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PRIMETIME JUSTICE WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

Child ODs on Parents` Heroin; Police Widen Search for Indiana Murder Suspect; Baby Dies and Mom Charged; Officers Ambushed; Murder Mystery. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired February 21, 2017 - 20:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[20:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry!

JEAN CASAREZ, HLN HOST: An 8-year-old boy...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s not breathing! Move! Move!

CASAREZ: ... the unintended victim, police say, of his parents` alleged heroin use.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he was sleeping.

CASAREZ: Mother and father arrested after the child OD`d when their story just didn`t add up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he was, like, in a pillow and he was, like, suffocated.

CASAREZ: What police officers said they found in the child`s sock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are actually expanding out.

CASAREZ: Police expanding their search and saying they will release more information to the public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They may have seen somebody walking.

CASAREZ: Looking for their prime suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That may have picked up a hitchhiker.

CASAREZ: Trying to track down the killer of two teenagers in Indiana.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It may not be our children, it may not be our families, but we do what we have to do when we`re a small community.

CASAREZ: As a community rallies, doing whatever they can to help.

The mother of a 16-month-old girl and her boyfriend arrested for the baby`s murder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s just beautiful, you know?

CASAREZ: The weapons police listed as causing the child`s death enough to make you sick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s fixing to have another one, I think, in April.

CASAREZ: Now family members say the teen mother is pregnant again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to Ashley Meade (ph) -- disturbing isn`t even enough to describe what had happened to her.

CASAREZ: Disturbing? An understatement. The mother of a 1-year-old girl killed, dismembered, the mother`s remains reportedly scattered across

several states.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are now concerned more of Meade`s body parts are discarded in various communities that Densmore (ph) passed through.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We believe he left Boulder, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Once he left New Mexico, he shot south and east through the Texas

panhandle and then ended up in Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: Good evening. I`m Jean Casarez, in for Ashleigh Banfield. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. This is PRIMETIME JUSTICE.

All across the country, police and families are battling the biggest heroin epidemic in decades. We have seen clusters of overdoses in recent months

resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.

But tonight in Ohio, we are following a story that will drop your jaw to the floor. Police charged Charles Dowdy and Danielle Simko with child

endangerment after they say the couple`s 8-year-old son overdosed on heroin. Investigators say Dowdy dialed 911 when he realized the child was

not breathing.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: OK. What`s going on there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For some reason, my son`s not breathing.

911 OPERATOR: How old is he?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s 7, 8. I don`t think he`s breathing.

911 OPERATOR: 7 years old. Not breathing? In Berea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. (DELETED) Yes. Please hurry.

911 OPERATOR: OK, stay on the phone with me, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please hurry!

911 OPERATOR: Do you guys want to do CPR?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

911 OPERATOR: OK, do you know how to do it, or do you need me to give you directions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) He`s not breathing. Move! Move!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: When officers arrived, the father was performing chest compressions on the boy. They took him to the hospital and began their

investigation. Officers now say there were opiates and other drugs in the child`s system, and hospital staff say the child had contraband in his

sock. Both parents remain behind bars tonight.

Cory Shaffer is a crime reporter for Cleveland.com. He joins me tonight from Cleveland. Cory, 8 years old -- I mean, you just don`t hear about

this. Take it from the beginning.

CORY SHAFFER, CLEVELAND.COM (via telephone): Hi. Thanks for having me on, Jean.

yes, so what happened was, this was on January 11th, about 10:30 at night. Mr. Dowdy, you heard the 911 call, said he woke up. His son wasn`t

breathing. His lips were blue. So he called 911. You heard the dispatcher, you know, offer to walk him through chest compressions in an

effort to get him to breathe again.

And when police showed up, they met Mr. Dowdy`s girlfriend, Ms. Simko, outside. She brought them in. Officers saw Mr. Dowdy giving chest

compressions, took over, found a pulse. And when the ambulance showed up, it took the boy to the hospital, where -- that`s where hospital staff found

the drugs inside the boy`s sock. And I think that`s...

CASAREZ: Let me stop you right there. So you`re saying that the police report is saying that they found drugs inside this 8-year-old`s sock? I

mean, were they in a plastic bag? What were they in?

[20:05:08]SHAFFER: The police report doesn`t say, and I understand you have -- you know, maybe the chief can talk to this, as well. But you know,

there were some different reports that it was in a makeshift container. But as far as I know, you know...

CASAREZ: You know, Cory, that is just really unheard of, to have drugs on the person of this 8-year-old.

And we do have with us tonight the police chief of that area. Chief Joe Grecol is joining us from Berea, Ohio. Thank you, Chief, for joining us.

First of all, I know Ohio has had an epidemic, but I think to be 8 years and have the drugs in your body -- when your officers arrived to the scene,

where did they find this little boy? What did they do? And how soon did they transport him to the hospital?

JOE GRECOL, BEREA CHIEF OF POLICE: Well, thanks, Jean, for having us on tonight, first of all. It`s a horrible -- it`s a tragic situation. But

the officers arrived on scene after the 911 call, and the officer that showed up first saw the father giving chest compressions, and took over for

the father. He eventually found a pulse on the child. And by the time the rescue squad got there, they scooped the kid up and took him awfully quick

to the hospital, as fast as they could.

CASAREZ: Well, I bet they did because he`s alive, and that`s the miracle of this. This little 8-year-old boy is alive. Now, when your officers

were in the house, did they see in plain view drugs? I know that there are charges here in regard to both of these people that there were drugs.

GRECOL: There were -- there`s a lot of specifics about the case that I`m not going to be able to talk about. And I know -- I know that`s a horrible

thing to hear all the time, that the case is under investigation and there`s not going to be a lot we can talk about, but -- I understand that

that`s going to be rough to hear.

But this is a fresh case, and this is something that we`re trying our hardest to make sure is prosecuted appropriately. But it -- it speaks

specifically to the rough part of what this evil and this drug has done for people. It`s something that really speaks to a larger problem that we`re

experiencing.

CASAREZ: The police report does say that there was contraband found in the sock of this little boy. Can you, without hurting the investigation --

it`s in the police report. What are they talking about there?

GRECOL: They`re talking about a container that had some items in it that we took as evidence and we sent off for testing. So it`s -- you know, it

was a surprise. Nobody expected to see that.

CASAREZ: So do you believe that this little boy was parroting what he saw his parents allegedly doing, or intentionally given drugs by his parents,

allegedly, or -- and the -- what is the working theory? Because there are several of them.

GRECOL: You know, again, I hate to go into any working theories on it as the case has been handed over to prosecutors, and our guys are -- this is

one that does hit home for a lot of police officers. This is something that`s -- that`s -- again, it`s tragic. And I don`t think I can say

"tragic" enough here. But our guys are working their hardest to make sure that when we speak to the prosecutors on this, that instead of formulating

ideas on what occurred, we want to get to actually what did occur.

CASAREZ: And Danielle Simko, the mother, 31 years old, and the father, Charles Dowdy, both behind bars.

Let`s play a little more of that 911 call right now because it was the dad, Dowdy, that made it.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: Is he choking on anything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he was sleeping. And I think what happened is he rolled over and I don`t think he could breathe. I think he was, like,

in the pillow, and he was, like, suffocated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And joining me now, Randy Zelin and Joey Jackson, both defense lawyers. Randy Zelin, you have experience -- well, so do you, Joey -- in

the prosecutor area. Randy, I want to know here -- both parents are charged. I want to know, allegedly, who was the leader and who was the

follower. What are they going to do to find that out?

RANDY ZELIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, there`s a couple things that you can do as a prosecutor. First of all, unfortunately, you can turn one parent

against the other. Now, there is something called a husband and wife privilege, which means things that husbands and wives talk about, you can`t

necessarily get one spouse to testify against the other.

But certainly, in terms of talking about what happened, I can assure you that law enforcement will put pressure and try to determine who`s the

weaker of the two. And obviously, if one rolls on the other, that`s probably the end of the case.

[20:10:06]CASAREZ: And Joey, what do you think happened here? I mean, to have contraband in the little boy`s sock, in a container...

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It`s horrific, Jean. There`s no question about it. I think there was a failing of this child. Clearly, that`s the

case. I think, clearly, the parents needed to and should have done a better job of safeguarding the child from the drugs and been aware of doing

drugs themselves and the harm that could befall their child.

But at the risk of being provocative, Jean, there are 37 states that provide an immunity. In other words, they won`t prosecute you if you call

and there`s an overdose. And the reason they do that is to provide an incentive to save lives.

So with respect to this prosecution, you have to be really careful. Why? Well, if you`re talking about an epidemic, the objective is to call, call

right away, save the child, save the child! And if you prosecute these parents, what happens then, is what does it do to the next parents who are

unfortunately drug-addicted? Will they now not be so quick to get on the phone such that, as you said, Jean, this life was saved.

Thank God this child is alive. But if parents are -- if there`s a disincentive to call because you know you`re going to be behind bars, that

presents a larger problem.

ZELIN: That`s the chilling effect. That`s the chilling effect.

CASAREZ: Yes, but here are the facts. More than one drug was found in that child. Other drugs that were in the home.

ZELIN: Right. And you raise a great point. But to be also provocative, to charge the parents with possession -- charging these parents with

possession of drugs found on the child is no smarter than if my mug had drugs in it, could you be charged with possession on the other side of the

table?

JACKSON: Yes.

ZELIN: Of course not.

JACKSON: Yes.

ZELIN: No, you could not.

JACKSON: Yes, because...

ZELIN: Charge them with endangering, not with possession.

JACKSON: Well, the point is that there`s something called constructive possession. And generally, 8-year-olds don`t run around with heroin, Jean.

It doesn`t happen! So...

ZELIN: But you have to be close enough...

(CROSSTALK)

CASAREZ: And drugs were found around the home, allegedly, and also paraphernalia.

ZELIN: We have no idea where the parent-...

CASAREZ: It`s a complicated story.

ZELIN: ... was in relation to the child.

JACKSON: So the 8-year-old...

ZELIN: ... when the drugs were put there.

JACKSON: ... is taking drugs and using them for himself.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELIN: Charge endangering. Charge endangering, not possession.

JACKSON: I don`t think you charge anyone because of what I said here.

CASAREZ: All right, it`s going to be a tough case. Thank you. We will be back.

Breaking news in the murders of two teenagers in Indiana. You know this story. Why police have expanded their search for their prime suspect

nationwide.

Plus, a murdered mother mystery that police say isn`t a whodunnit. Why officers fear they might find evidence along roadsides from New Mexico to

Louisiana.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: The search for the killer of two teenage girls has expanded nationwide. Why police could now be changing up their focus in the manhunt

for their prime suspect, captured in this picture.

[20:15:00]Plus, police say this mother was murdered, dismembered, and parts of her body could be anywhere from New Mexico to Louisiana. One of her

friends says Ashley Meade`s loss has been devastating to all who knew her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was one of those, you know, I mean, moms who worked really, really hard to make Winter`s (ph) life so special. And

Winter needs her mom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Police in Indiana -- they are digging through clues, investigating hundreds of tips, and now widening their search for a suspect

all to answer one question. Who killed Liberty German and Abigail Williams? The bodies of the teenagers were found one week ago near a

creek, less than a mile from where a relative had dropped them off to go hiking.

And so far, investigators have kept much of what they do know close to the vest. But they did release this, a picture of a man seen walking on the

bridge around the same time the girls disappeared. State police call him the main suspect in the case, and they say that he participated, they

believe, in the murders of Abby and Libby.

Officers are now saying they have widened the search for the man to outside the county, even outside the state. That information is coming as we learn

police are going to hold a news conference tomorrow to release new details about the teens` murders.

Lindsey Eaton is a reporter for CBS 4 and Fox 59. She joins me now from Delphi, Indiana. You have been on this case from the beginning, Lindsey.

What is going to happen tomorrow?

LINDSEY EATON, CBS 4/FOX 59 (via telephone): We`re hearing that authorities are going to release new information. What that new

information is still is the big question. I`m being told that authorities will be releasing something unlike anything they`ve provided up until this

point. What that is, we still don`t know.

CASAREZ: All right. This could be huge. And joining us tonight is, from the Indiana State Police, the public information officer, Sergeant Tony

Slocum is joining us. Sergeant, are you going to participate in the press conference tomorrow?

SGT. TONY SLOCUM, INDIANA STATE POLICE (via telephone): I will be participating in the press conference tomorrow.

CASAREZ: All right. You know, we have covered this story from the beginning. We want to do our part as journalists to help solve this brutal

double murder. Is the information that you`re going to release -- where are you having the press conference?

SLOCUM: We`re having it at a local church just outside of town of Delphi.

CASAREZ: But why the necessity? Because this is -- we see these suspects -- you call them the main suspect -- why the necessity to hold the press

conference?

SLOCUM: Well, we want to make sure we update media on some new facts that we have and some evidence that we want to release and get out into the

public, and hopefully, we can capture the murderer of Liberty German and Abigail Williams sooner rather than later.

[20:20:12]CASAREZ: You know, we`ve been looking at this photograph. We put it on the air every single night across the country, if anyone has seen

this person. Do you have a height? Do you have a weight? Do you have hair color at all? Any other descriptions about this man that can be

disseminated to try to find him?

SLOCUM: Well, unfortunately, at this time, we do not have that information. And that`s why we`re asking for the public`s help. We have

set up a tip line specifically for this case at 844-459-5786. And maybe information from the public can be the missing puzzle to the -- or the

missing piece to the puzzle we`re trying to solve.

CASAREZ: Now, I know you have expanded the search to outside of the state. How are you doing that? Are you posting this photograph at truck stops or

areas along the interstate?

SLOCUM: Well, the media`s been great about putting the photo out in distribution. We`ve also been using social media sites, whether that`s

Facebook or Twitter. But again, we`re asking for information to be sent to that tip line, to call that tip line regardless how minute the information

might be. It might be that missing piece.

But again, we`re not asking for people just to focus on the Carroll County, Delphi area. Maybe it`s someone you kind of recognize from work that maybe

called in sick that day, or maybe even a family member who doesn`t have an alibi for that time period but looks like the man in that picture, who we

believe is a male white wearing bluejeans and wearing a blue colored coat and/or jacket.

CASAREZ: How important is social media to your investigation? Because we do know that there was a picture, the last picture we believe that was ever

taken of Liberty and then also her girlfriend, Abigail. They took a picture. That`s it right there. So is social media important? Do you

think that posting this on Instagram, which, you know, alerts (ph) immediately where these girls are, that that could have triggered someone

to go to the area?

SLOCUM: Well, I don`t know, but it is a double-edged sword dealing with the social media sites. One, it does provide us a greater reach in putting

out information to the public. But it also creates some false information. I know there was a distribution of a sketch that someone had created on

their own, which sometimes confuses the public.

So again, we do use the social media sites to get our information out, but again, we ask people to vet the information that they might be receiving

that`s not coming directly from law enforcement.

CASAREZ: Do you believe that these young girls at all could have been innocently communicating with someone who may have even not led to his real

identity, to meet that person at this trail for a couple of hours?

SLOCUM: Well, anything`s possible, but the evidence we have thus far has not revealed that to be true. Unfortunately, these young ladies were just

doing what teenage girls do. They were -- they were enjoying a beautiful day on a beautiful trail in a beautiful part of Indiana, and these crimes

occurred.

We`re doing our best, I can rest assure, or let the family know that there are over 100 officers investigating this case, trying to get the person who

killed Libby German or Abigail Williams into custody again sooner rather than later.

CASAREZ: Now, common sense tells us that this man who is who you say the main suspect -- his picture is all over television. So there may be a

great likelihood that he`s watching this tonight, watching himself, knowing that he can`t be found. What do you want to say to him?

SLOCUM: Well, if that`s the case, we, one, would implore you to turn yourself in and hold yourself -- or be responsible for the crimes that you

have committed. But also, rest assured, we`re coming to look for you. And our goal is to get that person into custody, and we`re going to work as

hard as we have to to get that person into the Carroll County jail to face charges related to the murders of Libby German and Abigail Williams.

CASAREZ: So Sergeant, it sounds like you believe you have your man. And do you think that he worked alone?

SLOCUM: Well, we don`t know if he worked alone or not, but this is our prime suspect. We are actively looking for this person. Evidence thus

far, the totality of the evidence that investigators have collected, has led to this person in the picture that we distributed. And that`s why we

have identified this person not as just someone we want to talk to but as the person who is a suspect in a double homicide.

CASAREZ: What you`re telling me right there is DNA, forensic DNA, but that`s difficult because you don`t know his identity, but there`s something

there that correlates with him. Is there a timestamp on that photograph?

[20:25:06]SLOCUM: Well, we believe -- the photograph came in our possession I believe on Tuesday, a week ago today. But as far as evidence,

we`re not going to release information that`s germane to our investigation. Again, some of the facts related to the case are known only to

investigators and to the person and/or persons who committed this crime.

So I know the public wants more information and the media wants more information, but to protect our investigation and to prevent copycats, some

of that information has to be withheld so we can have a successful prosecution when we do make an arrest.

CASAREZ: And I do understand that.

Joining us tonight also is a friend of the family. The family has stayed so private, but Terri Bradshaw is joining us tonight and -- Tracy, I`m

sorry. You know both families. And you own the pizza parlor in town that`s having a benefit this Friday. But you`ve known both families for

years, right?

TRACY BRADSHAW, FRIEND OF GERMAN FAMILY: I`ve actually only known Libby`s family for probably about 20 years, yes.

CASAREZ: All right. What`s going on around town? I mean, what are people saying? Does anybody recognize this man? And if not, what do they -- what

do they believe?

BRADSHAW: I don`t think anybody has recognized him, or they probably would have already turned him in. People are scared. You know, it`s a small

town. You`re not -- you`re used to letting your kids go out by themselves with friends and do whatever they want. And people are holding their kids

at home and not letting them go out.

CASAREZ: Well, I think that`s very understandable. What -- you know, it was a crime scene that investigators worked on for a long time. They

didn`t release the crime scene until quite a bit later. What are they saying in regard to how these two young girls died?

BRADSHAW: I really don`t know. So I -- I don`t feel that I can answer that.

CASAREZ: OK. All right. Are there theories going around town, though? Because that`s just something that I think probably automatically happens.

BRADSHAW: I think probably the biggest theory is that it`s someone local because the trail was so far out of town that really only the local people

know about it.

CASAREZ: That`s very interesting. So it is -- it is remote.

BRADSHAW: It is remote.

CASAREZ: That`s very interesting. Sergeant Tony Slocum with the Illinois (sic) State Police, can you just tell us about the area? How large is it?

I know it`s abandoned railroad tracks. It`s a hiking trail. But how many miles are we talking about?

SLOCUM: I`m not exactly sure on how long this trail is. If I had to guess, I would say maybe a mile long, but it`s -- the trail near where

these young ladies were murdered is part of a trail system. And it is in a remote area, but the trail itself is also well advertised as a tourist

destination in Carroll County, Indiana.

So even though the theory -- I heard her talking about being a local area person -- we`re not just staying focused on local because it`s next to a

highway system, the Hoosier Heartland State Road 25, where people can get on quickly and get off quickly. And the -- it`s just east of the town of

Delphi. So we`re expanding our search to include anybody that could have possibly come through the area.

CASAREZ: All right. Good words to end with. We will all be watching tomorrow morning for your press conference. Thanks so much.

Police say a toddler`s death -- it was no accident. And now a teenager, a teen mom and her boyfriend are charged with the little girl`s murder. But

the shocker the girl`s uncle revealed might leave you speechless.

Plus, the investigation into the murder of this Colorado mother. It might take police into at least five states. But this is no manhunt for a

suspect. They are searching for parts of the victim.

[20:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A mother and her boyfriend are charged with murder in the death of a woman`s 16-month-old daughter. Investigators in South Georgia say Marley

Wilson called 911 earlier this month saying the little girl was having trouble breathing. But when officers arrived, they found the little girl

who they say had visible bruises on her stomach barely breathing.

Little Anniston was rushed to the hospital where she died. Police arrested the 18-year-old mother and her 19-year-old boyfriend James Cutshall III on

murder charges. An autopsy report revealed that blunt force trauma contributed to the little girl`s death. Her biological father could not

believe that Anniston was murdered.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN FRY, BABY`S BIOLOGICAL FATHER: I knew she was off but I didn`t think she`d ever take it this far. I never -- I never seen this coming. That

little girl`s my everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And what makes this story so outrageous is the uncle of the teen mother says she`s pregnant again.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think that they could have laid a hand on this child?

[20:35:00] CORBET WILSON, UNCLE OF MARLEY WILSON: I wouldn`t ever dreamed it, you know? It was just unbelievable to me. She`s fixing to have another

one I think in April.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was pregnant.

WILSON: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So she is pregnant right now?

WILSON: Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Terry Dickson is the Georgia editor for the "Florida Times Union." He joins me from Saint Simons Island, Georgia. All right, Terry, when

police get to the scene, they find this little boy and there are bruises on his body as well as he`s not breathing?

TERRY DICKSON, GEORGIA EDITOR FOR THE FLORIDA TIMES UNION: Well, it was a little girl and that`s right. The EMT that was working on the child at the

time told the officer who arrived on the scene that the little girl was not breathing. And that he did see visible bruising on her abdomen.

CASAREZ: And may I say, a beautiful little girl. So what -- what does the mother and the boyfriend say happened?

DICKSON: To my knowledge, I don`t know exactly what they said. What she said originally to the officers who were investigating it earlier was that

she had put the child down with a bottle of milk and a few minutes later, they could tell she was having difficulty breathing. So they dialed 911 and

the EMTs arrived to find her not breathing.

CASAREZ: And now they`re both charged with felony murder. Felony murder in the State of Florida does not fair well for someone when they`re convicted.

What are you hearing could be the motive in all of this?

DICKSON: Well, this is the State of Georgia. We`re not hearing any motive yet. This normally comes out later, you know, in some preliminary hearings,

one thing or the other. The discovery process is usually pretty open in cases like this. The defense attorney, whoever that will be, will get open

discovery and find out what police believe any statements that have been made to them. I don`t believe either one of them will get bond, get out any

time soon because first of all, murder is an offense that only a superior court judge can set bond in Georgia.

And Brantley is a small county. Judges don`t get by there that often. They`ll probably set something up to bring a judge into town and to -- and

prosecutors will present their case for why they should be released and of course, I`m sorry, prosecutors will present their case why they should not

be released and I`m certain the defense attorneys will come up with the usual they`ve lived here all their lives and their family is here, that

sort of thing. But typically, people in South Georgia held on murder charges do not get out on bail at all.

CASAREZ: You know, Joey, this is sad on every level that I can think about. That beautiful little girl is dead. The mother, I mean, she`s -- she looks

like she`s in the prime of her life. She`s 18 years old. She`s pregnant. If you represented her, there is a right to a speedy trial.

JACKSON: Sure.

CASAREZ: Would you try to get that case -- this case -- to trial before she has the baby?

JACKSON: You know, not necessarily. I think the baby ultimately whether she`s incarcerated or not will be taken care of by the system. I think the

more important thing would be to assess the facts, analyze how if I were representing her, how she could be assisted. And so at this point, what the

problem that you have as a defense attorney here is the forensic evidence. Apparently blunt-force trauma is noted to be the cause of death.

CASAREZ: Weapon being hands and.

JACKSON: Exactly.

CASAREZ: . fists.

JACKSON: And so that`s inconsistent with the story that was told in terms of laying the baby down and hearing the baby screaming or what have you and

then noticing that oh, my God, we have to call the police. And so that`s problematic. It could be, though, that potentially there was an accident

that occurred within that home and there was a panic and as a result of that, they`re telling the story not because they did anything maliciously

to the child, but because something accidentally happened and then the panic they`re telling a fairy tale and so we have to see as the story

develops precisely what happened.

CASAREZ: Randy, your thoughts?

RANDY ZELIN, FORMER PROSECUTOR: I sit here, and I`m amazed. I don`t know what I find to be more amazing. First of all, somehow there`s a connection

between bruising which quite frankly we still don`t know where those bruises came from. Like you said, there could have been a perfectly

innocent accidental reason. You could have a wet baby in the bath and the baby slips out of your hand.

CASAREZ: They`re not saying that. They`re saying the baby was in bed with them and all of a sudden the lips turned blue.

ZELIN: You could fall asleep and roll over on the baby. Again, to Joey`s point, we don`t know what happened. But what is amazing to me, to listen to

someone say, well, you know, in Georgia, the judge could get there, the judge could not there. So they`ll just sit in jail until the judge gets

around to it. Those two people are presumed to be innocent. That`s not due process. And that is not justice.

[20:40:00] JACKSON: That being said, though, the significance of the crime based upon a baby being dead is something that gravitates toward them being

in jail. And whether it was an accident or not an accident, there`s a death here. And as a result of that, you want to hold them accountable and you

want to hold them in until such time that a determination can be made.

ZELIN: Let`s remember what happened with Casey Anthony, what everybody thought -- Casey Anthony was acquitted. So there`s so much that we don`t

know. Participate these kids.

CASAREZ: Casey Anthony was released on bond and she was gone for a long time.

ZELIN: But she was acquitted.

JACKSON: Doesn`t mean she was innocent.

ZELIN: She was acquitted.

CASAREZ: All right.

JACKSON: Yes, she was.

CASAREZ: A mother in Colorado murdered. And police say they know who did it, but the real mystery could be where to find the victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Tonight, police in California have named this man, Michael Christopher Mejia, as the suspect in the shooting death of police officer

Keith Boyer. Boyer, a 27-year veteran of the Whittier Police Department, was shot and killed Monday morning when he responded to a traffic accident.

Another officer, Patrick Hazell, was also injured in the shootout and hospitalized in stable condition. Authorities say both officers were

ambushed by Mejia, a recently paroled gang member. Police Chief Jeff Piper was reduced to tears as he spoke about the shootings.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

PIPER: You know, it`s really hard for me to hold back -- my tears. Because all of us have been grieving since 10:00 this morning. I didn`t think I had

any tears left. Everybody needs to know what these officers are dealing with out there on a daily basis. You have no idea how it`s changed in the

last four years. People don`t want to follow rules. People don`t care about other people. It`s tragic. This is a senseless, senseless tragedy that did

not need to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: "Primetime Justice" sends their thoughts and their prayers to Officer Boyer and Officer Hazell families. We`ll be right back.

[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: In Colorado, police are investigating, to say the least, the bizarre murder of a mother and it all began with a missing person`s case.

Ashley Mead disappeared last week along with her 1-year-old daughter, Winter. A few days later, police caught up with Winter`s dad, Adam

Densmore, in Oklahoma, and surprise, little Winter was with him but Ashley Mead was not.

Police say they found human remains in a dumpster, you`re looking at the dumpster, that`s it right there. It`s outside of a Walmart not far from

where they took Densmore into custody. Offices confirm the body parts were, indeed, Ashley`s, but it was not all of her. They believe Densmore

dismembered her and put her in purple suitcases that could be somewhere in Louisiana or Oklahoma or anywhere along the way.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNON CORDINGLY, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT: We have made, which is abnormal, a nationwide plea, to communities from

Boulder, all the way to Louisiana and every town in between. We know that Ashley Mead has been murdered. We believe that we have located her torso in

Oklahoma and would like to recover the rest of her body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Densmore has been charged with murder. So far, they have not released a motive. Randy __ is an investigative reporter. He joins me now

from Denver. First of all, tell us the route that they believe that this man traveled to end up in Oklahoma.

RANDY CORPORON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yeah, they are saying that he drove from Boulder, Colorado, down south to Raton, New Mexico, then across the

Texas panhandle and wound his way through Louisiana and wound up up in Oklahoma.

CASAREZ: In a matter of days.

CORPORON: Yeah.

CASAREZ: In absolutely a matter of days. And I do think we have now Shannon Cordingly who is the public information officer from Boulder Police

Department. Do we have you?

CORDINGLY: Yes.

CASAREZ: All right. Thank you for joining us. You know, we`re trying to make sense of this. You`re trying to solve a murder. I do know that.

Boulder, Colorado is where both of them were living. Is that correct?

CORDINGLY: That is correct.

CASAREZ: Okay. And I believe they have moved there from Louisiana. But here`s my question. The initial crime scene, where do you believe the

murder of this young mother took place? Do you believe it took place in Colorado since he`s being extradited to Colorado?

CORDINGLY: Yes. We have reason to believe that Ashley was murdered in Boulder and that Adam actually traveled with Winter and Ashley`s body all

the way down to Louisiana and then began to scatter parts of her body on his route back to what we believe was going to be Colorado.

CASAREZ: So the crime scene that you had in Colorado, was it, I`ve covered many cases where there are dismemberments, it is a very bloody, bloody

crime scene. Do you believe that she was dismembered there in Colorado?

[20:50:00] CORDINGLY: At this point, the evidence indicates that she was partially dismembered in Louisiana, and at this point we`re still

investigating further.

CASAREZ: So you believe she may have been partially dismembered in Louisiana.

CORDINGLY: Yes.

CASAREZ: That`s interesting. So do you believe that there could be body parts from New Mexico, throughout Texas, because that`s where he had to

travel to get to Louisiana? Or do you think from Louisiana onward is where people should be searching at this point?

CORDINGLY: We believe all areas are possible locations where he dropped a portion of her body. We do not want to rule anything out. We do believe

that the purple suitcase does come into play in Louisiana and on his route back, so in those areas in particular, we`re asking people, not only to be

on the lookout for a purple suitcase, but something just in general that doesn`t quite look right. Not touch it and to contact your local authority.

CASAREZ: Right. These purple suitcases obviously they`re going to stand out, but they`re pivotal to your investigation. Why do you say a purple

suitcase is important to Louisiana?

CORDINGLY: So we do know that Ashley`s body was partially dismembered outside of Louisiana. We believe it was in that location where he was able

to obtain the purple suitcase which was part of the full set so we`re looking for the other pieces that may possibly contain her body.

CASAREZ: And isn`t it true that at the dumpster, when someone who worked at the gas station that`s on the Walmart property, looked in, there was the

purple suitcase with her torso inside?

CORDINGLY: That is correct. They initially saw the purple suitcase, walked back into the store. It kind of -- curiosity got the best of them. They

initially peeked into the suitcase and actually thought it was a fetal pig. And then going back into the store thinking about what their next move was

going to be. When they walked back to the dumpster, the wind had partially uncovered her body which was also wrapped in a garbage bag and it was then

they discovered that they were looking at the torso of an adult female.

CASAREZ: Do you believe the suitcases were actually hers, the victims?

CORDINGLY: At this point, we believe that the suitcases were that of a family member of Mr. Densmore.

CASAREZ: Did he go to a family member`s home in Louisiana?

CORDINGLY: Yes, when he traveled to Louisiana and to Arkansas (ph), he stayed with family members.

CASAREZ: One last thing. I want to ask you. The little 1-year-old girl. Where is she? Winter?

CORDINGLY: The last known location I know for her was in Oklahoma. She was with Child Protective Services. And they were working on reuniting her with

another family member.

CASAREZ: Okay. That`s very good. Now, we have the best friend of this mother and she joins us tonight. Morgan, I`m sorry.

MORGAN JEKNAVORIAN, BEST FRIEND OF MURDERED MOM: Yes. That`s okay.

CASAREZ: Morgan Jeknavorian. Thank you for joining us. And I know that you are still in shock of losing your friend and losing her in the way that you

lost her. But when was the last time you spoke with her?

JEKNAVORIAN: We texted Sunday evening.

CASAREZ: You texted Sunday evening?

JEKNAVORIAN: Yes, ma`am. Looking back at it, the last time we texted was -- we texted a lot through Sunday and Sunday around 3:00 p.m. was the last

time we had talked.

CASAREZ: Which is very close, according to this time line, of when she would have been murdered.

JEKNAVORIAN: Yeah. I saw on her mom`s Facebook Tuesday afternoon that she was missing.

CASAREZ: So when you texted Sunday, what did she say?

JEKNAVORIAN: The last thing she told me was that the farm she was working at had burnt down and she was kind of upset about it. She had worked for a

farm there around Boulder where she would milk goats and get, like, fresh dairy and stuff. She didn`t get paid to do it. She got fresh dairy and

stuff to do. I went there with her when I went to visit her. She had told me that it had burnt down and -- I can look. I just had such a week. I

can`t remember what we talked about, but I do know.

CASAREZ: Didn`t seem like she had anything on her mind. It seemed like that it was just sort of life as usual.

JEKNAVORIAN: Maybe. Well, it looks like she was telling me that earlier Sunday that she did tell him about another guy she`d been hanging out with.

CASAREZ: Ah. Okay.

JEKNAVORIAN: Like, he told me on Sunday, like, quoting her, like, he tried to say he couldn`t watch Winter

[20:55:00] because he was drinking and I made him feel like shit for that one. And then he was, like, crying as soon as she left. She sent me

pictures the day before of him, like, sulking on the couch and stuff. So, like, me knowing Adam, that wasn`t out of the ordinary because he was

always a bit off. So.

CASAREZ: And nobody really liked Adam, right?

JEKNAVORIAN: No. None of us liked him.

CASAREZ: But you endured it because she was with him. All right. Thank you so much for joining us.

JEKNAVORIAN: I had to be around him.

CASAREZ: I`m so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much to everybody for watching tonight. I`m Jean Casarez, in for Ashleigh Banfield. We`re going

to see you back here tomorrow night at 8:00 for PRIMETIME JUSTICE. Up next, "FORENSIC FILES." Good night, everybody.

[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END