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'Rita Cosby Live & Direct' for Jan. 23rd
Updated: 12:28 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2006
Guests: Jad Adams, Theodore Breaux,
Dave Holloway, Steve Cohen, Joe Manchin
RITA COSBY, HOST: Good evening,
Excerpt...
COSBY: All right. Thank you very much. Very interesting. We appreciate you being with us.
And still ahead, everybody, right here on LIVE & DIRECT, Aruban police are heading to the U.S. to re-question Natalee Holloway‘s friends. We‘re going to look at what they are hoping to find out. What was maybe missed the first time in questioning them?
Plus, another mining tragedy in West Virginia. Two more workers found dead over the weekend. The governor of that state says these tragedies could have been prevented. And he‘s taking tough action. He‘s going to tell us what he just did a few hours ago when he comes up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: A developing situation at Ft. Lauderdale Airport, which is just about 25 miles away from where I‘m standing right now here in Miami. A passenger is in the hospital tonight after getting out of his plane and jumping onto the tarmac. Officials say the plane was waiting to take off when the man became agitated and opened the plane‘s door. Police chased him down and tasered him. It‘s unclear what condition he‘s in tonight, but officials say he may be facing some possible charges.
Aruban authorities are now taking their investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway right to the missing teen‘s hometown. Investigators are on their way to Alabama this week to talk to some of Natalee‘s friends who were with her in Aruba the night that she vanished back in May.
LIVE & DIRECT right now is special adviser to the Aruban government, Steve Cohen. Also with us on the phone is Natalee Holloway‘s father, Dave Holloway.
Steve, why are they doing this now?
STEVE COHEN, SPECIAL ADVISER TO ARUBAN GOVERNMENT: Well, I think it‘s just a matter of a process of elimination. You know, we go through a lot of these scenarios. Finally, we get to the point where we say we need to talk to some of those who were with Natalee the day and then the night that she disappeared.
We have to go through a process through the FBI in Barbados to get access to these individuals. And by the way,
the FBI will be questioning them and the Aruban authorities will be the observers in keeping with the covenants that we have with the United States government.
COSBY: What do you think they could provide, though, Steve? Is there a question of Natalee‘s state of mind? Is there a question of something else, speaking to them, maybe they heard or saw? Where do you think it‘s headed?
COHEN: Well, all of those things are important. Let me talk first about just the circumstances surrounding that evening. Anything that investigators can find out about what it was like that evening just generally is important and then specifically, what was Natalee thinking? Was she in a good mood or a bad mood? And then, of course, what was her physical state? All of these things will add into the puzzle of what these teens say versus what the Aruban authorities collected from other witnesses.
COSBY: Dave, what do you make of all of this? Do you think this is going to get any step closer to finding your daughter? Or is this sort of just grasping for straws?
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY‘S FATHER: Well, I think it‘s going to close some of the holes in the investigation.
You know, when I met with Paulus early on in the investigation, he was pointing the finger back towards the Mountain Brook kids. And I think it‘s just a way of just closing that gap and putting that to rest.
COSBY: Is there anything there that was significant to you when—
I‘m sure you‘ve talked to Natalee‘s friends. I‘m sure that they‘ve talked with you immediately after, you know, her disappearance. What did they say her state of mind was? Did they have any idea where she was headed and where she was going with these guys?
HOLLOWAY: Well, I think there was some early confusion on what some of the Mountain Brook kids reported and what they said. I did speak with one individual. And he said that they all came out of the establishment, and they were all talking, and everybody appeared to be OK. And then suddenly they saw Natalee look around as if she was looking for someone and walked back into the establishment and was back in there approximately 15 minutes. And then, when she came out, Deepak had her by the arm, leading her out of the bar.
COSBY: And that was the last thing that they saw?
HOLLOWAY: Well, that was one of the individuals‘ witness statement was, was that Deepak walked her out. Some of the others indicated that she walked out with Joran. So I think that‘s a matter of clearing that issue up.
COSBY: And, Steve, I want to continue. You may hear the car alarm in the background. And we‘re, of course, outside in the thick of it here in Miami. But, Steve, in terms of these students, they‘re probably all over the country, right? A lot of them went off to college. Are they coming back to Alabama? Are investigators going to them?
COHEN: My understanding is that some will be in Alabama. And then there will be a few that they will travel to meet with. I don‘t think we‘re talking about an extensive list. It‘s a fairly limited list that the Aruban authorities and the FBI, as well as with help of the district attorney in Shelby County in Alabama put together.
COSBY: And, Steve, of course, everyone—we‘ve been talking about the sand dunes. Any movement in what‘s happening in the sand dunes? Because there was so much focus that another—we were hearing somebody close to Joran, a friend, insinuated something to point them back towards that area. Have you heard if there‘s any progress, any movement there?
COHEN: Yes. You know, the original information there is part of the
re-look at the investigation, as well as new witnesses that have come
forward. So the investigators felt that they should begin to dig in the area by the sand dunes.
That went on for a few days. It has now ceased for a moment, as they begin to sift through what they‘ve got, figure out where they are. I also understand that they are awaiting something special dogs who also can go out and help them in the search.
COSBY: All right, both of you, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
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FBI and Aruban Police coming to question Mountain Brook Teens in Natalee Holloway Disappearance
January 24th, 2006
Aruban police and the FBI will conduct volunteer interviews with some of Natalee Holloway’s friends that were with her on their trip to Aruba. Some twenty-one Mountain Brook teens will be questioned. Gerold Dompig, ALE, said his team had a “wish list” of 21 people to interview. Interestingly enough, it appears that his “wish list” is more cooperative than the three suspects were in refusing to come in to the ALE for a volunteer questioning. After all the derogatory comments made toward the MB teens by Steve Cohen and others, who seems to be cooperative and who is not?
“We also are able to finally talk to some of the Alabama teens who left on that plane and did not wait around for interrogation,” said Cohen.
Many wonder whether the three suspects are on Dompig’s or even Cohen’s wish list as well?
Two Aruban police investigators were en route to Alabama on Monday and plan to spend the next week to 10 days interviewing 21 friends of missing Mountain Brook teen Natalee Holloway.
At the same time, another team was visiting the FBI regional headquarters in Barbados to look at documents in the case, and ground searches could start up again in the next few days, Aruba Deputy Police Chief Gerold Dompig said Monday.
Dompig said his team had a “wish list” of 21 people to interview. He would not say if any of the adults who were on the trip are included in that list.
Although many on the list are in the state, others may be away at school. Dompig said the team is even considering flying some potential interviewees back to Birmingham.
(Birmingham News)
(NBC 13): Aruban Investigators Travel To Conduct Interviews In Birmingham
According to the FBI, Aruban investigators will arrive in Alabama on Monday night.
This will be the first visit by Aruban investigators to Birmingham. The investigators will be questioning people who were with Natalee Holloway the night she disappeared in Aruba.
FBI spokesman Ray Zicarelli said Monday that the Aruban police will be accompanied by FBI agents during the talks. The interviews are expected to last several days.
According to AL Representative Bachus,
“They need to tie up loose ends and they need to go over the final hours that Natalee was there,” “They wanted to come back and go over some testimony and statements they had, just to double check. When you go to trial, the defendants are going to try and cast blame elsewhere.”