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NANCY GRACE

Abducted Mom`s Cell Phone Found

Aired August 17, 2009 - 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: Breaking news tonight. A young mom, just like millions of moms across America, goes out for an evening walk on a rural roadway not far from her own home, talking away on her cell phone, a friend on the other end. The friend on the other end hears screams, and the young mom screaming, Please don`t take me. Her voice has never been heard again. She has vanished without a trace. That cell phone later found discarded, thrown onto someone`s lawn just two miles away. Tonight, where is Kristi Cornwell?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Along a country road, a single mom kidnapped while taking a nightly stroll. New today, her cell phone has been found more than three miles from where she was taken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A property owner who was mowing his grass right near the road and spotted the cell phone. They picked it up and turned it on and recognized immediately that it belonged to Kristi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That cell phone, it could have a number of things. Certainly, it could have forensic evidence with it. You know, it`s got to have fingerprint evidence. And besides, someone may have heard a voice that they may be able to identify.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re going to look for strangers, but on a statistical basis, it`s much more likely that she was kidnapped by a client, a neighbor, a friend, somebody who knew her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The words that she used, the fact that she was on a cell phone and somebody went ahead and did it anyway -- the location, as I understand it, is not a location where somebody would be driving around, looking for a random victim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really have to go out and interview almost everybody that this person knew, particularly the probationees or the parolees that she was working for. You cannot omit anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, live to Anaheim, a quiet apartment community reeling after a suitcase discovered in the communal dumpster opened to reveal a body. The petite, small-framed young woman remains unidentified. Who is she? How did she come to be murdered, then thrown away like trash? Tonight, cops work around the clock to make an ID.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I reached over into the dumpster with my finger, pulled up the flap of the thing, and I discovered the body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A shocking discovery, the body of a 20-something woman found inside a blood-stained suitcase, and police looking for who did it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Officers received a call about 7:00 o`clock this morning from a subject that had been looking for recyclables in the dumpster. While looking through recyclables, he came across a suitcase, and upon opening that suitcase, he located a deceased female in that suitcase.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A man trolling a dumpster for cans and bottles finds the woman. When police arrive, they discover a nude, small-framed woman folded inside a small suitcase, the suitcase just about three feet long, according to one witness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was probably about a three-foot suitcase. When my manager (ph) opened up the suitcase (INAUDIBLE) suitcase, he just lifted it up, you could see, like, a shoulder and an arm. And there were no clothes on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... scouring the area for missing persons, but reports match no one. An autopsy just conducted, trying to determine cause of death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How they got it in a suitcase that small, I don`t know. You know, it`s -- it`s horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Also tonight, Lady Justice does a back flip. A 27-year-old Savannah policeman, father of two little children just 7 weeks old and almost 2, shot dead when he rescues a homeless man from a vicious attack by street thugs. The killer gets the death penalty. But tonight, the courts bend over backwards for the killer! And former president Jimmy Carter and the pope over in Rome inject themselves, siding with the killer, the cop killer! No offense, but why?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The alert tone goes out again over the radio. And this time, they said that it was an officer down. As I turned to come into the parking lot, my headlights came across a police officer face down on the parking lot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That officer, Mark McPhail. While working an off-duty security job, he stepped in to stop a fight and got shot twice. When Owens (ph) flipped the officer over, he says time slowed as he started CPR. And at that moment, nothing else mattered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mark had just had a baby. And these are all things you think of a little bit later. He was out there in uniform, working an extra job for money for his new family and new baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He says the violent way McPhail died while trying to stop violence is unforgivable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He chose to engage the officer because of what that officer represented, and he shoots him. And when he`s down on the ground and he`s trying to push back up to live, he stands over the top of him, and with what people in the crowd said was a smirk of happiness on his face, executed this police officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A jury only took a few hours to decide he was guilty of murdering a police officer in Savannah, Georgia, a few more hours to decide to send him to death row. The primary reason he was convicted, the witness testimony. The slain police officer`s wife agrees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were just so adamant about what they saw, when they saw it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Owens says he has no doubts Troy Davis committed the crime and believes the jury`s recommended punishment should stand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. A young mom, just like millions of mothers across America, goes out for an evening walk along a rural roadway not far from her own home, taking with her her cell and talking away. The friend on the other end hears screams, and hears the young mom scream, Please, don`t take me. Her voice has never been heard again. She`s vanished without a trace. Tonight, where is Kristi Cornwell?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking new developments in the search for a missing single mom kidnapped while on a walk. That was almost a week ago. At first, the only trace of Kristi Cornwell was some of her belongings left on a country road in Blairsville, Georgia. New information today -- her cell phone was found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cornwell`s phone was discovered Friday night near Nottely Dam Road. Dive teams went into the waters near Nottely Lake Saturday, and today ground crews returned to Jones Creek Road, where Cornwell was abducted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are attempting to do is to conduct a systematic search of the area surrounding the abduction site, as far out as possible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have brought in bloodhounds to help, you know, with that searching. They`ve got about 100 people there on the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorities are now stopping all cars on and around Jones Creek Road, asking drivers if they saw anything Tuesday night as they wait for that one tip that turns into a viable lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not going to stop. (INAUDIBLE) we`re not going to stop. Doesn`t matter how long it takes. There`ll never be an end to this search.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight out to Eric Jens with WRGA Newsradio. Eric, what happened?

ERIC JENS, WRGA NEWSRADIO: Well, that`s what everyone would like to know tonight, and the people involved in this search are very committed to finding out just that. A woman disappears after going out for a walk one evening after if first gets cool. She`s on the phone with her boyfriend, and the boyfriend hears screams, hears her say, No, don`t take me. And that`s the last anyone has heard from her. That`s the big question tonight, where is she? And as we said, the search has been expanding, more people getting involved, searching a wider area. And they`re as optimistic as possible at this point, six days after the incident occurred.

GRACE: Everybody, this is an everyday mom. Take a look at Kristi Cornwell. She`s out walking not far from her own home in the evening, not late at night. It`s just barely 9:00 PM, talking away on the cell phone like so many of us ladies do when we`re out exercising. And on the other end, the boyfriend hears her screaming, Please don`t take me. Kristi Cornwell not been seen alive again. Her cell phone has been found, obviously thrown out the window of a vehicle about two miles away on somebody`s lawn.

Straight out to Natisha Lance, our producer standing by outside the command center. Natisha Lance, what can you tell me about two vehicles the cops are interested in?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Two vehicles, that`s right, Nancy. One is a white SUV that they are looking into, the other one is a tan or gold-colored subcompact car, which could either be a Nissan or a Toyota.

GRACE: When you say subcompact, what do you mean by that? Nissan or Toyota...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Four-door or two-door?

LANCE: ... Toyota.

GRACE: Let me break it down for you. Four-door, two-door?

LANCE: They`re not saying whether it`s four-door or two-door. They`re just saying subcompact car, Nissan or Toyota, tan or gold-colored.

GRACE: Norm (ph), let`s put those photos up one more time. And Natisha, where are they getting the APB on the two vehicles, the white Suburban-type SUV, and you see this tan or gold Toyota or Nissan? Where are they getting those descriptions?

LANCE: These are coming from leads that are coming in, Nancy. And also, I was one of the people who was stopped today by law enforcement. They are taking people`s licenses. They are asking you, Are you from this area? They are wanting to know where these vehicles came from. They don`t think these vehicles are from this area. And the population of Blairsville is only about 720 people. So it`s a small community, a tight-knit community. So if there is a car that doesn`t belong or a person that doesn`t belong, they`d be able to recognize it.

GRACE: Joining me right now is a very special guest. Everyone, we are talking your calling live. Help us. We are involved in the search for this young woman. No idea, no real lead right now. Where is Kristi Cornwell?

Out right now to Richard Cornwell. This is her brother. He`s joining us from Blairsville, Georgia. Richard, thank you for being with us. What are cops telling you tonight?

RICHARD CORNWELL, MISSING WOMAN`S BROTHER (via telephone): They briefed us on their continued search today using helicopters, ATVs, ground searches, horseback. They`ve got K-9 teams. They`ve got divers that are searching Lake Nottely, primarily around bridges. So they are continuing their -- continuing to throw all their assets that they can at the search. There`s...

GRACE: Richard Cornwell is joining us. This is her brother joining us from Blairsville, Georgia. You mentioned K-9 dogs. Richard, did the dogs pick up her scent along the road where she was walking?

CORNWELL: I`m not aware of the details of that. I know they have used K-9 units in the vicinity of the abduction site. They used K-9 units close to the cell phone location. So they`re using K-9 units throughout the search.

GRACE: Richard, how far away...

CORNWELL: The cell phone was found a few miles away.

GRACE: How far away had she gotten? I know she was walking along a rural road, not a lot of traffic on that road. How far had she gotten from the home?

CORNWELL: Well, it was -- the loop that she made on a routine basis was a couple miles. There was -- at some point in that -- in that two-mile round trip that the abduction occurred.

GRACE: So not even two miles way. This young -- everybody, this is not some Hollywood celebrity out 2:00 AM, 4:00 AM, hitting all the night spots. This is a young mom out taking an evening stroll for exercise, talking on her cell phone. She`s gone! Help us find Kristi Cornwell. The tip line 706-439-6038.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kristi`s younger brother, Richard, said she`s a loving mother, sister and aunt. He told us Kristi is a former probation officer and drug counselor, and he wants the public to know what kind of a strong-willed person she is.

CORNWELL: I want to get her face out there on television as much as possible, so we can, hopefully, get someone that`s spotted her lately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-eight-year-old Kristi Cornwell of Blairsville, last seen walking here on Jones Creek Road Tuesday night a little after 9:00. GBI investigators say she was on her cell phone talking to her boyfriend in Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says that she said a car was pulling up to her. And as he was on the phone with her, he said that he heard signs of a struggle. Now, we don`t know exactly what it was, but he also reportedly heard screaming and he reportedly heard her say, Don`t take me. And that`s when the phone call cut off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nearly 100 people from more than a dozen different law enforcement agencies combed through every inch of brush and hillside in the same area where Kristi Cornwell`s cell phone was found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re looking for anything that may have been left or may have been disposed, anything that could have been thrown out of a window, any additional item of evidence that might be beneficial to the investigation at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just -- we keep hope -- keeping hope alive. And we`ll continue to do so until we find her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight back to Eric Jens with WRGA Newsradio. Was this a normal routine? Did she take this walk every evening?

JENS: I don`t know if it was quite that regular that it would have been something she did every evening, but it certainly was not out of the ordinary for her. Family and friends knew roughly where she was, that this was something she did. And you know, as you mentioned earlier, it had just gotten cool out, and this was the time she would have been in that place.

GRACE: I don`t even know if it`s dark at that time of the night. We`re talking about a very nice area in Georgia, Blairsville, Georgia. It`s not right downtown Atlanta. It`s not a metro area. It`s rural, it`s calm, it`s quiet, it`s beautiful, right there on the Carolina border.

Joining me right now, along with Natisha Lance there at the command center where everyone is searching for Kristi Cornwell is a very dear friend of hers. Sherry Kimsey is with us. Ms. Kimsey, thank you for being with us. What can you tell me about her routine? Did she take this walk often?

SHERRY KIMSEY, FRIEND OF MISSING WOMAN: She walked late in the afternoons or in the evening because it was cooler. I think that she had taken a fall earlier and had an injury and she was more or less trying to walk off the soreness and the pain and stuff. And this had happened a few weeks earlier. And so she was just exercising, trying to get rid of the pain, I think.

GRACE: Sherry Kimsey joining us there at the command center. Ms. Kimsey, we keep hearing that personal items were found and that is how police are marking the spot from where she was taken. What personal items did she take with her to go on a walk?

KIMSEY: I`m not sure about that. I`ve not been in contact with the authorities. I`ve pretty much stayed in contact with her family and close friends. I do know that I think she dropped a shoe during the struggle, and of course, the cell phone thing was thrown out later, but that`s about all I know about that.

GRACE: So she had what, a foot or a leg injury?

KIMSEY: I`m not sure. She had taken a fall at her apartment, and she had briefly told me about it and said that, you know, she was in some pain. And I don`t know. I think it was her back.

GRACE: Back to Richard Cornwell, her brother. Wasn`t she in school studying?

CORNWELL: Yes, she was between semesters. She`s been attending Dalton (ph) State College in Dalton, Georgia, studying medical laboratory technology. She was between semesters, so she was staying at my parents home, rather than her apartment in Dalton.

GRACE: And Richard, describe the area for me. It`s rural. It`s beautiful country. I mean, it almost seems as if this would not be an outsider. This is a rural road. Who would know about it?

CORNWELL: Well, it is a two-lane asphalt county road. It`s about 12 miles from the city of Blairsville, so it is -- it is a rural area about halfway between Blue Ridge, Georgia, and Blairsville, Georgia.

GRACE: Everybody, this is just where the mountains are starting as you start going along the Appalachian Trail.

Out to the lines. Susan in Tennessee. Hi, Susan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I`ve always wanted to tell you you`re the best thing that`s ever happened to TV besides color.

GRACE: You know what, Susan? I`m going to get a recording of tonight`s show, and when the twins get a little bit older and they`re fussing at Mommy, I`m going to play back what you just said, all right? Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I appreciate that!

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was wondering, has the boyfriend been ruled out as a suspect? Because I saw her mother this morning on one of the news shows, and she`s the one that called 911. That doesn`t add up to me.

GRACE: Susan, interesting scenario. Natisha Lance, explain that. How did that unfold?

LANCE: Nancy, the boyfriend ended up calling the mother first. He told her about what had happened. He was horrified about it. The mother called 911, and he also called 911 right after that.

GRACE: Everyone, we`ll be joined when we come back by Marc Klaas and Dr. Joshua Perper. We`re taking your calls. And we`ll unleash the lawyers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... old mother of a 15-year-old son, Kristi Cornwell disappears Tuesday night while out exercising, going on a long walk through a rural area, then just disappears. The last known contact was with her boyfriend in Atlanta. He on the cell phone with her at the time when she appears to be in distress, hears what sounds like a struggle going on. The last thing he reports hearing is her saying, Don`t take me, and then he loses the connection. And there`s been no sign of her since then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone might have known her routine, that she took this walk every night. She was a probation officer in the past, perhaps someone seeking revenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I think the whole probation in the past, someone seeking revenge is extremely far-fetched. Let`s unleash the lawyers, veteran prosecutor Eleanor Dixon, defense attorney Peter Odom, both out of the Atlanta jurisdiction, and joining us from Seattle, high-profile lawyer Anne Bremner.

Eleanor, typically, the criminal will come back and get the person that sent them to jail, not the probation officer that kept them out of jail. That doesn`t even make any sense.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: No. We don`t even see cases like that. You`re right, Nancy, it`s not usually the judge or the prosecutor or the defense attorney, it`s the person who, you know, made the charges.

GRACE: Well, especially not the probation officer, for Pete`s sake! She wouldn`t have anything with them going to jail. In fact, she`d have something to do with them staying out of jail. So that theory doesn`t make any sense. And Peter Odom, you know, in all of your practice of law, how often have you seen somebody come back and get the probation officer?

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You`d see it very rarely. You see retaliation against law enforcement on very rare instances. But let me just take issue with both you and the other prosecutor, Nancy. Probation officers get up close and personal with criminals all the time. They go to their houses. They have to take urine tests on them. They have to search their places for evidence, for guns...

GRACE: Well, what do you think...

ODOM: ... and probation officers put them in jail.

GRACE: ... Peter, about the fact that she has not been an officer since 2002?

ODOM: I`m just taking issue with the fact that...

GRACE: You`re just. OK.

ODOM: ... probation officers...

GRACE: You`re just. You just say...

(CROSSTALK)

ODOM: There`s no evidence that there`s a former probationer involved in this at all. That`s pure speculation.

GRACE: Anne?

ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, I was going to say you`re the best thing on TV since black-and-white "Perry Mason," but (INAUDIBLE) your caller.

(LAUGHTER)

BREMNER: But the thing -- we don`t remember black and white TV, I know. I do. But anyway, I think probation officers, that`s not -- that`s not a good theory. They usually go after the judge or their own lawyer. Prosecutor rarely, probation officer almost never.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kristi Cornwell, walking along a remote area Tuesday, a walk she`s taken many times for exercise near her parents` home. A 38-year-old, she`s talking to her boyfriend on the phone. He hears the concern in her voice that she sees a car approach. The last thing he hears, she`s screaming and says, "Don`t take me." Her line goes dead and she hasn`t been seen since.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the evidence that`s been collected thus far by all agencies involved, it does indicate an abduction, and the GBI is using that word.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was abducted, placed in a vehicle and removed from the area. That speaks for itself. She is in danger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just plea that they would have mercy on her. And return her safely back to her family. And we just want to say that we need her. And she has -- she has a 15-year-old son that needs her very much in his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: How many times, ladies, have you walked or jogged along talking on your cell phone? This young mom walking along a rural road near her home, this is not a heavily traveled area. Suddenly abducted, boyfriend on other end of the cell phone, hears her scream, please, don`t. Don`t take me. She has not been seen again.

Kristi Cornwell, 5`5", 150 pounds, dark, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a white t-shirt, tan shorts. She has custody of her 15-year- old son who needs her desperately.

Take a look at Kristi Cornwell.

Out to the lines, Melody, Ohio. Hi, Melody.

MELODY, CALLER FROM OHIO: Hi, Nancy. My question being, with her being into the -- with her colleagues and everything, have they questioned the colleagues or anything of that nature?

GRACE: You mean the other students when she was at school? She hasn`t been a probation officer since 2002.

MELODY: Right. But what about the students in her school like.

GRACE: Good question. What do we know, Eric Jens? Eric, joining us from WRGA News Radio.

ERIC JENS, REPORTER, WRGA NEWS RADIO, COVERING STORY: Well, she was in between semesters. And there has been some contact with some of the other students. Any great details are not being released at this time and there is no word as to whether that`s even helpful at this point.

GRACE: To Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids Foundation. Marc, I`m just wondering how routinely she took this walk and whether anyone was familiar. It was a loop, a loop, according to her brother who was with us tonight. So someone could very easily see her walking this loop.

MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: Well, that`s absolutely true. Nancy, I would look at this as a bit of a cautionary tale. I mean this is a woman that was a probation officer and she had taught self-defenses well. And if somebody can come and snatch this woman, with her experience and her training, what hope does a young child have against a determined predator?

I think that people have to keep these things in consideration. And I think it might be wise for women out by themselves to have some form of self-defense, and for kids not to be out by themselves.

GRACE: And to.

KLAAS: Because this could happen to anybody.

GRACE: To Dr. Jeff Gardere, psychologist and author, you know, a lot of times, women have a false sense of security when they`re out and they`ve got their cell.

JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTHOR OF "LOVE PRESCRIPTION": Yes, absolutely, and what happened was because this woman did know self-defense, maybe there was that false sense of security. But even the martial arts experts will tell, if there`s a gun involved, and we don`t know if there, you can`t outrun or outfight a bullet.

That is a real big problem. Woman should be walking with other women even if it`s in a familiar place because women are still victimized more than men are.

GRACE: To Maryann in Massachusetts, hi, Maryann.

MARYANN, CALLER FROM MASSACHUSETTS: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call.

GRACE: Oh sure. Thank you for calling in.

MARYANN: I`m just wondering what Kristi`s frame of mind was prior to her disappearance. Her statement, please don`t take me, seems a little strange. And I`m just wondering if this is something she could have planned?

GRACE: To Richard Cornwell, her brother. Richard, had she ever been known to stay away overnight or disappear?

RICHARD CORNWELL, BROTHER OF KRISTI CORNWELL, MISSING YOUNG MOM (via phone): Absolutely not. She had plans to come visit my home in Tennessee actually this weekend so she was happy. And there`s no reason why she would cause this to happen.

GRACE: And to Sherry Kimsey, very close friend of Kristi`s, joining us there outside the command center. Miss Kimsey, what can you tell me about her, as a person? And what was her state of mind at the time she was taken?

SHERRY KIMSEY, CLOSE FRIEND OF KRISTI CORNWELL, MISSING MOM; OUTSIDE COMMAND CENTER: Well, as far as her state of mind, the last time I talked to her, she was extremely happy, she was happy with school, she was doing well. She was looking forward to life, and the thing that -- there`s two things about Kristi that really struck me when we first became friends. And number one is she is a true woman of faith.

She`s an independent person. It was a little surprising that she was overtaken. I believe that it was probably a sudden thing that happened. She`s a very -- just a very, like myself, very independent. And sometimes that can get us into trouble. But, she`s -- a kind, sweet person.

She would help anybody in a minute. We had many conversations about the good Lord and her faith. That`s what we`re all doing here.

GRACE: Right.

KIMSEY: . is praying. And.

GRACE: With me is Sherry Kimsey, along with her, Natisha Lance, and Kristi`s brother, Richard Cornwell.

You`re seeing photos of a young mom who has disappeared into thin air out near her home. Just taking a walk in the evening, talking on her cell phone. How many millions of women across American do that every evening after work?

The tip line, 706-439-6038. Please, help find Kristi.

We`re switching gears. Live to Anaheim. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 7:00 this morning, my neighbors came over and knocked on my door and said that the guy that picks the trash in the morning, (INAUDIBLE) can and bottles and stuff thought he saw a body in the trash in the back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A man looking at a dumpster for aluminum cans got more than he bargained for. Finding a blood-stained suitcase. Inside, a woman`s body. Police say the woman appears to be in her 20s with no obvious signs of trauma.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have no identification. It appears to be a female, early 20s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators believe the victim probably died within 24 hours of her disposal. A witness claims he noticed a puncture wound in the woman`s back which was put from (INAUDIBLE) stab wound he claims. Just how did a woman in her 20s end up dead, folded in a suitcase like yesterday`s laundry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was probably about a three-foot suitcase. You know? Just like a small bag that you carry and just a very thin one, you know, a canvas bag, green canvas bag. So you know, you wouldn`t think there would be a full-sized body in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a child, not a child. Not -- originally it was reported that it was a child. I think because of the size of the suitcase that that`s what they thought, but as of now, it`s a female adult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight out to John Baird, joining us from KNX 1070. To open up a suitcase you find in a dumpster and find a body, what led the person to open the suitcase to start with?

JOHN BAIRD, REPORTER, KNX 1070, COVERING STORY: He was there. He lives in this working-class neighborhood. And he was there looking for cans and bottles. It was 7:00 in the morning. He wanted to collect some. Sees the suitcase, sees what he thinks is a body, goes to an adjacent property owner, brings him over. He looks in the suitcase, looks again, sees the skin. Sees the trauma to the body. Calls 911.

They`ve since done an autopsy. We found out in the last couple of hours that police do think that she was murdered and that she`d only been there a few hours. And that she was killed some place else.

GRACE: To Clark Goldband, or producer on the story. What else can you tell me, Clark?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Inside the suitcase, Nancy, in fact, at first when the suitcase was found people in the neighborhood thought it was a small child. We`re talking about a two- foot by three-foot suitcase. Inside the suitcase, in fact, was a adult female, in her 20s, approximately, 5`5". Law enforcement says that she had dark hair. There was no identification found on the victim.

GRACE: And to Sergeant Shawn Morgan from the Buena Park Police Department. Sergeant, thank you for being with us. How long do you believe the young woman had been dead?

SGT. SHAWN MORGAN, PIO, BUENA PARK POLICE DEPT., ON THE CASE: Our initial report is a few hours prior to discovering the body, shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.

GRACE: I bet whoever put her in that suitcase had no idea it will be open so quickly. Police on the trail, an unidentified woman found in a suitcase in Anaheim. Police working feverishly to try to make an I.D. of her.

We`ll be right back. We`re taking your calls live. But to tonight`s "Safety Tips." With millions of people squeezing in summer vacations, tips on how to stay healthy on the road. Check with your doctors vaccines required, especially if you`re abroad. Stay hydrated. Drink water or fluids when you`re on a flight and move around on that plane.

Avoid (INAUDIBLE) problem. Wash your hands, watch what you eat and drink. Pack your medications in a small first aid kit. Travel with your family`s medical history. And know the location of the nearest hospital. That is so important. Watch your children at all times during water activities. And remember, please buckle up.

For more information, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov.

ANNOUNCER: "Nancy Safety Tips" brought to you by.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To find something like that, 7:00 in the morning, you`re getting ready to go to work, and have something like that happen. Why our neighborhood? Why here? You know, because it`s probably 200, 300 feet back where they dropped the body into the dump street.

And why they picked that particular dumpster, I don`t know. Or this particular neighborhood. But I don`t think -- you know, it`s anyone from around here. You know you would think that probably somebody came here and dropped the body.

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GRACE: Straight out to Dr. Joshua Perper, chief medical examiner, Broward County, author of "When to Call the Doctor." Dr. Perper, in this case, what does it say about the condition of the woman if they cannot make an identification?

DR. JOSHUA PERPER, MEDICAL EXAMINER, AUTHOR OF "WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR": Well, I think that they can make a very fast identification because the body was not decomposed. And they can broadcast an electronic image of her face. Even with discoloration or even injury on her face, those can be electronically erased and they would get an identification in a very short time. I got identification in such cases within half an hour with people calling.

GRACE: To Diana Trepkov, certified forensic artist, one of only 26 in the world. Thank you so much for being with us. What would be the challenge of trying to reconstruct what this woman looked like in life?

DIANA TREPKOV, CERTIFIED FORENSIC ARTIST, ONE OF ONLY 26 IN THE WORLD (via phone): As long as I have a clear photo of the deceased, I would study the photograph, open the eyes, do all the measurements, and redraw her face, and then it would be put out to the public.

People are identified in a distance through proportion. So as long as you open the eyes, if they`re swelling, any decomposition, a forensic artist would be able to see through that and bring the person back to life.

GRACE: Sgt. Shawn Morgan is with us from the Buena Park Police Department. How are you going about trying to identify the victim, that would be step number one, before you can really start pursuing the perpetrator?

I`ll be right back with Sergeant Shawn Morgan. I`ve lost his satellite. Let me throw that to Bill Majeski, former NYPD detective. How do you do it?

BILL MAJESKI, FMR. NYPD DETECTIVE, MAJESKI ASSOCIATES, INC.: Well, clearly, there are fingerprints if they are available on the body, facial characteristics if the face is, you know, visible in terms of not being too deadly damaged. You have dental records.

I mean the police are confronted with two simultaneous problems here. One, identifying the body as quickly as they possibly can. Also, they`ll go to a database. They have a missing person database. They should be looking into that. Checking with local police departments to find out if somebody was just recently reported missing.

In addition to that, they have to solve the crime. Clearly, this woman was murdered. By first identifying the individual, they can then speak to possibly finding out what the motive was.

GRACE: Right.

MAJESKI: . for her murder and then continuing with that aspect of the investigation. But there are.

GRACE: Out to the lines. To Trinita in Illinois, hi, Trinita.

TRINITA, CALLER FROM ILLINOIS: Hi, good evening, Nancy. How are you today?

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

TRINITA: Question. I`m trying to find out, have the police have all been compiling perhaps any woman who have been -- have come up missing in the area?

GRACE: Good question. What about it, John Baird?

BAIRD: Basically the police told us today that they cannot match any missing person`s report to a female in her 20s. They`re still looking. They say it`s going to be up to the coroner`s office now to determine who she is so they just don`t know.

GRACE: Clark Goldband, what are police trying to do? I mean they can`t even start trying to find the perp until they identify the victim?

GOLDBAND: It`s our understanding they`re trying to check for surveillance. There may not be surveillance because, Nancy, you have to remember, this is the back of an apartment-type complex. So they`re hoping for a shot in the dark with some surveillance. Thus far, our understanding, they have not been successful.

GRACE: To Eleanor Dixon, what does it say to you, Eleanor? And you prosecute felonies like this all the time, that the victim was folded up and put in a suitcase.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: Well, I`m not a psychologist but it certainly shows she`s being treated worse than trash and has been thrown away very quickly. And it`s so good that the body was found soon after time of death because then you can narrow the area in which she could have come from as well. So this is a good thing for the state.

GRACE: Everyone, a very disturbing story next. A young police officer, gunned down, trying to save a homeless person from a vicious beating by street thugs. He`s shot dead, leaving behind two young children. The killer gets the death penalty, but before it`s implemented suddenly the courts are bending over backward to help the killer.

And joining in the fray, former President Jimmy Carter and the Pope, sitting over in the Vatican, have decided to come to the aid of the killer. No disrespect, but why? Take a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since 1989, one of these police memorial roses represents Officer Mark MacPhail. Friends like Keith Stover knew him better at Mac.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a great family man, and just, you know, I think loved everybody that was close to him and was just a truly a good man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s a new information just coming into us in the case of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis. The Supreme Court is ordering a new hearing for Davis who`s to spend 18 years on death row for killing a police officer 20 years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s still tough. I drive by his -- the cemetery all the time. And it`s tough for me to go in, but I think -- when this is resolved, I think I`ll probably have the opportunity to go by there and, I mean, just sit down with him.

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GRACE: Straight out to Anneliese MacPhail, this is the mother of the murdered officer, Mark MacPhail, who came to the aid of a homeless person, gunned down.

Miss MacPhail, thank you for being with us. Are you stunned that now this is going back down for another evidentiary hearing?

ANNELIESE MACPHAIL, MOTHER OF MARK MACPHAIL, MURDERED POLICE OFFICER: Nancy, is this you?

GRACE: Yes.

MACPHAIL: Nancy, is this you?

GRACE: Yes, dear. Go ahead.

MACPHAIL: Thank you very much for talking to me. I am absolutely stunned. And beside that, I`m kind of angry because we have been going through this for all these years, and I was hoping we finally would come to an end.

GRACE: Everyone, tonight, two little children were left behind, and now the Supreme Court is bending over backwards to help a convicted cop killer when there were at least five eyewitnesses to the shooting. Plus two confessions not made to police but to other ordinary lay people. Why? Why has this not been put to rest?

We are taking your calls live. Right now, I want to give a special thank you to HEADLINE NEWS Robin Meade for having me on today about the twins and my novel "Eleventh Victim."

And tonight, happy birthday to Georgia friend, Bonnie. She never misses the show even watches the repeat at 10:00. The show inspired her to follow her dream.

And tonight, congratulations to Marlesa from California. A deputy DA of Santa (INAUDIBLE) County, graduated from Chapman University with an LLM in the law, prosecutorial science. Only one out of six seen in the whole program. What a superstar.

Marlesa, congratulations.

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GRACE: This young police officer gunned down trying to save the life of a homeless person near a bus station, who`s being attacked by vicious street thugs. And now, 20 years later, the Supreme Court, along with the Pope and former president Jimmy Carter, have decided to side with the killer.

No offense, but why?

To Stacey Newman, our producer on the story. Stacey, give me a nutshell. Just quickly, Stacey, weren`t there, to my recollection, either five or seven eye witnesses?

STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: There was as many as up to nine witnesses in this case. Several of them actually took the stand and said that Davis had confessed to them. They are -- or they saw him shooting this cop. Now where we`re at in this state, the witnesses are now saying they don`t even know who shot him.

GRACE: But that`s only what? I think two or three of all those eyewitnesses have recanted?

NEWMAN: Correct.

GRACE: Some of them are saying they don`t know what happened. Nobody said no, he didn`t do it, did they?

NEWMAN: Exactly. They`re either saying, you know, someone else shot him or they don`t know who did it but they`re not saying that he didn`t confess.

GRACE: This is so wrong. This case has been through about how many levels, Eleanor Dixon, very quickly, on the death penalty case? How many times has this thing been reviewed?

DIXON: You have times before trial, you have times after trial, state and federal. So it`s as many as 10 or more.

GRACE: Twenty years later, this cop still cannot rest in peace. It`s just wrong.

Everyone, I want to stop and remember Marine Lance Corporal Raul Bravo, 21, Elko, Nevada, killed Iraq. On a second tour, awarded the Purple Heart, Medal of Valor, National Defense Service Medal and Iraq Campaign Ribbon. Fellow marines called him "Braveheart."

Loves hunting, skateboarding, rollerboarding, donating to charity. Spoke many languages including Hebrew and Arabic. Dreamed of being a Vegas cop, getting married, starting a family, getting a dog. Leaves behind his parents, Joy and Raul Sr., three sisters.

Raul Bravo, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. And thanks to Kim Gordy in Lafayette, Georgia, for this beautiful necklace I`m wearing tonight. Lucy and John David, she really knew how to get to me.

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

END