Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - SPECIAL: Dad of missing tot girl Mariah Woods breaks down, ‘Baby, come home. Daddy loves you!’ PLUS: Is the Tampa serial killer nightmare over?

Episode Date: November 29, 2017

A 24-year-old McDonald's worker is accused of being the Tampa serial killer. Police arrested Howell Emanuel Donaldson III after his boss told police he brought a handgun to work. Donaldson is charged with 4 shooting deaths in recent weeks. Nancy Grace updates the case in this episode. Nancy is also closing following the search for Mariah Kay Woods, a 3-year-old who disappeared from her North Carolina bedroom. Her father Alex Woods visits with Nancy with hopes it will help find his daughter. Victims advocate Marc Klaas, criminal profiler Pat Brown, & psychologist Caryn Stark,  lawyer/psychologist Dr. Brian Russell, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan, child advocate Ashley Willcott, RadarOnline reporter Alexis Tereszcuk and NewsInOnslow.com's Gerald Jackson also join Grace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. ten days. We will hunt this son of a down until we find him. The Tampa's mayor doing what he can to reassure the public saying that they've added a thousand streetlights to the Seminole Heights neighborhood and that they won't stop until that killer is caught. Nobody comes into our house and does this. Not now, not ever. Authorities pouring over, bringing surveillance video for clues, looking at this person of interest walking alone, wearing a hood on the night of the first killing. You guys go hunt him down and bring his head to me. I am pleased to announce that tonight we will be making an arrest in a Seminole Heights murder. Tonight is the beginning of when justice will be served.

And then the process will occur when this individual rots in hell. Four people dead, an entire city gripped with fear. I'm talking about the Tampa serial killer. But right now, a crack in the case. I'm talking about the Tampa serial killer, but right now, a crack in the case. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. I want to go straight to a very critical police press conference. Listen. As you recall, on October 9th, Benjamin Mitchell was 22 years old and he was murdered. That was 51 days ago. On October 11th, two days later, 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was murdered. Eight days later, on October 19th, Anthony Nyboa

murdered. 26 days later, on November 14th, just two weeks ago, 60-year-old Ronald Felton THE DETECTIVES ARE WORKING ON THE CHARGING DOCUMENTS. THE DETECTIVES ARE WORKING ON THE CHARGING DOCUMENTS. ON NOVEMBER 14TH, JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, 60-YEAR-OLD RONALD FELTON WAS MURDERED. WE RECEIVED OVER 5,000 TIPS IN THIS CASE. I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT

TONIGHT WE WILL BE MAKING AN ARREST IN THE SEMINOLE HEIGHTS MURDERS. OUR DETECTIVES ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE CHARGING Our detectives are currently working on the charging documents and we will be charging four counts of first degree murder for Hal Emanuel Donaldson III, 24 years old. will not have the answers that you are going to want. This is an ongoing situation. We responded out to the area about 2.30 this afternoon. We received some information about Mr. Donaldson having a firearm at the McDonald's. One of his co-workers approached a police officer. That is what led us to that. Through our investigation, several hours later, we will be charging Donaldson, like I said, with four counts of first-degree murder. I would like to thank the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms,

the FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the St. Pete Police Department, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the University of South Florida PD, and the US Marshals Office, and several other law enforcement agencies have been assisting us. But more importantly, I would like to thank the people of Seminole Heights who have just been phenomenal in their support of our police department it has just been their patience and their support and the way they have rallied behind the cops of Tampa has just been phenomenal and the

entire Bay Area the way they have supported the men and women of the Tampa Police Department and the neighborhood of Seminole Heights has just been THEIR PARTY. THE ENTIRE BAY AREA, THE WAY THEY HAVE SUPPORTED THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SEMINOLE HEIGHTS HAS JUST BEEN AWESOME TO SEE. MAYOR? YOU KNOW, 51 DAYS AGO I SAID THIS WAS A STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL.

WELL, TONIGHT, GOODNESS HAS WON. TONIGHT, IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT, LIGHT HAS WON. IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE AMAZING POLICE WORK THAT THE TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS. TONIGHT IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN

DARKNESS AND LIGHT, LIGHT HAS WON. IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE AMAZING POLICE WORK AND THE AMAZING PARTNERSHIP OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME, OF THE HUNDREDS OF MEN AND WOMEN OF THE TAMPA POLICE

DEPARTMENT THAT HAVE BEEN ON THIS CASE FOR 51 DAYS. THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM OF THEM. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM OF THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR FELLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. I CAN'T TELL YOU, AND I KNOW I SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE OF SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, WHO STOOD UP WITH US,

SHOULDERED US, AND TOLD US THAT WE WERE GOING TO FIGHT THIS CASE FOR 51 DAYS. THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE SIDELINES. THEY PUT THEIR NORMAL JOBS ON THE SIDELINES, AND THEY FO. I CAN'T TELL YOU, AND I KNOW I SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE OF SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, WHO STOOD UP SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, WHO NEVER LEFT DURING THE TOUGH TIMES, WHO NEVER QUIT ON US, NOR DID THEY EVER QUIT ON THE MEN AND WOMEN OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY HAD OUR BACKS AND WE HAD THEIRS.

WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT AND THE SUPPORT OF THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY. They had our backs and we had theirs. We could not have done this without their support and the support of this entire community. Tonight is the beginning of when justice will be served and then the process will occur when this individual rots in hell. TPD did their job. The troopers did their job. FDLE did their job. The FBI did their job. Seminole Heights did their job. FDLE did their job. The FBI did their job. Seminole Heights did their job.

And tonight, we're bringing someone to justice who doesn't deserve the right to walk amongst us. These folks deserve the credit. Now, let's go bring justice to the families that are here today. Any questions? LET'S GO BRING JUSTICE TO THE FAMILIES THAT ARE HERE TODAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY WORDS ABOUT THE BASKETBALL WORKERS WHO INITIALLY BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT? OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE VERY CONCERNED, SPOTTING A GUN. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THEY KNEW ABOUT IT. THIS WAS ACTUALLY A SERIAL MURDER OR THEY WERE JUST CONCERNED ABOUT THE GUN. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO STEP FORWARD AND DOING THE RIGHT THING. IF DOING THE RIGHT THING WERE EASY, THEN EVERYBODY WOULD DO IT. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE

ENOUGH OF THAT. THE PEOPLE THAT HELPED US TODAY ARE WHAT MAKE THIS A GREAT CITY AND I JUST CANNOT THANK THEM ENOUGH. DO YOU CONFESS TO THE GUNS? WE'RE NOT RELEASING ANYTHING FROM THE GUNS. The people that helped us today are what make this a great city, and I just cannot thank them enough. Do you confess to the guards? We're not releasing anything like that.

It is still ongoing. The charging documents are still being crafted and put together, so it's going to be some time before we can release any type of information like that. Is he answering questions, though, or are we in cooperation? We're still going through the whole process. Do you confirm if he worked at that McDonald whole process I don't know for sure that he worked there still I believe at one point he did I don't know if he still does or did I think when when I found out there was a gun, and when we looked at his description, it gave us a little more than what we've ever really had.

We've run down some guns before, run into some other things. It just felt right. I kind of had a feeling that we were going to get a break. You know, every day we would meet as a group, and we say what day is it and today was day 51 and we discussed yesterday I said we're gonna we're gonna get a break this week I was trying to be optimistic I can I have a tendency to be my glasses half-empty sometimes and so I wanted to kind of pump everybody up and and for whatever reasons we got a break somebody stepped up and did the right thing, and that's what we needed.

We had said all along that no tip is too small, and somebody stepped forward and gave us what we needed. Was there a piece of evidence that made yourself come up with what things you were actually targeting? There are several pieces that we are having to put together, and so it's going to be more than one thing. Do you have any indication as to why? are having to put together and so it's going to be more than one thing they actually approached an officer on foot and had a conversation so it was that conversation and then as far as we you know we are still trying to trying to figure out what this person's ties to the neighborhood is.

We're not sure why he was in this neighborhood. We're not aware of what his ties are, and we don't know what his motive is. But there is a lot more to go. Unfortunately, we knew by coming out here tonight that we would probably create a lot more questions, but the real goal is to let the people of Seminole Heights be able to get a good night's sleep. It's been 51 days that they've been terrorized in their neighborhood, and it is about letting these families know that we're going to bring this person to justice and letting this neighborhood get some rest and hopefully try and put their lives back together.

Were you able to talk to any of the families yet? and letting this neighborhood get some rest and hopefully try and put their lives back together. Were you able to talk to any of the family members? Yes, I talked to Monica Hoffa's father on the phone and through some text messages, but our detectives have reached out to all the family members. That was the Tampa Police press conference regarding the Tampa serial killer. I want to pause and thank our partner who is making this program possible today. It's LegalZoom. As business owners out there, you know how important it is. You got to keep moving forward. But so often things come up to take your time and focus away from growing your business. When it comes to issues like reviewing contracts, registering

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Go to LegalZoom.com now and take care of business before the year winds down. For special savings, enter code Nancy, N-A-N-C-Y in the referral box at checkout. Code Nancy. Special savings only at LegalZoom.com. LegalZoom.com. LegalZoom, thank you for helping business owners across America and for being our partner today. And now, on Crime Stories. The search is still on tonight for three-year-old Mariah Woods. The girl was last seen by her mother at her home in Onslow County. The mother tells me she last saw her daughter in the home at around 11 p.m. when she checked on her. This is my world. This is my angel. She said her boyfriend saw the

toddler around midnight when he got up and she says he told her to go back to bed. She was reported missing around six o'clock in the morning. The love I have for this girl, the bond that I have is my life. The child is white, three feet, nine inches tall, weighs 30 pounds and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Not making sense to me about where she could be at, who she could be with. Christy says she doesn't believe her child could have walked off as she has weak bones and wears special braces to help her walk. I love her, and I'll never let her go again. I just want to hold her tight and see her smile.

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She looks like a child star to me. In fact, Alexis Reschock, what was the name of the show where the twin girls were the stars? Toddlers and... Yeah, what was their name? Toddlers and Tiaras. No, no, no, no. A long time ago. They're famous now.

One's a model and one's married to some old guy. Oh, the Olsen Twins. Yeah, them. What was that show? Full House. Full House. Yes, thank you. I'm sorry.

I was busy working during Full House, so I didn't get to watch it. This little girl looks like them when they were little. And I keep seeing pictures of her in a pink dress. In every picture, she's wearing a tiara. And pink is involved. And she's absolutely precious. The Amber Alert, now established. Everyone across the country knows about missing Mariah Woods.

Listen to her mother's desperate plea. This is my world. This is my angel. You know, she was sent to me for a reason. She was my miracle. This is my everything besides my boys. The love I have for this girl, the bond that I have is my life. Just please don't take that away. Bring her back. Alexis Cherezchuk joining us from RadarOnline. Just. Please don't take that away. Bring her back. Alexis Cherezchuk joining us from RadarOnline.com. Alexis, you and I have covered so many missing children. Just give me the facts, please.

She was put to bed by her mother on Sunday night, she said. Put her to sleep. She is three years old. She is about two feet, nine inches tall. She only weighs 30 pounds. Tiniest little thing. And Monday morning, they discovered she was missing and they contacted the police. The thing about Mariah is you say you see in the pictures of her. She's a beautiful little girl. She actually wears braces on her legs. She she is a little bit. She needs these braces to help her walk.

She definitely has walking difficulties. She has braces on her legs. She's a three-year-old little girl, sweet, loving little girl with long brown hair and blue eyes, according to her mom. An extensive search underway, centering from the family home on Dawson Cabin Road. Helicopters, people walking elbow to elbow, deputies, firefighters, volunteers all out trying to find Mariah Wood. This is the call to arms in the search for this little girl. Now, our investigative reporter from CrimeOnline.com, Lee Egan, joining us right now. Lee, what have you just learned? The van that was at their home, a brown van, has been taken in for in-town.

Apparently there was something in there or something about that van that police were interested about. And there seems to be some kind of smash window. I don't know how true that is. That's just what the locals are saying. But we do know that they do have the van, and they are searching it. And apparently the van belongs to the family. I also know, Lee Egan, joining me from CrimeOnline.com, that the husband, the boyfriend that lives in the home with mom,

says the mom says she put Mariah to bed around 11 o'clock at night which is late and questionable but this little girl is not in school so you know it she doesn't have to get up at 6 30 or 7 in the morning like mine do and that the boyfriend slash husband says he saw, quote, saw the little girl at midnight and told her to go back to bed. Is that your understanding, Lee Egan? My understanding is, yeah, he saw the little girl, but he told the mother, she's okay, go back to bed. He didn't actually tell the little girl to go back to bed, but he told the mother, I'll take care of her. It's okay. Go back to bed. That's my understanding so far. It could be that he told the baby as'll take care of her it's okay go back to bed that's my understanding so far it could be that he told the baby as well but from what i'm gathering is that he said he was

going to take care of the little girl and the mom to go get some sleep we also have a conflicting report to ask you wilcott joining me lawyer and renowned child advocate melissa hunter now this is mariah's grandma says mom puts mariah to bed at their home and checked on her at 9 or 10. That's different. That's changing my timeline. I don't like that. But it's okay. You can enhance the timeline.

But when you start changing it, that concerns me because that means there's a conflicting story. Did you put her to bed at 11 or did you put her to bed earlier and you're just going to check on her at nine o'clock? So Hunter, the grandmother, says just as we are going to air, the mother goes to check on her and Mariah was gone. Now see, that's a totally different timeline that at nine or ten o'clock. The baby's already gone. When another report says she was put to bed at 11 at midnight, the husband sees her and sends her back to bed. Now, I don't like conflicting timelines. You understand why, Ashley Wilcott? I do. And I feel like something's hinky. Something's amiss. And law enforcement's doing the right thing. They're saying we're investigating everything. We don't know what happened, but something isn't right.

Those conflicting stories are too conflicting, right? There's, it doesn't make sense. Now, listen to this. Christy Woods, who's Mariah's mom, is saying she discovered her daughter missing from their home at 630 a.m. on Monday. What the hey, Joe Scott Morgan, help me out here. These can't all be true. She can't put her to bed and check on her, find her missing at 9 p.m., put her to bed at 11, and she's up wandering around at midnight. And then, well, I guess it could be true that she discovers her missing at 6.30.

So then you've still got the dichotomy between missing at 9 p.m the night before and 6 30 in the morning so i don't like it joe scott i don't either it stinks and uh i'd be very curious to know what the source of these timelines are and why they're not matching up because it is curious i'd also like to know exactly what the scene looked like in this particular case when this thing was phoned in and was it locked down. This is going to be very important moving forward from an evidentiary standpoint. And plus, couple that along with nailing both of these principal adults down relative to the timeline, keep them separated, and find out where everybody was when all of this happened. The very troubling piece to all of this is that this child is essentially non-ambulatory, which means she cannot walk probably without braces. Sounds like it might be some kind of developmental issue. She's very tiny. So she has to be,

it's not like she could just up and vanish out of the house and just wander away on her own. She's heavily dependent upon her caretakers. A statewide Amber Alert for little Mariah Wood has been issued, and we are all joining the search. You know, Alexis Torres-Chuck, RadarOnline.com, you have a little boy, okay? And I don't know about you, but I still, every time I get up in the night, I go check on the children, both of them. I pull their covers up. I stick their feet back under the covers. I get them straightened out in the night, I go check on the children, both of them. I pull their covers up. I stick their feet back under the covers. I get them straightened out in the bed, whatever. I

mean, and mine are 10, but this mom is saying she, let's just take one of the stories. And I'm not saying she's lying. We're reporting what we know. There may be a simple explanation for this. Maybe the grandma heard it wrong. Maybe the mom, you know, there's a lot of reasons where there could be a conflict in what time she went to bed. But I know this. I don't believe there has been one night in the last 10 years, Alexis Tereshchuk, that I have not gotten up at least twice in the night unless I was sick and checked on the children. But she's saying she goes to bed at 11. She doesn't notice the child's gone until 6.30 in the morning, Alexis. Well, and the grandmother also said, you know,

this little girl would never wander outside in the dark by herself. Why is the grandmother even saying that? My child would never manage to get out of his room and get out of our house and just walk around outside. That's so strange, it seems to me, that maybe the grandmother has been told that the daughter wandered outside the house and that this is very suspicious and I agree with that let me ask you Ashley Wilcott a child advocate you're you have children one the same age as John David and Lucy do you still wake up in the night and check on them or am I just the crazy one here no no no no, no. I was going to say I do the exact same thing. Not only do I check on them every night, I also do the same. They wouldn't get out of my

house. They would not wander outside. They wouldn't be able to wander outside there. I would wake up. I would, I mean, you just, it's hard to imagine somebody saying, Oh yeah, well it'd be too scared at night to go out. My kids wouldn't get out the door. Yeah. I've got, I've got our place so tricked out with alarms. If you sneeze and alarm goes off and the police are called. So I'm just trying to figure out how this whole scenario happened. Let's talk about it to Dr. Brian Russell. Joining me, the host of Investigation Discovery's Fatal Vows, lawyer and psychologist and TV host. Man, I don't know if you ever sleep, but I want you to hear what the mom also says. She says, this is my world. This is my angel. She was sent to me for a reason.

This is my everything beside my boys. The love I have for this girl, the bond that I have is my life. Please just don't take that. I don't know. I'm, you know, a sucker, Dr. Brian Russell, but it sounds like she means it. So here's the thing. It does sound like this is not a walkaway situation. It sounds like this girl really couldn't have walked very far under her own power. So it sounds like there is an adult responsible for the fact that this girl is missing. And what I can tell you is that in almost all cases like this, the adult responsible is one that is known to the child and to the family. And so I don't think it's mutually exclusive for the mother to genuinely feel the

feelings that she articulated that you just shared with the audience, but also to perhaps know some things that ultimately will have to do with the person who is responsible for this. You know, another thing I don't like, Alexis Tereshak, and I know you and Alan Duke are out there in your posh penthouse pads in LA, but I don't like the way people are treating them because they live in a trailer. And let me tell you something. My great, my great grandmother. Okay. She never finished high school. I don't think she got much past the sixth grade, but she was so smart. She worked, worked, worked. Her husband, I might add, Alan Duke, listen up, would just leave in the morning and go to the courthouse and watch trials. Okay?

That's where he would be while she's working. Right? So she would work, work, work. She saved up enough. She didn't trust a bank, would hide money in mason jars and bury them all around their farm. Well, let me tell you something. She called in the owner of this land that she was working. And she brought in like the family doctor as a witness.

They dug up every one of those jars. And after a period of years, she had saved up enough to buy this huge tract of land. I'm talking about dozens and dozens of acres of land, which later were developed as a subdivision many years after her death. But she dug up every one of those mason jars and she had enough cold hard cash saved to buy the land. All right. Now, time went on. She worked the land. She sold, uh you know produce off the land she raised animals on the land she worked with her own two hands ultimately she sold that land and she bought a trailer a streamlined trailer and put it parallel to my other grandmother's house where my mom grew

up and i remember going out there to her little silver trailer as a little girl, parked out on this beautiful plot of land and threading needles for her. She could still sew, but she couldn't thread the needle. So I don't take very kindly to people poo-pooing other people. Well, and that's been one thing that's been said. People say that she's in a trailer. I don't take kindly to it at all. So they're looking down on this crime, and they maybe aren't taking it seriously.

But the police are taking it seriously. They have issued an Amber Alert and the FBI is involved now. And that means when the FBI gets involved, that's about kidnapping. And then they worry that maybe she's being taken across state lines. So they have got the top law enforcement involved because they know that they are taking this seriously. But what you're saying about her living in a trailer and with the grandmother saying she wouldn't walk outside at night and you say you check on your kids every single night. I have a monitor where I watch Max every night because if I go in the room, he's going to wake up and want to play. I think that this was a small house and that there's no way that they could have not heard this little girl getting up.

But stranger things have happened. Hold on, Alexis. I'm hearing in my ear from Alan that right now we have local reporter Gerald Jackson with NewsOnSlow.com joining us there in Onslow County, North Carolina. Gerald Jackson, hey, thank you, guy, for joining us. What's the latest? Police are still searching for Mariah Woods. Police don't know who has her.

But a lot of people are pointing fingers at the boyfriend, saying that he might have something to do with her missing. I know yesterday he was taken down to the sheriff's department for interrogation twice. After the initial interview as far as what had happened to Mariah Woods. She went missing sometime between 11 o'clock p.m. Sunday evening and 6 o'clock a.m. Monday morning. Her pajamas or nightclothes that she had on was laying beside the bed. So she was apparently walking around with some panties on, pink panties on, pink and white panties on from

the underwear that she had on the night before they put her in her actually sleeping clothes. The citizens here in Oslo County are searching. A lot of citizens met up in the area around seven o'clock to conduct their own search. There's no sign of a break-in. All we do know is, Nancy, is that the door, the back door of the home was open. That's what the parents have told police. That's what police have told us, the media. That's all that we know. There's no force of a break-in. It just don't sound right.

Something doesn't sound right. She is a disabled child. She wears orthopedic braces. She cannot walk straight without those braces. And she don't have those braces with her wherever she is right now. With me right now joining us on the scene is Gerald Jackson with news in onslow.com. Joining us in Onslow County, North Carolina. You've given me a lot of new facts. Let me just stop one moment in our search for this missing little girl, Mariah Wood in North Carolina, you've given me a lot of new facts. Let me just stop one moment in our search for this missing little girl, Mariah Wood in North Carolina, and thank our partner who is

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Nancy at circlewithnancy.com to get $10 off your Circle plus free shipping. Again, circlewithnancy.com Circle with Nancy dot com. Offer code Nancy. Circle with Nancy dot com. Offer code Nancy. Ten dollars off your circle and free shipping. Circle, I want to thank you for making the Internet a safer place for my two 10 year olds. And I want to thank you for being a partner with us today. The search desperate for baby Mariah and joining me right now is Mariah's biological father, Alex Woods. And let me remind everyone, Alex Woods is in no way a suspect. As a matter of fact, he is front and center in the search for Mariah.

Also with me, a well-known figure around the world, victims' rights advocate Mark Klass, Pat Brown, criminal profiler, and Karen Stark, psychologist out of New York. I want to go straight to Mariah's dad, Alex Woods. Alex, at a time like this, I can't thank you enough for speaking to us and all of our listeners today that have joined together praying for the safe return of baby Mariah. Alex, when did you first learn Mariah was missing Monday morning about 11 o'clock I was at work and I heard the ambi Amber alert over the radio you heard it

over the radio yeah oh my stars did did nobody call you or no my numbers got switched and uh christy the mother didn't notify me or nothing like that i had to hear it over the radio the very very latest a statewide amber alert issued for baby mariah now the onslow county sheriff's office and the FBI have released surveillance images showing a little girl walking with a woman Monday around 9 30 a.m. in a Walmart in Moorhead City. Investigators want the public's help identifying both of these people. Let me ask you, Alex Woods, have you seen these photos? Yes, ma'am. Do you believe that could be Mariah?

If I could see, like, a good face shot, I'm hoping it is. You know, I'm hoping she's safe and alive. I mean, I can't say 100% that it is, you know, because I don't get a good face shot of her. Well, wait a minute. Let me ask you this. Didn't she need her braces to walk? Yeah, I think her braces was found at her mother's house outside, if I'm not mistaken. Well, this little girl, Alex Woods, is walking. She's also being held by this woman in Walmart

in Moorhead City, but she's also pictured walking along beside her. Yeah, she can walk, but not that good. She's got a leg problem with her left leg. She kind of, like, kicks it out a little bit. I mean, she can, like, take steps without them. Right now, authorities saying it's premature to say what has happened to baby Mariah. Let me go to Mark Klass, joining me along with Mariah's dad, Alex Woods. Mark, you know the pain that Alex is going through. Your daughter, Polly, was taken from your home, from her home, and police came straight to your door,

and you cooperated completely. What should be happening right now, Mark? Tell me what you think. Well, first of all, Alex, I would like to extend my sympathy to you. I know that this is a very difficult time for you, and just stay strong. Work with the authorities. Answer any questions that they may have. Keep doing shows like Nancy's show so that people are aware of who Mariah is. Humanize her so they understand what a precious little girl she is and so that they'll be invested in her safe return. And if you do things like that, work with the police, work with the media, work with any volunteers if you happen to be in the immediate vicinity, you're going to find your daughter.

And that's, I believe, the best way to a successful resolution in this case. Mark Glass, you know, I pin a lot of hopes and belief in everything that you say. I've never once known you to be wrong. And all the years you and I have fought crime together. Alex Woods, I'm just reeling with the fact that you learned baby Mariah was missing. You're a little girl and you were in the middle of a vicious fight for custody to get her to live with you at the time. You heard it over the radio. Do you remember that moment? You heard Mariah's gone. Yeah, I heard it. Honestly honestly i didn't think it was real i heard her name on the radio and i was like what no way it

took a minute to hit and then i called my fiance and i was like i need you to look this up and see if it's true because i it didn't register i was like no you know nobody thinks that and then what happened and then she called me back and said it was true that, you know, she was gone. And I got a hold of the sheriff's office and they came out and talked to me. And then I got, I went home because they, you know, they wanted to talk to me as soon as they could. So they came to the job, talked to me for a few minutes. And then I came home and got all the paperwork and started everything that, you know, we could start and trying to help find her. And it's just an ongoing process.

Everyone, tip line 910-455-3113. 910-455-3113. All of you truckers out there, everybody on the road, listening to Sirius XM 132 right now, help us. Help us. Now, I know the pain of losing someone after my fiance was murdered, but once I had my children, I cannot even imagine, imagine what Alex Woods is going through right now. Pat Brown, criminal profiler, known all around the world, author of books. She knows what she's talking about.

Let's analyze what we know about the disappearance itself. And Alex Woods, listen closely to what Pat Brown is saying so I can come back to you and you can weigh in on her analysis. Go ahead, Pat. Oh, right away, Nancy. I'd like to ask Alex a question. Alex, did Mariah's mom have your phone number? She had a number. My fiance's I do believe. Did she have a way to contact you? Yeah, she knew where we lived too.

Okay. I mean, it wasn't like a big secret. Right. I think something very strange to me would just be that if uh my child disappeared under these circumstances i think the first person i would try to contact would be the father of my child even if i wasn't a custody battle i'd first of all i'd wonder if he knew anything i wonder if he came and got her even if i was even if i was being angry about it like hey did you come and take my child? I find it a little strange that she never contacted you.

I find that unusual. Yeah, me too. After they questioned her and everything like that, she was telling the cops at first that I had her, that I probably was the one who had her. And they came and talked to me and looked, and I didn't have her. If I had her, I'd sure tell them. Well, I would think if she thought you had her i'd i'd sure tell them well if i would think if she thought you had her she would have been immediately making phone calls

your direction i think it's a little bit unusual you know that's what i think too that's what i would have done yeah yeah you know and as far as the video goes um you know one of the most difficult things with with uh if i would find it strange too that uh if this soon after your daughter disappeared that anybody who had taken her would be running around walmart with her but uh you know one of the difficulties with any of these any kinds of sightings is that so many children look like so many other children even as a parent if i saw a child at a distance i don't know that i would i would have difficulty trying to determine if it was my child or not so you know if you're finding it difficult to determine if it was my child or not.

So, you know, if you're finding it difficult to figure that out, it's not unusual. You know, hey, Pat, I got a question based on what you're saying right now. Alex Woods, you're the father of Mariah who is missing right now, and we're trying to help find her. Did you see still photos of the child in Walmart, or did you see video? I saw photos. I ain't seen no video yet. Because, Mark Klass, the reason I ask is she had a walking problem. She has to wear braces, like cerebral palsy braces. She's got a problem

that hopefully she'll grow out of one day. And when she walks, she slings out her right foot. So a still photo doesn't do it justice and you can't see the little girl's face. And I agree with Pat. I don't think this is going to be her. I don't either, to be honest with you.

I hope it is, so at least we know she's alive and healthy. But I don't think it is. What about it, Mark Klaas? Well, it means that people are being vigilant. And I agree with all of you that it's probably not Mariah. But people are being vigilant. They're looking for her. And that's the important thing right now.

We need as many eyes on this little girl as we can possibly get because she is somewhere. And at some point, they're going to find her. And obviously, the sooner rather than later, and the more people that are looking, the faster that will happen. I mean, you know, Karen Stark, my longtime friend and psychologist, well-known out of New York. Karen, you know the deal. From all the cases I've covered, my children just turned 10. You know I still sleep in the room with them at night because I'm so freaked out about what could happen. I know it's crazy.

You've told me a million times I don't need to do this. I don't sleep in the bed with them. Once in a while, I'll get up and go in another room. But, you know, it's just it can happen. It's likely to happen that a stranger comes in and gets your child. No. Can it happen? Yes, Karen Stark, it's just it can happen. Is it likely to happen that a stranger comes in and gets your child? No. Can it happen? Yes, Karen Stark, it can.

It's everybody's worst nightmare, Nancy, the idea that something would happen to your children or someone would take them. And, Alex, I'm very, very sorry to hear about that. I think that everything you were told to do to stay vigilant, to be active, it's very important right now that you get involved in this process of looking. It will really help you with your anxiety. You know, it's interesting, Karen, I'm going to throw this to Alex. I know the mom has made a plea, but he is up front, just like Mark Klaas was when Polly went missing. Alex Woods is out there answering the hard questions like, where were you at the time she went missing?

Alex? Yes, ma'am? Where were you at the time she went missing? At the night, I was at my and my fiance's house, at our house. You know, I didn't know nothing about it. So, like I said, about 11 o'clock, I was at work. And how far away is your home from Mariah's? Five, maybe ten minutes tops.

Yep. And let me ask you this. I know that there was a very, very, let me just say contentious custody battle. You wanted Mariah with you. Why? Because I felt for their safety. I mean, their well-being for all three kids. They was happier with me.

They was removed from her a while back in child service. And then they was placed with me for about a month and a half. And then the next thing you know, she went and lied and falsified documents, and she got custody back of the kids. Hold on, I'm learning something new right now. Are you telling me that child services took the children away from her for about a month? Yeah, in 2016, her boyfriend, physically abuser, Ryan, him, who came with a belt and left bruises on him and they said that he fell off a bunk bed.

Okay, this is putting a whole new light on this. these allegations are true we're hearing from Alex Woods and he is saying this is from defects Department Family Children's Services in some locations CPS child protective services I can't confirm that right now but he is telling saying what Child Protective Services told him. And so they lived with you for a month? In 2016, they sure did. And then she got him back? Yeah, in April we got him, and then, like, middle of May, end of May, like, first part of June, she came and got him because I wasn't home and my fiance was home, but she didn't have, like, no legal rights to him.

So she, being the mother, she came there and snatched him up, and there was nothing we could do about it. and my fiance was home but she didn't have like no legal rights to him so she would be in the mother she came there and snatched him up and there was nothing we could do about it I mean we went back and forth to court and she wins cuz I don't got no question Alex Woods is with me this is baby Mariah's biological dad who was in the middle of an acrimonious custody battle to get his child back. What do you know, Alex Woods? Because we're on the outside looking in.

Even as well-known as Mark Klass is, Pat Brown and Karen Stark, we're on the outside looking in. What are police telling you about the conditions under which she disappeared they're basically saying that they're trying to christy and her boyfriend they're trying to say that like she like just walked out the house but the front door is locked the back door is open i don't know i i think the police are kind of thinking that there's like foul play involved but they ain't they ain't coming out and saying that yet because they're trying to figure it out. But they've searched the woods for two days now with dogs, drones, helicopters. They ain't picked up or sent nothing. Your message.

Go ahead. Christy's dad said that he feels that they're looking in the wrong spot. Like she ain't out in the woods. With me is. I don't that they're looking in the wrong spot. Like she ain't out in the woods. I don't believe she's out in the woods either. With us is Alex Woods. This is Mariah's dad. We are all on pins and needles. We have reporters on the scene in Onslow County.

And most important, we are all joining in prayer that Mariah is found and brought home to you, Alex Woods. Alex, if you could speak to Mariah or the person that took her right now, what would you say? Please bring my baby girl back home. Daddy loves her and misses her so much. She's a perfect little girl. She's done nothing wrong to nobody. I just want her safe and returned.

I don't care. I just want her. Please, I love you. Daddy loves you, baby. Mr. Woods, I don't think you could have said anything more meaningful than that. And please know we are behind you 100%. Everyone, let me give you the tip line again. All of you out there on the road listening to Sirius right now or listening to our podcast,

the tip line is 910-455-3113. 910-455-3113. 910-455-3113. We are on the case as it progresses. I want to take this moment and thank our partner for making our Serious Sex M132 program possible today. Super Beats. Well, if you're like me, you don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about your circulation. But I can tell you this. When I gave birth to the twins and got blood clots in my lungs, that made me think about circulation. So you really should think about it. And here's why.

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