TRANSCRIPT OF GOOD MORNING AMERICA INTERVIEW WITH NANCY GRACE. FRIDAY, SEPT. 15, 2006. INTERVIEWER: CHRIS CUOMO.
Courtesy: ABC News/Good Morning America
GRACE: Unfortunately, Melinda Duckett had attempted suicide in the past. In fact, I now learn, according to the Orlando Sentinel, that the Department of Child and Family Services had actually taken the baby away from her and put him in foster care for four days. They were concerned how she would treat the child. His family has…
CUOMO: That may be true, Ms. Grace, but let me ask you this because we have to be respectful of both… the situation here. Yes, maybe there were suicide attempts, maybe you have the state action with the kids, but do you have any reason to believe that this woman did anything to her child?
GRACE: Well, you know what, Chris? I’ve handled a lot of murder cases and missing children cases, and the first person you look at is the person last seen with the child and she now admits her own attorney has come forward and stated she grabbed a shotgun, a diaper bag and the baby hours before he went missing and went on an eight-hour odyssey through Ocala National Forest for (finger quotes) “Target Practice.” That is exactly where police are searching today with cadaver dogs, Chris. So maybe we can take a little dose of common sense and figure out where police are headed. But to suggest that a 15 to 20 minute interview caused someone to commit suicide, I feel, is focusing on the wrong thing.
CUOMO:Why do you think it happened Ms. Grace? After the interview, within 24 hours, it was a difficult interview, there was a lot of stress. Do you feel any responsibility?
GRACE: I think it happened because Melinda Duckett may very well know where her son was. She even told her mother, just before she killed herself, “Trenton’s not coming home, Mom, he’s not coming home.” How, Chris, would she have known that? If anything, I would suggest guilt caused her to commit suicide. And while I sympathize with her family and know as a firsthand victim of crime myself people look for somebody to blame, anybody, and today the family is blaming me. And I hate what they’re going through. But I would suggest that their efforts go toward finding this baby.
CUOMO: The idea of a journalist, an interviewer, being a judge or a jury -do you believe that line has become a little bit blurred? That when you go after someone in an interview you’re taking on a job that’s not the job to have?
GRACE: Sir, I did not go after Melinda Duckett. Correction. Melinda Duckett refused to answer questions to either myself or police about her child’s whereabouts. It is highly likely he is dead now because of that.