put him up!

COPELAND: Some sort of arrested development.

GRACE: He had...

COPELAND: Arrested development. He`s 5-feet-1.

GRACE: ... the wherewithal to go rent a car...

COPELAND: There`s no question about that.

GRACE: ... to run from police, nearly killed a girl trying to get away from police, to hide her behind him when he goes in the soup kitchen, to get out, not stay there, not have a conversation.

COPELAND: Yes, no question about that.

GRACE: He doesn`t have diminished capacity!

COPELAND: No question about that. Just because, Nancy...

GRACE: Then why did you say it?

COPELAND: ... you`re able to -- just because you`re able...

GRACE: Then why did you even...

COPELAND: ... to carry out...

GRACE: ... bring it up. It`s not true!

COPELAND: Just because you`re able -- no, it is true. And just because you`re able to carry out some kind of plan, some systematic plan, doesn`t mean...

GRACE: People like you...

COPELAND: ... you don`t have diminished capacity.

GRACE: ... is why he`s out...

COPELAND: I think there`s going to be...

GRACE: ... to start with!

COPELAND: ... some sort of -- no, that`s not true, Nancy, because...

GRACE: Yes, it is true!

COPELAND: ... believe it or not, I believe that this judge made a mistake by having that bail so low. I think the bail should have been higher. But the reality is, a lawyer`s going to have to argue something, and the argument is going to have to be that this guy...

GRACE: Really?

COPELAND: ... has some sort of...

GRACE: Why does the lawyer...

COPELAND: ... arrested development.

GRACE: ... have to argue something? Do you all have a gun on you, trained on your head?

COPELAND: Because that`s what we do. That`s what we do...

GRACE: Yes, but does that...

COPELAND: ... in our legal system.

GRACE: ... make it right? Does that make it right?

COPELAND: That`s what we do in our legal system. It doesn`t make it right, but the reality is, there`s -- on both sides of that V (ph), on both sides of that equation, there`s a prosecutor, there`s a defense lawyer.

GRACE: Out to Bethany Marshall, Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, author of "Dealbreakers." Bethany, my head is spinning when I hear the lawyers just making up arguments where there`s not a scintilla of evidence to support he has diminished capacity or -- what does that mean, he`s crazy?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Oh...

GRACE: This guy goes and gets this little girl. The parents try to keep him away. He`s arrested. He`s got felony charges. He is a pedophile, according to police. He gets out and goes straight after the same little girl!

MARSHALL: Nancy, I so disagree with my friend, Trent. This guy does not have a diminished capacity. He had condoms with him, a taser, a machete. He groomed this girl over time. The sad fact is, he has a sexual preoccupation with her. He is a pedophile. He`s a sex offender. And the poor prognosis for this situation lies in the fact that he`s a survivalist. And what that tells me is...

GRACE: I agree, Bethany.

MARSHALL: ... he`s anti-society, and he has brainwashed her to feel that the two of them are...

GRACE: And another thing...

MARSHALL: ... in it together...

GRACE: Bethany...

MARSHALL: Yes?

GRACE: Do I have to bring up Elizabeth Smart? Because people that saw Elizabeth Smart with Wanda Barzee and her crazy husband that took Elizabeth Smart -- they didn`t realize what was going on because the child was conditioned not to speak. So when people see these two together, they`re not even going to think there`s a problem.

MARSHALL: Well, not only that, but the owner of the motel thought that she was an adult, thought she was his wife. So apparently, she`s quite mature-looking.

GRACE: Hold on. Tammy Bruce -- Tammy Bruce is Michaela`s mom. How disgusted were you when you learned this guy`s out on bond?

BUSH: I was very concerned. And that`s -- she`s 14 years old. She`s in the 9th grade. Yes, she looks maturer than she is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That evening that our 14-year-old child disappeared, he had rented a car. His wife actually rented a car that had Kentucky plates. She gave us that information. We started canvassing all the hotels and motels in Springfield, found where he rented a motel at the Knight`s Inn, and we actually backed our cars off, hoping that he would return with her...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Joining me right now is the sheriff in that jurisdiction, Sheriff Gene Kelly. Sheriff, what`s so disturbing about this is not only was he arrested the first time he went after this girl, put in jail on felony charges, thanks to your people, he gets out on bond, parents distraught, he goes after her again. And there`s a restraining order against him, correct?

KELLY: There was a court-ordered protection order that he was to stay away from her, have no contact with her. And apparently, he had made contact, and she was in contact with him probably almost daily.

GRACE: Everyone, tip line, 937-328-2560.

And back to you Clark Goldband. What more do you have?

GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, authorities are combing the area even with K9s because here`s the thing. They didn`t think they could get that far away from this few -- mile radius in Ohio. But they`re urging the public that if you do come into contact with either of these folks, to call authorities right away, should be considered extremely (ph) armed and dangerous.

GRACE: Tip line, 937-328-2560.

When we come back, a maintenance worker spots a white plastic trash bag after he hears a baby animal. It`s a baby, all right, but not an animal, a newborn baby boy in a dumpster!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: And now to Houston. An eagle-eye maintenance worker spots a trash bag after he hears a baby animal in the trash. It`s a baby, all right, but not an animal, a newborn baby boy, umbilical cord still attached, thrown away in a dumpster like he`s trash!

Right now, we learn Mommy says she gives birth in a bathtub and thinks her newborn baby boy was dead, so she throws him away!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The person who left a newborn to die.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stuffed into an overflowing dumpster. Police located her. Neighbors suspect it was the same young woman who appeared pregnant but tried to hide it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She need to go to jail and serve her time for her child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: She thought the baby was -- was dead, so she throws the baby away into the dumpster. OK. Mommy says she didn`t know she was pregnant. That she gave birth in the bathtub, she thinks the baby is dead, so she throws him away like he`s trash.

Justin Freiman, did I get that right?

JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, you`ve got that right. She actually told the CPS workers that she gave birth in a bathtub and cut the umbilical cord herself and then placed the baby in a dumpster.

GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing the dumpster where an infant child was found, umbilical cord still attached, and tonight the mom says she thought the baby was dead so she throws the baby away.

Joining me right now, Nik Raikovic from KTRH.

Nik, thank you for being with us. Explain to me how she didn`t snow she was pregnant.

NIK RAIKOVIC, NEWS REPORTER, KTRH RADIO: All we know, Nancy, is that she explained to police that she was gaining weight but didn`t think anything of it. That`s all she`s told authorities so far.

GRACE: Well, when you give birth, that is a pretty good idea that you`re pregnant. And when you go for eight months without a menstrual period, I mean, Nik, that never popped into her mind?

RAIKOVIC: Apparently not. But I think, as we learn more details about the father in this story, maybe we`ll learn a little bit why she didn`t tell anybody in the first place.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Trent Copeland, Peter Odom, also with us, Dr. Bethany Marshall. Dr. Bethany.

All right, Peter Odom, she said she didn`t know she was pregnant. She thinks the baby is dead. So she throws the baby away.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes.

GRACE: Thoughts?

ODOM: Well, my thoughts are that this is just so horribly tragic. No one is going to believe that story, Nancy. I mean, as you point out, it`s patently false. What troubles me about this case so much is how isolated this woman was in her pregnancy. The father had abandoned her, her own parents had abandoned her, she was living with an aunt, and imagine she`s giving -- she is a high school student and she`s giving birth alone in a hotel room. And she did the ghastly desperate, desperate thing.

GRACE: OK. Hold on. Whoa, whoa, back it up. Back it up. I understand that you are garnering sympathy for the mother. I understand that.

ODOM: I`m just talking about the facts of the case, Nancy.

GRACE: The fact that you seem to be leaving out is that she tried to murder a baby.

ODOM: Yes.

GRACE: That`s a problem, Peter.

ODOM: Nancy, I mean, those are the facts of the case.

GRACE: So the fact that --

ODOM: What she did was horribly --

GRACE: She had abandonment issues in her past, I feel bad about that.

ODOM: Well --

GRACE: But the answer to -- Bethany, the answer to abandonment issues is not to try and murder an infant child, I don`t think.

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": And this wasn`t just an attempted murder, this was an aggressive attack on a child. I so disagree with Peter Odom about the fact that early abandonment and lack of support and all of this led to this.

Women who commit infanticide notoriously deny the presence of the -- of the fetus in utero. They do not want to know they`re pregnant. They lie to the people around them and by the time they give birth to the baby, they think of it as an "it" or a thing. They`re not even bonded or attached with the infant.

Just to put this in context, not only did she give birth in a bathtub, she cut the umbilical cord herself. The baby was probably crying like newborns do. She stuffed it in a trash bag while it was crying. It`s an aggressive attack.

GRACE: Out to the line, Pamela in Pennsylvania. Hi, Pamela, what`s your question?

PAMELA, CALLER FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Hi, Nancy, my question is, what was she thinking? I mean, the baby was obviously born alive, then she -- even if she thought the baby was dead, why didn`t she reach out for help?

GRACE: To Dr. William Morrone, medical examiner and forensic pathologist, joining me out of Madison Heights.

Dr. Morrone, thanks for being with us. I mean, the first instinct a baby has is to cry, to gulp for air and cry. The baby was crying in the dumpster. It was crying. It was totally wrapped up and tied in a white plastic bag and the baby by that point was purple when the maintenance worker found the baby. The baby was dying. It was crying. So she had to hear the baby crying. She knew the baby wasn`t dead.

DR. WILLIAM R. MORRONE, MEDICAL EXAMINER; FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST, TOXICOLOGIST: The first instinct is to maintain life, to cry, to scream, to take air in, and for somebody to not know that that is truly diminished capacity but beyond the baby she had to deliver a placenta and that`s -- you could hurt yourself.

Nobody knows how to deliver. Midwives have been doing it for thousands of years, but individually, teenagers don`t know how to do this. This is a -- this is tragic.

GRACE: Well, the tragic part is that -- it is a now turning 17-year-old girl. But to say she thought the baby was dead so she just threw it away.

Trent Copeland, that doesn`t even make sense. The fact that she`s lying suggests that she knew she was doing something horribly wrong.

TRENT COPELAND, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, look, Nancy, you know, I can`t believe what I`m hearing on the panel tonight. I mean, look, there is a possibility that when she gave birth to the child, that the child did not take a breath in her mind and that the child did not make a sound in her mind, that sounded like the life of a child. That sounded like a child who had some life. So there is a possibility, although remote, that this child could have been, in her mind, born stillborn and maybe dead.

Now look, it`s a leap. It`s a tough sell for a defense lawyer but I think this is what this lawyer is going to have to argue on her behalf. And remember, she gets a defense, too. And the truth is she was a teenager giving birth in a bathtub to a child. It very well could have been that she had a difficult time.

GRACE: Joining me is Nik Reikovic from KTRH.

Where is the baby tonight? The father is 22 years old. I hope he`s not with the father. I hope he`s away from both of these people.

RAIKOVIC: No, Nancy. The father, as you said, is 22 years old, the girl claiming she hasn`t spoke to that man for six months but a judge yesterday did grant temporary custody to the Child Protective Services here in Houston. They are trying to find out whether they`re going to give it to a family member or what`s going to happen next to this young baby.

GRACE: What is the condition of the baby tonight, Nik?

RAIKOVIC: At last check, the baby is doing fine and well. Just a normal bouncing baby boy.

GRACE: And where is the mother that threw the baby in the dumpster and left it for dead?

RAIKOVIC: Well, the mother was taken to the hospital probably because of complications because of giving birth by herself.

GRACE: Right.

RAIKOVIC: And so last I checked, she was still in the hospital. She was due to get out soon, though.

GRACE: Guys, look, I`m not coming down -- Bethany, I feel sympathy for the mother, I do. But the sentence is not to throw a helpless child into the dumpster like it is trash and leave it to die. That is not the answer.

MARSHALL: I do not feel -- I don`t feel sorry for the mother. She had resources, she probably had a pediatrician, a doctor, a nurse, she had friends, she had teachers, didn`t she have a grandmother she was living with? The person to feel sorry for is this little baby.

A 16-year-old has the capacity with empathy and to bond and to care about a little life so I think we are focusing on the wrong person here.

GRACE: When we come back, a 3-year-old little girl mauled to death by the family pet. Even after mommy`s desperate fight to wrestle the pet off little Braelynn. Tonight criminal charges against mommy and daddy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Once again we hear about a little child mauled to death by a dangerous dog.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The boy, playing video games with his brother one moment then savagely attacked by the family`s pit bulls the next.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This is the pit bull Boulder City Police say bit off four of a one-month-old baby`s toes.

GRACE: A South Carolina community in shock after four pit bulls maul a 1- year-old baby to death.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Three-year-old Braelynn Coulter was mauled to death by the family`s pit bull.

GRACE: Pit bull`s a deadly weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A 3-year-old little girl, a toddler, mauled to death by the family pet. This is after mommy`s desperate attempts to save the child, even being mauled herself trying to save her child.

Tonight we hear that neighbors claim they`ve been afraid of the family dog, a pit bull, for some time. Even keeping their children and their pets inside. And recently a neighbor claims the dog attacked their dog viciously.

Are charges being considered against mommy and daddy?

To Rita Cosby, investigative journalists -- Rita, what do you know?

RITA COSBY, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, AUTHOR OF "QUIET HERO": Well, it`s such a terrible story. Three-year-old Braelynn Coulter goes outside to play with the family dog, two pit bull terriers and her mother hears her screaming and is being brutally attacked all over her abdomen and when mom desperately tries to pull the dog off of her she was attack so that mom had 17 stitches. It is just a horrible story.

GRACE: Everyone, we are taking your calls. Tonight we learn that within the neighborhood the neighbors claim they were afraid of this dog. They kept their children and their pets indoors.

Justin Freiman, what do we know?

FREIMAN: That`s right, Nancy. We`ve been told from neighbors that they actually were scared of this dog. And when they saw that the dog was outside, some of them would actually make sure they kept their kids inside.

GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing a shot of the home. It is a beautiful neighborhood. The 3-year-old little girl mauled dead by the family pet.

Out to the lines. Amanda in Maine. Hi, Amanda, what`s your question?

AMANDA, CALLER FROM MAINE: Hi, Nancy. I just love your show. Let me say that.

GRACE: Thank you.

AMANDA: But I have more of a comment. My son was also attacked by a pit bull when he was 3 and had to undergo facial reconstructive surgery. He is now 7 but the scars have forever changed his life, you know, they`re very apparent, and I feel like if the family knew this dog was a danger, they should have gotten rid of it because even though it may be like a family member, it could still, of course, do something like this and it`s very tragic and sad.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Trent Copeland, L.A., Peter Odom, Atlanta.

I hear what the caller is saying, but this mother risked her own life to save the daughter. She just couldn`t. The pit bulls` jaws are like a vice. You can`t get them open. She was attacked herself trying to save her daughter. I don`t think criminal charges are appropriate.

COPELAND: Nancy, I don`t have a problem with this. Let me play prosecutor for a moment. I happen to believe, and look, my sympathies go out to this family, they`ve lost their young daughter. But the reality is, this dog is just like a loaded weapon. If the neighbors have enough sense to keep their children indoors because this dog has demonstrated propensities of violence and people know that this dog is out there and is vicious, then clearly these parents have to know that this dog has got some problems. So the reality is --

GRACE: Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

COPELAND: Look, I`m looking at criminal charges in this case.

GRACE: There is a dog in my neighborhood --

COPELAND: And I think those criminal charges are proper.

GRACE: -- that I don`t like and it is a pit bull and I stay away from it. I keep the children from it.

COPELAND: Well, why don`t you like the dog?

GRACE: Because I know it`s a pit bull. But the fact that I don`t like the dog and I don`t like the children being around it, it has never done anything. The fact that neighbors were afraid of this pit bull does not put the parents on notice.

COPELAND: Of course it puts the parents on notice.

GRACE: No, it doesn`t.

COPELAND: Because we don`t know exactly what was happening in that neighborhood. If these parents clearly knew that this dog has had problems --

GRACE: You`re trying to blame the parents to something the dog did.

COPELAND: No, no, I`m trying to blame the parents for having a vicious animal in their home when they`ve got a young child and that animal has demonstrated propensities for being vicious towards even the neighbors. The neighbors knew well enough to keep that dog indoors.

GRACE: Everyone, when we come back, a dad of two goes to a payphone and threatens to blow up Hershey Arena when he can`t get tickets to "One Direction". The boy band? To threaten to blow up the whole stadium from a payphone?

Daddy, really, a bomb threat? You`re busted.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A dad takes matters into his own hands because he couldn`t get the tickets he wanted. He decides if he can`t go with his kids, no one can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: So he threatens to blow up Hershey Stadium.

Clark Goldband, what do you know?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Nancy, you`re talking about chocolate town, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Hershey Park Stadium, 17,000 fans can fit into this place and everyone was pumped for the One Direction concert but then suddenly authorities get a call.

It`s a bomb threat. They say there is a bomb in the facility. It immediately goes on lockdown. Authorities search every single customer coming to this concert. But it`s important to point out that this dad and his two daughters weren`t going to the concert because he could not get tickets that he promised his daughters.

GRACE: To Thomas Thornton, defense attorney for William Klein, the dad who`s accused of a bomb threat.

Thomas, what happened?

THOMAS THORNTON, ATTORNEY FOR DAD WHO MADE BOMB THREAT: Well, it`s a -- it`s a difficult situation and when you have children and I know many people do, and you have daughters especially, and they become infatuated with a certain band, the stress they feel becomes very real to the dad and when they start complaining to the dad and telling the dad that they will never speak to him again if he doesn`t get the tickets that he had promised months ago, sometimes people make bad decisions.

GRACE: A bad decision, OK. What you should do, Thomas, is if this gets to trial, load the jury with parents.

Rita Cosby, so dad can`t get tickets for his kids to One Direction boy band, see, to me, maybe that`s a blessing. I don`t know. But he goes -- of course he doesn`t use his own cell phone, he goes to a payphone at a gas station with no surveillance camera. There is no way to trace this thing and makes a bomb threat on Hershey Stadium. Problem.

COSBY: Yes, huge problem. And also, Nancy, they were able to trace that call to a 7-Eleven. He said that he was just driving there and then suddenly he was so distraught and is even using the uncontrolled teenage rage defense. But as a result of him making this call, they did get it on surveillance video. The whole stadium had to have everybody`s bags checked. Imagine the terrible inconvenience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Authorities put a Pennsylvania concert venue on lockdown. 47-year-old father of two William Klein tries to solve the problem with a bomb threat. Promising to blow up the stadium.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I`m telling you, no jury would ever believe that was a motive for a bomb threat. But long story short, all of you parents who went to the line too long on Ticketmaster, or wherever you`re waiting to get those tickets, this dad doesn`t get tickets to boy band One Direction for his children, he calls and makes a bomb threat threatening to blow up Hershey Stadium. So he went to a payphone. There wasn`t a surveillance camera there.

So, Clark Goldband, how did cops figure out it was this dad?

GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, here`s the deal. He`s driving into the 7-Eleven, decides to purchase some lotto tickets, and then it hits him, that he`s going to call in this bomb threat. But here`s the thing, the box office traced that number. Gave the number to authorities, authorities were then able to determine it came from a payphone outside the 7-Eleven. He couldn`t see Zain, Harry and the boys in One Direction and that`s how authorities tracked him down.

GRACE: No, wait, this is what I don`t get. So they track it back to a payphone, but how do they know who was at that phone at that moment or was it that immediate, Clark?

GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, it appears they were able to determine through surveillance they could I.D. this gentleman according to reports. He purchases lotto tickets at this location.

GRACE: Whoa. Whoa. He was busted because of his lotto tickets?

GOLDBAND: Well, he was going there --

GRACE: So he buys lotto tickets and makes a bomb threat at the same time?

GOLDBAND: According to reports, Nancy, you hit the nail on the head.

GRACE: OK. Dr. Bethany, I`m not even going to bother going to the lawyers, but the reality is he just needs anger management, that`s what he needs.

MARSHALL: I hope he goes One Direction, straight to jail, because I wouldn`t want to be on this guy`s bad side.

Seriously, Nancy, I mean, I would think about intermittent explosive disorder, some psychiatrically driven condition like bipolar, something like that but --

GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember, American hero, Army Staff Sergeant Mark Stets Jr., 39, El Cajon, California, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Commendation medal, Army Achievement medal, loved motorcycles, parents Mark and Nancy, widow Nina, daughters Jessica, December and Rachel.

Mark Stets Jr. American hero.

Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night. 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END

Michaela Bruce case: Latest news, Twitter updates

Michaela Bruce, 14,  disappeared on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, and is believed to be with 44-year-old Mark Edwards. Here is the latest on the Michaela Bruce case including news and Twitter updates.


Click for Michaela Bruce Latest News





You may also see a video from HLN's Nancy Grace below.

Missing Child: Twitter Updates, Latest News

With the advent of social media networking taking over news broadcasts, I've found that by embedding search results for key terms, we can find the latest missing children case news and updates.



This is the Twitter search for "missing child." It updates every second and is an easy way to see missing child cases as they are tweeted.

Websleuths: Hot Cases

Eric Hartwell: Escaped sex offender convicted of raping 6-year-old captured (video)

Child rapist Eric Hartwell captured
An escaped child rapist who cut off his ankle-monitoring bracelet and fled a halfway-house in Colorado was captured today in Virginia. Eric Hartwell is a convicted, sex offender serving life on parole. News of a reward for his capture surfaced on Twitter, after the U.S. Marshals service turned to the public's help in finding the pedophile. Hartwell was deemed to be dangerous and  many feared he would remain on the run

News of Hartwell's capture is still coming in. Reporter Julie Hayden posted an announcement on Twitter.  She tweeted, "US Marshals tracked wanted sex offender Eric Hartwell to Motel 6 in Norfolk Va. Kicked in door and arrested him."
and hurt more children.

You may see a video report by Jane Velez-Mitchell while Hartwell was still on the run.


 

Hailey Owens case: New Judge for Craig Wood (photos, videos)

Craig Wood is every defense attorney's worst dream, as he was literally caught, red-handed at the scene where Hailey Owens' murdered body was found. Hailey Owens was abducted by a man who fit Wood's description, driving the vehicle he used and that was registered to his parents, and whom several eye-witnesses reported seeing pull Hailey Owens into his vehicle on Feb. 18, 2013. It was his basement where
Craig Wood
investigators found the 10-year-old's body stuffed in two garbage bags then placed inside a storage container. A pool of blood was at the bottom of the container. Police detected the stench of bleach outside the home, on Wood's clothing and throughout the basement area. When authorities arrived to question Wood, he was pulling into his driveway and was holding a roll of duct tape. Authorities took him for questioning and he had what appeared to be blood on his clothing.

How anyone plans to defend Craig Wood remains to be seen, but it is doubtful this will be another "Jose Baez" case. While many were shocked that Jose Baez successfully defended Casey Anthony and won her acquittal, the truth is he had a lot to work with. There was virtually no physical evidence in the Casey Anthony case or the death of Caylee. By the time Caylee Anthony's remains were located, there was no way to determine how she died. This gave Jose Baez room to "create" "craft" or "come up" with a suitable defense. Of course, Baez would say he only told the truth in the case, but you see my point. There is no "breathing room" for Wood's defense attorney to "create" "craft" or "come up" with another scenario.

This appears to be an open and closed case.

Hailey Owens Candlelight Memorial March (videos, photos)

While there is current debate underway as to whether Wood's alleged million dollar trust fund should prohibit him from using a public defender, we know one thing: There is a new judge in the case. Last week, Greene County Associate Circuit Judge Dan Imhof presided over Wood's first appearance, but Judge Imhof has removed himself from the case. Associate Circuit Judge Jason Brown is now handling the case.

Hailey Owens
Hailey Owens' abduction and murder has shaken the residents of Springfield, Missouri and the nation to its core. This was a case of "stranger danger" in its truest form. What is more heartbreaking is that there were people who witnessed the attack, tried to stop the suspect, and police located the suspect at his home. The murder happened so quickly, one wonders if anyone could have truly prevented it.

Some feel the Amber Alert system failed and when a child is abducted it's natural to ask what could have been done differently.


While many want to point fingers and blame, the ultimate truth is the blame needs to be placed on the person who orchestrated this attack. While suspects are innocent until proven guilty, there is already so much evidence against Wood, that authorities didn't wait for any confirming, scientific evidence before arresting him.

Could an Amber Alert have saved Hailey Owens sooner? In my best guess, I think the only thing that would have made a difference would have been if Wood's had been the registrar of his vehicle rather than his parents. Should his have been the address that first showed up, authorities would have found him sooner. It seems to me that time was lost due to the fact authorities had to go through his parents in order to find him.

But ultimately, there is only one person to blame for the death of Hailey Owens, and that is the man who abducted and murdered her.

Craig Wood was scheduled to return to court on March 19 and April 7, but now that there is a new judge presiding, those hearings will be rescheduled.

Click here for Photos, Videos and Twitter Updates in the Hailey Owens Case



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Chelsea King Latest News, Twitter Updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Chelsea King case. John Albert Gardner III is serving two life sentences for the abductions, rapes and murders of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.





 

Amber Dubois case: Latest news and Twitter updates

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Amber Dubois case. Sex offender John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty to the rapes and murders of both Amber Dubois and Chelsea King. He
has been sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.


Hailey Dunn case: Latest News, Twitter Updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Hailey Dunn case.




 

Jessica Ridgeway case: Latest News, Twitter Updates

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Jessica Ridgeway case. Austin Sigg was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 86 years for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering the 10-year-old girl.

Hailey Owens case; Latest news, Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Hailey Owens case.




Caylee Anthony case: Latest news, Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates in the Caylee Anthony case.



 

Jessica Lunsford case: Latest news and Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates regarding the Jessica Lunsford case. John Couey was sentenced to death for First degree murder, burglary with assault or battery upon any person,
kidnapping, sexual battery on a child less than 12 years old. He died in prison from anal cancer.

Polly Klaas case: Latest news, Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and twitter updates regarding the abduction and murder of Polly Klaas. Richard Allen Davis was convicted of Murder with special circumstances (robbery, burglary,
kidnapping and lewd act upon a child). He is currently on death row.


Somer Thompson case: Latest News, Twitter Updates (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news and Twitter updates regarding the Somer Thompson case. Jarred Harrell pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping and murdering the 7-year-old, Florida girl, whom he abducted
while she walked home from school.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Hailey Owens case: Candlelight vigils, marches and memorials (photos, videos)

Hailey Owens' favorite color was pink and purple and over the weekend, thousands of people wore those colors as they gathered in Springfield, Missouri to remember the child whose life was violently and senselessly snatched away. Estimates say more than 10,000 showed their solidarity

Some sang "This Little Light of Mine" and wore yellow ribbons while marching by candlelight.
You may see videos and photos from the vigil below.




  Candlelight Vigils, Marches and Memorials

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Jaycee Dugard Latest News, Twitter Updates

Welcome Home Jaycee Dugard! You are a hope and inspiration to all who pray for the safe return of missing children.

Jaycee Dugard is no longer missing, but you can still follow the latest news and updates regarding her life!



Jaycee Dugard Latest News and Twitter Updates  

Jaycee Dugard Case: Charisse Van Horn

Jaycee Lee Dugard pictures, photos, and slideshow

August 28, 2009
 
 Pictures, photos, slideshows, and videos of Jaycee Dugard and daughtersJaycee Lee Dugard private prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow and videoJaycee Lee Dugard: Private Prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow, and video   Jaycee Lee Dugard was found after being kidnapped...
Continue



Jaycee Dugard, child kidnapped in 1991, comes home


August 27, 2009

Pictures, photos, slideshows, and videos of Jaycee Dugard and daughters Jaycee Lee Dugard private prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow and video Jaycee Lee Dugard: Private Prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow, and video It is truly a miracle, Jaycee Dugard, a...
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Jaycee Dugard kidnapper, Phillip Garrido fathered two children with her video


August 27, 2009

Jaycee Dugard kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, kept her and her two daughers in a makeshift tent in his backyard Nancy Garrido: DOB 7/18/1955 Phillip Garrido: DOB 4/05/1951 Pictures, photos, slideshows, and videos of Jaycee Dugard and daughters...
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Jaycee Dugard Press Conference: Phillip Garrido and wife, Nancy Garrido in custody video


August 27, 2009

Jaycee Dugard Press Conference Phillip Garrido Nancy Garrido  Pictures, photos, slideshows, and videos of Jaycee Dugard and daughtersJaycee Lee Dugard private prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow and videoJaycee Lee Dugard: Private Prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow, and video  ...
Continue


Jaycee Lee Dugard: Interview with her stepfather, Carl Probyn speaks about Phillip Garrido


August 28, 2009

  Pictures, photos, slideshows, and videos of Jaycee Dugard and daughters Jaycee Lee Dugard private prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow and video Jaycee Lee Dugard: Private Prison backyard photos, pictures, slideshow, and video Jaycee Lee Dugard: Kidnapped girl home, stepfather...
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Madeleine McCann latest news, Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Here is the latest news and Twitter updates regarding the Madeleine McCann case.







  Madeleine McCann Twitter Updates, Latest News

Etan Patz Latest News and Twitter Updates (photos, videos)

Here is the latest news and twitter updates regarding the Etan Patz case.


Etan Patz Case: Twitter Updates, Latest News

Kyron Horman latest news updates, Twitter (photos, videos)

Here are the latest news updates on the Kyron Horman case.





Ayla Reynolds latest news updates on Twitter (videos, photos)

Ayla Reynold went missing from Waterville, Maine on Dec. 16, 2011. She was under her father's care, Justin DiPietro. Ayla's mother, Trista Reynolds, had been in a drug rehabilitation program since October 2011 and filed for custody of her daughter. Ayla Reynolds was born on April 4, 2010, and was 20 months old at the time of her disappearance.

Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, stated that he last saw his daughter at their home, located at 29 Violette Avenue, Waterville, Maine at approximately 10 pm, on Dec. 16, 2011 when she was in her crib. Little Ayla's arm was broken and she had a splint and wore a sling. She was reported as missing wearing onsie-style pajamas that had the words "Daddy's Princess" on them. Reports say that Ayla fell approximately three weeks before her disappearance and broke her arm. It wasn't until Dec. 17, 2011 at approximately 8:51 a.m. that DiPietro reported Ayla missing. He called 911 and told authorities his daughter was missing from her crib.

Authorities with local police, emergency fire responders and the Maine Warden Service began to search the area while police began searching for the child, clues and evidence within the home. By Dec. 18, 2011, local volunteers began conducting neighborhood searches. Police began conducting interviews with those who were in the home the night of Ayla's disappearance. Those in the home included Ayla's father Justin DiPietro, his sister and Ayla's aunt, Elisha DiPietra and Justin DiPietro's girlfriend Courtney Roberts. Authorities conducted air searches, searched in the Messalonskee Stream and continued ground searches, but to no avail. Ayla was not located.

Though tips continued to pour in and investigators continued their searches, no clues as to Ayla's whereabouts were discovered. Justin DiPietro issued a statement denying any knowledge of his daughter's whereabouts.

Justin DiPietro Statement

"First, I'd like to thank everyone involved for their continued support in finding our daughter, Ayla.

I have no idea what happened to Ayla, or who is responsible. I will not make accusations or insinuations towards anyone until the police have been able to prove who's responsible for this.

Ayla was in my sole custody at the time of her disappearance per agreement between her mother and I because she was temporarily unable to care for Ayla. I have shared every piece of information possible with the police. Contrary to some statements floating around out there, I have been in communication with Ayla's mother over the last couple of weeks. The Waterville police have the transcripts from my phone for verification of those communications.

It has always been my intention to have a shared parenting arrangement with Ayla's mother and I will continue to work towards that when Ayla is returned to us.

My family and friends will continue to do everything we can to assist in this investigation and to get Ayla back home.

We appreciate the media respecting our privacy at this time. If anyone has any information that might be helpful, please contact Waterville police at 207-680-4700."














 Ayla Reynolds Case: Latest News Updates

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Video report: Craig Wood first court appearance

On Feb. 21, 2014, the only suspect in the Hailey Owens abduction and murder had his first court appearance via video conferencing. Appearing before Judge Dan Imhof at the Greene County Court, the hearing was short and it was learned that Wood would not be granted bail. Public
Craig Wood charged with first-degree murder
defender Chris Hatley represents Chris Michael Wood, though assistant prosecutor Todd Myers challenged the use of a public defender after learning that Wood has a $1 million trust.


"I think he can afford his own attorney," Myers said to the agreement of many who are outraged by Wood's challenges and Hailey Owens' senseless murder.

Craig Wood returns to court on March 19, 2014, then will have a preliminary hearing on April 7, 2014.




 You may watch a video report below.



 Craig Michael Wood First Court Appearance 

Friday, February 21, 2014

Hailey Owens case: Read Craig Wood search warrant documents, child pornography found in home

The following is the Search warrant for Craig Wood's house that was obtained on Feb. 19, 2014. The search warrant led to the recovery of physical evidence involving the murder of Hailey Owens and her case, as well as a number of weapons, ammunition, spent bullet casings, and a collection of child pornography. It is unclear, but the search warrant indicates that Craig Wood possibly wrote down plans for criminal activity involving a child and sex acts.

He had multiple guns as well.

You may read the full Craig Wood search warrant in PDF format below.




SEARCH WARRANT TO SEARCH FOR
OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE
STATE OF MISSOURI ) ) COUNTY OF GREENE )
THE STATE OF MISSOURI TO ANY PEACE OFFICER IN THE STATE OF MISSOURI
WHEREAS, on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 an application in writing, duly verified by the written oath or affirmation of Chris Barb, a peace officer, was filed with the undersigned Judge, stating upon information and belief that:
THE FOLLOWING PROPERTY, ARTICLES, MATERIALS, OR SUBSTANCES TO BE SEARCHED FOR ARE EVIDENCE OF THE COMMISSION OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE:
Computers; digital media storage devices; compact discs; dvd’s; cellular telephones; cameras; digital cameras; video cameras; bleach; cleaning chemicals; cleaning products including but not limited to vacuums, brooms, brushes, towels, sponges, etc.; receipts for cleaning products; cleaning trash bags; receipts for trash bags; bedding; mattress; pillow(s); plastic storage containers; any firearm; ammunition; spent ammunition; spent ammunition casings; instrument or object capable of discharging a projectile; projectiles; gunshot residue; images/photographs of pornography and/or child pornography; photo albums; writings including but not limited to papers, letters, journals, diaries, etc. documenting criminal plans, activities, and/or desires.
AND ARE NOW PRESENT AT THE FOLLOWING PREMISES TO BE SEARCHED:
1538 E. Stanford St. in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. The residence is the second structure west of Delaware Av. on the south side of Stanford St. The structure at 1538 E. Stanford is a single-family dwelling. The exterior of the structure is covered in white siding and black window shutters. There is a gray shingled roof on the residence. The front of the structure faces to the north toward Stanford St. There is a recessed, covered concrete porch on the north side of the residence. There is a wooden screen door and a white front door which face east.
The numerals 1538 are clearly displayed on a support post of the covered front porch. There is a detached one-car garage or outbuilding on the property, immediately southwest of the residence. There is a tan or gold colored Ford Ranger truck parked in the driveway immediately west of the structure. The truck is displaying Missouri license plate lYF 454. The search is to include the structure, outbuilding, vehicle, and physical property located at 1538 E. Stanford St.


WHEREAS, the Judge of this Court from the verified allegations of the written application and affidavit(s) filed With it has found that there is probable cause to believe the allegations of the application and affidavit to be true and probable cause exists for the issuance of a search warrant for evidence of a criminal offense.


NOW, THEREFORE, this is to command you that you search the premises described above within ten (10) days after the issuance of this warrant by day or night, and take with you, if need be, the power of your county. If the above described property, articles, materials or substances or any part of it be found upon the premises by you, then you seize, photograph, or copy it and take said property, photograph, or copy into your possession making a complete and accurate inventory of the property seized, photographed, or copied. You shall give to the person from Whose possession you seize, photograph, or copy said property a receipt for same together with a copy of this warrant, or if no person be present, you shall leave a copy of said receipt and warrant on the premises in a conspicuous place, and you shall return the property, photograph, or copy taken by you, a duly verified copy of the inventory of it and your return to this warrant, to this Court to be dealt with in accordance with law.

I, Chris Barb, a peace officer, solemnly swear, declare and affirm, knowing that false statements made in this document are punishable under law as a violation of §575.060, RSMo, and make the following application for issuance of a Search Warrant, pursuant to the provisions of §542.26l, RSMo. et seq., and Article I, 15 of the Missouri Constitution, supported by this written oath and affirmation and state based upon information and belief that:



THE FOLLOWING PROPERTY, ARTICLES, MATERIALS, OR SUBSTANCES TO BE SEARCHED FOR:

Computers; digital media storage devices; compact discs; dvd’s; cellular telephones; cameras; digital cameras; video cameras; bleach; cleaning chemicals; cleaning products including but not limited to vacuums, brooms, brushes, towels, sponges, etc.; receipts for cleaning products; cleaning trash bags; receipts for trash bags; bedding; mattress; pillow(s); plastic storage containers; any firearm; ammunition; spent ammunition; spent ammunition casings; instrument or object capable of discharging a projectile; projectiles; gunshot residue; images/photographs of pornography and/or child pornography; photo albums; writings including but not limited to papers, letters, journals, diaries, etc. documenting criminal plans, activities, and/or desires.

ARE NOW PRESENT AT THE FOLLOWING PREMISES TO BE SEARCHED:
1538 E. Stanford St. in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. The residence is the second structure west of Delaware Av. on the south side of Stanford St. The structure at 1538 E. Stanford is a single-family dwelling. The exterior of the structure is covered in white siding and black window shutters. There is a gray shingled roof on the residence. The front of the structure faces to the north toward Stanford St. There is a recessed, covered concrete porch on the north side of the residence. There is a wooden screen door and a White front door which face east. The numerals 1538 are clearly displayed on a support post of the covered front porch. There is a detached one-car garage or outbuilding on the property, immediately southwest of the residence. There is a tan or gold colored Ford Ranger truck parked in the driveway immediately west of the structure. The truck is displaying Missouri license plate lYF 454. The search is to include the structure, outbuilding, vehicle, and physical property located at 1538 E. Stanford St.



The above described property, articles, materials or substances is/are located in Greene County, Missouri, at the place described above and constitutes evidence of the commission of the criminal offense(s) of Child Kidnapping, Assault, and Homicide . Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statutes 542.271, a Judge of the Circuit Court of Greene County, Missouri has jurisdiction to issue a search warrant for such evidence. Upon information and belief, the facts establishing the grounds for this application and the probable cause for believing that such facts exist are detailed

below.

PROBABLE CAUSE:
I, Chris Barb, have been a law enforcement officer with the City of Springfield Police Department for over 15 years. I have attended schools and seminars related to the field of crime scene investigation and the investigation of serious crimes such as Assault, Homicide, and Abduction. I have conducted several investigations and assisted in the issuance and execution of search warrants related to those crimes and I have arrested suspects as a result of those investigations. Upon information and belief based upon the following, I believe the above described items will be found at the above described location to be searched.
On 02/18/2014 at 1648 hours, Springfield Police officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of west Lombard concerning a report of a female child that had been abducted while she was walking down the street. The 911 caller reported a male in a tan or gold colored Ford Ranger grabbed a ten to twelve year old girl, pulled her into the truck and drove away. The 911 caller provided a license plate of lYF 454 for the Ford Ranger.
Officers arrived and contacted the 911 caller and witnesses. The caller was identified as Michelle Edwards, a resident of 3247 W. Lombard. Edwards reported she was in the garage of her residence when she saw the young girl walking along Lombard St. Edwards reported the male subject in the Ford Ranger stopped and asked the girl if she knew where “Springfield St.” was located. Edwards reported the girl began to walk away from the truck. Edwards reported the male spoke to the girl again and asked the girl to come back to the truck. Edwards stated the male subject opened the driver’s door of the truck, grabbed the girl, and threw her into the passenger side of the truck cab. Edwards reported the male subject then sped away in the truck. Edwards stated she saw the license plate lYF 454 displayed on the suspect truck.
Edwards described the suspect as a White male with gray hair. Edwards reported the suspect appeared to be unshaven. She stated the male was wearing a ball cap.
Officers also spoke with Carlos Edwards. Carlos also lives at 3247 W. Lombard. Carlos reported seeing the same incident Michelle reported. I later conducted a follow-up interview with Carlos. Carlos reported he did not know the girl that was abducted, but stated he frequently sees her walking on Lombard St. Carlos reported he arrived home from work around 1530 hours
and had seen the young girl walking eastbound on Lombard shortly after he returned home. He told me he later learned from the girl’s mother that she possibly walks that route to visit a friend. Carlos also stated he saw a tan Ford Ranger driving east and west multiple times in front of his residence on Lombard after he returned home from work. Carlos said he had been working in his yard and had been in his garage with the overhead door opened.



Carlos reported he later saw the girl walking westbound on Lombard and the Ford Ranger drove past her westbound. He stated the driver of the truck turned around at the intersection of Laurel Av. and Lombard. Carlos stated it looked like the girl had a telephone and was possibly using it to text. Carlos said the driver of the truck drove eastbound and stopped near the girl. Carlos said he heard the male driver ask the girl if she knew how to get to “Springfield St.” Carlos reported the girl told the male “no” and continued to walk westbound away from the truck. He said she took about four or five steps before the male driver called her back to the truck. He stated the male driver opened the driver’s door of the truck and grabbed the girl. He said the male driver threw the girl over his lap into the passenger seat of the truck. Carlos said the male subject drove away at a high rate of speed to the intersection of Lombard St. and Golden Av. Carlos reported the male turned right (southbound) onto Golden. Carlos told me another neighbor followed the suspect and suspect truck and last saw the truck eastbound on Grand St. at Scenic Av.

Carlos described the male suspect as a white male with gray hair. He stated the male was wearing a ball cap, possibly maroon in color. He told me the suspect appeared unshaven with possibly gray facial hair. Carlos estimated the male was approximately six feet tall. He said the male appeared to be in his early to mid forties in age.
Carlos told me the young girl was wearing short denim shorts and a pink short sleeved shirt. He stated Michelle called the police and he began to knock on doors trying to locate the girl’s family. Carlos stated he saw a young boy outside and described the abducted girl to the boy. The boy said the description matched his sister and the boy took Carlos to his home on Page St.
Officers contacted Stacy Barfield who reported her daughter, Hailey Owens, was the young girl that had been abducted by the suspect in the Ford Ranger. Barfield reported Owens had been walking on Lombard St. to visit a friend.
Officers ran the suspect license plate, lYF 454, through MULES and discovered the license plate was registered on a 2008 Ford pickup to a Jim D. Wood and Regina F. at 13298 W. Hwy T in Ash Grove, MO. Detectives obtained information on possible sons of Wood with addresses in Springfield, MO. The two possible sons were identified as Craig Wood and Rob Wood with addresses of 1538 E. Stanford St. and 768 W. Deerfield respectively.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers responded to Jim Wood’s address in Ash Grove, MO
and contacted Jim. Jim advised his son Craig had possession of the Ford Ranger and drove it. Jim advised Craig lived at 1538 E. Stanford St. in Springfield.


Sgt. Allen Neal and additional detectives went to 1538 E. Stanford in an attempt to locate the possible suspect truck. Sgt. Neal saw a truck matching the suspect vehicle description pull into the driveway at 1538 E. Stanford. Sgt. Neal pulled in behind the truck and contacted a male subject, later identified as Craig Wood, as Craig got out of the driver's seat of the truck. Craig Wood is a white male approximately 6 feet tall with gray hair and facial hair. Sgt. Neal observed Craig to be holding an unknown item in his hands. Sgt. Neal advised the item Craig was holding was a roll of duct tape and Craig threw it into the bed of the truck as he was contacted by detectives. The truck Craig had driven and parked in the driveway was a tan colored Ford Ranger with a license plate of 1YF454. The truck and license plate matched the description of the suspect truck from the abduction of the young girl in the 3200 block of West Lombard.

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