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NANCY GRACE

Search Warrant Issued for Home of Missing Ohio Mother`s Boyfriend

Aired June 20, 2007 - 20:00:00   ET

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


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, breaking news. A young Ohio mom nine months pregnant, just weeks from giving birth to her second child, vanishes from her own home, her 2-year-old son found home alone in dirty diapers by Grandmother, possibly alone for days, the toddler telling police, "Mommy was crying," "Mommy broke the table," "Mommy was in the rug."
Just as we go to air tonight, the block cordoned off by FBI and local police as they descend onto the home of the baby`s biological dad with a warrant for the "rug" -- that`s the 2-year-old talking about the comforter off his mom`s bed -- and for Jessie`s missing cell phone, Jessie just weeks from delivering a baby girl, already named Chloe.

Tonight, we wait for DNA results from a newborn baby girl, umbilical cord still attached, found abandoned on a doorstep of a registered nurse 30 miles from Jessie`s home. Is this Jessie`s baby?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wayne County Sheriff Thomas Maurer did obtain a DNA sample of the infant child located in Wayne County, and it has been submitted to the Stark County crime lab for analysis and comparison. The results of the DNA lab work will take approximately two weeks.

BOBBY CUTTS, JR.: They continue to say that I`m not a suspect. But I mean, I would be dumb and naive to think that they weren`t treating me as a suspect (INAUDIBLE) different things I`ve had to go through the past couple of days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Well, as we go to air, they read him his Miranda rights twice in the last couple of hours.

And tonight, the search for a 22-year-old college honor student vanishing into thin air while vacationing in Miami, Florida, her mom leading the search. Where is Stepha Henry?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police in Florida trying to figure out what happened to Stepha Henry. The 22-year-old New York law student, visiting family in Miami, was last seen 23 days ago. Stepha told her family she was going to a nightclub in Ft. Lauderdale and got into a dark-colored sedan with a man. That`s the last time they saw her. There were some new leads on the case, but those leads turned out to be false, Stepha`s family now offering a $5,000 reward for any information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. More stunning developments in the case of a young Ohio mom just weeks from giving birth to her second child. Tonight, as we speak, police throw a Hail Mary in the search for Jessie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Missing pregnant mother Jessie Davis, her married boyfriend speaking out today, denying any involvement in her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just moments ago, FBI agents at Bobby Cutts`s house, searching his home for Jessie`s cell phone and the missing quilt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bobby, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance of Jessie?

CUTTS: No, I didn`t.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police, meantime, are waiting for DNA test results from that abandoned newborn girl. She found on the doorstep of a home just over 40 miles from where Jessie disappeared. Jessie Davis is due in less than two weeks and is expecting a girl. The young Ohio mother has been missing for at least six days now. Her 2-year-old son was found alone in their home last Friday, the place in disarray. The sheriff`s department has released surveillance photos, meantime, of Jessie shopping last Wednesday evening. They`re hoping that by releasing these photos, it can lead to some more clues. And there is a $15,000 reward now being offered for information in the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: As we speak, police and FBI have cordoned off the block around Cutts`s home. That`s the biological father of the 2-year-old and of the little unborn Chloe. Out to Phil Trexler, reporter with "Akron Beacon-Journal." What`s happening?

PHIL TREXLER, "AKRON BEACON-JOURNAL": Well, as you said, Nancy, as we speak, the FBI and local law enforcement are still inside Bobby Cutts`s home. The investigation into Jessie Marie Davis`s disappearance has certainly intensified tonight. We understand from published reports that the FBI has questioned Bobby twice today, and in fact, the last time, they read him his Miranda rights. They also confiscated two of his cell phones. This also comes on the same day of his first media interview, in which he denied any involvement in her disappearance.

GRACE: Let me ask you this. When did they descend on the home?

TREXLER: It was late this afternoon, 4:00, 4:30 range.

GRACE: What time did the judge sign the affidavit in the search warrant?

TREXLER: Common please judge Richard Reinbold (ph) signed the search warrant at about 3:30 PM.

GRACE: Do we have any idea -- Phil Trexler is with us from "The Akron Beacon-Journal" there in Akron, Ohio. Do we have any idea what the probable cause affidavit is on that search warrant?

TREXLER: To the best of my knowledge, the affidavit has not been released to the public, as we speak, but we do understand that they are searching -- now, this is according to Bobby Cutts`s mother -- they`re at the house searching for the missing comforter and Jessie Davis`s cell phone.

GRACE: And the reason that police are searching for a comforter, as we all know by now, the little 2-year-old, the toddler, left home alone, kept saying, "Mommy is in the rug." And according to Jessie`s mom, who is with us tonight -- Patty Porter is with us -- the "rug" is actually the comforter. The baby doesn`t know how to say comforter, that comforter missing from the home.

Phil, isn`t it true that they are also searching for not only the comforter but Jessie`s cell phone?

TREXLER: That`s right. On Friday, when her mother discovered her missing, the cell phone was also missing with Miss Davis, and that is part of the request for the search that the FBI had asked for from the judge.

GRACE: Joining me right now is a very special guest, who we have been thinking of and praying for. This is Jessie`s mother. Patty Porter is joining us from Ohio. Ms. Porter, thank you for being with us.

PATTY PORTER, MISSING WOMAN`S MOTHER: Hi, Nancy. Thank you for having me.

GRACE: I cannot even imagine what you`re thinking at this juncture, how you feel. They are searching his home. Did you know that when you came to the studio?

PORTER: No, I found that out when I got here.

GRACE: They`re searching his home for the comforter and Jessie`s cell phone, that we know of. Why do you think they`re searching his home for that? They`ve already been in the home once or twice.

PORTER: I don`t know why they`re back there again. I don`t -- I really don`t know.

GRACE: Ms. Porter, you seem so tired. Please tell me you`re not giving up hope tonight.

PORTER: I`m not giving up hope. I just want to find my daughter. I just want to find her.

GRACE: Tell us what we can do to help you. First of all, the reward is now up to $15,000, everyone. The tip line, 330-430-3818. Look at Jessie Marie Davis. She was just 26 years old, and she is now about a week away from giving birth to her second child, that baby, a girl, a name already picked out, Chloe.

Back to Ms. Porter. How did she decide upon the name Chloe?

PORTER: I don`t know. She just went through a lot of different names, and you know, she came up with that right away. And Chloe became very much a part of our family very quickly. I think once you name a child, you know, we`ve rung (ph) the bell (ph) in, talked to Chloe all the time, and Blake would run his cars over her belly and talk to Chloe and want to play. It wasn`t like it wasn`t part of our family already. She had already become part of our family.

GRACE: Have you guys already started making preparations for Chloe to come home?

PORTER: Had she already?

GRACE: Yes.

PORTER: What was the question again? I`m sorry.

GRACE: Had you, the family, and Jessie, already started preparing for Chloe to come home from the hospital?

PORTER: Yes. Yes. She was working on the room. And in Blake`s room is a rocking chair that was -- that`s been passed down. It was Jessie`s. It was the chair I used for her. And on it were Chloe`s clothes with little satin hangers, and part of them were already hung up.

GRACE: We are showing photos right now, Ms. Porter, of your daughter, Jessie, and there is Blake, the baby, at the local store -- I believe it`s a grocery store -- on Wednesday night. With us is Jessie`s mom, everyone. Did you find those clothes that she wore to the grocery store in her home?

PORTER: I`m not really sure. I think those clothes were in a pile in her room. I believe she had changed when she came home, when she probably took a shower and got ready for bed.

GRACE: Patty, you feel very confident that she made it home from the grocery store and that she had prepared to go to work the next morning. What is your theory, Patty, about the time she went missing?

PORTER: I spoke to Jessie about 9:30, somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30, and we talked a lot. And she told me that Bobby was picking up Blake that night around 10:00 o`clock. And I was little upset because I thought it was awfully late. And later -- after we got through talking and I told her good night, my son took the phone to my other daughter, Audrey, and she, as well, spoke to Jessie. And she told Jessie, If Bobby doesn`t come tonight, just bring him in the morning. You know, don`t worry about it. Periodically, he would change his mind.

GRACE: It`s our understanding -- I thought at first that Mr. Cutts, Bobby Cutts, who has not been named a suspect -- as we speak, CNN is confirming, CNN Headline News is confirming the FBI are conducting a search of Cutts`s home pursuant to warrant as we speak for the missing bed comforter off Jessie`s bed. We know that bleach was poured onto the floor beside her bed. And they`re also searching for her telephone.

Ms. Porter, you said that when you got there, the house was in a ramshackle, that her purse had been dumped out on the kitchen floor, but missing was her cell phone, correct?

PORTER: Yes.

GRACE: Was her wallet -- were any valuables also missing?

PORTER: No, nothing else was missing. I believe her other garage door opener may be missing, but that`s just come about in the last few days, we realized that the garage door that I took to get out of the -- to get the police in and out, when I left, they told me to tape (ph) the garage door so we could get in. I took the one out of her vehicle. She had two garage door openers. I don`t know where the other -- I don`t know if they took it or if it`s just not there.

GRACE: Ms. Porter, did your daughter believe Cutts was getting a divorce?

PORTER: No, I don`t necessarily think she thought he was getting a divorce.

GRACE: Because I know that...

PORTER: I know...

GRACE: You go ahead.

PORTER: They weren`t -- Kelly (ph) had moved out of the house when she found out Jessie was pregnant.

GRACE: Because I noticed in the statement that he, Bobby Cutts, gave to the media, he was asked, Were you getting a divorce? And his answer was, Well, we had talked about it, but we -- we had brought it up, but nobody had filed for divorce. And he`s going to have two children by Jessie. He`s got two children by the other wife. It`s a very confusing situation.

I want to go back very quickly to Phil Trexler with "The Akron Beacon-Journal." Headline News is now confirming that the FBI is in the home, searching for that comforter missing off her bed. Now, let`s analyze the evidence, Phil. What do we know that would lead them to think it was in the home? They`ve already been in his home. Why now? What else have they learned, Phil, to add to an affidavit to make them think probable cause, they`ve got to swear to it, under oath, that they have a reason for believing it`s there?

TREXLER: I think it`s been clear for the last several days that law enforcement has a lot of information that they haven`t shared yet with the media. And certainly, this goes to the search warrant today. From the first -- since last -- since she was last seen, they have not listed him as a suspect or even a person of interest, and certainly, they`ve ratcheted up the intensity of the investigation and focusing on Bobby Cutts.

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us out of New York, Susan Moss. Joining us out of Atlanta, veteran trial lawyer Renee Rockwell. Also out of New York, Peter Schaeffer, defense attorney. Susan Moss, explain the affidavit attached to a search warrant.

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: In order to get a search warrant, you`re required to show probable cause. In order to do that, you present the evidence that you have in a sworn affidavit.

Now, what was contained in that affidavit we`re not entirely sure. Maybe they found something when they were searching his car. Maybe Blake had said something that hasn`t yet been released. But understand, domestic violence results in two million injuries each year and 1,300 deaths each year. There have been allegations by the -- Cutts`s first baby`s mother that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of this man. I`m not saying that this says he`s guilty, but it sure does make you think.

GRACE: To Renee Rockwell, defense attorney out of Atlanta. So far, they have not named him formally a suspect, a target or a person of interest, but apparently, according to our sources, they have read him his Miranda rights twice today. What does that say to you, Renee?

RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know what that says to me? He needs to shut up and not say anything. The first searches, where he allowed the people to come in and search his house. Now that they`re getting search warrants, it looks like they`re hitting on something he needs to lawyer up and quit saying anything.

GRACE: But Peter Schaeffer, if he has information about a timeline, or anything else about her disappearance, why would he shut up if he`s innocent?

PETER SCHAEFFER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, you know, when he`s originally considered -- he`s not considered a suspect, but everybody knows that he is. The police don`t have to tell you you`re a suspect, you`re a target. Everybody knows he is. And he`s done everything wrong. He`s given this interview, where he`s given very damaging information about himself.

GRACE: What was damaging about it?

SCHAEFFER: What was damaging? He indicates -- when he`s asked whether he`s the father of the second child, he says, "Possibly."

GRACE: Oh, you know what? You know what, Peter? Hold on. You`re darned right.

I want to go back to Patty Porter. This is Jessie`s mother. I`m just going out on a limb here, but from what you`ve told me, there is no way he is not the father of baby Chloe, unborn baby Chloe. So why in the newspaper did he -- when they said, Are you the father of Jessie`s second baby, did he say, Possibly?

PORTER: Maybe someone told him to say that. I don`t know. But he knows he`s the father. There was never any question about that.

GRACE: Were you surprised when you found out he gave a media interview, Patty?

PORTER: No. I`m -- I mean, at the beginning, I just -- I felt like whatever he did would have been wrong. If he showed up at the search, it would have been wrong. If he didn`t show up, it would be wrong. I don`t know -- I don`t know. I think -- I think everything points to him and...

GRACE: What do you mean by that?

PORTER: I think, from everything that`s being portrayed, it points to him. And it`s very difficult, because he is my grandson`s father. And I want the truth. I want the truth to come out. And that`s the reason I came on this show tonight, is because I do not want the attention to be on Nicky (ph) and this become a circus. I want -- some people will do anything for five minutes of fame. I want -- I want them to find my daughter. I don`t want anybody concentrating on her. I want my daughter.

GRACE: And in that vein, Elizabeth, please put up how we know to help. The tip line, 330-430-3818, www.sheriff.co.stark.oh.us. Please look at this girl, last seen alive at a local grocery store last Wednesday night. Time is ticking, her baby due in less than a week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you understand why people -- or how people are viewing and portraying you? You`re a married man who`s fathered one child and is expecting a second with another woman. Do you understand, you know, where people are coming from with all that?

CUTTS: I mean, I understand that. But everyone has problems. And like, me and my wife, I mean, we`re still married, but we weren`t together, and things happened when we weren`t together.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GRACE: Yes, things happened. He gave birth -- Jessie gave birth to one child and is about to give birth to another child. Tonight, where is 26-year-old Jessie Marie Davis?

Very quickly, to Stephanie Mennecke with the Ohio News Network. Back to the baby girl that was left on a doorstep. What can you tell us about DNA possibilities?

STEPHANIE MENNECKE, OHIO NEWS NETWORK: Well, we understand the DNA testing has begun. However, the Canton Stark County crime lab says the results will not be ready until Monday, and possibly as late as Tuesday.

What we can tell you is that this baby was found in the town of Wooster, which is about 45 miles west of here. And we understand that this is a small area and that this couple lives out in the country. And also, the person involved in this, the woman involved in this, works at a free clinic. This couple believes that whoever gave birth to this baby knew what this person did and that is the reason the baby was left on that doorstep. However, we are still waiting for the DNA results, and again, they may not be in until Monday, possibly Tuesday.

GRACE: Stephanie Mennecke with us, with Ohio News Network. You got to have something to compare DNA to. What are they comparing the baby`s DNA to, from Jessie`s home?

MENNECKE: That I cannot tell you at this time. All we know is we got the DNA sampling from the baby`s mouth, as soon as the couple from Wooster reported that the baby was there. They obviously knew of this missing pregnant woman`s case and thought they should notify authorities.

GRACE: And also, Stephanie Mennecke, what can you tell us about the testing of the basket, the formula, the bottle? Are they being tested for fingerprints?

MENNECKE: Yes, it was a wicker basket that was found on the front porch, and there was a bottle inside that had formula inside. So they are taking anything that was left on that front porch in to proper authorities, so those items are tested for possible fingerprints that might put any type of closure to this possible connection to the Davis woman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The FBI has a $10,000 reward for anyone who has information that leads us to the whereabouts of Jessie Davis or leads us to the people who might be responsible for the disappearance of Jessie Davis. If there`s foul play involved, and there`s certainly indications that there is, then there`s someone out there who`s heard something, saw something or knows something. And the right thing to do is to share that with us. The right time to do it is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Where is 26-year-old Jessie? We`re going out to the lines. Terry in North Carolina. Hi, Terry

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, how are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, Have police asked Bobby Cutts why he didn`t come to Jessie`s home on Thursday to pick up Blake?

GRACE: That was a big question I had. Back to Patty Porter. This is Jessie`s mom, with us tonight. Patty, he was supposed to pick the baby up on Thursday. Your daughter told you Wednesday he may come that night. If they didn`t pick up the phone all day on Thursday, like he said, why didn`t he drive by?

PORTER: When he arrived at the scene, he said Jessie was supposed to drop Blake off at his house. And I was in such a state of shock, I didn`t even think it through, but Jessie didn`t take Blake to his house in the mornings because she lived an hour away from her job as it was, and it would have been another almost half-hour drive the opposite...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... missing pregnant mother, Jessie Davis. Her married boyfriend speaking out today, denying any involvement in her disappearance. And police, meantime, are waiting for DNA test results from that abandoned newborn girl. She was found on the doorstep of a home, just over 40 miles from where Jessie disappeared.

Jessie Davis is due in less than two weeks and is expecting a girl. The Ohio mother has been missing for at least six days now. Her 2-year-old son found alone in their home last Friday, their place in disarray. The sheriff`s department has released surveillance photos of Jessie shopping last Wednesday evening. They`re hoping that by releasing these photos it can lead to some more clues. And there is a $15,000 reward now being offered for information in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: Can I help you?

PORTER: Yes, we need -- we need help at 8686 Essex.

DISPATCHER: 8686, what street?

PORTER: Essex.

DISPATCHER: What`s the problem?

PORTER: My daughter`s gone. She`s due in two weeks, and my grandson`s here alone, and this whole house has been ransacked.

DISPATCHER: How old is your...

PORTER: My grandson is 2.

DISPATCHER: And he`s gone?

PORTER: He`s here alone!

DISPATCHER: OK, you need to calm down so I can understand you.

PORTER: I`m trying.

DISPATCHER: OK.

PORTER: He`s here alone, and she`s gone. Her car`s here.

DISPATCHER: Who`s gone?

PORTER: My daughter!

DISPATCHER: OK. How old is she?

PORTER: She`s 27 years old.

DISPATCHER: OK, and how old is the child that was left alone?

PORTER: She didn`t leave him alone. My god, something`s wrong! She`s due in two weeks, and she`s just missing. Her car is here, her purse. Her house is trashed, and she`s not here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Where is 26-year-old Jessie? Tonight, we have just confirmed with the FBI that a search is ongoing as we speak at the home of Bobby Cutts. Cutts is the biological father of Jessie`s 2-year-old son, as well as her unborn baby girl, Chloe. Tonight, Jessie just one week away from giving birth.

Out to the lines, Rhonda in Texas. Hi, Rhonda.

CALLER: Hi, Nancy, thank you. Do we know if Mr. Cutts has tried to contact Miss Porter in regards to getting to see his son to console him after the trauma he`s been through? And has he participated in the search for Jessie?

GRACE: Excellent question. To Miss Porter, this is Jessie`s mother, speaking out, trying to find her daughter. That`s her only goal tonight. She`s not trashing Bobby Cutts. She`s not naming a suspect. She wants to find her daughter. Patty, what`s the answer to that? Has he tried to see Blake?

PORTER: His mother came over to see Blake, and he`s asked to talk to Blake, because Blake normally talks to him on the phone, but we were advised by the police not to let Blake talk to anyone right now. What was the other question?

GRACE: I was wondering, would Jessie share it with you if Cutts was not supporting the baby? Was she having any type of relationship problem with Cutts?

PORTER: I really can`t discuss that.

GRACE: OK. OK. The rest of Rhonda`s question was, has he been participating in the search?

PORTER: He did come out for the search. I know a lot of people thought it was inappropriate, but I think a lot of people would have thought it inappropriate if he didn`t show up, so...

GRACE: I think it`s appropriate. If it were my loved one I would be out there searching, too.

PORTER: He was there. He was there.

GRACE: Miss Porter, during all of this, have you learned anything about the bio-dad, Bobby Cutts, that you did not already know?

PORTER: Absolutely not. We knew everything. Him, my daughter spoke all the time. There were periods of time where they spoke a lot on the phone, even for hours and hours. And my daughter, I`m sure no one could understand how close we were, but she has shared with me everything. I was not -- there was nothing that has come out that was a surprise to me. I knew about all of it.

GRACE: In fact, you would speak to your daughter sometimes five times a day?

PORTER: Yes.

GRACE: Just quick, "Hello, what are you doing?" trying to keep up...

PORTER: Not really even quick. We would just talk, like we had, over the years -- I lived with her the year she was pregnant. I was there for the baby`s birth, and I lived with her for about seven or eight months after that. And we were very close; we were good friends.

GRACE: Question, who is Nikki that is popping up all over television?

PORTER: Nikki is a girl I believe Bobby was engaged to, and I knew about Nikki. I believe right now she`s trying to get her five minutes` worth of fame at my daughter`s expense. And I have remained calm through this whole thing, tried to keep my composure, and I am absolutely livid that she would put her face on the television. I felt like, if she had something to offer the police or the FBI, that she could have done that just as other people have, without coming on national television.

GRACE: We are now getting confirmation the FBI is leaving the home of Bobby Cutts. We don`t know if they`re taking anything with them or not. We know they were there specifically pursuant to a search warrant, signed by a judge. The judge signed that warrant today around 3:30 p.m. They went directly to Cutts` home, cordoned off the block, started re-searching the home for, a, the comforter taken off Jessie`s bed -- her 2-year-old describe it is as "Mommy`s in the rug" -- and, b, for her cell phone, her missing cell phone.

And let`s think about this, Don Clark. You`re the former head of the FBI Houston bureau. Let`s think about this.

DON CLARK, FORMER HEAD OF FBI HOUSTON BUREAU: What?

GRACE: Who would come into the home, not steal anything, not a TV, not a VCR, not jewelry, not her wallet, her credit cards, nothing, and take her, and leave the 2-year-old there? Who would know that the mom, Patty Porter, would come by, soon enough, to check on the child?

CLARK: Well, I see where you`re going with this, Nancy, and...

GRACE: I`m not going anywhere. Nobody`s been named a suspect. I just agree with Patty Porter. I want to find out what happened to 26-year-old Jessie. She`s one week away from giving birth to a baby girl, God help her. So tell me.

CLARK: Here`s what I think. I think that this guy, Cutts, has been a suspect all along, no matter what the police have said. And I have to tell you, Nancy -- and I`ve heard the lawyers talking, I`ve heard you talk, as well, and I agree -- is that, for them to get a search warrant, it takes a lot of probable cause, unlike getting an arrest warrant, which you can get over the telephone.

So they have to have something that they have found during the course of this investigation that builds that to a point that they can get a search warrant for it. So there must be something there that they have found. And I think that`s where the real key is, is in this search warrant, as to whether or not where he went with this information or where he went with the comforter or whomever took it, or whatever the case may be. It may not be in that house. I`ve got to suspect that, if it was in that house, they would have found it by now.

GRACE: Right. Out to Angeline Hartmann with "America`s Most Wanted," she`s a correspondent with them. You spoke with Cutts` current wife, Kelly. What did you learn?

ANGELINE HARTMANN, CORRESPONDENT, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, Nancy, they have separated apparently since February of this year. They`ve been married for about six years, and this is the first time she`s speaking out. She spoke to "America`s Most Wanted" today and basically said that she fully supports her husband. She says he is a good man, he is a good husband, a good father, and that he works very hard and spends a lot of time with his family. She says she does not believe that he would be capable of harming Jessie at all. And she is hoping and praying that Jessie and the baby are found safe and that they turn up very soon.

GRACE: And also, Angeline Hartmann, with "America`s Most Wanted," you also spoke with police. What did you learn?

HARTMANN: Earlier they were saying that Bobby Cutts has been cooperating. And it`s the same line that they`ve been giving everybody else, that he is not considered a suspect, and he`s basically been cooperative all through the last several days.

GRACE: To Dr. Daniel Spitz, medical examiner and forensic pathologist and expert in his field, where can they get DNA to compare back to the baby girl they found on the doorstep?

DANIEL SPITZ, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Well, you can get a DNA exemplar from a variety of places. If you don`t have the actual person, you can use a toothbrush, you can use a hair brush, you can use a variety of things that are in the home of this woman to compare to the sample that`s taken from the baby.

GRACE: And back to Patty Porter -- this is Jessie`s mom -- I know you want to send a message to the public tonight and it`s very close to your heart. Go ahead.

PORTER: First of all, Nancy, I wanted to say that we do not believe that that baby is Jessie`s. Jessie`s baby, at her last visit, which was on Tuesday or Wednesday, was a little over six pounds already, and I believe, from what we`ve heard, that baby was smaller than that.

But what I would like to get out to people is, I would like people who have children to remember the excitement that you felt the few weeks before your child was born, and that was the excitement my daughter felt and our family felt. My daughter would have never left there unless she thought someone would hurt Blake on her own accord.

My daughter was a fighter. And if my daughter had been alone in there, you would have seen a horrific fight scene, because my daughter would have done anything to protect herself. But with Blake there, because of the way it was, I believe that somebody has done something to get her out of there, and she was protecting her son by maybe not fighting back, or was incapable of fighting back.

And I`m asking people to, please, please, just keep looking for her, and praying for her, and please pray that the truth comes out. This is my grandson`s father that people are pointing their finger at. And before anybody does, I want the truth to come out.

GRACE: We`ll all be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At a home-made shrine on a dining room table...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I look to the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help will come from the lord.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sylvia and Steve Henry are praying police will find their daughter alive. Twenty-two-year-old Stepha is still missing, after vanishing nearly three weeks ago.

STEVE HENRY, FATHER OF MISSING WOMAN: I think she`s being held against her will. That`s what I think it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you think that, Mr. Henry?

STEVE HENRY: Because Stepha would never go on her own like that, never.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sylvia and Steve Henry are praying police will find their daughter alive. Twenty-two-year-old Stepha is still missing, after vanishing nearly three weeks ago.

The honors grad from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, who worked as an alum in the president`s office, was in Florida with her teenaged sister for Memorial Day weekend. Police say Henry left her aunt`s apartment very late at night, told her she was going to a nightclub. Her aunt saw her niece get into a car with a family acquaintance, and that`s the last time she saw her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Where is this beautiful young girl, 22-year-old honors student, graduating from John Jay College of Criminal Law, headed to law school? She went on a vacation with family and friends, Miami, Florida, and has not been seen since. Tonight, her mother leading the search for her.

Out to Eben Brown, NewsRadio 970, WFLA, Eben, what`s the latest?

EBEN BROWN, NEWSRADIO 970 WFLA: Good evening, Nancy. The latest is the mother of Stepha Henry may have had a little bit of false hope. Sylvia Henry had traveled to south Florida to the Peppers nightclub to post some flyers and ran into a person who said, "I saw your daughter get into a car with three men and two other women."

Turns out, Miami-Dade police issued a statement today saying that witness was not telling the truth, that witness did not see the correct person, that witness is not giving an accurate recount of what happened, and that should not be considered a lead at all.

GRACE: Out to Caryn Stark, psychologist, Caryn Stark, it`s bad enough to be looking for your daughter. And joining us in just a minute is Stepha`s mother, Sylvia, Henry, but then to get wrong information and, you know, you`re breaking your back trying to beat the street yourself and then get false hope.

CARYN STARK, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: It`s devastating, Nancy. I feel really sorry for this mother, and she`s going to be looking to get this information from anybody that she can. The good thing is that she`s out there, that she`s really trying to get involved. That`s what a family needs to do, to keep busy, and to try and keep the memory there.

GRACE: Caryn, what can women do to stay safe at a club like where Stepha was?

STARK: Never leave a club like this with a stranger. Be very, very careful. We know stories that have occurred before. Think about Natalee Holloway, leaving clubs. Think about people where this has occurred before. Don`t leave with a stranger. Don`t drink too much so that you don`t know what you`re doing. Make sure you have a buddy system with friends so that you don`t walk out and somebody knows where you`re going.

GRACE: And, also, don`t leave your drink unattended. Joining us right now is a special guest, this is Stepha`s mom, Sylvia Henry. Sylvia, you actually are going out to bars, out on the street, trying to find your daughter. Why?

SYLVIA HENRY, MOTHER OF MISSING WOMAN: It is because I`m trying to help the detectives by putting flyers out there, and talking to people, and showing them her face to try to find out if they saw her anywhere, at any time, in any vehicle or anywhere, that they could call the police.

GRACE: And another problem, Sylvia, this was over a holiday weekend. There was a big music festival going on. There were people there from all over the country. They may have disseminated now and gone back home, and they don`t even understand they were in the same place as Stepha that night. It was Peppers` bar. Isn`t that the correct name, Miss Henry, Peppers` bar?

SYLVIA HENRY: Peppers Cafe.

GRACE: Peppers Cafe there, Sunrise, Florida, is that correct?

SYLVIA HENRY: Yes.

GRACE: The evening of the Memorial Day weekend, correct?

SYLVIA HENRY: Yes.

GRACE: She was there at this bar with friends. I want to go back out to Eben Brown, 970 WFLA. What are police doing to find Stepha?

BROWN: Police are still trying to comb the area. They`re still trying to find anybody who has seen Stepha at that nightclub. And they`re still looking for a four-door, dark-colored Acura. This was the car that an acquaintance of Stepha Henry had given her a lift to the Peppers Cafe in, but hasn`t been seen since. Even though the person who gave her the ride has been found by police and questioned police and exonerated, that car is still missing. He borrowed the car from somebody and...

GRACE: Right.

BROWN: ... and it`s now been taken by someone else.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Kathy in Minnesota. Hi, Kathy.

CALLER: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

CALLER: My question is, has the cell phone still been on? Is that available?

GRACE: Yes, yes, we have information on that, Kathy. To Miss Henry, it`s my understanding that the last time her cell phone was used was around 4:00 a.m. the night she went missing, checking voice mail, and it hasn`t had a ping since.

SYLVIA HENRY: Yes, she checked her voice mail around 4:13 a.m. on May 29th, and that`s the last time she used her phone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Where is American beauty honor student Stepha Henry? Out to the lines, but first to Dr. Daniel Spitz. You`ve actually worked in the Miami area, pulling cars out of the water before. How do you get forensics out of a car like that, that they pulled, or from a nightclub where hundreds of people have been?

SPITZ: Yes, you know, it`s going to be very difficult. Pulling a car out of a canal, looking for forensics is next to impossible. The best you can hope for is to identify the body and determine cause of death. Forensics at a nightclub, again, a near impossibility. So those are two places where you`re not going to get a whole lot of information. You`re really going to have to focus the attention elsewhere.

GRACE: And to Don Clark, how badly do false leads derail an investigation? The mom is out there on the streets herself trying to get information.

CLARK: Well, you know, I think the mom has to be and the family has to be involved, because that`s going to keep the police motivated. It`s very difficult getting this information. But, Nancy, they`ve still got to go to the technical aspect and everything they can to try to get as much as they can.

GRACE: And, Renee, if it ever goes to trial, false leads, what can it do?

RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it can offset a jury. Did you accuse this person? And now you`re accusing this person? But she`s got to stay proactive, because somebody, Nancy, like you said, somebody knows something.

GRACE: To Sylvia Henry, our thoughts and prayers with you now in the search for your daughter, Stepha Henry.

Very quickly, everyone, let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant Richard Correa, 25, Honolulu, Hawaii, killed, Iraq. On a third tour, highly decorated with the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation. He loved Hawaii, surfing, dreamed of being a pilot, lived on Oahu`s northern shore. Correa leaves behind grieving parents, Ricardo and Maria, and best friend, cousin, Mae. Richard Correa, American hero.

Thank you to our guests, but most of you to you, for inviting us into your homes. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END

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