Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/search-on-for-missing-austin-mom
(Video Avail)
Search on for missing Austin mom
Family, friends appeal to public for help
Saturday, April 3, 2010
(http://media2.kxan.com//photo/2010/04/03/missing_20100403183545_320_240.JPG)
Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, went missing March 26th. Her car was found abandoned in a South Austin Walgreens parking lot.Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, went missing March 26th. Her car was found abandoned in a South Austin Walgreens parking lot.  …

(http://media2.kxan.com//photo/2010/04/03/bbq_20100403183253_320_240.JPG)
Family and friends of Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, sold food to try and raise money that will go toward a reward for any information that leads to her whereabouts. (Jacqueline Ingles/KXAN)

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The search is on for a missing Austin  mother last seen on March 26th.

Dozens of family members and friends of Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, took to the streets outside Fairview Baptist Church Saturday to raise awareness about the missing Austin mother.

They passed out fliers, held posters plastered with her picture and sold barbecue to raise reward money.

"We are trying to get people to see her," explained Dora Cooper, Julie's aunt.  "Someone's got to know something, some ones got to have see something."

 "We're hoping someone comes forward and says, 'yes, she's alive,'" said Margarita Solmine, Julie's aunt.

Gonzalez went missing last Friday.

Her family said she was last seen at her soon-to-be ex-husband's home.

The couple shares custody of their 2-year-old daughter, but instead of sticking to her routine of picking her daughter up, Gonzalez allegedly asked the father to hold on to the girl.

"She woke up Thursday, great day, beautiful day, said she couldn't wait to see her daughter, pick her up," said Sandra Soto, Julie's mother.

Days later, Julie's new car was found abandoned in a Walgreens parking lot.

Julie was nowhere to be found.

Gonzalez's family said she would have never left her daughter or her close-knit family.

"There is never a lack of communication in our family, so it just breaks my heart, I feel it in my gut, it just hurts," Solmine said.

Hope lives on that Julie will be found alive, yet, her family still fears the worst.

"I think that someone lured her or abducted her. Someone fooled her into believing something," Cooper said.

"Maybe she's somewhere she can't get to a phone, that's what I'm thinking, that she's going to come home," Soto added while choking back tears.

"I just hope that I open my door one day and she's walking down the street towards my house," said Michael Soto, Julie's cousin and close friend.

Austin Police are investigating Julie's disappearance, but her family said there has been little progress made in the case.

The family said they will continue to distribute fliers until they find Julie or find out what happened to her.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact APD.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpch.htm#;view=Details
Case type:  Other


Name: Julie Gonzalez
AKA: -
Case Number: M1003010
Race:Hispanic  Sex: Female
DOB:10/16/1988  Age Missing: 21
Height: 5 ft. 00 in.  Weight: 140 lb.
Hair Color: Brown  Eye Color: Brown
Last Seen: 3/26/2010
Area Last Seen: Austin (Travis)
Miscellaneous Notes: Ms. Gonzalez has a piercing above her upper lip. She may possibly be in the company of an adult male.

sounds eerie, i would check the car out, and the seat positioning... how tall is the soon-to-be-ex husband, did he park the car there, was theere a car seat there, did the seat look like it had been used recently or at all.. If the 2-year old had been older, he/she could have known what to say.. maybe the parking lot has cameras. I'm no detective but she does have a myspace, and it is set to private, and darnitt she or someone was on there recently that is since 3/31/2010---http://www.myspace.com/459484599 maybe she has been found or maybe I need to check first.

i can't find anything that says she has been found. I think by now they would have looked at her computer... her mood is adventurous on myspace, is this a set up?? did her ex-husband know her myspace account password??? that is what it looks like, or maybe not..

Julie's husband is richard franco. http://registry.weddingchannel.com/coupledir/20093/F/R310109655/RICAHRD_FRANCO_AND_JULIEANN_GONZALES.htm 

Her wedding was on March 21, 2009, she goes missing 5 days after their wedding anniversary...

http://austin.craigslist.org/laf/1675770575.html

Missing PERSON - Julie Ann Gonzalez (Austin & Surrounding)
Date: 2010-04-04, 8:40AM CDT
Reply to: comm-racns-1675770575@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Julie has been missing since March 26. Her family does NOT believe she left voluntarily. We are looking for any information or any sightings of Julie. Fox news is the only station running anything on Julie's disappearance. Please search for their article under "Missing Austin Mother" for more information, or go to the DPS Missing Person website. Please, please take the time to go and look at Julie's picture and please spread the word. The more people talk about her the better the odds of finding her. Her family is desperate to have her home. Thank you for your time.

Name: Julie Ann Gonzalez
Case Number: M1003010
Race:Hispanic Sex: Female
DOB:10/16/1988 Age Missing: 21
Height: 5 ft. 00 in. Weight: 140 lb.
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
Last Seen: 3/26/2010
Area Last Seen: Austin (Travis)
Miscellaneous Notes: Ms. Gonzalez has a piercing above her upper lip. She may possibly be in the company of an adult male.

If you have any information please contact
Sandra Soto - (512) 903-6204
or Dora Cooper - (512) 789-7869
or Austin Police Department
call 311 for any information, call 911 if seen

    * Location: Austin & Surrounding
    * it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
(http://images.craigslist.org/3kb3o03pd5O05X55S2a448bfd942ebdf51a99.jpg)

(http://images.craigslist.org/3n53o43ld5Y35O35W1a44d44e0e5a38e012ae.jpg)
PostingID: 1675770575

This is an older article and mentions use of a psychic, but it also has some additional information I hadn't seen in other articles:

http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=1213937
(Click play below to hear KLBJ's Jarrod Allen's in-depth coverage of the case)This audio clip is at bottom of article at above link.
Family consults psychic to find missing woman
Newsroom
4/1/2010

he family of a woman now reported missing for more than a week is going to uncommon measures to try and locate their daughter, niece, cousin and the mother of a little girl, only two years old.

"She's a young mother. She has a two-year-old girl. She hasn't called into work, she hasn't done anything. So things just aren't adding up," Dora Cooper, the aunt of Julie Ann Gonzalez, told KLBJ Thursday, outside Austin Police headquarters. She and some other family members held up picket signs with Gonzalez' picture attached, hoping to jog drivers' memories if possible and to put pressure on Austin Police to try and do what the family sees as more to locate the woman.

While being interviewed by KLBJ and Fox 7 News, Sandra Soto, Julie's mother, broke down into tears.

"Julie, come back home. Whoever knows anything, please! Please! Just let us know that she's okay," Soto said. "We feel that we are not getting the attention from the police department, so we feel that if we do what we think they can't do, then a psychic can help us."

The family says Gonzalez' bank account and cell phone has had no activity in the past week after her car was found at a Walgreen's on South First at Stassney. Soto says people have excused the case by saying Gonzalez works at Walgreens, but Cooper says that is not the store where she worked. Police are not commenting on the case, but say they must approach investigations like these carefully.

"What we have to be able to do is to find that balance, where you find family members or friends who are reporting people missing. At the minimal, we do a basic assessment or investigation to determine why is that person missing?" Sgt. Greg Moss, in Austin Police Department's Missing Person's Unit, said.

Given that it's been just over a week now, the family has consulted a self-proclaimed clairvoyant, Gharith Pendragon, who believes he can see into the case.

"I believe she was also forced to go with these people, possibly at weaponpoint, that it was not a volunteer thing," Pendragon said.

Right now, police are not saying if they have any leads in the case.

Also an older article, but has video:

http://weareaustin.com/content/fulltext/?cid=57222
(Video at above link)
Missing woman's mother protests at police headquarters
April 1, 2020
<snip>
Soto said Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, disappeared last Friday after she says her daughter’s soon-to-be ex-husband was the last person to see her. Her car was found abandoned early Sunday morning.

“We got the police out there,” Soto said. “They said it looks like she walked away. They can't do anything about it.”<snip>

So the articles are saying she works at a Walgreens, but she does work at the one in the Walgreens where her car was parked-abandoned. Somebody must have known where she worked, and parked the car at a Walgreens, thinking she worked at that Walgreens, however did not know which Walgreens...i sent mail to the craigslist poster about her myspace, and got a response saying that the family has access to the sites she uses, but don't know if the family accessed it on March 31, maybe an article will come up discounting a myspace meet up.

This is my first time on here. In search for anything about Julie. I found Scared Monkeys along with a ton more websites of missing people. Its so disheartening. Julie as of today still has not been found.  Her computer has been looked at and it shows nothing of Julie. EVERY day fliers are handed out, on street corners, where her car was found. Nothing!  Without going into details, at this point its as if she just vanished. Because there is no sign of fowl play, nothing can really be done. People questioned and thats it. There needs to be more. However, there is no law that states you cant abandon your life. But seriously at 21?  Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and for a safe return.

Good morning and welcome to Scared Monkeys.  I've been very concerned about Julie's case.  I first became aware she was missing when checking online newspaper Kxan.com.  I've noticed the lack of coverage in her case as far as other newspapers  in the area go, including one of the larger ones, the American-Statesman.  Some of the smaller ones seem to cover it, however.  There isn't a lot of information available, imo.   I can see the efforts of her family and friends attemps to  locate her, using Craigslist and holding a fundraiser.   She's listed in the txdps data base missing persons files as missing, but her case type is "other".   I'm keeping Julie and her family in my thoughts and prayers and I'm hoping for a safe return.  How painful and frustrating it must be for Julie's mother to feel she needs to protest at police headquarters in an effort to get some action to find her daughter.  Missing adult cases can be very difficult, as we've seen in the past, here at Scared Monkeys.  Hoping for Julie's safe return.

Correction on Julies husband his name is George.

The investigators at APD thinks she left. As I am doing research & trying to help out I realized how many laws are in place to protect the ones that dont want to be found. Thats fine, but find them, look them in the eye & ask them - DO YOU NOT WANT TO ABANDON YOUR LIFE?  then inform the family. We physically saw the missing person, they are ok and move on without them. Until then, keep looking because very few abandon thier life and the rest just vanish. We are pushing for media coverage. we are emailing every day untill somone will break through and say ok...  Fliers are being passed out every day! We dont know what else to do. Where do we begin, where do we start? There is no clues. Except husband was last to see her and her car was found 2 blocks from his house.  Thanks for keeping the family in your prayers.

I made a new website for Julie. More pics to be posted as well. Unfortuneatly the missing girl from 2002 Rachel Cook, her family's website has helped out tremendously with POC's. Sad that there had to be a website because of her dissappearance. There will be video up later and up to date information. Thanks guys   www.julieanngonzalez.com

http://www.youtube.com/v/FMwiKVKAEEo&hl=en_US&fs=1&

http://www.kvue.com/news/Family-of-missing-mother-pleads-for-help-90782729.html
(Video at above link)
Family of missing mother pleads for help
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21 and the mother of a 2-year-old girl, disappeared without a trace two and a half weeks ago.  Now, her family is pleading for help. 

Her mother, Sandra Soto, says the behavior is totally out of character.

"She was going through the divorce and she was juggling being a single parent and holding a full time job. At the same time, she was always very reliable," said Soto.

Gonzalez was supposed to pick-up her 2-year-old daughter from her estranged husband for her custodial weekend. She showed up, but did not take her daughter with her.  Soto recounts what the husband told her.

"She said: 'I have to go away for a few days. Can you watch her for the weekend?' And then that was it," she said.

No one has spoken to her since the husband reported seeing her that morning, March 26.

"Messages were coming out of her phone, but no phone calls. No phone conversations," said Soto.

Messages have also popped on My Space, but the family doesn't believe they are from her. Her little sister says, they're not the same positive messages Gonzalez posted before she disappeared.

"But looking at these posts on My Space, I'm thinking, there's something wrong here. I don't think that's my sister," said Samantha Petri.

And no one believes she would leave her 2-year-old daughter behind.

"If she left, she would have been back by now. It's not like her to leave Layla," said Soto.

The family says she's not been back to the pharmacy technician job she held for more than a year at an East Austin Walgreen's.  Still they are holding out hope that she will come home.

"God gave mothers the gift of intuition... and my intuition says -- she's coming home. We just need to find her because she can't get to us," said Soto.

Austin police are investigating, and have been in contact recently with Soto.  The case is being classified as a missing persons case, but is not considered suspicious.  Because it is an open case, investigators would not release more information to KVUE.

KVUE was not able to contact the estranged husband, but did find several concerned messages posted by him on My Space.

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

After JVM had Julie's family on for the past sev days, finally........ Austin LE called her mother today and said that they now consider Julie to be 'missing, endangered'.. and have made an investigation about her a "priority". 

Some info from the family on JVM, not sure if this has been posted yet or not:

The family (not LE) discovered that Julie's credit card had been used recently, they contacted LE who checked it out, went to the store it had been used at and got the video of the person using it.  The family says it is NOT Julie using that card. 

Family says a friend of Julie's came forward earlier on, saying that she had withheld some info.  She said that Julie had met a "web designer" who was going to take Julie away for a weekend and show her a good time. 

Estranged husband says that Julie wanted their daughter to spend the weekend. 

Julie's car is in an impound lot ready to be sold.  Family wants LE to goooooooo pick that car up and do fingerprints and processing on it, which has not been done yet. 

Family isn't sure still, whether or not Julie went off on her own choice (maybe with that web designer guy?), perhaps for a weekend, but feel that she wouldn't have intended to not come back because she wouldn't leave her daughter forever like that.  They wonder if maybe she went off for a weekend, met with trouble and couldn't come back, either hurt or worse. 

Julie's aunt feels that had they been rich or white (non-hispanic), that perhaps the Austin LE would have taken this case more seriously at the beginning when they could have found more clues etc., much sooner.  Sadly, there may be some truth in that, IMO. 
 

According to her mother on JVM, she said she was shown a video of a woman @ a Best Buy that used Julie's credit card. She didn't recognize the woman and police didn't tell her if the Best Buy was local.

I hope they're tracing her cell phone pings. Very suspicious that the estranged husband was the last to see her.

Here are transcripts from JVM for the past couple of days.  Julie's family is speaking here, as well as her estranged husband.  On tuesday he was there by phone, on wednesday they had him there along with the family.  I thought it was brave of him to show up in the midst of the whole family despite that they disbelieve him.  I still dunno yet what I feel about him.  Today's transcripts aren't up yet, the show just got over, lol.  There's so much in here that may interest all of you, but would take up much room to post. 


Tuesday's show:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/27/ijvm.01.html (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/27/ijvm.01.html)


Wednesday's show:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/28/ijvm.01.html (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/28/ijvm.01.html)

Tuesday's show:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/27/ijvm.01.html
ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Police Search for Missing Texas Woman

Aired April 27, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, fast-breaking developments in the war on women. A beautiful young mother going through a divorce vanishes in Austin, Texas. She hasn`t been seen for a month. Her car found abandoned in a drugstore parking lot. Tonight, we`ll talk to the missing woman`s desperate aunt. Does the family suspect foul play?

And closing in on a killer? Stunning new news in the "Survivor" murder history. A Hollywood producer, the No. 1 suspect in his wife`s grisly murder at a lavish Cancun resort.

Now the woman`s family is taking her body back to L.A. Tonight, the family demands answers.

Also, an unbelievable head-spinner in the Sandra Bullock-Jesse James sex scandal. Jesse James` dad now claims his son was obsessed with Nazism since he was just a little boy. Remember, his alleged mistress had white power tattoos, including a swastika. Is James a Nazi or just a nutso?

Plus, an ultimate fighting champion is accused of beating his porn star girlfriend. Porn legend Jenna Jameson claims Tito Ortiz is an abusive boyfriend, but he claims she`s hopped up on OxyContin. Who do you believe?

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, desperation and fear are prompting the frantic search for a missing mother out of Austin, Texas. The very last person to see Julie Ann Gonzalez alive, her estranged husband. And Julie`s family says they are not buying his story. They say Julie would never leave her precious 2-year-old daughter and simply disappear into thin air.

Twenty-one-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez vanished without a trace a month ago yesterday. She and her husband George are going through a divorce. Cops say her husband claims she came to his house to pick up their daughter, and she was acting funny. He says Julie asked him to keep 2-year-old Layla for the weekend, but Julie`s mom says she would never, ever, ever stay away from Layla this long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA SOTO, JULIE ANN`S MOTHER: And she says, "I want to see my mom. I want to see -- I want to see my Julie." And what can we say, you know? All we can say is she`s working, but that`s not working anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, let`s take a look at Julie`s estranged husband. Here he is, 22-year-old George De La Cruz. At least that`s his MySpace page. And while his wife`s family desperately searches for Julie, his status update says, "Starting all over again." What the heck does that mean?

And there he is, George d De La Cruz.

All right. Cops found her car parked at a Walgreen`s where she worked as a pharmacy technician -- we`re talking Austin, Texas, people -- several days after she disappeared. But Austin police are only treating this as a missing persons case. They`re not saying foul play for sure. Why? Does it really sound like this woman would vanish on her own, given that she`s got a 2-year-old daughter?

I am taking your phone calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to my truly awesome expert panel: former police officer and attorney Marc Harrold; HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks; and psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer.

But we begin with a very, very special guest tonight: the missing woman`s aunt, Dora Cooper.

First of all, Dora, I want to thank you for being here. Our hearts go out to you. We know this has been a nightmare for your family, and we here at ISSUES want to do everything we can to find your precious niece, who is the mother of a precious 2-year-old baby girl.

Why do you feel -- I understand the family feels that this is a case of foul play. Why does the family feel that way?

DORA COOPER, AUNT OF JULIE ANN GONZALEZ: Because Julie is a very responsible 21-year-old mother. She is not one of these 21-year-old types that just want to be out and party. She`s always been responsible, always looked out for the best interests of her 2-year-old daughter, and that was her main -- main concern 24/7. She always, you know, wanted to get ahead, wanted to get ahead in work, in school. She wanted the best for her daughter at all times. Always, always took care of her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I`ve heard some very strange things. No. 1, that MySpace messages have popped up under Julie`s MySpace, but you don`t think they`re really from Julie. Tell us about that.

COOPER: Well, Julie is always logged in mobile, onto MySpace and onto Facebook. So anyone could have posted those messages. I could have posted those messages.

But Wednesday before she disappeared, she was saying, "I`m ready to pick up my Layla. I miss her so much." And then the next one is just Friday at 12:43 p.m.; states, "I`m running away." How does someone change their state of mind in, you know, 36 hours?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what are cops telling you? I mean, have cops tracked down the cell phone pings and have they told you -- what about her cell phone?

COOPER: They have not stated anything about her cell phone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I understand that, according to some wire copy that I read, that there were text communications from the cell phone. Is that the MySpace you`re referring to? Or were there separate text communications from her cell phone?

COOPER: There were separate text communications from her cell phone. Not to her family; to two friends of hers.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what do those texts say?

COOPER: I really can`t discuss -- discuss too much about it. They`re just saying, "I chose to run away. I`m with someone. I`ll be back soon."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Mike Brooks, this is what you`d call Investigation 101. If somebody took her cell phone and had her MySpace log in, they could simply be posting those messages. Shouldn`t the cops be tracing down those pings to find who`s really holding onto that cell mean?

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You know, Jane, the Austin Police Department is a very professional police department. I know people down there on that department, and right now they`re saying it is not -- they don`t suspect foul play. You know, and we want to get this girl back. We want to find out, make sure she`s OK. But, you know, we just heard that case just last week about the woman who`s seemingly normal with a little baby that ran off with someone else. You know...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but Mike, listen. Sometimes cops have got it wrong. I mean, here`s my big issue tonight.

BROOKS: I agree. But the whole thing is, are they able to put together a time line? You know, they`re saying it`s not foul play. If it was foul play, I think they would be investigating it, Jane. I mean, the cops don`t always get it wrong. Sometimes they do. But all the indications here, I don`t know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I -- well, I respect -- listen, you`re the expert, but I respectfully disagree, and I`m asking -- my big issue tonight, are cops wrong? Now, they told us, they are still trying to figure out whether this is a voluntary missing persons case, or an involuntary missing persons case.

BROOKS: How many times do we hear from law enforcement, they say they`re trying to figure out, and they know, but they just don`t have enough to come out and say whether or not for sure it is, you know, someone who went missing on their own accord.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s listen to this for a second. Hold on a second.

BROOKS: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOTO: I wouldn`t wish this upon my worst enemy. I wouldn`t wish this upon anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the family is in agony.

BROOKS: Sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we do have to say hypothetically, not necessarily referring to this case whatsoever, women between the ages of 16 and 24 are the most likely victims of intimate partner violence. That`s just a statistic. Julie Ann Gonzalez is 21. She`s smack in the middle of that age bracket.

So my question to Dora Cooper, did she have any other kind of romantic relationship going on? Is there something about her personal life: a history of depression, a history of drug or alcohol use that might cause her to disappear?

COOPER: No. Nothing at all.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just plain old no?

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So she`s not -- she`s not a young lady who goes out and gets drunk or uses drug?

COOPER: No. Julie was always very set in what she wanted. She graduated early. She went on to St. Edwards University. She went on and she completed a pharmacy technical certification program. She did all of this on her own. She was a very responsible girl. She always knew what she wanted.

You would figure yes, she`s 21 years old. She`s going to be partying with her friends, no. Once she knew she was having a baby, she was ecstatic, and she was ready to take on that responsibility.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, why -- why did they break up, and who initiated the break up between her and her husband?

COOPER: Julie did.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And why was that?

COOPER: She was very unhappy in the marriage. They had only been married in six months.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And how did the husband react to the breakup?

COOPER: He was not happy. He did not want to be apart from her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have you talked to him?

COOPER: Yes, my sister has.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And he`s sticking to his story that she came over and then said...

COOPER: He`s sticking to his story that she showed up, she just was acting funny and she just abruptly said, "You know what? I`m not going to take her. I`m going to leave her with you for a few days. I`ll be back."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marc Harrold, got to ask you this. Do you think that cops should put him -- ask him to take a polygraph?

MARC HARROLD, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: Well, they could ask him to take a polygraph. The thing about it is, sometimes leaving people alone, not telling you -- not telling them that you consider them a suspect or a person of interest, sometimes you get more information out of them, just letting them be, letting them give accounts of the same thing over and over, and see how they contradict themselves.

But yes, I mean, if he`ll take a polygraph, it would be helpful. They may not want to get combative with him. He may lawyer up if they ask him to take a polygraph. But I agree with Mike: the Austin Police Department is excellent law enforcement agency. I`m sure they`re doing everything they can. But at this point, it looks like they`re treating it as a missing person case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news. Hang on. Hang on, Dora. We`ve gotten the husband. We believe he`s going to get on the phone with us right now. Again, he is not considered a suspect. Apparently, he wants to weigh in and give his side of the story. We`re happy to hear it.

Hang in, on the other side, in just a couple of seconds, we`re going to hear from the husband, all right? So this is absolutely breaking news as we speak.

Also, later in our broadcast, a husband and his pregnant wife brutally murdered in their Malibu beach house. The killer has been on the loose for almost a year. Tonight, have police finally tracked this monster -- monster killer down?

Plus a heartbroken family demands justice. A Hollywood producer, the No. 1 suspect in his wife`s murder. Why haven`t cops made an arrest? We`re taking your calls on all of these cases: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn`t say everything was fine. But I just say she wasn`t happy at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had the last conversation with her, and she was not saying that everything was fine. She was extremely sad. I was reinforcing with her, you can not have a relationship with this man because there`s no trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got fast-breaking news here on ISSUES. We have been talking about the desperate search for a missing 21-year-old mother out of Austin, Texas. Her name, Julie Ann Gonzalez. Her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, was the last person to see her before she vanished. We were talking with her aunt, who said she had questions about her husband`s story. And now we have the husband on the phone. He`s a security guard out of Austin, Texas.

George, are you there, sir?

GEORGE DE LA CRUZ, HUSBAND OF JULIE ANN GONZALEZ (via phone): Yes, I`m here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi. Well, we`ve been talking about the disappearance of the mother of your child, your estranged wife. You`re not divorced yet.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And tell us about the circumstances of your last contact with her, because that`s apparently when she disappeared. Tell us -- tell us what happened.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, all I can say if she (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to come pick my daughter up, because like, we had a joint custody. And when she arrived I was expecting her to go pick her up, come and get her. Right?

And she came in, and like I said, I saw her. She was different. Like I said, I`ve known her for at least four years, so I know when there`s something wrong with her. And I tried talking to her. I asked the question what`s wrong.

She said, "Well, I`m OK, don`t worry about it." So I let it go.

I said, "Here`s Layla`s stuff. Everything`s there. Do you want to go ahead and check at it to make sure that everything is there so you can take her?"

That`s when she told me, "Well, you know what? I`ve got plans this weekend. Can you please take care of her?"

I`m like, yes. And I said, "So when are you going to come pick her up?"

"I`ll let you know. I`ll call you whenever I want her."

I said, "Well, is it going to be this weekend?"

She said yes.

So I just said, I never thought anything bad was going to happen. So I said OK. I`ll go and take her for a couple more days. And whenever she`s ready, she`s going to call me to pick her up this weekend. So like I said, I didn`t expect nothing to happen until Saturday when I found out that she hasn`t contacted no one.

So like I said, I kind of feel bad, because I was the last person. I should have gone to a little bit of effort to find out what`s wrong. And there was something wrong, because it`s gone a month and there`s nothing that we have heard from her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have law -- did law enforcement come and interview you? Did they investigate you? Did they go through, you know, your computer and all that stuff?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Like I said, they can come -- they haven`t done it, but I know they came in the house because the family suspected that she might have been hiding here. And so we let the police come in, and they searched around the house and that was about it.

But like I said, I talked to the detectives. The cops come and interview me. And like I said, I`ve been cooperative. Like I said, if they want to come in and search more of the house, I`ll be glad to let them come in.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you know if she had met someone else? Because it`s very possible that maybe she met somebody else, and that other person is responsible.

DE LA CRUZ: Like I said, I don`t know if she has, because like I say, we`ve been apart for at least four or five months, because we separated. And I don`t know if she has met someone. She never told me anything. But like, from, what`s on her MySpace, I don`t know if it`s her or someone else putting that stuff, but it made it seem that she might have someone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She might have a new -- a new man in her life, in other words?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Yes. But like I said, we don`t know if it`s true.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, hold on one second, George. I give you props for coming on this show and telling you your side of the story. We always love that here on ISSUES. We want to be fair. But just hold on, don`t hang up.

DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora Cooper, the aunt of the missing woman, Julie Ann Gonzalez, you`ve been listening to George. Do you want to weigh in at all? I thought you had thoughts, perhaps, on whether or not she`d met somebody new.

COOPER: The messages that came off were that she was with someone. Those are the messages that were posted after we reported her missing.

You know, George may or may not know what happened to her, but if anyone knows, we are just trying to reach out to the community. You know, we`ve reached out to local law enforcement to help us find her.

The story we`re getting is she is a 21-year-old. She`s an adult. If she wants to go missing, she can go missing. But I don`t -- we don`t accept that. She has a 2-year-old daughter. She has a family that really loves her, truly misses her. She just walked away from her job, walked away from a brand-new car she just purchased. Why would someone go and spend $2,000 on a vehicle two to three weeks before she disappeared? That doesn`t make any sense.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Were the keys in her car?

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was anything in the car? Her purse?

COOPER: Layla`s medicine, Layla`s car seat. Other little personal belongings.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. What I`m hearing here is also the possibility that she may have met someone. People do that. She got estranged. She may have met somebody else. And maybe that person is somebody that police need to look at. Do you know anything about that, Dora?

COOPER: We have no idea. If that has been indicated, we have no idea who that person would be.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look, Marc Harrold, or Dr. Dale Archer, you`ve been listening to all this. You`re the psychiatrist. What do you make of it?

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Can I ask a question?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.

ARCHER: Yes. I would just like a better description, George, of -- you said that she didn`t seem like she was herself. Did she seem like she was depressed? Did she seem like she was planning something? Nervous, anxious about something going on?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. George?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Like I said, she looked completely different. She kind of looked sad. She was down. She was out of -- like not there. Like not concentrating.

And like I said, I know -- I know her, so like I said, I was with her. And I`m married to her, so I know when there`s something wrong. And I tried asking her what was wrong and she never told me what was wrong. She said, "I`m OK. Don`t worry about it." And I know I asked her a couple of times to find out what was really going on.

And I don`t know if she was sad about something, but she never gave me anything. So I just dropped it. Maybe she was just sad about something, about work or anything, I don`t know. But like I said, yes, that time, she was complete different. Even when she interacted with my daughter.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, George, hang on a second. We`re going to come back on the other side of this break. We`re going to...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news on ISSUES. We are trying to solve the desperate, desperate mystery of what happened to 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez. She disappeared almost exactly a month ago from Austin, Texas. She`s estranged from her husband. She has a 2-year-old daughter.

We have her aunt, Dora Cooper, on tonight, who`s begging for answers, and the aunt and the family say that they`re not absolutely sure that the estranged husband`s story makes sense.

But then the estranged husband, George De La Cruz, calls us up and tells us his side of the story. And they`re both on the line now. We`re also taking your calls.

Mike Brooks, you have a question?

BROOKS: Yes, George. I was wondering, have you taken a look at the cell-phone bill, at her cell-phone bill, to see if any numbers possibly that have texted her or she has texted someone else, or if she has any incoming or outgoing calls that you might seem unusual?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I don`t have connection with that. Like I said, when she moved, she changed everything, so I don`t get her bills from the phone. I know the family has done that. I believe they have. And like I said, I don`t know. Ask Dora. They should know what`s going on. Because as I said, I don`t get that information.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Dora -- Dora, did you get any -- is there anything on -- anything out of the ordinary?

COOPER: Nothing odd, nothing out of the ordinary. And I did provide that to Austin Police Department.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s what I don`t understand, Marc Harrold. If there are text messages coming in on this cell phone, cops can follow that ping and find out where that cell phone is. And if it`s with her, then that`s one story. But if it`s not with her, if it`s with some sicko out there, then they would find that out.

HARROLD: Yes. There`s no doubt that they want to triangulate, get as close as they can to figure out where the cell phone is by using the signal of the tower and back and try to locate it, but yes, I absolutely agree. If she has the cell phone, you want to figure that out. If the cell phone is somewhere else, that may give you another place that you know she was before she disappeared. But at this point, it doesn`t sound like they`ve at least released that information, if they`ve gone and done that investigative technique.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Art, Ohio, your question or thoughts, sir?

CALLER: Yes, Jane. I just had a question for the husband, if he took a lie detector test yet to try to clear his name early in the investigation?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: George?

DE LA CRUZ: Say that again?

CALLER: Did you take a lie -- did they ask you to take a lie detector test to just clear your name?

DE LA CRUZ: No, they haven`t asked me to do that. So like I said, but if they want me to, I`ll go ahead and do it, because I`ve been participating. And the family don`t believe me, I`ll go ahead and do it, just to be good with them. Because I want to be part of the investigation. And I want to know answers, too.

Like I said, my daughter is here. She suffers a lot for her. And it makes me sad to see her cry whenever she asks about Julie. And I have to lie to her saying, "Well, she`s at work, she`s at work." And that`s not going to cut it. That doesn`t cut it now, because like I said, she cries to her, and I just want her back. Because she needs both of us, me and the mom, so we can raise this daughter.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora, I have to go back to this question with you. Are you sure that she did not meet anybody else?

COOPER: I am positive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So no dating?

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Because sometimes when you break up with somebody, you date somebody else.

COOPER: You know, I have access to her phone messages, to everything. I have access to her e-mail. There`s nothing to indicate that anything else was going on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. This is such a fascinating mystery. Hang on, because we`re not done. We`re -- we`re extending this because it`s just so fascinating. More after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable head-spinner in the Sandra Bullock-Jesse James sex scandal. Jesse James` dad now claims his son was obsessed with Nazism since he was just a little boy. Remember his alleged mistress had white power tattoos including a swastika. Is James a Nazi or just a nutso?

Plus, an ultimate fighting champion is accused of beating his porn star girlfriend. Porn legend Jenna Jameson claims Tito Ortiz is an abusive boyfriend. But he claims she`s hopped up on Oxycontin. Who do you believe?

But first, we have breaking news out of Austin, Texas: 21-year- old Julie Ann Gonzalez, a mother of a 2-year-old daughter with an estranged husband disappeared into thin air almost exactly a month ago; her family desperately searching for her.

And what`s involved here on this show tonight is that the aunt was saying that she had questions about the estranged husband`s story. And the estranged husband called us up and has been talking to us at length saying, you know, he`s not responsible. He would be happy to take a polygraph. They can come in and search his home.

And I`m no detective, but he sounds believable to me. So we`re wondering who else could be involved. Because the aunt has said -- and I think it makes perfect sense -- she just bought a new car, she left the new car. Who would leave a spanking new car and vanish, and leave a 2-year-old child behind, and certainly not in that order.

Is there somebody else, a third party, a mystery party that we don`t know about?

Now, here`s what`s so fascinating. It`s -- Dora, you`re saying to me that somebody is sending texts from her cell phone and you don`t know who it is, but they`re trying to pretend like they`re her.

DORA COOPER: Correct.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are those text messages from her cellphone saying? And they`re coming to your cell phone?

COOPER: No, they`re being posted via Facebook and MySpace.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Listen, we have the missing woman`s mother has also called in right now. And we would like to hear from you, ma`am.

My apologies. My notes are scattered here. Can you give us your name, ma`am, and tell us why you`re calling in?

SANDRA SOTO, MISSING WOMAN`S MOTHER: My name is Sandra Soto and I`m Julie Ann Gonzalez`s mother.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, first of all, my heart goes out to you. We want to be part of the solution here on ISSUES and help find your beautiful, missing daughter so that your granddaughter has a mom.

And we`re looking at the search right now. You`ve been watching our show, ISSUES. What do you make of what you`ve heard so far from George de la Cruz, your daughter`s estranged husband?

SOTO: I think that somebody knows something. I`m not pointing any fingers at anybody, but I know somebody knows something. I`m very concerned about Julie, but also concerned about my granddaughter because George does have an attempted suicide on his record.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A what?

SOTO: An attempted suicide on his record. In January, when he separated -- when Julie left him, he attempted to commit suicide while he was taking care of Leila.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is this true, George?

GEORGE DE LA CRUZ, MISSING WOMAN`S HUSBAND: No, I wasn`t taking care of her. At that time, I didn`t have her. Julie came to pick her up and she was already on Julie`s hands.

And at that time, yes, like I said, I did have problems. Like I said, everything was going down. And I went into a great depression, I was depressed. I did want to take my life. But that didn`t happen; I went to the hospital before anything worse happened.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What did you do? Did you --

DE LA CRUZ: No, I just -- took a lot of over the counter pills, overdose.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let`s take a look at -- we`re hearing from George. Let`s take a look at George vis-a-vis his MySpace page. And his face is going to pop-up in the course of looking at that MySpace page which we`re going to show you in a second.

We lost George de la Cruz -- but I have to tell you, one last question to the mother, did your daughter meet someone else? Because my gut tells me -- and I don`t know, I`m not a detective -- that she may have met somebody else and that person may be the person responsible.

SOTO: Well, you know what? Everybody can say that. Anybody that doesn`t know Julie can say that, but our family is so tight that there is never a lack of information. Our family is always talking to each other, texting each other. You know, cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, grandparents; we are tight.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: By the way, there is George right there. You`re taking a look at the gentleman we`ve been listening to on the phone, that`s him. And we just learned that he was so distraught over his wife leaving him that he attempted to take his own life with pills.

He survived; he says he`s not responsible for his estranged wife`s disappearance. The family says she would never disappear on her own.

I have a question for the mother. Do you think police are doing everything they can?

SOTO: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why not?

SOTO: No, because they haven`t been able to locate her phone. They never fingerprinted the car that sat in the parking lot of the pharmacy for up to almost eight days.

COOPER: And they didn`t find the vehicle, I found the vehicle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora, you were going to say something?

COOPER: Austin Police Department did not find the vehicle, I found the vehicle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re saying they never fingerprinted the vehicle?

COOPER: No.

SOTO: Never, never.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow.

SOTO: And now the vehicle has been repossessed by the car lot where Julie purchased the vehicle three weeks prior to her disappearance. They are still holding on to that vehicle, but they`re ready to put it back into their inventory.

They`re working with me as far as not putting it back into the inventory until APD does something. Even the owners of the car lot know that APD should be looking into that vehicle before they put it back in the inventory.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And when you say APD you`re talking about Austin Police Department.

So they didn`t -- Mike Brooks, what do you make of that? That sounds pretty -- that sounds pretty sloppy. They didn`t do fingerprints or tests, DNA on that vehicle because --

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Jane --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.

BROOKS: Well, most departments, when someone is reported missing, what they do, they decide is this person a critical or non- critical missing person. And this is done by what they`re presented with. You know, is there any sign of foul play? Was there any sign of a struggle in the car? What else have they found? Did this woman just go missing and it could be that they did not determine this to be a critical missing person --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me tell you another possibility, Dora. Ok. Your daughter isn`t famous and she isn`t rich.

COOPER: Exactly.

SOTO: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I do feel if this was some big movie star or some highfalutin heiress they would have done the fingerprints on that car.

COOPER: That`s right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora Cooper, tell me what your thoughts are.

BROOKS: I have to disagree with you on that one, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, well, you can disagree. I want to hear Dora and then I`ll hear you.

COOPER: Well, Jane, another funny thing is after we have reported her missing, that we were informed by the police officers that came out that George had already filed a complaint against Julie, claiming she abandoned her child with him.

DE LA CRUZ: No, that`s a lie. Right there, that`s a lie.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell us what your side is, George.

DE LA CRUZ: Like I said, we figured out that Julie hasn`t been talking to no one, so we acted up, right? So my mom called the police to just make a report because I was having a lot of problems with Julie saying that she wanted to put me in police supervision because of Leila. There`s times that I come late to give it to her because there`s certain times I have to give to her, and there`s times that I`m going to be there and Julie will be mad.

So like I said, I wanted to be ok with the police saying you know what, Julie left me here for the weekend and she said it was ok. I don`t want no problems with the police. I don`t want to, like I say, take away my daughter. And like I said, we never told her -- I was just trying to cover my end to be ok with the police.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, give me this.

BROOKS: Yes, sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Given that text messages have come in from this cell phone, don`t you think cops should have already figured out where that cell phone was and either be able to say yes, this cell phone is in the hands of Julie Ann Gonzalez and she just split, or the cell phone is in the hands of the suspect?

BROOKS: They could. I mean if I was the investigator, One of the things I would probably do would be to try to give that phone a call. See who answers it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Duh.

BROOKS: Is it somebody -- is it her or someone else?

COOPER: You know, we`ve already done that. We call it every day.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You call it every day. What happens?

COOPER: No one answers. It goes straight to its little message that this person`s voice mailbox has not been set up yet. That phone is still on. It`s just turned off.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But following the ping, that`s what they`re supposed to do. Go ahead, mom.

SOTO: This is Sandra. What angers me so much about Austin P.D. is that the very first time that we were interviewed on the fox network here in Austin. They came to us and asked us what they thought. My sister went on there. They interviewed her. They went to George`s house and they interviewed him and then they went to Sergeant Greg Moss (ph) at the Austin police department.

She made a very strong statement that she is not considered -- this is not considered a foul play disappearance.

Tell me, how can you make that strong of an assumption without strong evidence to, you know, support it?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`ve got to tell you one thing. And if Austin Police Department is watching, you are invited on this show to explain your position. We`re not letting this go, Austin TV, we`re going to stay on top of it. We`re going to have this family back.

Will you come back, Dora?

DORA: Yes, I will.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Will you come back, George?

GEORGE: Yes, I will.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And will you come back, we`re talking to the mom on the phone of this missing woman?

SOTO: Most definitely.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to have you all on and we`re going to stay on top of this story until we find Julie Ann Gonzalez and find out who is holding her cell phone right now as we speak.

Panel, thank you so much.

Moving on, an adult film star claims she was beaten up by her ultimate fighting boyfriend. This is a story you do not want to miss. It`s --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`ve got some fast-breaking news just coming to ISSUES: 80s rocker and reality TV star Bret Michaels -- we`re really sorry to say this -- he`s taken a turn for the worst. Michael suffered a brain hemorrhage. He was raced to the hospital on Friday. Well, tests now show Michael suffered a setback in his recovery today.

Doctors still remain hopeful that he can make a recovery. As of right now, he remains in critical condition in an Arizona Intensive Care Unit. We will keep you posted. Any new information that comes in, we will bring it straight to you ASAP.

Meantime, a celebrity couple spirals out of control. It`s a he said- she said battle that heats up between the world`s most famous adult film star, Jenna Jameson and her Ultimate Fighting Champion boyfriend Tito Ortiz. Jenna has been called the queen of porn. She starred in hits like "Hell on Heels"; "Where the Boys Aren`t" and "Zombie Strippers". She says Tito is a wife-beater who violently threw her into a bathtub.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tito just went on publicized that the press conference said that you`re addicted to Oxycontin; that`s what he`s saying.

JENNA JAMESON, FORMER ADULT FILM STAR: Talk about trying to save somebody`s (EXPLETIVE DELETED) for being a wife beater.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, now and not we`re just saying what he said earlier --

JAMESON: My God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- earlier at the jail, he said that he didn`t hurt you, that he didn`t touch you.

JAMESON: Oh, ok. Well, he`s trying to save his career.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police wouldn`t have taken him away if he didn`t do anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tito is firing back. He said he never touched Jenna and claims that she is a drug addict who has fallen off the wagon and abuses Oxycontin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TITO ORTIZ, MIXED MATIAL ARTIST: My parents have gone through an addiction and I see it in the mirror again. I`m not going to let my family go through that. I speak from my heart and as I say, I let my man do his job but I hold everything dear to my heart that Jenna will be ok.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And he even broke down in tears. Yes, that`s right, that tough guy, sobbing at the news conference. Who is telling the truth? A frantic 911 call made by Jenna`s dad led police to the couple`s L.A. home where they arrested Tito for suspected domestic violence.

You know, you`ve got to take a look at this guy. Here is Tito in the ring in his UFC clip; he has been called a registered lethal weapon.

TMZ reports after the altercation, Jenna had visible bruises. She`s also been spotted wearing a bandage covering up her arm. The ex-porn star and the ultimate fighter have two young children. Look at that, twin 1-year-old boys. How adorable are they? I feel sorry for those little kids tonight.

Straight out to my fantastic panel; and we also welcome CNN producer, Alan Duke. Alan, what is the very latest on this D-Lister dramarama?

ALAN DUKE, CNN PRODUCER: I was there at the news conference last night standing just a few feet away from Tito Ortiz as he was sobbing. And it was just remarkable to me this man who probably could kill me in just a few swings was crying because of something that happened with his girlfriend and the mother of his children.

The latest is her lawyer issued a statement this afternoon that disputed his statement but actually didn`t dispute the statement about the drug addiction. Said even if she was high, under the influence of Oxycontin, that was no excuse to hit her. But he, through his lawyer, claims never laid a hand on her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what`s fascinating Dr. Dale Archer is that Jenna has a history of drug use, and she`s actually written about it in her book, "How to Make Love like a Porn Star". In fact, she even reportedly refers to crystal meth.

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, she actually makes three different statements over the last couple of days. One saying that he never touched her, one saying that well, he just pushed her around a little bit and one claiming he was a wife beater.

So unfortunately to me, this is sounding more like an addict behavior. Of course, they can`t take responsibility for themselves. It always has to be someone else`s fault. So I`m leaning towards believing him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, ok. But I have to point out this. He does have a history as well.

And he, I believe, pleaded guilty, Alan Duke, to battery back in 1998 that involved a male. But he`s got that same history.

DUKE: He`s a fighter. That`s how he makes his living. And in fact, making a living is really something he`s trying to protect right now. The remarkable move, as soon as he got out of jail, his publicist calls me at home and says can you come down and meet with him? We`re going to make a statement to the media.

Why would you do that just after you get out of jail for allegedly beating your girlfriend? Well, because his career depends on his fan base and the public perception of him. And he did a pretty remarkable performance. Whether those were real tears or not last night, he really did have them and he was sobbing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, what I find fascinating is that the attorney for Tito, he`s talking right there on camera said that -- he was asked, Jenna showed up in a sling. And he said well, we have evidence that she went down to the local pharmacy and bought that sling herself.

And my question is, I would think, the key is, did she go to the hospital?

BROOKS: Exactly. And they can find out about that. But you know, the key thing here, too, is Jane, the police went to the house and they locked him up. Now, I can tell you, when law enforcement goes to the house for a domestic violence call they can take one person away, whether it be the male, or the female, or they can take both away. But they took him away for whatever reason.

So that should be part of their investigation. You know, is she telling the truth or not? And will these charges stick?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. "Survivor" murder mystery up next. You won`t believe the developments in this case out of Cancun.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, are the walls closing in on a Hollywood producer whose wife was murdered in Mexico? We`re hearing reports that Bruce Beresford-Redman, the lone suspect, could be arrested anytime now. But that`s been the rumor for an entire week. What`s the real scoop?

Bruce`s wife, Monica, was found strangled to death three weeks ago at a posh Cancun resort, her body dumped in a sewer. Mexican authorities just turned over Monica`s remains to her shattered family. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANE BURGOS, MONICA BERESFORD-REDMAN`S SISTER: She is an American citizen, and she has a lot of people that love her, and we need to bring the body there so all the people that love her can really, you know, say good-bye and have a place where they can go and, you know, bring their love to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BEHAR: Welcoming back my fantastic panel. We begin with CNN producer Alan Duke out of Hollywood. Alan, you`ve been all over this case. What is the very latest?

ALAN DUKE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, she was returned to California. They turned the body over to the family yesterday; three weeks after this whole thing started in Cancun she`s finally back. Also, there was a fund-raiser over this past weekend at her restaurant in Los Angeles to raise money for the funeral and other expenses because this family doesn`t have a lot of money.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. She owns this very popular restaurant called Zazumba -- Zabumba. I`ve actually been there. It`s a very fun place right on Venice Boulevard.

And of course, her husband, Bruce Beresford-Redman used to work on the hit reality show "Survivor", which films at remote locations around the world. And gee, he was at a remote location. He is staying in Merida. And that`s about four hours` drive from Cancun.

Authorities seized his passport. But is that enough to make him stay put? Alan, I`ve got to wonder, who`s watching this guy?

DUKE: Well, supposedly, the consulate, the U.S. consulate in that city on the Yucatan peninsula has supervision of him. But I don`t know that there`s anything to prevent him to go to Mexico City or someplace else if he wanted to.

And I`m not sure that if he wanted to, not that I know that he would, he could probably find a way to leave the country. You can leave the country Mexico without a passport. Millions have proven that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, Marc Harrold, I`ve been to Merida. I`ve visited the beautiful pyramids down there as well as the Sonote (ph), where people used to get sacrificed back in the Mayan culture. It`s a really beautiful, fascinating place. But it`s also a place where it would be easy to disappear.

I can`t understand if that this guy is considered the prime suspect and Mexican police apparently aren`t really keeping tabs on him.

MARC HARROLD: Yes, your passport`s helpful if you`re trying to travel legally. But there`s no doubt that the main thing here would be if he has the means, the money to travel he can definitely travel in that part of the world pretty much where he wants to go unless there`s more supervision than we know about.

But it doesn`t sound like there is. So if he wants to travel around Mexico or even leave Mexico most likely he can if he has the means.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s my big issue. Why no arrest? It seems like there is a lot of evidence, Alan, that Mexican authorities say they have accumulated. They say that there were all sorts of discrepancies in his story. He said she went shopping on a morning and disappeared then even though that night they were seen arguing. What do you make of the lack of an arrest?

DUKE: Well, scientific evidence is what we`ve been told they`ve been waiting on now, for a couple of weeks we`ve been told that. And even in this country, I mean, we`re still waiting on an autopsy report from somebody who died more than six weeks ago here in California. So it takes a while to get that. And they say that`s what they`re waiting for.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it. We`re done.

Tomorrow on ISSUES: more on the mystery disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez with her family.

END

Wednesday's show:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/28/ijvm.01.html

ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Family of Missing Austin Woman Seek Answers

Aired April 28, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET

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


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Breaking news tonight. A tragic heart- wrenching scenario playing out in Austin, Texas, where family is desperately trying to find their precious 21-year-old daughter. This beautiful young mother vanished more than a month ago, and the family does not understand why police aren`t doing more to find her. They say the clock is ticking.

Last night, here on ISSUES, it was bombshell after bombshell after bombshell. Julie`s aunt Dora came on the show, and then Julie`s mother and her estranged husband called in, each to tell their side of the story.

Now, Julie has not been seen since March 26. That`s more than a month. She and her husband, George, a security guard, are in the middle of a divorce. George De La Cruz says he last saw Julie when she came to his house to pick up their 2-year-old daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORA COOPER, MISSING WOMAN`S AUNT: He`s sticking to his story that she showed up, she just was acting funny. And she just abruptly said, "You know what? I`m not going to take her. I`m going to leave her with you for a few days and I`ll be back."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So the estranged husband is the last person to see Julie before she vanished. The smallest victim in all of this, Julie`s little girl, 2-year-old Layla.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE DE LA CRUZ, ESTRANGED HUSBAND: I want to be part of the investigation. And I want to know answers, too. Like I said, my daughter is here. She suffers a lot for her. And it makes me sad to see her cry when she asks about Julie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Julie`s family says they`re the ones who found Julie`s car abandoned outside the Walgreen`s where Julie worked as a pharmacy tech technician. It had been there for days, they say.

The family also says cops did not find it in that obvious location and then never bothered to fingerprint the car. Why not? Has the Austin Police Department dropped the ball here? I am taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to my phenomenal expert panel, along with HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks and investigative reporter Michelle Sigona, MichelleSigona.com.

We have four members of Julie`s family. Let us introduce them to you. Her aunt and uncle, Dora Cooper and Gil Soto. Then we also have Julie`s estranged husband, George De La Cruz. Thank you for joining us, George.

DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And also, the missing woman`s mother, Sandra Soto. Thank you all so much for being here. All we really want to do is to solve this mystery and find Julie and help you do that.

Let`s start with the mother. Sandra, when was the last time you spoke to Austin police, and what did they tell you they are doing about your daughter`s disappearance?

SANDRA SOTO, MOTHER OF JULIE ANN GONZALEZ: The last time I actually spoke with them was this morning. And they just had a few more questions for me and just asked me, you know, some basic questions. And then -- then that was just early this morning. I haven`t really spoken with anybody else. I`ve been waiting by the phone all day. But no more phone call.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second. Now, they called you this morning?

S. SOTO: Let me see. No, I called them this morning.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK.

S. SOTO: I called them. I went ahead and called them.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Now, when -- before that, when did you speak to them?

S. SOTO: I speak to them on a daily basis.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. That`s good.

S. SOTO: I`m trying to -- I`m trying to, you know, find out why are they not doing what they should have been doing since day one?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you think they should have been doing?

S. SOTO: They should have looked at her car. They should have looked at any video footage from any of the places where she was said to have been last seen. They haven`t done that. They should have polygraphed people who said that they spoke to her last.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You mean her estranged husband, George?

S. SOTO: Well, yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. What else should they have done?

S. SOTO: And the only -- the reason that I say that is because, you know, if George has nothing to hide, I want him to at least, you know, eliminate himself from this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right. And he says he`s willing to take a polygraph. So here`s my big issue tonight. Where are the cops on this?

Let me get this straight. A 21-year-old college grad, pharmacy tech disappears, leaves behind a toddler, a loving family. There`s been no sign of her for more than 30 days. She leaves her job. She leaves behind her brand-new car, and police aren`t out searching for her?

Now, we tried all day to ask Austin police the following questions. Did they fingerprint Julie`s car? Are they tracking her cell phone? Have they executed any search warrants? Are they conducting any official searches with or without canines? Has there been any activity on her credit cards or ATM card?

We finally got a response from Austin police late this afternoon. Quote, "The case is still open and ongoing, but the Austin Police Department can assure everyone that the case is being investigated to the extent allowed by law."

Investigative journalist Michelle Sigona of MichelleSigona.com joins us live now. Michelle, I understand you have new information on this case.

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I do. Jane, within the last hour, I was able to get in touch with Detective Scott, who`s one of the lead investigators, and I asked him all of those questions. We sat on the phone for 25 minutes. And here are the answers.

First of all, Detective Scott does want everyone to know that there is some, quote, "some indication" that Julie may have wanted to withdraw contact and also that there is no foul play suspected in this particular case at this time.

And so when I asked him about the particular -- about her car and about it being fingerprinted he said, no, not at this point, because there is not foul play, and they need to focus their resources into tracking down those particular leads.

As far as the pings on the cell phone, he says that he does not have the ability at this time because of the foul play issue to be able to move forward with those particular search warrants to obtain -- to be able to track her cell phone. Because if she wanted to go missing, she does have a right to do that.

Also, as far as the executed search warrant, he said every single person that he has reached out to has been extremely helpful, including George, and we`ll let George -- he says, "Hey, look, you can take my computer. You can look at it. You can do whatever you`d like." And George, as you mentioned, has also been willing to take a lie detector in this particular case.

And as far as the activity on the ATM card, Detective Scott says, "Hey, I cannot comment on the ATM card at this particular point, but that`s one thing that we are looking into."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Excellent work as always, Michelle Sigona.

Dora Cooper, Julie Ann Gonzalez`s aunt, if, in fact, police think that this is not, as you just heard, foul play, have they given you any indication whatsoever as to why they think this is not foul play, since you think it is?

DORA COOPER, JULIE ANN`S AUNT: No. I`m sure if they would have found some blood or some semen or a glove or something, maybe they would have suspected foul play, but what -- what signs need to be shown in the vehicle or anywhere she was for them to classify it as foul play? They have not been able to define foul play for us yet. What defines foul play?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, wait. Sandra Soto, you`re the mother. You say your family found the car. They didn`t find the car, and then they didn`t fingerprint it. My question is, how do they know there`s no foul play if they didn`t fingerprint the car?

Now, did Julie have a computer, Sandra?

S. SOTO: No, she didn`t. When she moved, she didn`t have a computer. She just had her iPhone, and she did all her texting from her iPhone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. George De La Cruz, Julie Ann Gonzalez`s husband.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. You have a computer.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, I do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did police look into your computer?

DE LA CRUZ: No, they haven`t.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So they came to your house. What did they do?

DE LA CRUZ: They searched, like, every room, outside, the sheds that we have back there. They searched everywhere. Just to make sure we weren`t hiding her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But did they -- they didn`t look in your computer?

DE LA CRUZ: No, they didn`t.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Mike Brooks, you`re listening to all of this.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re the law enforcement analyst. How do they know there is no foul play if they haven`t looked in the computer, if they didn`t fingerprint her car, and they didn`t do any searches?

BROOKS: First of all, Jane, thousands of people go missing every single day. At least 2,000 children go missing every single day. And as I said yesterday, that they classify missing persons cases as critical or non-critical.

Foul play: when they found the car, were there any keys in the car left in the car like someone may have snatched her out? No. Was there any sign of a struggle? Was there any blood visibly in the car? No. Were there any windows broken out? No. There`s nothing to indicate that there is foul play.

And to do a search warrant, Jane, on anything, you need probable cause. A judge signs that. It`s the same with a subpoena.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Mike, let me...

BROOKS: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me finish. Same with a subpoena for cell records. You just can`t go look up somebody`s cell phone. You know, she may have wanted to go missing. What did George tell us last night when he last saw her? I`d like to hear that story again also.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, let me ask you this question, Mike. Don`t you think if they knew they had reason to believe she left on her own that they -- that they should tell the family, "Well, here`s why we think she left on her own"? I`m -- I`ve got the whole family here. Has anybody from the police told anybody in this family why the police think she left on her own?

S. SOTO: No.

GIL SOTO, JULIE ANN`S UNCLE: No.

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have they given you any indication of that?

COOPER: No, no.

G. SOTO: Not at all. I personally...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.

G. SOTO: You know, George speaks of that he`s in the investigation and he`s trying to help and assist. When, in fact, we were passing out flyers in his neighborhood where she was last seen. He called the police and advised the police we were harassing him for passing out flyers.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: George?

G. SOTO: Now, not once did he show up. Not once did he come and say, "Can I pass out flyers? Give me flyers." Not once.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s hear George`s side of that.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I`m not wanted because you`ve always been pointing fingers at me. And I know this from the beginning.

First of all, that same -- Saturday night when we reported her, I got a threat from Dora`s son. I didn`t like that so, yes, I`m going to protect myself and I called the police.

And I am doing stuff that you don`t see. I passed out flyers on 6th Street. I do it around neighborhoods, because I`m trying to find out, too. And you just say I`m not cooperating, I`m not cooperating. And like I say, if you want me to be there with y`all, I want to be there with y`all, but I know I`m not wanted. So why be there if everyone is going to look down on me?

G. SOTO: Well, Julie didn`t trust you, and you know that. Every time Julie went to go meet you with Layla, to do the exchange, she always went escorted because she didn`t trust you. This particular time she wasn`t escorted, and this happens.

So you have to understand us. We don`t trust you because of what you`ve done in the past. Now, she has received texts from supposedly your dead uncle from heaven, stating some big old stories how you guys should be together. Now, how is your uncle from heaven going to be sending texts to Julie? She just has a weird -- from -- weird responses from you.

COOPER: And on top of that, you claimed amnesia before you attempted suicide. And you played that so well. Now, why was that vehicle found four blocks from your house? A mile away from my house?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let`s give George a chance to respond, because we have to give him props for coming on this show, calling last night and then appearing on this show. And he is not considered a suspect. In fact, police say they don`t think it`s foul play.

George, what`s your side? What`s your response to what the missing woman`s family has said about you just now?

DE LA CRUZ: Like I said, I understand they suspect me because I was the last person, but like I said, if anyone seeing -- of course, they`re going to be a suspect. But like I said, I`ll be willing to do anything. Lie detector. They can search my house, tear it apart. If they do, they can do that. They can actually put a -- a police to track me down everywhere. Like I said, I have nothing to hide. And I`m here. I`m not running away. I`m trying to help.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. That`s why we`re talking to you. We`re trying to solve this mystery. I think it would be probably a smart idea to give him a lie detector test to eliminate him as a suspect, if only to give the family some comfort.

Everybody stay right where you are. We`re just getting started on this desperate mystery.

And we`re talking your phone calls. They`re lighting up: 1-877-JVM- SAYS.

Plus, Sandra Bullock`s bombshell. She has filed for divorce and adopted a beautiful little baby boy. Is Jesse going to fight for custody?

But first, we`re trying to track down Julie Ann Gonzalez. What happened to this beautiful mother?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Julie is a very responsible 21-year-old mother. She is not one of these 21-year-old types that just want to be out and party. She`s always been responsible. Always looked out for the best interest of her 2- year-old daughter, and that was her main -- main concern, 24/7.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: She looked completely different. She kind of looked sad. She was down. She was out of -- like, not there. Like, not concentrating. And like I said, I know -- I know her. Like I said, I was with her. And I`m married to her. So I know when there`s something wrong. And I tried asking her what was wrong. And she never told me what was wrong. She said, "I`m OK, don`t worry about it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The estranged husband of the missing woman, George De La Cruz, talking about his wife the last time he saw her. He is appearing right now live on our show. Julie Ann Gonzalez has been missing for more than a month now. The family says police in Austin aren`t doing enough. Police say they don`t suspect foul play, but they haven`t told us why they don`t suspect foul play, and they haven`t told the family that either.

Phone lines lighting up. Tammy, Nebraska, your question our thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes. I`d like to know why, in the state of Texas, that they`re so lax on when a person goes missing. Because I had a sister missing for 2 1/2 years before they find out whether she was dead or alive, and she was in the state of Texas. And we waited 24 hours. They said they couldn`t do anything about it for 24 hours. Well, at that point -- within that 24 hours, you know, she was abducted and killed the same day.

And I pray to God that that isn`t happening to this Julie Ann, that that happened to her. But my question is why, in the state of Texas, are they so lax on doing investigations when people are missing?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, I don`t want to -- it`s a good question, but I don`t want to cast dispersions on an entire state by any means at all. There`s a lot of good police doing a lot of good police work.

We`re trying to understand, Michelle Sigona, if they don`t think it`s foul play, why not let the family in on the secret as to why they don`t think it`s foul play?

SIGONA: Well, I agree with you. And I understand what you`re saying, Jane. And trust me, I sympathize with the family. And I hope and I pray that Julie Ann is found.

But the problem is, is that when these particular investigations happen, investigators have things that they`re doing behind the scenes to connect the dots, to be able to come out and say, "You know what? At this time we don`t suspect foul play." And they may have their reasons that they`re keeping close to the vest, because maybe they have an idea as to where she is. Maybe they`re going out to talk to her. We don`t know at this time. But a lot of times...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michelle, I would agree with you except that the fact that they didn`t search the pings and try to triangulate the pings...

BROOKS: You need a subpoena, Jane, to get the cell records.

SIGONA: You have to.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, but let me tell you this. When Josh Powell, OK, went camping and his wife disappeared, OK, they...

BROOKS: Totally different circumstances. Apples and oranges, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... went and they searched with canines.

BROOKS: Different case. Why did they do that? Did they think there could be foul play? What was the unusual circumstances that he was involved in?

G. SOTO: Do you need a subpoena to fingerprint -- do you need a subpoena to fingerprint the car or take photos?

BROOKS: There`s...

G. SOTO: I have a camera, a disposable camera. I could take my own photos.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time.

BROOKS: I hope you all find your relative. I hope you find her. Wait a second. But there`s always -- there`s something you can do. If you feel law enforcement is not doing enough for you, and that`s get someone to dedicate all their time to this and...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And...

BROOKS: ... as many people do, hire a private detective.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, they`re trying to do that, actually. We`re going to try to try to put up some information as to, if people want to help them, but go ahead. Somebody said an APB.

COOPER: APB actually told us that if we feel they`re not doing their job, well, maybe we should hire a private investigator. Really? Should we feel so safe? Should we be so taken care of in Austin, Texas? Taxpayers are paying for this service, and this is the service we get?

G. SOTO: Now, do you know the definition of malfeasance of duty? Does anybody -- has anybody ever looked at that and what that means?

COOPER: Her car was not found at her job location. It was found in a different Walgreen`s location.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, OK. That`s a good clarification.

BROOKS: There`s also -- you know, you can go above the police department.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to bring out the big gavel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We`re very concerned about Julie but also concerned about my granddaughter, because George does have a -- an attempted suicide on his record.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A what?

COOPER: An attempted suicide on his record. In January, when he separated -- when Julie left him, he attempted to commit suicide while he was taking care of Layla.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is this true, George?

DE LA CRUZ: No. I wasn`t taking care of Layla. At that time I didn`t have her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. But George later told us that, yes, he was despondent after the break up. And he did try to overdose with pills, but he has recovered. And he is with us tonight, along with the missing woman`s family. We are trying to find out what happened to Julie Ann Gonzalez.

Phone lines lighting up. Melody, Ohio, you question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes, Jane. I also agree that law authorities are not following the proper procedure. My question is, did she have a history of mental illness? And if this person is found right where the police should have been looking or doing something, can the -- can the police department -- could they get a lawsuit going? Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s ask the first question. Both good. Sandra Soto, you`re the mother, or anybody in the family. Did Julie have money problems, credit-card debt, a foreclosure, a conflict at work, a history of depression, or a history of drug or alcohol abuse?

S. SOTO: None of those.

G. SOTO: None of the above.

S. SOTO: None of those. None of those. She...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Does she have an arrest record?

S. SOTO: No, she doesn`t.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She -- did she -- did she graduate school?

S. SOTO: Yes, she did. She graduated from high school in three years, because when she was in junior high, she found out that you could finish high school in three years; and she set her mind on that, and she did it. She accomplished it.

When she was a sophomore, she was going to high school, and she was going to community college, because she was trying to get dual credits to finish high school in three years.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let me ask you this question. George says when -- the last person who saw her, that she seems despondent or strange. Any family member, did she seem at all strange, out of sorts, different at all in the days leading up to her disappearance?

S. SOTO: No, she didn`t.

COOPER: I spoke to her the Thursday before she went to pick -- or the day before, and she was making plans. Friday she said she was going to run errands. That`s her day off. She made plans to go see the babysitter, to pay the babysitter. She made plans to go to a baby shower we were going to be having on Sunday.

S. SOTO: And she also made plans -- she also made plans to go down to the courthouse to pay the extra fine to get George served with the divorce papers.

G. SOTO: Because he refused to voluntary go sign.

S. SOTO: Because he would not sign the divorce papers. So she was going to pay the fine to the constables.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. All right. George, is it true that you didn`t want to sign the divorce papers?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, at that time I did. But eventually I gave in, and I did it. So like I said, the papers are in. Like I say, it`s in the process.

So, like I said, I know back then I was giving -- I was being hard- headed not to sign it, but eventually I gave in, because you know what? It`s not going to be fixed, so I just signed them and returned them to the court.

S. SOTO: When did you sign them, George?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, about three weeks ago. Four weeks ago.

S. SOTO: Three weeks ago?

G. SOTO: How convenient.

S. SOTO: Really?

G. SOTO: How convenient. After the fact.

S. SOTO: Well, I have something to say to George. George, you and I have talked, and you were the last person that we know of that saw Julie.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, can I interrupt? Can interrupt you?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re not done. Hang on, everybody. Finish that sentence on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA SOTO, MISSING WOMAN`S MOTHER (via telephone): They never fingerprinted the car that sat in the parking lot of that pharmacy for, you know, up to almost eight days.

DORA COOPER, MISSING WOMAN`S AUNT: And they didn`t find the vehicle. I found the vehicle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora, you were going to say something.

COOPER: Austin police department did not find the vehicle. I found the vehicle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you`re saying they never fingerprinted the vehicle?

COOPER: No.

S. SOTO: Never, never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Controversy and concern tonight as a search should be under way for a missing 21-year-old woman by the name of Julie Ann Gonzalez. She has been missing for more than a month. The last person to see her before she vanished, George de la Cruz, her estranged husband, who said she decided she wanted to leave the child with him and said she would come back.

Now, George, I have to ask you this question. Leila`s(ph) medicine was reportedly found inside the car that was abandoned at a pharmacy. Not the pharmacy that she worked at, but another Walgreen`s according to the family.

Now, why wouldn`t she have given you -- if she was leaving voluntarily, why wouldn`t she have given you the medication for her precious child? And did you ask for that medicine?

GEORGE DE LA CRUZ, MISSING WOMAN`S ESTRANGED HUSBAND: Well, I didn`t know about the medicine. Like I said, I had medicine at that time. She had plenty of it. I didn`t know anything about the medicine.

And, yes, Julie would give it to me if -- like I said, there was medicine. I didn`t know about the medicine.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michelle, does that sound strange to you that a mother would leave voluntarily but not give the medicine?

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, especially, you know, a mom who obviously -- she has a job. She`s educated. She cares about her child. And she cares about her relationships, especially with her family.

It does seem a little odd that if she were going to leave voluntarily that she would not pass over that medication to George and say, "Hey George. This is for the baby just in case, you know, I don`t come back," or whatever the case may be.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dora Cooper, you`re the aunt. I want to ask you about the messages that have come in from somebody purporting to be Julie. Now, I`m kind of unclear on this. Did they come in on a cell phone? Did they come from her cell phone as text messages or did they come in as MySpace -- from her MySpace or both?

Tell us about -- what did the messages say and where did they come from?

COOPER: There were messages posted to her Facebook and her MySpace via her mobile. The ones to MySpace stated that she wanted to run away; there was a lot of BS in her life. And she`s got something to make that happen.

And then another blog on her MySpace stated that she was running away and everyone just needed to leave her alone.

GIL SOTO, MISSING MOM`S UNCLE: And this is actually -- was the high time in her life right now. She was actually doing good. She was getting out of a relationship that was abusive relationship. She didn`t want that relationship.

She was doing good in her job. She had just bought a car. She saved money to buy a car. And it just doesn`t make sense that those comments were made that way.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So did -- did the message refer to another individual like, "I`ve met someone else?"

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, they didn`t?

COOPER: No.

S. SOTO: Well, there was a friend of hers that came forward several days after we reported her missing saying that she held back some information and she wanted to let us know what it was.

So she called -- I talked to her on the phone and she said, "I need to let you know something very important. Julie texted me and said that she met some guy named James who is a web designer who bought a new house in Colorado and he`s taking me away for the weekend to show me a good time."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. James, a web designer. Ok. Well, we know, Mike Brooks, that a lot of untoward people have used the Internet posing as --

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh, yes. Sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- web designers and other people like that and they`ve seduced people over the Internet where they can create whatever persona they want.

And I`d like to get your thoughts on this -- this is new information. Just right now, we`re hearing it on ISSUES.

G. SOTO: And that was done to Julie from supposedly George`s dead uncle, giving Julie a message that he wanted them back together.

BROOKS: Mr. Soto, where were the messages supposedly from the dead uncle? Where were they originating from? Do we know?

G. SOTO: We don`t know. It was like a phone, one of those throw-away phones because we tried to track that phone down. She told everybody in the family what was going on with George.

He would leave her messages on her windshield, little notes here and there. He would follow her. Things like that. And she told us everything.

COOPER: She left a suicide note in the diaper bag and called her and said, "Look in the bag. I left something for you."

BROOKS: Did Julie ever get a protective order against George? George, did she ever get a protective order against you?

DE LA CRUZ: No, she didn`t.

G. SOTO: Well, she should have. She should have at that time. She didn`t know how things -- how bad things were going to get. She never suspected.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look. Did you tell the police about James the mystery web designer?

COOPER: The police have spoken to that --

S. SOTO: They have all of that information. They have all that information. They are also questioning the friend who held back that information. She also -- she also approached me at one time when we were holding up signs, you know, asking people if they had seen Julie.

And when she approached me, all she could do was look down and apologize and tell me that, "I`m so sorry, I`m so sorry. I don`t feel like I should be here. I don`t know what I`m doing here. You know, I don`t know what else to do."

BROOKS: Is this friend a confidant of Julie`s? How well --

G. SOTO: She never did like George. And all of a sudden now they`re friends on MySpace. She never did like George.

BROOKS: Before that, though, how close were they?

COOPER: They went to school together.

S. SOTO: They went to high school together. They went to high school together but before George -- when Julie and George were together, George didn`t like for Julie to hang out with her friends. George wanted Julie to stay at home with him and with Leila and George didn`t like for Julie to go visit the family.

And so, you know --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on one second. A couple of things. George, quickly, your response to that.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, like I say, yes, I didn`t like the type of friends she had because of the stuff they did around her. And, like I said, the stuff that they did wasn`t really considered being friends. Smoking weed, doing drugs, that`s not being a good friend. Like I said, I wanted Julie - -

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second. I understood from the family that Julie did not do drugs.

G. SOTO: Not at all.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. She did not? Or did she?

S. SOTO: She has asthma.

DE LA CRUZ: She did. Yes she did.

S. SOTO: She has asthma. Why would she smoke?

BROOKS: Is that why on your MySpace, you`re getting high and you`re getting drunk?

S. SOTO: And you`re playing beer pong in front of your daughter?

DE LA CRUZ: We had family there.

BROOKS: Yes, now it`s private. Now we can`t see it because it`s private.

Here`s the thing that concerns me is James, the mystery web designer.

Michelle Sigona, that -- that concerns me because either this person exists and she`s with him or this so-called mystery web designer could be some kind of pedophile, you know, predator is what I mean on the Internet who could have used the Internet to seduce her.

SIGONA: You`re e exactly right. We`ve seen these cases so many time, Jane, where these men and women, for that matter, pose as someone different. They lure in their victims. And they get them to meet them and take advantage of them. That is something to be concerned with for sure.

That`s why if anyone out there has any information, you`ve got to pick up the phone and you`ve got to call investigators. That`s the first thing.

The second thing is that if investigators have verified that maybe she did, in fact, meet someone and she did possibly leave, maybe that`s why they aren`t suspecting foul play. But they just haven`t connected all the dots 100 percent. Maybe sometime -- hopefully this week, maybe we`ll learn a little bit more.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang on. We`ll continue this on the other side of the break because we want to solve this mystery. It sounds like we`re getting there. Everybody -- back in two seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez? She disappeared more than a month ago.

Her desperate family has come on ISSUES tonight in a desperate bid to try to get some answers about what happened to their precious daughter. You`re looking at her there. She has a 2-year-old daughter of her own. She was in the process of getting divorced.

And her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, is also on with us saying he is not responsible, even though he was the last person to see her and even though the family has questions about his story. He`s saying, "I have nothing to hide, and I am here right now."

Evelyn, Georgia, your question or thought, ma`am?

EVELYN, GEORGIA (via telephone): Yes. My thought is that first of all, the family doesn`t get along with the husband. With Julie`s husband and I think that since she was working in Walgreen`s, she might have met somebody and left.

And also, he said that -- you notice that she was sad, but to me I think that she was leaving her child behind, that she felt comfortable because she knew that the husband was going to care for the child.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, ok. These are interesting theories. I want to ask whoever knows the most about James the Web designer. Was it Dora?

S. SOTO: Oh no, that would be me, Sandra.

G. SOTO: That`s actually a smoke screen.

S. SOTO: That would be me, Sandra.

COOPER: And that is a smoke screen.

S. SOTO: That is just a text message that Julie`s friend received.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok.

S. SOTO: It wasn`t a voice phone call. It was a text message out of Julie`s text -- her cell phone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, Gil, you`re the uncle.

S. SOTO: So we don`t know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you think about this James text?

G. SOTO: Well, you know, texts have come into Julie`s phone from -- like I said, the dead uncle. Random texts, anonymous calls, things of that nature, and this is just another one; this is just another smoke screen.

BROOKS: Gil, who is --

G. SOTO: And just --

BROOKS: Gil, who is paying the cell bill? Who gets the physical bill or able to go online to keep the phone running?

S. SOTO: I do.

G. SOTO: My sister can.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, has there been any credit card or ATM activity on her credit cards?

COOPER: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No activity?

COOPER: No.

G. SOTO: No money has been withdrawn from the bank, you know. If she ran away, she would need money.

S. SOTO: There was one credit card activity.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I beg your pardon, Sandra?

S. SOTO: There was one credit card purchase.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What was that store?

S.SOTO: It was purchased at Best Buy. They showed me the video and they asked me to identify the person who used the credit card and it was not her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, whoa.

BROOKS: Who was it?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s huge.

G. SOTO: Yes, that`s one of the red flags that I tried to bring up to the point today because I had a conversation with the police chief on the radio today. I caught him off guard because I -- it was a call-in show. So I spoke with him before he knew who I actually was.

And I mentioned, you know, there are some red flags out there. What is your detective doing about those red flags?

BROOKS: Yes, who was the person at Best Buy? A description of that person? Was it a male, female?

S. SOTO: It was a female, but it wasn`t her. Julie is five feet tall, very petite, not long-legged and the person who was on the video was obviously not Julie.

BROOKS: And how long ago was that?

S. SOTO: The purchase was made April 7th, but they showed me the video just last week.

COOPER: The 20th.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But this is what I don`t understand. I don`t understand -- now, you didn`t know who this female was. In other words, it wasn`t one of her regular friends, right?

S. SOTO: No, no.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So it was an unidentified female using her credit card to purchase what?

S. SOTO: A movie.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A movie? What movie?

S. SOTO: "Spiderwick Chronicles."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What?

S. SOTO: "Spiderwick Chronicles."

BROOKS: Was -- was the card used as a credit card or was it used as a debit card? Do you know?

S. SOTO: I believe it was used as a credit card.

BROOKS: As a credit card?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. You know what, we`ve got to transition because we`re -- it`s technical stuff. But I want to ask all of you, put all the panel up, please, for one second.

Ok. They`ve agreed that they will come back tomorrow. We`re going to stay on top of this. We`re going to solve it. We`re getting closer but we haven`t solved it yet.

It`s shocking that somebody else used her credit card and we`re just getting to that now. Wow.

All right.

Stunning and moving developments in the Sandra Bullock/Jesse James saga: Sandra is filing for divorce and coming back with a bang after the cheating scandal. The star went into hiding.

Tonight, Sandra reveals she`s been secretly living with another man, a little man -- her brand new baby, Louis Bardo Bullock (ph).

Look at that adorable little baby. Sandra adopted the 3-month- old boy from New Orleans. She tells "People" magazine she and Jesse began the adoption process in secret four years ago. Sandra even carried Louis`s tiny green socks inside her purse for good luck on Oscar night and it worked.

This certainly gives more meaning to her Oscar speech when Sandra tearfully said "What this film was about for me are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from."

Sandra has given us some hints. Check out this interview she did on "Ellen" while promoting her hit film "The Blind Side."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS: I`ve always felt like just -- just because a child didn`t come from inside your body doesn`t mean that it`s not your child. It just arrived somewhere else, you know?

ELLEN GENERES, COMEDIAN: Yes, yes.

BULLOCK: But the thing that affected me the most profoundly was you - - when people think of adopting a child, they go I want a brand new little baby that is -- you know, there are so many children that are just dying and waiting to be loved and give you love back a thousand times more than what you could ever give them and they`re everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Classy lady. Is this one woman who can take the high road no matter what?

Even though she and Jesse began the adoption process together, Sandra is now adopting baby Louis as a single mom. Wow. This woman is the epitome of class. She really, really, really took the high road.

Get this -- she even praises Jesse James as a dad and says she hopes her little son someday has a relationship with Jesse.

Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: we are delighted to have with us the legendary celebrity divorce attorney, Raoul Felder; plus, syndicated radio host, Carlos Diaz.

Carlos, I actually tear-up and started crying reading that "People" magazine article of her adopting this beautiful baby boy during -- and everything she did during the midst of this heart-aching situation.

CARLOS DIAZ, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: Yes. This is a huge story. And if you tried to pitch this to a Hollywood producer, they`d throw you out of the room because this is an unbelievable story that it was kept under wraps for this long.

Here is Sandra Bullock, one of the biggest stars in the world. She adopts a baby boy from New Orleans in January, keeps it a secret from everyone. The friends and family kept it a secret. And then wanted to announce it after the Oscars.

She wins the Oscar for best actress. She`s on top of the world. She finds out what happened with Jesse James. Her marriage falls apart, and then she, on the day that she announces that she`s getting a divorce, tells the world, and I have adopted this beautiful baby boy. This is -- this is a Hollywood script that no one would believe.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Raoul Felder, the legendary divorce attorney, now apparently the reports are she filed in Texas. And we`re being told he can`t get anything because in Texas you have to be married ten years to get spousal support.

RAOUL FELDER, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Yes. It`s a miserable state if you`re a woman, but, you know, the funny thing is he`s sort of the woman in this case because she has the big bucks. He may be entitled to some of that in a different state.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But do you think that if they have a pre-nup that could throw everything --

FELDER: Oh, sure. The pre-nup trumps everything else. And I`ll tell you, if they don`t have a pre-nup, they don`t need lawyers, they need a psychiatrist in a case like this.

DIAZ: Ok, but don`t forget in this case though, Jessie James makes millions of dollars on his own, his -- his motorcycle shop, his TV shows, he is doing very well on his own. He`s not going to be going after Sandra Bullock for money. The guy has got his own money.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what? It`s never stopped people before.

FELDER: Yes. That`s right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you. I think you`d say that.

But we`ll continue on with this conversation. Carlos is often right. Stay right where you are.

More on Jesse and Sandra in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sandra Bullock`s filing for divorce and we learned she has a baby boy that she is adopting. Oh, my gosh. Did art imitate life for Sandra? Check out this clip from "The Blind Side".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who`s the big guy eating with your little brother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His big brother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what you`re doing is so great.

(AUDIO GAP hn281950 04:27 to 4:53)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- for her to take not only just the child but an African-American child from New Orleans, and we know the story in New Orleans. She`s a true saint, and God bless her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Dale Archer, you`re the psychiatrist. How did Sandra maintain her class and her forgiveness and all these good qualities in the midst of this really ugly messy situation?

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes, well, my hat goes off to her. I think that this is absolutely fantastic that she drew a line in the sand and said, "I don`t care what we had before, you broke the trust, and I`m moving on with my life."

And I think that many women out there have to take an example from her because so often they will stay because it`s comfortable. In her case in the grand scheme of things everything might have worked out for her for the best.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And that is one cute little baby boy.

ARCHER: You bet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s my big issue tonight. Is Jesse James in desperate denial? Listen to his response to all this.

Jesse says, quote, "The decision to let my wife end our marriage and continue the adoption of Louis on her own has been the hardest. Right now it is time for me to beat this addiction that has taken two of the things I love most in life. I know in my heart that I can be the best father possible to my four children, and the mate sandy deserves."

"The mate sandy deserves?" Raoul Felder, it sounds like he still wants to get back.

FELDER: Well, you can`t blame him. There`s a big payroll at the end of this. His fame is hooked up with her fame. There`s a family made to order. But lawyers are cynics, and so let me blow an unpleasant breeze through this thing.

Kudos to her; she`s doing a wonderful thing adopting the baby. The baby`s going to have a wonderful life. It`s a little boy, a gorgeous little boy.

But you know "People" magazine is maybe not the best place to announce when you adopt a child. And I think that bothers me a bit. I don`t know why she would do that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think that Carlos Diaz can tell us why she would do that.

DIAZ: Hey, Raoul, I respect your opinion a lot, but I mean, come on, she`s done everything right and today was just another example of another great move on Sandra`s part. I mean what is she supposed to do, not tell the world that she`s adopted this beautiful baby --

FELDER: No, if somebody adopts, they send out an announcement, maybe call up your friends. But why do you want to put this child on the cover of "People" magazine --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ll tell you why.

DIAZ: It just goes to show that she has -- she has even more strength than we knew she ever had. And the fact that she kept it under wraps for so long to me is incredible.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And to me it`s like she put a positive spin on a very negative story. In other words, coming out and saying here, here`s what you should concentrate on, this beautiful child. And she`s an inspiration to other people. So many children need homes.

FELDER: Well, you may be right. But you know, I`ve been through this kind of thing before. And I rather suspect that there was a room full of public relations people that made a decision and the best place to do it is the cover of "People" magazine.

END

Thursday's show:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/29/ijvm.01.html

ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Where is Julie Ann Gonzalez?

Aired April 29, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, desperation mounts in the frantic search for a young mother from Austin, Texas. Julie Ann Gonzalez vanished without a trace more than a month ago. Last night on ISSUES, bombshell revelations. A strange woman used Julie`s credit card. So what does this mean, and why won`t cops call this foul play? Tonight, I`ll talk to a slew of family members, including Julie`s husband and her frantic mother.

Plus, the runaway mom finally breaks her silence. She was married and had a 1-year-old daughter. So why did she abandon her family and run off to Florida to be with her lover? Why not get a divorce? You will not believe what she has to say.

Plus, Bret Michaels fights for his life. The `80s rocker and reality TV star suffered a brain hemorrhage. Tonight, I`ll talk one-on-one with Bret`s sister.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the drama unfolds after bombshell revelations right here on ISSUES last night. And we`ve got breaking news in the search for 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez.

The family could not understand why cops would only call it is missing persons case. Well, tonight a major turn-around. Julie`s family says cops are now calling Julie a missing person in danger. You think?

Julie disappeared in Austin, Texas, March 26. We found out right here live on ISSUES yesterday that a female unknown to the family used her credit card 12 days after she vanished. We had Julie`s entire family on ISSUES last night: her mother, aunt, uncle and estranged husband. And the information vacuum led to a lot of finger-pointing. We saw a heated back and forth, for example, between the family and the woman`s soon-to-be ex- husband, who was the last person to see her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIL SOTO, JULIE`S UNCLE: Well, Julie didn`t trust you. You know that.

GEORGE DE LA CRUZ, JULIE`S ESTRANGED HUSBAND: I understand they suspect me because I was the last person. Like I said, if anyone sees -- of course they`re going to be a suspect. Like I said, I`ll be willing to do anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to give him props for coming on the show.

Julie left behind her pride and joy, her 2-year-old daughter, Layla. Her family says she would never leave the child voluntarily. But even yesterday, cops weren`t convinced something criminal was going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Detective Scott, who`s one of the lead investigators, and I asked him all of those questions. We sat on the phone for 25 minutes. And here are the answers. First of all, Detective Scott does want everyone to know that there is some -- quote, "some indication" that Julie may have wanted to withdraw contact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So what is that new information that caused Austin police to change the status of Julie`s case to missing person in danger? Could it have anything to do with the fact that we`ve been covering it on this show for two days straight? I`m not saying. I`m just wondering. I`m asking.

And I`m taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586- 7297.

Straight out to my awesome expert panel: HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks with us tonight; investigative reporter Michelle Sigona of MichelleSigona.com, and once again, we`re honored to have Julie`s family here, her frantic family. Her aunt, Dora Cooper; uncle, Gil Soto; and Julie`s mother, Sandra Soto.

Sandra, we begin with you. Tell us what police told you about Julie`s case today and what made them change the case to a high priority?

SANDRA SOTO, JULIE`S MOTHER: Today they called me, and they told me that she was now considered missing, endangered and high priority. They didn`t tell me why or they didn`t tell me, but they just said that they are definitely investigating.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what did you say in response?

S. SOTO: I said, "Thank God. It`s about time. Thank God."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that was it? It was like a really short conversation? "Hey, we`re making this a top priority. See you later." I mean, or did they give you any other details?

S. SOTO: They would not give me any details. You know, I asked them, are you looking into this, are you looking into that? You know, and they said, "Yes. Yes, ma`am, we are looking into everything."

And everybody is under the microscope right now. You know, everybody as far as friends, even relatives, everybody is under the microscope. And that`s fine. My main concern is let`s find her.

You know, they already dragged their feet too long on this. It took them a month to finally get her, you know, as missing and endangered. You know, now they`re trying to play catch-up.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s hope that we do solve this case. Last night, another bombshell dropped here on ISSUES when we found out that an unidentified woman used Julie`s credit card. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

S. SOTO: There was one credit-card purchase.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What was that for?

S. SOTO: It was purchased at Best Buy. They showed me the video, and they asked me to identify the -- the person who used the credit card, and it was not her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh! Whoa! That`s huge!

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Who was it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. So that was a shocker. What did the woman buy? Well, the PG movie "Spiderwick Chronicles." And we actually went out and rented it today. It`s from Paramount Pictures. Here it is.

Now look at it. It`s a 2008 fantasy film targeted at school-aged children. What a bizarre choice. The card was used on April 7. The missing woman`s mother was shown this video on April 20 by police.

Back to the mother, Sandra Soto.

What do you make of the purchase of a children`s video, and what did police tell you about the video when they were showing it to you?

S. SOTO: They asked me, does Julie like to watch movies? I said yes. We all like to watch movies. You know, we all go out and buy movies just because we`re such a big family that, you know, it`s better if we just buy the movies and watch it at home than for all of us to go to the movie theater and watch it at the movie theater. That`s just the way we are. We`re close that way.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Would she watch a movie like this? I mean, she wasn`t the person purchasing it. Somebody else was who you could not identify.

S. SOTO: I don`t know. You know, she has children`s movies. She has action movies. She has all kinds of movies in her -- in her library.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me ask you this. Where was this Best Buy? In other words, she disappeared from Austin. Did police tell you, "Well, this was the Best Buy in -- nearby? In Austin?

S. SOTO: They didn`t -- no, they did not tell me where the Best Buy was. I don`t know what store it was purchased at.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But was it in Austin, somewhere in Austin, or they didn`t tell you that?

S. SOTO: They just said Best Buy. They didn`t tell me city. They didn`t say what part of town. They didn`t say anything. They just said Best Buy.

BROOKS: So Sandra, it was the police that brought this to your attention about the Best Buy, then?

S. SOTO: No. It was actually -- it was actually us.

BROOKS: OK.

S. SOTO: My sister has access to Julie`s bank statements, and she was the one who discovered the purchase, you know, that was made.

BROOKS: Oh, OK. All right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So she called cops and said, "Hey, the credit card has been used. Check this out." They checked it out. And then they show you the videotape.

S. SOTO: Yes, but it didn`t -- it didn`t even take -- it wasn`t even like as soon as they got the information they looked into it. It took them at least a week or two.

BROOKS: But what about any other activity on her credit card or debit card or any other account, Sandra?

S. SOTO: Nothing. You know, if she were to run away, you would think that she would use the money that she had in her bank. Because, you know, she`s going to run away, she`s going to need money.

BROOKS: Now has law enforcement -- you were saying the car she bought is -- was repossessed and is over at a lot, and they`re getting ready to sell it. Did law enforcement tell you today if they`re planning on going over there now and printing the car or processing that car, possibly?

S. SOTO: They didn`t tell me that they were going to do that. They just told me that, if I wanted to go remove her belongings from the car, that I could do that. That they no longer need the car.

BROOKS: I wouldn`t go over there, Sandra. If you go over there and remove her belongings, call the police and have them go over there with you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Michelle Sigona, there seems to be something a little -- can I say back asswards on television, about this? What are you hearing?

SIGONA: Well, this is -- it`s kind of interesting. I did speak with Detective Scott last night, as I mentioned for a long period of time. And I just spoke with him a little while ago. Unfortunately, he is not allowed to comment if this case has been elevated to an endangered persons case -- endangered missing persons case as a high priority case or not.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why not?

SIGONA: Without -- without the permission of his public information office, which is interesting.

BROOKS: Well, I called the public information office. I spoke to -- to Anna, who runs the public information office.

SIGONA: So did I. Yes.

BROOKS: And she says that apparently investigator Detective Scott`s commander, that she will not give him permission as of right now because -- because, she said, it is now a national story.

SIGONA: Right, right.

BROOKS: So there you go, Jane.

SIGONA: And I really feel -- a lot of these cases and sometimes departments that they feel overwhelmed and they don`t really know which direction things are going in. But it`s important, if it is an endangered person case, to be able to come out and say, "Yes, this is an endangered missing person case. We do need all the tips possible, and this is the best information we have."

BROOKS: Right. And we`re they`re friend on getting -- friend on getting the information out. Otherwise no one else would know it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right. But it`s pretty fascinating that after we cover this for two days, suddenly it`s a missing person in danger.

BROOKS: A little bit of backstroking.

G. SOTO: Maybe it wouldn`t have happened otherwise.

BROOKS: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we`re here to solve problems like this. That`s why we exist.

G. SOTO: That`s correct.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to be in the solution.

Everybody, stay right where you are. So many other pieces to this puzzle. We are hunting down this missing mother, and we`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

Plus, the runaway mom finally squawking, and, boy, does she have some explaining to do.

But first, the mystery mounts on a war on women. A beautiful mother vanished in Austin. What happened to Julie?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: If you want me to be there with you all, I want to be there with y`all. But I know I`m not wanted. So why be there if everyone`s going to look down on me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

S. SOTO: They should have looked at her car. They should have looked at any video footage from any of the places where she was said to have been last seen. They haven`t done that. They should have polygraphed people who said that they spoke to her last.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You mean her estranged husband, George?

S. SOTO: Well, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And here is my big issue tonight. Why now? After all this time, why did authorities reportedly change Julie Ann Gonzalez` missing persons case to a high-priority and a missing person in danger? Did cops uncover anything? Or was it just a response to the fact that we`ve been talking about this for two days straight here on ISSUES?

We`ve been calling them for a couple of days now to appear on ISSUES. Police do not want to talk to us about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORA COOPER, JULIE`S AUNT: I`m sure if they would have found some blood or some semen or a glove or something, maybe they would have suspected foul play. But what signs need to be shown in the vehicle or anywhere she was for them to classify it as foul play? They have not been able to define foul play for us yet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What...

COOPER: What defines foul play?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And look, I want to make this clear. I want to be wrong. I don`t want this to be foul play. I sincerely hope Julie is OK and safe and just made a very bad decision, kind of like the runaway mom who we`re going to cover in a little while, and simply needs therapy.

But to me, when you hear that a stranger is using her credit card, I personally think that is suspicious.

Marcie, New York, your question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes. Hi, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.

CALLER: I love your show.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: I commend you for doing this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: and I was wondering if the police who were investigating it - - she`s Hispanic. I notice that a lot of young white women when they go missing, the police care more than if it was a Hispanic or black woman.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, I don`t like to play that card ever, but I want to toss it out to the family. Dora Cooper, Julie Ann Gonzalez`s aunt. Do you feel that, let`s say, you would have been treated -- you`re treated differently than you would if you were, let`s say, perhaps a wealthy family or a famous family or a family from another background?

COOPER: Yes, I do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You do?

COOPER: If we had money, yes, I do. Also, it depends on -- it would have depended on who she was related to. If this would have been a high- profile person`s daughter or niece or whomever, well, yes, they would have been all over the street. But, you know, we`re just a regular family. And, yes, I do believe that. I wouldn`t say because she`s Hispanic. I just think that because of, you know, where she came from, maybe.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hmm. Well, last night on ISSUES, the family talked about James the Web designer, somebody who was allegedly texting Julie in the days before her disappearance. Listen to this clue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you think about this James text?

G. SOTO: Well, you know, texts have come into Julie`s phone from -- like I said, the dead uncle, random texts, anonymous calls, things of that nature. And this is just another one. This is just another smoke screen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gil, you`re the uncle. You`ve been very vocal about this so-called Web designer. How did the family learn about this mystery man, James the Web designer? And do you think he exists?

G. SOTO: No, I don`t. I don`t think he exists. And it came up through a supposed friend of Julie`s who we have not heard from anymore. We heard from her one time. And now she just doesn`t want to speak to anyone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well...

G. SOTO: And that`s where it`s at right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Sandra, you`re the mom. Explain the Web designer and this -- this girl came up to you and said, "Oh, I don`t know what to say." She`s hanging her head low. And then she said she met a guy called James. What`s the story, very briefly?

S. SOTO: Well, she just told me, you know, "I`m sorry I kept this information from you," because she came to me a few days after we reported Julie missing. And she was just hanging her head low, you know, just saying, "I shouldn`t be here. I shouldn`t be talking to you."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What did she say about James?

S. SOTO: She just said, "Julie texted me saying that she had met James at her work and that he was a Web designer and that he had..."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, at her work? Now we`ve got another piece of the puzzle, Mike Brooks.

BROOKS: Absolutely. Now, when did she say that Julie, you know -- when did this woman -- or Julie confide in this woman about the Web designer at her work? Did she say?

COOPER: Well, now, Mike, I`ve to give you a little bit of background on this. I spoke with Julie`s best friend today...

BROOKS: Yes.

COOPER: ... which is Natasha. And Natasha and Amber. And Natasha said, you know, "I heard from Amber that she was with this guy James. So then I called Julie. Julie did not answer the phone. And she sent me a text message, saying, `I don`t feel like talking right now. What`s up?` And she says, `What`s going on?` She says, `I met this guy named James.` And she says, `What James? What are you talking about?` She says, `I`ve never heard of a James`."

S. SOTO: So these are text messages. These are text messages.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is there a James at her work? Have you called her workplace, the Walgreen`s where she was a pharmacy technician? Is there a James there?

COOPER: No. I`ve spoken with...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time, please. OK. OK. Go ahead, Mom. Was -- is there a James at the work?

S. SOTO: There is no James at the work. And the pharmacy where Julie works at is so -- there`s so many people coming in and out of there that even, you know, people...

G. SOTO: He could have been a customer.

S. SOTO: You know, even people that...

BROOKS: What about...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead, Mike.

BROOKS: What about possibly, you know, Walgreen`s, it`s not based there. What about a regional office for Walgreen`s in that area that may service the difference stores with their computers and, as a technician, she may deal with him if there`s a technical issue?

S. SOTO: You know what? There`s a lot of what-ifs.

BROOKS: Yes.

S. SOTO: But when it comes down to it, Julie went to work, and when she wasn`t at work, she was with Layla. And when she wasn`t with Layla, she was at work.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re going to go to break. But let me tell you something. We`ve got to talk about the pings. Now that they`ve declared it a priority, maybe they could check out her cell phone and find out where the pings are coming from.

We are all over this desperate search. Stay right there. We`re back in a moment with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

S. SOTO: There was a friend of hers that came forward several days after we reported her missing, saying that she held back some information, and she wanted to let us know what it was.

So she called -- I talked to her on the phone, and she said, "I need to let you know something very important. Julie texted me and said that she met some guy named James who is a Web designer, who bought a new house in Colorado, and `he`s taking me away for the weekend to show me a good time`."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, there has been so much news on this case. And it`s trickling out as people speak. Now we hear the details of that again, and what popped out at me was the word "Colorado."

Now, Sandra Soto, you`re the mother of the missing girl. Did you tell police to check out Colorado? Are they checking out Colorado?

S. SOTO: Well, you know, I`ve given them all the information that I have. We have all given them everything. Everything that we know about Julie, everything we found out about Julie. And, you know what? It`s taken them a whole month just to get to where we are at right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did they check the surveillance video of the lot where her car was found abandoned? Her new car?

S. SOTO: To tell you the truth, I still don`t know. I still don`t know.

G. SOTO: No, you know what? Also, Jane, there`s a security camera inside the Walgreen`s at the registers. They stated -- somebody stated that a young lady went inside and said, "I`m having car trouble. I`m leaving my car here, and I`ll be back in a couple of hours to pick it up."

Now, we went and asked the clerk, and he couldn`t identify if that was Julie or not. Now, that`s a new vehicle and for her to be having car trouble and leave the vehicle there, we couldn`t understand. We didn`t -- we don`t have any answers for that either.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is it a brand-new vehicle, or was it just purchased, newly purchased and it`s a used car?

COOPER: Newly purchased. But...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. So I`ve had some lemons, let me tell you. I`ve bought new cars. If they`re used, they break down.

COOPER: But APD never contacted any one of us or even Sandra to verify that that was Julie entering the store.

G. SOTO: Or to watch the video.

BROOKS: Gil -- Gil, what did they say, that the car was dropped off at the Walgreen`s? At that particular Walgreen`s? And how far is it from her Walgreen`s where she works?

G. SOTO: I would say it`s a couple of miles. It`s a good distance. As far as...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And just for our viewers -- just for our viewers, she works at one Walgreen`s as a pharmacy technician. She dropped her car -- her car was abandoned at another Walgreen`s a few miles away.

G. SOTO: Maybe -- maybe three blocks away from George`s house.

S. SOTO: And a mile away from my home.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Amy, Pennsylvania, quick question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes, I just have a question about the credit-card purchase. Now, I know that the police won`t tell them where they can get this information, but there has to be a way where they can call the credit-card company and get the information about where that was purchased, also. Because they`re not being informed, and maybe they`re just not asking the right questions, as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I just want to say something. We only have a few seconds. If for some reason Julie Ann Gonzalez is out there and watching us, we want you to call us. We want -- you can see your family loves you very much. They are here. You should contact them, contact us or contact the police, but don`t stay out there.

And I hope that that`s the scenario. I hope nothing untoward has happened. We`re staying on top of this story. We won`t let it go. Thank you, family, for coming on, and thank you also, fantastic experts Mike Brooks and Michelle Sigona.

Well there ya go... lots of info in JVM's last three shows, to ferret out and puzzle over. 

I have to say, while the estranged husband may not be guilty, there sure is a lot of weirdness going on with him, that Julie's family members were bringing out.  Some of it was too weird for me to understand, like those messages from a dead uncle.  ??  (Edit to add "not", per Wyks-MB)

But the one thing I can't move around is that when Julie left him back in January, he attempted suicide with an OD of OTC pills.  Odd that he would do that, considering Julie worked as a pharmacy tech or some such.  It still screams to me 'attention-getting' borderline personality kind of thing, IMO.  Intended to do what?  Get Julie to feel sorry enough for him that she would come back to him? 

And so when that didn't work???  He left messages on her windshield, little notes here and there, would follow her.  (sounds like stalking to me).....  Julie files for divorce, he refuses to sign the papers, she up and goes missing, he supposedly signs the papers after she went missing.     

And then all the rest of what the family said, the weird messages supposedly from Julie on her myspace and facebook, after she went missing.   

::MonkeyNoNo::

Something is hugely wrong here......

Very similiar to those who are against their partner leaving, saying something to the effect... if I can't have you no one will. 

Am hoping that LE does start with the estranged husband, give him a poly, take that baby away and place her with Julie's family.... just cuz he's dang weird!  If I were grandma, I'd be over there everyday just to make sure that baby is ok.  Maybe that's not fair, cuz LE cannot arrest him based on being weird.  More's the pity.   

Where is Julie??

 

wish I had an edit button.. lol  (Fixed - MB)

Typo in the second line in the post above:
....... while the estranged husband may *not* be guilty...


like i really believe that.. heh.. but we don't know. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/29/texas.missing.mom/index.html

Search for missing mom leads nowhere
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/CRIME/04/29/texas.missing.mom/t1larg.julie.jpg)

(HLN) -- Police in Austin, Texas, say they are stymied in their search for Julie Ann Gonzalez, a young mother who was last seen March 26 by her estranged husband.

There's no physical evidence to indicate that the 21-year-old was a victim of foul play, police say. And, without probable cause they can't search her abandoned car or look at her phone records.

"The case is still open and ongoing, but the Austin Police Department can assure everyone that the case is being investigated to the extent allowed by law," spokeswoman Anna Sabana said in an e-mail.

George De La Cruz, who is in divorce proceedings with Gonzalez, told HLN that his wife was acting strangely when she came to his house to pick up their daughter.

"She looked completely different. She kind of looked sad. She was down. She was out of it, not there. Not concentrating," De La Cruz said.

He said she told him she had changed her mind and would come back later.

She never did.
Video: Another man in missing mom's life?

De La Cruz said he had nothing to do with her disappearance, adding that he is willing to take a polygraph test.

There are some strange clues that don't add up, her family said.

After she disappeared, Gonzalez's MySpace page was updated by a mobile phone user. The posts read "I wanted to run away" and "I'm sick of the BS in my life."

Her car, which was almost brand new, was found abandoned outside a Walgreen's drug store. Gonzalez worked as a pharmacy technician at another Walgreen's.

Gonzalez's family is convinced something terrible happened to her.

"Julie is a very responsible mother. She's not one of these 21-year-old types that just want to be out and party," said her aunt, Dora Cooper.

"She's always been responsible. She always looked out for the best interest of her 2-year-old daughter. That was her main concern, 24-7," Cooper said.

Sandra Soto, the missing woman's mother, said Gonzalez had told a friend about a new man in her life. "Julie had texted her she met some guy named James who's a Web designer who bought a new house in Colorado and 'he's taking me away for the weekend to show me a good time,' " Soto said.

Gonzalez has not accessed her bank account. But, her mother said, someone used her credit card to purchase the movie "The Spiderwick Chronicles" at a Best Buy store in Austin.

"They showed me the surveillance video and they asked me to identify the person who used the credit card. It was not her," Soto said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20003876-504083.html

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/04/30/624_500_csupload_18636824_1_370x278.jpg)

AUSTIN, Texas (CBS) Police are continuing to search for missing Texas mom Julie Ann Gonzalez. Gonzalez disappeared over a month ago, but with very little evidence and a lack of new leads many questions remain unanswered.

According to the Austin Police Department's spokeswoman Anna Sabana, the case is still open and being investigated.

Unfortunately, she also asserts that there is no physical evidence to indicate that Gonzalez was a victim of foul play, and without probable cause, police cannot search her abandoned car or look at her phone records, reports CNN.

The 21-year-old mother was last seen by her estranged husband George De La Cruz on March 26. De La Cruz and Gonzalez were in the process of getting a divorce; however, he maintains that he had nothing to do with her disappearance and says he is willing to take a polygraph test.

De La Cruz told CNN that when Gonzalez came to pick up their two-year-old daughter at his house she "looked completely different. She kind of looked sad."

Gonzalez told him that she would be back later, but she never returned to pick up her daughter.

"She's always been responsible. She always looked out for the best interest of her 2-year-old daughter. That was her main concern, 24-7," Gonzalez's Aunt Dora Cooper told CNN.

Julie Ann's family fears the worst because they do not believe would willingly leave her daughter.

The family of missing mother Julie Ann Gonzalez prays for her safe return and asks that anyone who has information regarding her whereabouts contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.

Muffy, thanks for fixing that in the original post!   ::dogwag::

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2010/05/07/missing_austin_mom_on_dr_phil.html
Missing Austin mom on Dr. Phil today
May 7, 2010

A Central Texas family has taken its search for a missing mother to the Dr. Phil show today following a series of failed efforts to find the woman after she disappeared in late March.

Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, went missing from Austin March 26, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s missing person’s clearinghouse database. Family and friends have told the American-Statesman Gonzalez disappeared before she was due for her shift at a Walgreens store on East Riverside Drive, and her abandoned vehicle was found at another Walgreen’s store on South First Street.

Austin Police have said they did not suspect any foul play in her disappearance, but she is still considered a missing person. Family and friends said Gonzalez was in the midst of divorcing her husband, and dating someone new when she went missing. She is the mother of one young child, they said.

Gonzalez’s family and friends have posted flyers locally, launched web sites, appeared on CNN, held benefits and hired a private investigator to locate her. Family and friends told the American-Statesman that Gonzalez had posts on a personal web site saying she was leaving to be on her own, but suspect someone else made those posts.

On a show airing this afternoon, family and Gonzalez’s husband spoke to Dr. Phil for a show called “Runaway Moms.”

I saw the Dr. Phil show last Friday.  It was a very good show and will be continued this Friday.  Dr. Phil got Julie's ex-husband to take a polygraph that day in the studio.  We didn't get to see the results yet, but the preview clip showed the guy and his mom sitting in front of Dr. Phil at his desk.  The guy was sobbing with his head in his hands and his mom was sitting beside him telling him to "tell the truth now, if you killer her tell the truth" or something like that.

I've been searching for word of an arrest or interrogation in Austin since then but haven't seen anything.  Obviously, I think he knows much more than he's saying and is likely a killer.  Looking forward to hearing the poly results on Friday.

Thank you for the update, Lifesong. 

Julie's family==if you are still reading here have there been any updates?  Please let us know.  I've been suspect of the exhusband since day one.  Was the person seen buying a DVD on her debit card related to him maybe?  Has LE looked at that tape more?  I only hope she is being held somewhere against her will for his selfish reasons and nothing else.  May the Lord guide her safely back to your loving arms.  Please get her baby from him.  I'm afraid if he gets spooked about something he might hurt her.

Husband looks like he has a small scratch near his eye and nose.  This video was done 3 days after she went missing. 

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/local/032910-Family-Members-Worried-About-Missing-Austin-Mom

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub8/husband.jpg)

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100514/FEATURES07/5140341/1011/SCENE/Friday+s+TV+talk-show+lineup
Friday's TV talk-show lineup

May 14, 2010
3:00 (NBC) Dr. Phil:  “Runaway Mom: The Polygraph.” Dr. Phil examines the case of Julie Ann Gonzalez further, with her husband taking a polygraph test. (N)

George fails polygraph. Fails miserably.

scores a minus 14.

It was an epic blow out.

In this format a minus four is considered a failure. The results speak for themselves.

George is saying that he should have stopped Julie from leaving.

Claiming he is innocent.

I told the truth.

Asked did you cause the disappearance of Julie-

says; I didn't do anything. {paraphrased}

Was asked why did you not take your Lexapro that day.

I didn't have the money.

Asked if he would take another polygraph - says NO. And cries.

Says no one will believe him.

 

In a meeting in Dr Phil's office, with George and Victoria (George's mother)

Two questions -

are you responsible for Julie's disappearance -

came back he was not telling the truth.

did you have anything to do with the disappearance of Julie -

came back he was not telling the truth.

+++

Lots of crying and speaking in Spanish. Victoria is heartbroken. Victoria wants him to tell the truth.

George was asked if he would take another polygraph and the specific question would be - did you kill Julie?

George refused that test / opportunity.

Polygraph examiner says that George threw him a bone and said that George was happy to admit that he should have done more to keep Julie from leaving. {Paraphrased}

Sounded like George would be going to Austin? and receiving medical attention. Possibly mental evaluation, and treatment.

On the phone is Dora - this is Julie's aunt.

Dora says that she was reading Julie's journal 'today' and in the journal it says that her mother-in-law is a very wonderful woman, but she doesn't know what happened to George. He used to be such a good man. {paraphrased}

George was calm and relaxed on the flight to receive medical attention. This is according to the person that accompanied him.

Earlier - Julie's mom wanted to know if Julie was dead - she did not receive an answer.

Thank you Rob.  I was reading back trying to see if George has lawyered up yet.  It looks like he might have some splainin' to do. 

I have to say - Dr. Phil did a terrific job on this show (the two episodes). Maybe he learned his lesson with what happened with Natalee. But over-all, he was very compassionate and sympathetic. He offered Sandra some very good advice and I think he really did a great job.

I think there will be closure in this case rather shortly. I don't think George is going to be able to keep this ongoing for much longer. I think he will crack.

Prayers for Julie, and her mom Sandra (she is really a wonderful woman) for Julie's child, and even George. He needs some prayers too - so he will do what's right and allow those that loved and cared for Julie to have that last measure of peace.

BBM

 ::MonkeyAngel::

Dr. Phil reads the results of the polygraph exam:

http://drphil.com/videos/?Url=/house/flv/8323_2.flv&background=header_drphil_video.jpg


(Hope I did that right!)


I agree with Rob on all counts.  I'm watching the show now.

Here's a map of the two Walgreens stores.

Can anyone tell me the address of George De La Cruz and Julie Ann Gonzalez?

I would like to add their addresses to the map.

TIA

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=5600+South+1st+Street,+Austin,+TX+78745+(Walgreens+Pharmacies)&daddr=2020+East+Riverside,+Austin,+TX+78741+(Walgreens+Pharmacies)&hl=en&geocode=FULwzAEdg_Ur-iGUewR_hRuwUCkzhCmtq7REhjFKz6j6k7PuaA%3BFQAszQEd-wIt-iF8OD0Z9Z-8jQ&gl=us&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=30.264405,-97.765274&sspn=0.265692,0.438766&ie=UTF8&ll=30.227747,-97.74812&spn=0.066448,0.109692&z=13 (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=5600+South+1st+Street,+Austin,+TX+78745+(Walgreens+Pharmacies)&daddr=2020+East+Riverside,+Austin,+TX+78741+(Walgreens+Pharmacies)&hl=en&geocode=FULwzAEdg_Ur-iGUewR_hRuwUCkzhCmtq7REhjFKz6j6k7PuaA%3BFQAszQEd-wIt-iF8OD0Z9Z-8jQ&gl=us&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=30.264405,-97.765274&sspn=0.265692,0.438766&ie=UTF8&ll=30.227747,-97.74812&spn=0.066448,0.109692&z=13)

Also, if anyone knows if/where George works and at which Best Buy was Julie's card used??? TIA

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Police-search-former-home-of-missing-Austin-woman--93815849.html
Police search former home of missing Austin woman
May 14, 2010

Austin police Friday searched the former home of a missing Austin woman. Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, was last seen March 26. She is the mother of a 2-year-old girl.

Police executed a search warrant at her former South Austin home on Garden Oaks Drive. Her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, lives there now.

Austin police will not say what they removed from the home. Neighbors watched officers remove several bags and tow two vehicles from the home.

“There was a helicopter, a cop car blocking the top of the street, and the middle of the street. White vans and detectives hanging out with gloves and taking photos of two cars and people just coming and going,” said a neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous.

APD released the following statement about the Julie Ann Gonzalez case: “The activity generated at this location cannot be discussed in detail at this time due to the continued and on-going investigation.”

A spokesperson with APD says detectives have not ruled anything out.

So far, no arrests have been made.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/search-for-missing-austin-mom-continues
Search still on for missing Austin mom
Husband on Dr Phil to deny guilt in disappearance
May 14, 2010

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Some seven weeks after an Austin mother went missing , the Austin Police Department conducted a search warrant at a South Austin home on Garden Oaks Drive .

While police said they could not discuss the activity at the location in detail due to the ongoing investigation, they continue looking into the whereabouts of Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21. The Austin mother went missing March 26, last seen at her soon-to-be ex-husband George de la Cruz's home

Gonzalez's family said police impounded two vehicles and took other items from the home during the search Friday.

Authorities said they have not ruled anything out, looking at all possible explanations for Gonzalez's disappearance.

The couple shares custody of their 2-year-old daughter, but instead of sticking to her routine of picking her daughter up, Gonzalez allegedly asked the father to hold on to the girl.

Days later, Gonzalez's new car was found abandoned in a Walgreens parking lot, with Gonzalez nowhere to be found.

Soon after her disappearance, dozens of family members and friends took to the streets outside Fairview Baptist Church to raise awareness about the missing Austin mother.

They passed out fliers, held posters plastered with her picture and sold barbecue to raise reward money.

APD has been investigating this case since it was first reported, saying that authorities are grateful to the assistance of Gonzalez’s family and their tireless efforts to keep her information in the public forum.

Still, police said they have yet to receive information or uncover any evidence that helps locate Gonzalez, even with the help of national and local media and tips from citizens. They have also been unable to clarify the circumstances under which she disappeared.

Gonzalez's family said she would have never left her daughter or her close-knit family.

The case has caught attention nationwide.

On Friday's episode of "Dr. Phil", the Gonzalez family and de la Cruz spoke about Julie and de la Cruz was given a polygraph test. When he claimed to have nothing to do with the disappearance, the test results showed he was lying.

APD urges anyone with information about Gonzalez's current whereabouts or the circumstances under which she disappeared to call the department's Missing Persons Hotline at (512) 974-5250.

Welcome to SM!  I'll see if I can find it for you!

I believe the home belongs to George's mom.  I found a listing on the street for a Juan and Victoria Delacruz.  Not sure if related but is on the same street:

Juan G Delacruz
5809 Garden Oaks Dr
Austin, TX 78745-4097
Age:   45-49
Household:    Victoria J Delacruz

Thanks for the welcome and Thanks for the info!!!  Seems like something is finally happening! 

The Walgreen's her car was found at is less than 1/2 mile from where she used to live with her husband and her husbands family on Garden Oaks Drive:

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub8/GonzalezCarRoute.jpg)

Yeah, it's not looking too good for George. or Julie. ::MonkeyNoNo::

Does anyone know where George works or where the Best Buy is that a purchase was made with Julie's card? 

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/national/kxan-austin-fundraiser-held-for-missing-mother



Fundraiser organized for missing mother
Julie Gonzalez was last seen at ex-husband's home

Updated: Monday, 17 May 2010, 9:18 AM CDT
Published : Sunday, 16 May 2010, 10:13 PM CDT

JOHNSON CITY, Texas (KXAN) - Family members of a missing Austin mother are raising awareness and money Sunday to help their search for her.

Julie Ann Gonzalez went missing March 26, and her case has since garnered national attention as Austin police continue investigating her disappearance. The search for the missing mother landed on the "Dr. Phil" show Friday.

Still, there are no major leads, and the family set up a booth Sunday afternoon at the Muddy Buddy race in Johnson City, Texas.

They sold breakfast tacos and wore shirts that read: "Have you seen her?"

Austin Police Department investigators served a search warrant at the home of her estranged husband Friday but have not released what they found there, if anything.

The Gonzalez family said a family friend invited them to set up at Muddy Buddy because it's such a popular event.

"Because it's such a big turnout, there'd be a lot of people who would see Julie's pictures and know about it," said a family member. "Maybe something would come out of this."

Gonzalez was last seen at the home of her soon-to-be ex-husband George de la Cruz. Days later, her new car was found abandoned in a Walgreens parking lot.

APD urges anyone with information about Gonzalez's current whereabouts or the circumstances under which she disappeared to call the department's Missing Persons Hotline at (512) 974-5250.

If her soon to be ex husband is guilty or they think he is they need to bring cadaver dogs in the back yard and surrounding wooded areas. Given the timeline of everything that has been revealed and looking at his stature he did not go far if he buried her body. She is probably in a nearby shallow grave. Sorry to sound so morbid . On a more positive note if she did run away maybe she is happy and just living life.  Have a great day all.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/missing-girl%27s-mom%3A-husband-has-info
(video)
Missing girl's mom: Husband has info
Mother wants estranged husband to clear his name
Published 5/18/10
Updated 5/19/10

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Sandra Soto has spent the last six weeks hoping for any sign of her missing daughter, Julie Ann Gonzalez.

Now, after a search of Gonzalez's estranged husband’s house and an appearance on “Dr. Phil,” she said she believes George De La Cruz might have what she has been hoping for.

“I have been asking George to clear his name,” said Soto. “I am not pointing the finger at George. I just am asking him to clear his name if he has nothing to hide so the investigation can go on."

De La Cruz and Gonzalez were going through a divorce at the time of Gonzalez’s disappearance in March. The two shared joint custody of their 2-year-old daughter, but now the girl is splitting time between De La Cruz and Soto.

The heat was turned up on De La Cruz last Friday when Austin police executed a search warrant at his home and a polygraph test on the “Dr. Phil” show suggested he was lying when he claimed to not know anything about the disappearance.

“The results of the polygraph justify my feelings,” said Soto.

Police are investigating. However, Soto said she has received very little information about where investigators stand.

She said she does believe the national television appearance has caused a sense of urgency.

“I feel after the show, they stepped up their game,” said the mother.

There were no warning signs from Gonzalez in the days leading up to her disappearance, according to her mother, who said her mood was upbeat as it usually was.

(There are some interesting comments)

http://www.kvue.com/news/Missing-womans-family-desperate-for-answers-94200424.html
(video)
Missing woman's family desperate for answers
May 18, 2010

The family of a missing Austin woman says they are desperate for answers as the search for Julie Ann Gonzalez continues. Gonzalez was last seen more than seven weeks ago.

“It’s an empty feeling I can’t get rid of.  It’s a just a pain like no other pain I have ever experienced in my whole life,” said Sandra Soto, Gonzalez’s mother, who lives in Dripping Springs.

Gonzalez, 21, was last seen March 26. Her car was found abandoned at a South Austin Walgreens.

Gonzalez has a 2-year-old daughter who has been asking why her mother is not home.

“It’s hard, hard to look into her little face and look into her little eyes. She looks just like my daughter,” said Soto.

On Friday, Austin police searched Gonzalez’s former home on Garden Oaks Drive in South Austin. Her estranged husband George De La Cruz lives there now. The two were going through a divorce during the time she disappeared.

Neighbors say officers removed several bags of evidence and towed away two vehicles. The Austin Police department will not comment on what they found or why they were searching the home in the first place.

“I don’t think there was any new evidence found. It’s just since he did hire an attorney, and we’re not cooperating with them, they didn’t have any choice but to get a warrant and make sure there isn’t anything there, and again there isn’t,” said Austin Attorney Patrick Fagerberg, who is now representing De La Cruz.

Fagerberg said Austin police questioned his client several times and he always cooperated. He maintains De La Cruz knows nothing of Gonzalez’s disappearance.

“My client had nothing to do with it -- he’s maintained that from the beginning, and continues to maintain that. I think when it’s all said and done, those facts will come out,” said Fagerberg.

Gonzalez’s family is offering a $5,000 reward for information about her disappearance.

Austin police have not made any arrests.

do any of you know if george has a myspace??? I looked up (google and I then click cached not the regular site) george de la cruz on myspace and I found someone who is "19" from lubbock. texas and it says "loves audra". Just wondering.... Last login was 4/17/2010. Last login through mobile was March 9. I wonder if George had a jealous g/f or some kind of affair??

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Billboard-brings-more-visibility-to-missing-Austin-woman-94704199.html
(video)
Billboard brings more visibility to missing Austin woman
May 23, 2010

A new billboard is helping bring more visibility to a missing Austin woman.

It involves the case of Julie Ann Gonzalez. The billboard went up last week in Southeast Austin. It's located along Ben White and Woodward Street. The -21 year old has been missing since March 26TH. Her car was found abandoned at a South Austin Walgreens. Her mother, Sandra Soto hopes the billboard will jog people’s memory and help bring her home.

“It's very hard to see my daughter's face up there and the word missing next to it,” said Soto. “She's beautiful. I wish I could have her with me instead of seeing her picture on a billboard.”

Earlier this month, Austin police searched Gonzalez’s former home on Garden Oaks Drive in South Austin. Her estranged husband George De La Cruz lives there now. The two were going through a divorce during the time she disappeared.

Neighbors say officers removed several bags of evidence and towed away two vehicles. The Austin Police department will not comment on what they found or why they were searching the home in the first place.

“I don’t think there was any new evidence found. It’s just since he did hire an attorney, and we’re not cooperating with them, they didn’t have any choice but to get a warrant and make sure there isn’t anything there, and again there isn’t,” said Austin Attorney Patrick Fagerberg, who is now representing De La Cruz.

Fagerberg said Austin police questioned his client several times and he always cooperated. He maintains De La Cruz knows nothing of Gonzalez’s disappearance.

“My client had nothing to do with it -- he’s maintained that from the beginning, and continues to maintain that. I think when it’s all said and done, those facts will come out,” said Fagerberg.

Gonzalez's family is offering a ten thousand dollar reward  for information on her disappearance. The family is planning a fundraiser on June 10th.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/kxan-austin-family-steps-up-search-for-missing-mom
Family steps up search for missing mom
Family rents billboard in hopes of finding mom
Updated: Monday, 24 May 2010, 8:46 AM CDT
Published : Sunday, 23 May 2010, 10:55 PM CDT
(http://media2.kxan.com//photo/2010/05/24/MissingAustinMomBillboard_20100524084101_320_240.JPG)


AUSTIN (KXAN) - The family of a missing Austin mom is trying something new to shine a bigger spotlight on their search.

Julie Ann Gonzalez vanished in late March, and though Austin police are investigating, leads have been sparse.

Gonzalez's family rented a billboard in South Austin near the spot where 290 meets I-35 .

Gonzalez had been estranged from her husband George de la Cruz shortly before she dissappeared, and they were headed for divorce.

Police have since served a search warrant at the home where de la Cruz lives, but no arrests have been made.

The family is offering a reward and plans future fundraisers to keep up the search this summer.

****************************

http://www.kvue.com/news/Police-family-continue-search-for-missing-woman-95813884.html
Neighbor provides information about missing woman's disappearance
June 7, 2010
The family of a missing Austin woman is now offering $20,000 for information about her disappearance.
 
Julie Ann Gonzalez was last seen more than ten weeks ago.
 
Now a neighbor says he watched Julie Ann drive up to her former home on Garden Oaks Drive the day she disappeared on March 26Th.
 
The neighbor said she was accompanied by two Hispanic men, who got out of the vehicle and walked to the backyard of the home without knocking on the door.
 
“She looked at me and I looked at her and I’m driving and thinking who are those guys? Who are those guys? Because here we look after each other,” said neighbor Jesse Corpus.
 
Corpus said he never saw the men before or anytime after.
 
Julie Ann Gonzalez lived at the home until she separated from her husband George De La Cruz. They have a two year old daughter together.
 
In May, Austin Police officers searched George De La Cruz’s home and carried out bags of evidence.
 
However, APD made no arrests that day and continues to say detectives are looking into all possible explanations for Julie Ann’s disappearance.
 
George De La Cruz’s mother found a suspicious hole in the backyard shed a few weeks back. Neither she nor her son had seen it before, so she called police.
 
Patrick Fagerberg, George De La Cruz’s defense attorney, says the hidden storage could provide clue to Julie Ann’s disappearance.
 
“From my experience it seems like it’s a hole that has been used for drugs and or money,” said Fagerberg.
 
Fagerberg maintains that De La Cruz had no part in Julie Ann’s disappearance. He said he picked up his sisters, shopped at Wal-Mart, and ate at McDonald’s the day she disappeared in March.
 
“It’s a very clear timeline and there was no opportunity for any foul play. I think that's why APD thought there was no foul play, because George gave them that timeline,” said Fagerberg.
 
Julie Ann's family started a website with information about her disappearance:  www.julieanngonzalez.com/

 There's a benefit concert Thursday night to help Gonzalez' family raise money to help find her.
     It's from 6-9 p.m. at Hill's Cafe at 4700 South Congress Avenue.
     Singer-songerwriter Sam Watkins will perform with his band Fate Train, along with Larry Lange and the Lonely Knights, and Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones.
Tickets are $5 at the door.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/kxan-austin-benefit-held-for-missing-mom
(Video)
Benefit held for missing mom
Police: Last seen at her estranged husband's house

Updated: Sunday, 18 Jul 2010, 7:02 PM CDT
Published : Sunday, 18 Jul 2010, 7:02 PM CDT

Family and friends of a missing Austin woman are still doing all they can to keep her story fresh in people's minds.

The effort continued Sunday with a $20.00 per-plate cookout in West Travis County.

Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared in March. She was last seen at her estranged husband's house, her new car was found abandoned days later.

Since then her family has pulled out all the stops, putting together numerous fundraisers to keep paying private detectives for work on the case.

At one point they even rented out a billboard at I-35 and 290 and put Julie's picture on it.

Family members thank everyone helping to keep alive the search for Julie Ann.
 

Benefit held for missing mom
Police: Last seen at her estranged husband's house

Published : Sunday, 18 Jul 2010, 7:02 PM CDT

Family and friends of a missing Austin woman are still doing all they can to keep her story fresh in people's minds.

The effort continued Sunday with a $20.00 per-plate cookout in West Travis County.

Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared in March. She was last seen at her estranged husband's house, her new car was found abandoned days later.

Since then her family has pulled out all the stops, putting together numerous fundraisers to keep paying private detectives for work on the case.

At one point they even rented out a billboard at I-35 and 290 and put Julie's picture on it.

Family members thank everyone helping to keep alive the search for Julie Ann.
 
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/kxan-austin-benefit-held-for-missing-mom

http://www.kvue.com/news/Husband-of-missing-woman-claims-harassment-98873619.html
(Video at above link)
Husband of missing woman claims harassment
July 20, 2010

The estranged husband of a missing Austin woman claims he is now the victim of harassment and vandalism.
Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared in March. Her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, now has full custody of their two year old daughter, which has created a lot of tension between his family and hers.
 
Someone smashed in De La Cruz's car windshield with a brake disc. The vehicle was parked in front of his South Austin home. His attorney, Patrick Fagerberg, claims it is just one of several threatening actions against De La Cruz.
 
The act of criminal mischief happened after a custody hearing for his and Julie Ann’s two-year-old daughter.
 
“We feel whoever is doing this is retaliating. It’s for us not giving the family custody or access to Layla,” said Fagerberg.
 
De La Cruz is also receiving threatening emails and others are repeatedly driving by his south Austin home. 
 
“At this point we’ve had to have 24-hour cameras installed to try and ensure this doesn’t happen,” said Fagerberg.
 
Julie Ann Gonzalez mysteriously disappeared on March 26. Her family believes her estranged husband George De La Cruz knows what happened.
 
“Our mission is to find Julie, not to harass anyone. We just want to find Julie,” said Julie Ann’s mother Sandra Soto.
 
APD is investigating the report of criminal mischief at De La Cruz’s home.
 
De La Cruz now has full custody of their daughter, and no longer allows Julie Ann’s mother to see her granddaughter.   
 
“It hurts that we haven’t seen Layla, and in the end the truth will come out,” said Soto.
 
In May, APD executed a search warrant at the home George De La Cruz. Police carried out bags of evidence. The contents of those bags are unknown after a judge sealed the search warrant.
 
A custody hearing for the two year old is scheduled for August 5.
 
Julie Ann’s family is offering a $20,000 reward for information about her disappearance.
 
Find more details at: http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/estranged-husband-named-a-person-of-interest-in-863091.html
Estranged husband named a 'person of interest' in wife's disappearance
Julie Ann Gonzalez was reported missing in late March.
August 16, 2010

After Julie Ann Gonzalez, a 21-year-old mother of a 2-year-old daughter, disappeared in late March, her family launched a campaign to find her.

They posted her name and photo on billboards and fliers. They set up websites, appeared on CNN, held benefits and hired a private investigator. They even appeared on a "Dr. Phil" TV episode titled "Runaway Moms" to draw attention to her disappearance.

Meanwhile, police initially thought her disappearance was voluntary, based on text messages that appeared to be sent to her family and friends from her cell phone. Messages posted on her personal website said that she had left to be on her own.

But documents recently released when a court order keeping them sealed expired suggest that Austin police have been investigating whether her estranged husband, whom she was divorcing, might have killed her.

Officially, police have named George De La Cruz, 22, as a "person of interest" in the case.

A May 14 police search warrant affidavit says Gonzalez may have been the "victim of a homicide or abduction." A search warrant affidavit from late May says that De La Cruz might have "committed the offense of murder."

De La Cruz, who did not return a message left on his home phone and whose lawyer did not return a call for comment, has not been charged with a crime. According to police, De La Cruz has been interviewed in the past but is no longer cooperating with the investigation. His and Gonzalez's daughter, Layla, is being looked after by De La Cruz's family, according to Sandra Soto, Gonzalez's mother.

"We feel a little relieved that something was found, but at the same time our hope was to find Julie," said Dora Cooper, Gonzalez's aunt.

The case shifted into a homicide investigation as police discovered clues that suggested a voluntary disappearance was unlikely, officials said.

They discovered a love letter from Gonzalez to her boyfriend, written on the morning of her disappearance, telling him how happy she was with him. Also suspicious was the ever-expanding length of time since Gonzalez had last been in touch with her family, Austin police spokesman Cpl. Scott Perry said in a statement. Police have not called the boyfriend a suspect.

"While voluntary withdrawal cannot be conclusively eliminated as a possibility, it becomes more unlikely as each day passes without contact from Julie," Perry said.

According to the unsealed police search warrant affidavits, Gonzalez and De La Cruz separated in November and were in the process of getting a divorce when she visited his house in South Austin on March 26 to pick up their 2-year-old daughter. The pair shared custody, and the girl had spent the previous few days at her father's house, the documents say.

Cooper said that Gonzalez and De La Cruz "had a little bit of a volatile relationship. He was not wanting to get out of the marriage, and she was."

De La Cruz said that Gonzalez asked him to take care of their daughter for a few more days because she was leaving and that he agreed, according to the documents. He told police she left about 11 a.m., that he did not know where she was going and that he had had no further contact with her.

The next day, Gonzalez was reported missing by Cooper, and on March 28 her car, a 2006 four-door Chevrolet Impala, was found in a Walgreens parking lot in South Austin near De La Cruz's home.

In May, De La Cruz's mother, who lives at the same address, showed police a large hole that had been dug underneath the wooden floor of a large storage shed in the backyard, according to police documents. She said she discovered it May 4 and that it was not there when her ex-husband built the shed years earlier.

"Her account of same contradicted what (De La Cruz) told (detectives) in a previous interview, where he explained that it had been dug by the previous owners for plumbing purposes," the document says.

When police executed a search warrant May 14, they did not find a body, according to a return warrant.

"It just looks suspicious," said Gary Cobb, an assistant district attorney for Travis County who is working on the case.

Police did recover two cell phones, however, and they have sought access to Gonzalez's social-media accounts from Yahoo, Facebook and MySpace, according to police documents, suggesting that they are investigating the origin of Web postings and text messages subsequent to her disappearance.

Detectives learned that on March 26 at 2:20 p.m., purchases had been made with Gonzalez's Visa bank debit card at a local Walmart. Video footage from a bank inside the store appears to show De La Cruz pushing his daughter in a shopping cart at 2:21 p.m., according to the affidavits.

No other purchases have been made with the debit card, and outgoing cell phone activity on her phone has ceased, the documents say.

"Gonzalez was gainfully employed and has not returned to work nor communicated with her employer," according to the police affidavit that said Gonzalez might have been the victim of a homicide. "Gonzalez was happy with her daughter and current relationship with her boyfriend."

Her family says it will continue to search for her.

"We continue to keep her story alive, let people know that we're still working to find her and look for information about her whereabouts," Cooper said.

asherprice@statesman.com; 445-3643

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014121-504083.html
Julie Ann Gonzalez Update: Husband George De La Cruz Named "Person of Interest" in Disappearance
August 19, 2010

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/07/21/Julie_Gonzalez_072110_19_370x278.jpg)
Julie Ann Gonzalez and her daughter Layla (Personal Photo)

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/08/19/DrPhil-George-de-la_516539a_370x278.jpg)
George De La Cruz (Dr. Phil/Peteski Productions, Inc.)

AUSTIN, Texas (CBS) A little over three months after Julie Ann Gonzalez was reported missing by her aunt, recently released court documents reveal that Austin police have been investigating her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, as a person of interest in the case since early May, and turned up some potentially incriminating evidence while serving a search warrant that same month.
According to the search warrant, investigators found a debit card belonging to Gonzalez in De La Cruz's house along with the car keys belonging to Gonzalez. Investigators also found droplets of blood and human tissue as well as hair and fibers, CBS affiliate KEYE reported.

De La Cruz is thought to be the last person to see Gonzalez before she disappeared when she came to his house to pick up their 2-year-old daughter, Layla, at around 11 a.m. March 26. The two were going through a contentious divorce, but shared custody of Layla who had been spending a few days with her father. De La Cruz says Gonzalez looked "out of it" when she arrived and asked him to keep Layla a few more days because she needed to get away and spend some time alone.
That was the last time anyone has reported seeing Gonzalez. Her aunt, Dora Cooper, reported her missing the next day and Gonzalez's car was found abandoned in a pharmacy parking lot not far from De La Cruz's house March 28.
The documents do not reveal whether the blood or hair belonged to Gonzalez, but surveillance video captured De La Cruz using the debit card to buy a video with his daughter just after he says he last saw Gonzalez.

The documents also state that in May De La Cruz's mother, who lives with him, led cops to a hole that had been dug under a large storage shed in the backyard. De La Cruz told police at the time that the previous owners had dug the hole for "plumbing purposes." But his mother contradicted his story saying she had not noticed the whole until May 4, according to the Austin American Statesman.

Police returned later to execute a search warrant for the storage shed but did not find a body, the paper reported.

Also in May, Gonzalez's family took her story national, appearing on the "Dr.Phil" for a segment entitled "Runaway Moms." De La Cruz appeared as well and took a polygraph test, answering questions like "are you responsible for Julie's disappearance?" He failed the test, KEYE reported.

De La Cruz's attorney, Patrick Fagerberg, refutes the reports and suspicions against his client saying that De La Cruz has a "watertight alibi" "from morning till night" for the day that Gonzalez went missing, according to CNN.

As for the debit card and keys to the abandoned car Fagerberg told the news channel that "there [is] an innocent explanation for everything that happened that day."

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:1071021
Suspect Named in Gonzalez Disappearance
August 20, 2010

Austin Police say that George de la Cruz, the estranged husband of missing 21-year-old mother Julie Ann Gonzalez, is being considered a person of interest in Gonzalez's disappearance. De la Cruz has been interviewed by police in connection with her late March disappearance, and police believe he "has information that could be of great assistance to the investigation" but is no longer cooperating with investigators. Gonzalez was last seen at de la Cruz's South Austin residence; she was there to pick up the couple's 2-year-old daughter, of whom they shared custody. According to de la Cruz, Gonzalez told him that she needed a few more days and asked if he could continue to watch their daughter. Gonzalez has not been seen or heard from since. Initially police thought she might have disappeared voluntarily, "based on text messages sent to Julie's family and friends from her cell phone." But the length of time since her last communication now leads police to believe otherwise. Reportedly, police are now looking into those text messages to determine whether they came from her at all. Police executed a search warrant at de la Cruz's home in May but were not able to recover all the items they thought they would find. Anyone with information about Gonzalez's whereabouts should contact the Austin Police Department's homicide tip line at 477-3588. – Jordan Smith

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/18/texas.missing.mom/
(with video)
Lawyer: Husband of missing Texas woman has 'watertight alibi
August 19, 2010

(CNN) -- The husband of a Texas woman missing since March has a "completely watertight alibi" on the day his estranged wife disappeared, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Julie Ann Gonzalez was last seen March 26 by her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, and Austin police said this week that they consider De La Cruz a "person of interest" in the disappearance. But the husband's lawyer told HLN's "Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell" that the documents are between three and nine months old.

"If anyone would look at the timeline of the day that Julie Ann disappeared and the timeline my client has provided from morning till night, it is physically impossible that he had anything to do with her disappearance," the attorney, Patrick Fagerberg, said. "It is a completely watertight alibi everywhere he was."

Gonzalez, 21, was last seen March 26 when she came to pick up the couple's 2-year-old daughter. De La Cruz has said his wife appeared "out of it" when she came to the house, changed her mind about picking up their daughter and said she would come back later.

The couple was going through a divorce, and Gonzalez had told a friend about a new man in her life whom she said was taking her away for the weekend, her mother, Sandra Soto, said in May. But she said Gonzalez's MySpace page was updated by a mobile phone user after her disappearance to add posts that read "I wanted to run away" and "I'm sick of the BS in my life."

Her car, which was almost brand new, was found abandoned outside a Walgreen's drug store. Gonzalez worked as a pharmacy technician at another Walgreen's. And Gonzalez has not accessed her bank account since her disappearance, but someone used her credit card to purchase the movie "The Spiderwick Chronicles" at a store in Austin, her mother said.

Fagerberg said De La Cruz was the one who purchased the movie. He said he spent three hours with detectives Tuesday, "going over the warrants and giving the logical, innocent explanation for some things in those warrants which may appear incriminating on the surface."

But he said that when all the facts emerge, "You will see that there was an innocent explanation for everything that happened that day," he said.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A1087311
Res Publica
Thursday23
September 23, 2010

(snip)
JULIE ANN GONZALEZ FUNDRAISER Gonzalez has been missing since March; help her family continue the search. 2-9pm. The Ghost Room, 304 W. Fourth. $10. www.julieanngonzalez.com.
(snip)
************************************
Julie Ann Gonzalez's family and friends continue to search for her.  I've seen Julie's billboard and I've seen notices posted in Austin and also in different cities in Texas, including Dallas.   I saw a poster at a community college, I saw one in a city outside of Austin at an oil change shop. I've seen the posters in restaurants, and many other places. I also saw an orange HHR going down the road with Julie's photo and missing person's posters on all the windows except the windshield and the front compartment windows. Julie Ann Gonzalez's family and friends aren't giving up on her, even though it will be six months this week since she was last seen.  I hope she can be found soon.  ::MonkeyAngel::

[
color=purple][/color]
They need to go ahead and arrest that putz of an ex of Julie's and watch him squirm sitting behind bars.  I know, there is a process to get him there and to make sure he stays there but maybe if they just followed him constantly unhidden and make his life miserable he might crack.  LE should visit ALL of his friends, family and where he works everyday!

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/24/50-people-in-50-days-search-for-texas-mom/
Video
50 people in 50 days: Search for Texas mom
January 24, 2011

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/01/24/t1larg.julie.ann.gonzalez.jpg)
Julie Ann Gonzalez of Texas went missing in March.

Nancy Grace's new show, "Nancy Grace: America's Missing," is dedicated to finding 50 people in 50 days. As part of the effort, which relies heavily on audience participation, CNN.com news blog "This Just In" will feature the stories of the missing.

On Monday, the show looks at 21-year-old mother and pharmacy technician Julie Ann Gonzalez.
(snip)

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/central-texas-digest-police-still-investigating-missing-woman-1349577.html
Central Texas Digest: Police still investigating missing woman  ::snipping2::
March 25, 2011

AUSTIN

Mother still missing after a year
 ::snipping2::
Officials said they have gathered information about her disappearance and that they consider Gonzalez's estranged husband, George De La Cruz, a person of interest. De La Cruz "has been interviewed in the past but is currently not cooperating with the investigation," police said in a statement.

Gonzalez's family is planning a prayer vigil at noon today on the south lawn of the Capitol.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/prayer-vigil-held-for-missing-mother
Video
Prayer vigil held for missing mother
March 26, 2011

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Dozens of family and friends of missing Austin mom Julie Ann Gonzalez gathered on the steps of the State Capitol Saturday afternoon for a prayer vigil to mark the one year anniversary of her disappearance .

 ::snipping2::
Her family said she was last seen at George de la Cruz', her soon to be ex-husband's, home.

The couple shares custody of their then2-year-old daughter, but instead of sticking to her routine of picking her daughter up, Gonzalez allegedly asked the father to hold on to the girl.

Police told KXAN their investigation has been stalled by the silence of de la Cruz.

"We believe he has more information than anyone else," said Lt. Gena Curtis with Austin Police Department's Violent Crime Unit.

Austin police issued a search warrant at her estranged husband's home last August.  An unsealed search warrant shows items police recovered from his home during their investigation, as well as Facebook, MySpace, and e-mails made from DeLaCruz’s computer.

Investigators said they also found evidence that Gonzalez may have voluntarily disappeared.

Her family hired a private investigator last December and said they are trying to keep her story alive via the media and fundraisers.
 ::snipping2::

The family also told their story to Dr. Phil in order to get her photograph out nationally.

On Saturday, they brought famed pictures of Julie Ann and wore t-shirts that asking, "Have you seen her?"

 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/home/Family-of-missing-Austin-woman-hold-vigil-at-State-Capitol-118780269.html
Family of missing Austin woman holds vigil at State Capitol
March 28, 2011

A year after her mysterious disappearance, the search for a missing Austin woman continues. Family and friends of Julie Ann Gonzalez held a vigil at the State Capitol this weekend.

They are praying for her safe return, and they vow never to give up hope of finding her. 
 ::snipping2::

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/279347/the-search-continues-for-julie-ann-gonzalez
Video
The search continues for Julie Ann Gonzalez
Updated July 11, 2011

The search continues for Julie Ann Gonzalez, and the missing woman's family isn't giving up until they have answers. Gonzalez' mother Sandra Soto hosted a fundraising event in South Austin Sunday to help pay for the investigation into her daughter's disappearance.
 ::snipping2::
Initially police didn't suspect foul play and told the media Julie Ann left her family and 2-year old daughter behind voluntarily. Soto told the police they were wrong as time ticked away shortly after she vanished.
 ::snipping2::
Six weeks passed before the police got serious. The missing woman’s husband was named as a person of interest. He was the last to see her, but no arrests have been made.

Soto says even if she finds out her daughter is dead, that truth is better than not knowing anything at all.
 ::snipping2::
Soto said the money raised Sunday will help pay for their private investigation into Julie Ann’s disappearance.

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

http://www.facebook.com/findjuliegonzalez

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/top_stories/Fundraiser-for-Missing-Austin-Mom-2011-7-24-ktbcw#axzz1T7Ucj1DY   
Fundraiser for Missing Austin Mom
July 24, 2011

myFOXaustin(AUSTIN) - Hoping to keep the search for her missing 21-year old daughter alive, friends and family of Julie Ann Gonzalez got together for a barbecue music fundraiser.

The musicians donated their time and talents. The food also donated for the fundraiser by the Barn of Dripping Springs.
 ::snipping2::
...Gonzalez’s mother says all the money raised will help keep her private investigator looking into leads and pay for the legal fight she's had to lodge to see her granddaughter.
 ::snipping2::
Austin police have named Gonzalez's estranged husband George De La Cruz as a person of interest in the case but no new leads have been uncovered.

http://youtu.be/YVjBKIxo22c
Benefit For Julie Gonzalez Hills Cafe June 10, 2010 Performance By Great Entertainer Sam Watkins

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/in-custody-battle-suspicions-abound-about-disappearance-of-1887295.html
In custody battle, suspicions abound about disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez
September 29, 2011
(http://www.statesman.com/multimedia/dynamic/01146/Julie_Ann_Gonzalez_1146193k.jpg)
Julie Ann Gonzalez

Almost a year and a half after young mother Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared without explanation from South Austin, her family members were at the Heman Sweatt Travis County Courthouse on Thursday continuing their quest to find out what happened in the case police believe may be murder.

Gonzalez's mother, Sandra Soto, has asked for court-ordered visits with Gonzalez's daughter, who was 2 when Gonzalez disappeared. The girl lives with Gonzalez's estranged husband, George De La Cruz.

Police have said De La Cruz, 23, is a "person of interest" in Gonzalez's disappearance. Soto and her family members hoped Thursday that during a planned hearing in the family court case, Soto's lawyer could ask De La Cruz questions under oath about the days surrounding March 26, 2010, when Gonzalez went missing.

"We believe he knows more than he's saying," Soto said outside of court.

De La Cruz's testimony, though, became unnecessary after he agreed to allow Soto regular visits through January. The sides will return to court at some point to determine future visitation.

De La Cruz has repeatedly maintained that he had nothing to do with Gonzalez's disappearance, including during an appearance on the "Dr. Phil" television talk show last year.

On Thursday, his family court lawyers would only say that he was a good father.

His criminal lawyer declined to comment, other than to say that De La Cruz has cooperated with police.

Police say he has stopped cooperating.
More...

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/courts/entries/2012/04/25/custody_battle_puts_womans_dis.html
Grandmother gets more visitation days with missing woman’s daughter
By Patrick George
April 25, 2012

The family of Julie Ann Gonzalez, still reeling from her disappearance two years ago, was back in court again today - this time to fight over the custody of Gonzalez’s young daughter.

Gonzalez’s mother, Sandra Soto, was given visitations to see Gonzalez’s daughter, now 4. The girl currently resides with Gonzalez’s estranged husband, George De La Cruz, whom police have called a person of interest in her disappearance.

De La Cruz has repeatedly maintained that he had nothing to do with Gonzalez’s disappearance. Police say he has stopped cooperating with their investigation.

Soto will have the 4-year-old girl for two days a week and then three days a week during the summer, her attorney Ron De La Rosa said today.

“We didn’t get exactly what we wanted, but we got something,” De La Rosa said. “We wanted more.”
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/news/Custody-battle-over-missing-Austin-womans-daughter-148965775.html
Custody battle over missing Austin woman's daughter
April 25, 2012

  ::snipping2::
Gonzalez, 21, vanished around March 26, 2010, from South Austin. Her daughter Layla was just two years old at the time. Layla has since been living with Gonzalez's estranged husband, George De La Cruz.
 
De La Cruz is a person of interest in Gonzalez's missing persons case. Austin police detectives have questioned him, but he has not been charged. The family of Julie Ann Gonzalez believe De La Cruz has information about her disappearance.
 
"This really scares me because I don't know what this man is capable of," said Layla's grandmother Sandra Soto. "We still have zero answers. We know nothing."

The judge granted Soto visits twice a month with her granddaughter Layla.

The judge warned Soto to remove Facebook posts that the judge said were accusatory toward De La Cruz. The judge said they caused tension between the families and ultimately hurt Layla.

"This is a very young child, and this child needs to be protected from any type of behavior," said De La Cruz's attorney Bret Doyal. "He takes care of his child. I've witnessed him. It's a very loving relationship between father and daughter."
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://www.kvue.com/news/Estranged-husband-of-woman-missing-since-2010-arrested-223666101.html
Estranged husband of woman missing since 2010 arrested
Posted on September 13, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Updated today at 2:52 PM


(http://i.imgur.com/NwRzJF7.jpg)
Credit: KVUE News

AUSTIN -- Austin Police have arrested the estranged husband of Julie Ann Gonzales who disappeared in 2010.

Police tell KVUE News George De La Cruz has been arrested on charges related to a grand jury indictment. Details on what charges De La Cruz faces have not yet been released.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.statesman.com/weblogs/the-blotter/2013/sep/13/man-charged-murder-2010-disappearance-julie-ann-go/
Man charged with murder in the 2010 disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez
Posted: 2:52 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2013

A Travis County Grand Jury has indicted George De La Cruz, Hispanic male, (D. O. B. 10-11-1987) for murder in the disappearance case of victim Julie Ann Gonzalez.

De La Cruz has been charged with Murder, a 1st Degree Felony, bond is set at $500,000. He was arrested today, Friday, September 13, 2013 by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

The case remains under investigation. If you have any information regarding this case please call the APD Homicide Tipline at 512-477-3588.  Any information regarding this case needs to come from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.



Last statement released on March 23, 2011:
On March 27, 2010 Julie Ann Gonzalez was reported missing.  Initially it appeared that Julie’s disappearance was voluntary based on text messages sent to Julie’s family and friends from her cell phone.  However, the length of time since Julie’s last communication with family and other information uncovered causes concern about Julie’s welfare.  While voluntary withdrawal cannot be conclusively eliminated as a possibility, it becomes more unlikely as each day passes without contact from Julie.
 
A team of investigators from the Austin Police Department Violent Crimes Command have been investigating this case.  During the investigation, APD gathered information that led us to believe that her disappearance may not have been voluntary.   On May 14, 2010, APD executed a search warrant at the residence of George De La Cruz, Julie’s estranged husband.  In that search warrant, detectives asked for numerous items of evidence that they believed would be found at the residence.  While some items were seized that may be of evidentiary value, not all items sought were found.
 
At this time, George De La Cruz is considered a person of interest and it is believed that he has information that could be of great assistance to the investigation.  De La Cruz has been interviewed in the past but is currently not cooperating with the investigation.
 
In the best interest of this investigation, APD is unable to share additional information at this time.
  ::snipping3::

http://austin.ynn.com/content/news/295269/estranged-husband-charged-with-murder-of-julie-ann-gonzalez
Estranged husband charged with murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez
September 13, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/z5iM1Pa.jpg)
Booking photo of George De La Cruz

George De La Cruz, the estranged husband of missing Julie Ann Gonzalez has been arrested and indicted for murder.
Gonzalez was last seen on March 26, 2010. Her car was found in a Walgreens parking lot, and she missed an appointment to pick up her child from De La Cruz’s home that day.

APD executed a search warrant at De La Cruz's home in May of 2012, in which detectives asked for numerous items they believed would be found at the residence. Police said that while some items were seized that may be of evidentiary value, not all items sought were found.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/husband-of-woman-missing-since-2010-indicted-on-murder-charge
Body of Julie Ann Gonzalez still not found
September 13, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/7E7XaRB.jpg)
Julie Ann Gonzalez

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The husband of a woman missing since 2010 was indicted on a first-degree murder charge Friday.

George De La Cruz, 25, had long been considered a "persosn of interest" in the disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez on March 26, 2010. Her 2005 Impala was found near a drugstore at Stassney Lane and South First Street.

Police said last year that De La Cruz was not cooperating with the investigation into the disappearance of his wife.

In the years since Gonzalez was last seen, her young daughter has been in the custody of De La Cruz. Gonzalez's family has been seeking custtody of the girl.

Form the Austin Police Departmemt's statement:

Initially it appeared that Julie’s disappearance was voluntary based on text messages sent to Julie’s family and friends from her cell phone.  However, the length of time since Julie’s last communication with family and other information uncovered causes concern about Julie’s welfare.  While voluntary withdrawal cannot be conclusively eliminated as a possibility, it becomes more unlikely as each day passes without contact from Julie.
More...

(http://i.imgur.com/pUdkSoR.jpg)

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/husband-of-missing-woman-charged-with-murder/nZwq5/
Husband of missing woman charged with murder
Posted: 3:12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2013


(http://i.imgur.com/wJkEFag.jpg)
Family handout photo

 ::snipping3::
George De La Cruz, 25, was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on Friday, according to the Austin Police Department. Jail records don’t show that he has been booked yet but a police official said he is in custody. His bail is set at $500,000, according to police.

Julie Ann Gonzalez, the mother of Gonzalez’s 2-year-old daughter, disappeared in late March 2010, prompting her family to launch a campaign to find her that included an appearance on the “Dr. Phil” TV show.

On the show and elsewhere, De La Cruz maintained that he had nothing to do with Gonzalez’s disappearance.

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

Missing
Julie Ann Gonzalez

http://austin.ynn.com/content/news/295269/estranged-husband-charged-with-murder-of-julie-ann-gonzalez
Estranged husband charged with murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez
2:53 PM September 13, 2013

George De La Cruz, the estranged husband of missing Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, has been arrested and indicted for murder.
Gonzalez was last seen on March 26, 2010. Her car was found in a Walgreens parking lot, and she had plans to pick up her child from De La Cruz’s home that day.
 ::snipping3::

Police initially believed Gonzalez’s disappearance was voluntary, but her family led the charge to have the incident more thoroughly investigated.

The family established a website, JulieAnnGonzalez.com, and purchased billboard space, pleading for anyone with information to come forward. Her mother, Sandra Soto, hosted fundraising events and sold homemade tamales to offset the costs.

De La Cruz is being held in Travis County Jail on $500,000 bond.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/Prosecutors-Murder-conviction-possible-even-without-a-body-223707881.html
Prosecutors: Murder conviction possible even without a body
September 14, 2013

AUSTIN -- Assistant Travis County District Attorney Gary Cobb told KVUE Friday evening that he believes George Delacruz could still be convicted of murder even though the body of his estranged wife has yet to be found.
“They're difficult cases but they can be proven and we've done in Travis County before, we've done it in the state of Texas before, and we've done it all over the United States before. It's difficult, but sometimes justice requires it,” said Cobb.
On Friday morning a Travis County Grand Jury indicted George Delacruz for first degree Murder in connection with his wife’s disappearance.
Delacruz was later arrested Friday afternoon while he was working at a construction site.
 ::snipping3::
Dora Derma, an aunt of Julie Ann Gonzalez told KVUE in a phone conversation Friday said that the family isn’t speaking on camera because of an ongoing custody battle with Delacruz over the couple’s daughter.
“It's difficult to imagine a scenario where she would not only voluntarily disappear, but voluntarily for over a 3-year period have no contact whatsoever with her beloved child," she said.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23445598/attorney-murder-suspect-in-2010-disappearance-a-victim-too
Attorney: Wrong man arrested in Gonzalez murder
Posted: Sep 16, 2013 3:16 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 16, 2013 8:08 PM CDT

Julie Ann Gonzalez is no longer a missing woman, now she's a presumed murder victim. The Travis County district attorney's office says her estranged husband George De la Cruz did it. He's in jail with a murder indictment.

"After three years we all came to the same conclusion," said Travis County Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb.

According to Travis County Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb, Julie Ann Gonzalez did not just disappear in March of 2010. He says she was the victim of foul play, at the hands of her soon-to-be ex-husband and father of her daughter, George De la Cruz.

"It will be an entirely circumstantial case because no one saw him kill her, but there will be lost of bits and pieces of evidence together that will help a jury understand what happened," said Cobb.

Police say De la Cruz was the last person to see Gonzalez alive. He told investigators that when Gonzalez went his home to pick up their daughter, she instead asked him to keep the child through the weekend and left.

"There's nothing in Julie Ann's history that would suggest she would, on a lark, leave her two year old daughter behind and for three years would make no attempt whatsoever to make contact with her daughter. That just makes no sense at all," said Cobb.

Bret Doyal, family attorney for De la Cruz disputes that.

"The maternal grandmother Sandra Soto testified there had been a sighting of Julie Ann Gonzalez in the Austin area after she'd been missing over a year," said Doyal.

During the past three years, De la Cruz has had primary custody of his daughter who is now six.

"He's a very quiet and calm spirited individual. He loves his daughter," said Doyal. "I have five children. I'm a pretty good gage of people I meet and how they act around their children. All these allegations in the past, I never saw it, I never did. People who ask me did he do it. No. You have to know this guy."

Now it will be up to a jury to decide.

 ::snipping3::

De la Cruz's first court appearance will be in two weeks.

On Tuesday, Gonzalez's family will hold a press conference.

On Wednesday, both families will meet in court to determine who gets custody of the child now that De la Cruz is in jail.

Gonzalez has a half a million dollar bond.

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Family-of-missing-Austin-girl-issue-statement-after-husbands-arrest-224153221.html
Family of missing Austin girl issue statement after husbands arrest
September 17, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/n1PFXvk.jpg)

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23467746/judge-to-decide-custody-rights-for-daughter-of-murder-victim
Judge to decide custody rights for daughter of murder victim
September 18, 2013

A judge will decide who should have custody of the daughter of missing Austin mom Julie Ann Gonzalez and the man who's been arrested for her murder.

The 6-year-old girl has been living with her father, George De la Cruz. He was arrested last week for Julie Ann's murder, more than three years after she went missing. Julie Ann's mother, Sandra Soto, has been fighting for custody.

Attorneys for both families tell us that George's mother, Victoria, has intervened in the custody battle.

Until next month's hearing, the girl will remain in Victoria's custody.

Julie Ann's mother will continue to get regular visitation, but she hopes for full custody.

"She's lost her mom. Julie's been missing for 3 and a half years and now her dad is arrested for that murder and so she's losing her dad. Of course we want the best interest for Layla and we believe the best interest is she be with Ms. Soto," said Ron de La Rosa, attorney for Sandra Soto.
 ::snipping3::
"Our position all along has been that George, he's innocent, he's a great father, his family is a great family and so this was the natural thing to do, putting his mother in his shoes," said Bret Doyal , attorney for George De la Cruz.

The custody hearing has been scheduled for October 7.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23631705/agreement-reached-in-custody-battle-over-murder-victims-daughter
Agreement reached in custody battle over murder victim's daughter
October 7, 2013

There's an agreement in the custody battle over the daughter of missing Austin mom Julie Ann Gonzalez and the man arrested for her murder, George De la Cruz the girl's father.

For now, attorneys tell FOX 7 that De la Cruz's mother will continue to have primary custody.

Julie Ann's mother, Sandra Soto, and will get more visitation than she was previously allowed.
 ::snipping3::
A pre-trail hearing in the case has been set for next month.

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

MISSING
JULIE ANN GONZALEZ

Why is George Gonzalez refusing to cooperate?   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.kvue.com/news/A-mothers-heartbreak-four-years-after-her-daughters-disappearance----251575711.html
A mother's heartbreak 4 years after her daughter's disappearance
March 21, 2014

AUSTIN -- Four years ago this month, 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared.
Police indicted her estranged husband last September for murder, but police say he refuses to cooperate, and the case is still open.
On Friday her mother talked to KVUE about holding out hope and the young daughter Gonzalez left behind.
"She never leaves my thoughts. I go to sleep thinking about Julie Ann, I wake up thinking about Julie Ann. Everything I do is about Julie Ann," Sandra Soto said.
 ::snipping3::
The day she disappeared Gonzalez was headed to pick up her daughter from her estranged husband's home. Days later police found her car in a Walgreens parking lot in South Austin.
"We really don't have any leads,” Soto said. “And that's what's so painful. We really don't have any direction."
Austin police say when Gonzalez first disappeared, they believed she left voluntarily. Over time investigators began taking a closer look at her estranged husband, George de la Cruz, who denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Last September a Travis County Grand jury indicted him for first degree murder. He remains in jail, and Soto says he's not talking.
"If I were able to speak to George today, I would do the same thing I've done in the past. I would get down on my knees and beg him, beg him to tell me where my daughter is," Soto said.
Soto says the little girl Julie Ann left behind is the light of her life. Layla was just two and a half when her mother disappeared.
"Layla's life has been changed forever. She doesn't have her mom. And now she possibly will never see her father again," Soto said.
Soto says Julie Ann will always be with them, but knowing where her daughter is will help ease her family's heartache.
"I just want a peaceful life. And I can't be at peace if I don't know what happened to Julie Ann," Soto said.
The Travis County District Attorney's office says de la Cruz has a pre-trial hearing on the March 27 and expect him to go on trial later this year.

http://kxan.com/2015/04/13/first-witnesses-take-the-stand-in-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/
First witnesses take the stand in De La Cruz murder trial
April 13, 2015, Updated April 14, 2015



AUSTIN (KXAN) — A jury was seated and opening statements were delivered Monday in the George De La Cruz’s murder trial. De La Cruz is accused of killing his estranged wife, Julie Ann Gonzalez. Prosecutors say he was the last one to see her in March of 2010. Her body has not been found.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys questioned a 73-person jury pool on Monday. After lunch, the field was narrowed down to 12 and the trial moved forward.

Day 1

She wanted out of her marriage with George De La Cruz, but Julie Ann Gonzalez may have already been looking forward to another marriage to her new lover, Aaron Breaux.

Breaux and Gonzalez had rekindled a relationship after she left De La Cruz and despite being frustrated by her husband’s refusal to sign divorce papers, Gonzalez was happy according to Breaux.

“We were talking about getting an apartment together,” said Aaron Breaux, the first witness called to the stand in the murder trial for De La Cruz. “We are talking about getting married and having kids.”

On the night before her disappearance, Breaux said he and Gonzalez had dinner at his apartment, a place he said she stayed often. The next morning on March 26, 2010, he left for work at 6 a.m., kissing her and telling her he loved her.

It would be the last time he saw her.

He called and texted her multiple times that day without response until he received a text from her around 2 p.m.

“(The text) said ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” said Breaux about the apparent breakup message. In that text conversation, the messages said Gonzalez was moving away to Colorado. Breaux found it a little hard to believe.

“Things did not seem right. I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I felt like somebody else had her phone.”

With that suspicion, Breaux said he asked for Gonzalez to tell him what his middle name was, since it would be something only she would know. The response simply said “I don’t feel like playing games.”

The state told jurors during opening arguments they will see evidence showing De La Cruz had in his possession many items that belonged to his estranged wife including a credit card he used at Walmart in the days after she disappeared.

Aaron went home from work that day to see if Gonzalez had truly packed up her belongings and left. Not only were her belongings still at the apartment, but she had left a love letter he read aloud for the jury.

“I can’t express how much I love you. How happy I am to be with you,” he read while pausing at times to compose himself. “You make me smile all the time. You make me feel special and loved.”

In the letter, Gonzalez also states he desire to one day marry Breaux and have a baby boy.

Breaux also testified Gonzalez was supposed to meet De La Cruz on Thursday, the day before her disappearance, to take the couple’s 2-year-old daughter Layla. The couple had split custody during their separation, but Breaux said De La Cruz had asked to keep Layla one extra day before giving her to Gonzalez on Friday.

It was that Friday Gonzalez disappeared.

Five-year wait

Family members of Gonzalez have waited five years to learn what happened to her.

“It’s been extremely difficult; a long, very long road,” said her aunt, Dora Soto-Derma, who hopes the trial brings closure. “Like we’ve always said, we’re just wanting answers, of what happened to Julie Ann.”

A grand Jury indicted De La Cruz in 2013.

Legal analyst Mindy Montford says the prosecution has an uphill battle.

“There are going to be some holes there, certainly,” she said. “They’re going to have to establish, first and foremost, that somebody died, and without a body that’s incredibly difficult to do.”

She says that could play well for the defense, but prosecutors must have felt confident about something.

“I anticipate the defense is going to make a big deal of that, but ultimately if the grand jury returned an indictment there’s got to be something more that links him to this case that just an assumption,” Montford said.

 ::snipping3::

Video

http://kxan.com/2015/04/12/family-remembers-mother-who-vanished-five-years-ago/
Trial begins in murder case of missing Austin mom
Published April 12, 2015, Updated April 13, 2015

This is day 2 of the trial.  Here is reporter Chris Sadeghi's twitter addy:  https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)

http://kxan.com/2015/04/14/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-day-2/
Missing mom’s social media posts seemed ‘out of character’
April 14, 2015

The article below has some interesting background details regarding the case:

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/jury-selection-begins-in-murder-trial-of-george-de/nksRY/
Prosecutors: Man killed estranged wife, then staged her ‘disappearance’
April 13, 2015

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/14/family-co-workers-testify-in-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/25769627/
Family, coworkers testify in De la Cruz murder trial
April 14, 2015

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/15/missing-mother-was-in-abusive-relationship-family-says/25816681/
Missing mother was in abusive relationship, family says
April 15, 2015


AUSTIN -- Family members of a missing Austin mother say she had an abusive relationship with her estranged husband.

George De la Cruz is on trial for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez, who disappeared in March of 2010 and still has not been found.

In day three of the trial, Gonzalez's sister, Samantha Soto Petri, testified. Petri recalled one time when Gonzalez and De la Cruz got into an argument and her sister came out shaking, with a red face, claiming he slapped her.

"She was shaking because she was really scared and she told me that she was scared. I was sitting there because I was trying to calm her down because she was crying a lot and she was even sweating because she just got so nervous and she was having a panic attack," Petri said.

She also recalled another time when De la Cruz forcefully grabbed Gonzalez by the arm and yanked her. Petri also said Gonzalez wanted a divorce from De la Cruz, but her sister said he was obsessed with her and he would not sign the papers.

Petri told the jury she saw her sister several days before she disappeared when she came over for dinner with her 2-year-old daughter, Layla. Petri said Gonzalez appeared worried about something.
 ::snipping3::

Investigators also took the stand Wednesday. First was Detective John Brooks, who took the missing persons report from family in 2010.

Brooks said he met Gonzalez's family in the Walgreens parking lot after they located Gonzalez's gold Chevrolet Impala there. Then he went a few blocks away to De la Cruz's house. De la Cruz gave police permission to search the house and officers searched every room and the back yard, where they found two sheds.

"The larger shed on the right had a plank cut out in the middle of it. It was freshly cut, there was sawdust and we lifted that and looked underneath and there was a trench dug in to the dirt underneath the shed that looked recently dug," Brooks said. "It just looked very out of place. I couldn't come up with a logical reason why that would be there."

He said the hole measured about four feet wide and two feet deep.

"I was told by George that someone else dug it for plumbing when they were going to turn it into an apartment," Brooks said.

Defense attorneys pointed out that De la Cruz willingly let police in and they did not find a crime scene -- no blood, weapons, fibers or any similar evidence.

Brooks said he noticed scratches on De la Cruz's face that day but didn't think it looked suspicious enough to document.

After lunch, another officer testified he took a report from a neighbor who noticed a suspicious man in a gold impala at De la Cruz's house on the Friday she went missing.

Detective Tony Hogue also investigated after Gonzalez disappeared. He said he pulled MySpace and Facebook account information for Gonzalez and De la Cruz as well as Gonzalez's phone records and credit card activity. He said the afternoon she disappeared, someone made three transactions on her card from Walmart and McDonald's. Hogue said surveillance video appeared to show De la Cruz using the card. They found images of him pushing Layla in a shopping cart at the store.

http://kxan.com/2015/04/15/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-day-3/
Trench was found dug in De La Cruz backyard
April 15, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During their first search through George De La Cruz’s home in 2010, investigators said they found a freshly dug trench under a backyard shed. Detective John Brooks testified Wednesday the trench was approximately 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep and was covered by a plank of plywood which appeared to have freshly cut sawdust on it.

“It looked very out of place,” said Brooks on the stand. “I couldn’t come up with a logical reason why it would be there. I was told by George somebody else dug it for plumbing when they were going to turn it into an apartment.

De La Cruz is on trial for his estranged wife’s murder, though the body of Julie Ann Gonzalez has never been found since her disappearance on March 26, 2010. Days after she vanished, her family called Brooks to the Walgreen’s where her car was discovered. Brooks was investigating her disappearance as missing person case and went to the home of George De La Cruz to talk with him since he was one of the last people to see Gonzalez.

While there, Brooks asked to search the home and De La Cruz allowed him access to anywhere inside and the two sheds outside. When the trench was discovered, Brooks said he notified investigators but did not preserve the scene because, at the time, it was still just a missing person case rather than a homicide investigation. When asked if he would have investigated the scene differently knowing a potential murder may have taken place, Brooks said he would have.

Under cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed out investigators did not notice anything suspicious in any other part of the house or any kind of change in De La Cruz’s demeanor. Earlier testimony eluded to scratches on De La Cruz’s face the day after Gonzalez went missing, but Brooks said he did not photograph or document the scratches because he thought they were most likely scratches caused by the man’s two-year-old daughter.

DEBIT CARD USED

Surveillance video shows George De La Cruz inside a Walmart with Layla at the same time charges were made to Julie Ann Gonzalez’s debit card. Detective Tony Hogue said De La Cruz made purchases at the McDonald’s inside Walmart and also purchased baby shampoo, baby wipes, and a video game using Gonzalez’s card on the same day she went missing.

Hogue said a search warrant executed weeks later at De La Cruz’s home found many of the items he purchased that day as well as the same clothes he appeared to be wearing in the surveillance. There was no sign of Gonzalez in the Walmart at the time bank records show the purchases were made.

In earlier testimony, an overnight Walgreen’s employee said a woman entered the store and asked if she could leave her car in the parking lot overnight without getting towed. This Walgreen’s location at Stassney and S. 1st is where Gonzalez’s car was found the day after she was last seen. The employee, Robert Guerra, said the woman came in at 1am and did not appear to be distressed, but he could not positively identify whether the woman was Gonzalez or not.

FAMILY RECALLS ARGUMENTS

After hearing Tuesday from several friends and family members who testified about Julie Ann Gonzalez’s unhappiness and arguments with husband George De La Cruz, her sister took the stand and recalled physical altercations. Samantha Petri, the younger sister of Gonzalez, told the jury that the last time she saw Gonzalez, she kept saying she “had a bad feeling” but that she couldn’t elaborate on what.

“In the beginning, it seemed very happy … but that really seemed to fade away as time went by,” said Petri, speaking about the progression of the relationship between De La Cruz and Gonzalez.

She noticed her sister started working harder, focusing more on her daughter. Petri says her sister seemed more stressed as time went by, and she seemed harder on herself.

Petri said De La Cruz was overbearing and aggressive with her sister, telling the jury about an argument where Gonzalez came out of her room with a red mark on her face and said De La Cruz had slapped her. She said she also saw De La Cruz grab Gonzalez by the arm and yank her toward him.

Like several friends and family members before her, Petri testified that Gonzalez was a devoted mother to her daughter, Layla, and would never leave her behind. She told jurors that Gonzalez did not trust leaving Layla with De La Cruz because he would not give her the proper care and asthma medication. As others have testified, Petri said there were texts and blog postings from Gonzalez after her disappearance that did not seem right. Those texts and posts instructed the family not to worry and that she was leaving town.

Focus then turned to Myspace posts made by De La Cruz after Gonzalez’s disappearance. In one posting, De La Cruz admitted to making mistakes, but went on to say that one of those mistakes gave him his daughter, Layla, and he vowed to be a good father for her. Another posting alludes to “getting back to the original” plan, although there is no mention of what that plan may be. Petri said it was concerning to her when De La Cruz referred to her as “SP” on Myspace, a nickname only Gonzalez would know — according to Petri.

The defense team cross-examined Petri by pointing out inconsistencies in her testimony Wednesday in comparison to her police statements at the time of Gonzalez’s disappearance in 2010, pointing out she never told investigators about the incident where De La Cruz grabbed Gonzalez by her arm. Petri was 14 years old at the time her sister vanished.

The next witness was Crystal Almaraz, a 911 calltaker who fielded a phone call from De La Cruz and his mother, Victoria De La Cruz, the day after Gonzalez was last seen. In the phone call played for the jury, De La Cruz tells Almaraz that his estranged wife did not pick up their daughter at the scheduled time and was in violation of the court order. He goes on to tell Almaraz about postings on Gonzalez’s Myspace which said she was leaving Texas with a new lover. In the phone call, De La Cruz said the two agreed to push back the pick-up date one day until Friday, but when Gonzalez showed up, she informed him she would be leaving Layla with him while she went out of town.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/16/police-interviews-shown-in-missing-womans-murder-trial/25880939/
Police interviews shown in missing woman's murder trial
April 16, 2015

AUSTIN -- For the first time, a Travis County jury is hearing from the man suspected of murdering his estranged wife. George De la Cruz is on trial for killing Julie Ann Gonzalez, who has been missing since March 26, 2010.

On Thursday morning, attorneys played recorded interviews police conducted with De la Cruz after Gonzalez disappeared.

In the video, Austin police Missing Persons Detective James Scott asked about the last time De la Cruz saw Gonzalez since he is allegedly the last person who did. De la Cruz stayed calm throughout the entire interview and he said she acted "weird" that day and kept her head down. He suggested she might be on drugs. De la Cruz also talked about Gonzalez's relationship with her family and said she often fought with her mother. Scott told him those family members believe he is responsible for her disappearance.
What do you think happened to Julie?" Scott asked in the video.

"They make me think a lot of things. Maybe she's a runaway," De la Cruz responded.

"I'll be honest, Julie's mom thinks you killed her," Scott said. "You didn't kill her, did you? I have to ask."

"No," De la Cruz replied.

Scott testified Wednesday he did not suspect foul play at the time but said, "hindsight is 20/20." At that point, he interviewed De la Cruz as a witness and not a suspect. Scott said family members and friends received text messages from Gonzalez after March 26 and told him they believed it to be her.

"Everyone that I asked said, 'Yeah, it sounds like the way she would type,' Scott said. "I believe her younger sister told me, 'She uses full sentences and uses punctuation. She doesn't use a lot of the texting slang.' And the messages appeared to be that way."

Scott said that in order for him to ping cell towers and geo-locate the phone, he would need an order from a judge, but at that time, he did not have enough information to do that, because Gonzalez did not appear to be in imminent danger.

During the interviews, Prosecutor Gary Cobb pointed out that De la Cruz never discussed abuse in the relationship. On Wednesday, family members testified he was physical with Gonzalez and she was scared of him.

Cobb also pointed out that, in that interview, De la Cruz did not tell investigators he used her credit card after she went missing. On Wednesday, attorneys showed surveillance video that appeared to show him using the car at Walmart and McDonalds the day she disappeared.

The jury also watched a second video Thursday of a second interview De la Cruz did with police done about a month after Gonzalez disappeared. De la Cruz said the couple had problems in the marriage and Gonzalez wanted a divorce and was rushing him to sign the papers, but he said he did not have the money or the time to do it. Attorneys said earlier this week he signed the papers three days after she disappeared.

In the second recorded interview, De la Cruz also talked about the relationship Gonzalez had with her mother, Sandra Soto. He said they had problems too and he could see Soto having something to do with her disappearance, but did not believe she would harm Gonzalez. He said he had been watching the interviews on television, and it was always Gonzalez's aunt being interviewed, not her mother. He said he believed the aunt was faking her tears and he thought the family knew something about the disappearance.

In the interviews, De la Cruz said he learned Gonzalez had a new boyfriend, Aaron Breaux, after she disappeared. Prosecutors claim that was a lie because De la Cruz had a picture of Gonzalez and Breaux saved on his phone.

"I was duped," Scott said.

"Was it fair to say you underestimated him?" asked Cobb.

"Yes," Scott replied.

Cobb often stopped the recording to point out "red flags" and statements De la Cruz made that detectives now believe were lies.

investigators who executed the search warrant on his home in May 2010 also testified. They found a baseball bat, bullets, Gonzalez's gym card and a torn up picture of her that had been taped back together. In the back yard, they found a recently dug hole underneath a shed.

Defense attorneys stressed that no one knows for sure Gonzalez is dead since they did not find her body or a crime scene.

Video

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/20/police-burn-pile-found-behind-murder-suspects-home/26083683/
Police: Burn pile found behind murder suspect's home
April 20, 2015

AUSTIN -- New evidence surfaced Monday in the murder trial of a missing Austin woman.

Investigators and forensic experts testified about what they found in George De la Cruz's backyard. De la Cruz is charged with killing his wife, Julie Ann Gonzalez, in March 2010.

Detectives testified they seized electronics from De la Cruz in the months after she disappeared, including a Dell computer, Xbox, controller, a cable modem and an iPod Touch. They also took his iPhone.

"It was jail-broken. So jail-broken means it has no cell service. It's being used as a WiFi-only device," said forensic examiner Robby Godeaux.

Detectives were able to recover several pictures from the phone, one of De la Cruz and the couple's daughter, Layla, and another of Gonzalez and her new boyfriend Aaron.

De la Cruz's neighbor, Karen Ozment, also took the stand Monday and said neighbors had seen two Mexican nationals escorting Gonzalez to the De la Cruz home the day she disappeared. She testified it came up in conversation with her neighbors as De la Cruz stood nearby.

"He appeared to, kind of, collapsed on the frame of the door and his face turned white," Ozment said. "He brought up she had a lot of men on MySpace and she probably went off with one of the men. It gave the appearance that she was selfish and ungrateful and I expressed that it did not sound like Julie Ann."

Investigators testified they searched his backyard where a trench had been recently dug underneath the shed. They said his mother, Victoria, called police in a panic when she found the hole.

"She was obviously distraught. It was very obvious to us that something had happened to her prior to calling police department that put her in a distressed state. She was really concerned and worried," said APD Sgt. Jeff Greenwalt.

They also found a burn pile, ammunition and a knife nearby. In the burn pile, they found what appeared to be a purple shoelace.

Still, defense attorneys suggest it's not enough evidence. Police never found blood, hair or fibers. Investigators admitted that while the evidence was suspicious, they have no proof someone was killed.

http://kxan.com/2015/04/20/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-second-week/
Testimony: Burned clothes, knife found in De La Cruz backyard
April 20, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After finding a trench dug beneath the shed in her backyard, Victoria De La Cruz was so worried she called police, but her panic did not end when they arrived.

“We had to call an ambulance to the house because of her accelerated heart rate and her nerves,” said Austin Police Sergeant Jeff Greenwalt about visiting the home in the weeks after Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared.

Victoria’s son George is now on trial for the murder of his estranged wife Gonzalez and that trench along with other items found in the De La Cruz family backyard are being used as evidence he killed Gonzalez despite her body having never been found.

Greenwalt testified on Monday a knife was found on a backyard picnic table and ammunition was found inside the shed. A black patch of grass was also found outside the shed and remnants of a purple shoelace indicated to Greenwalt a fire may have been set to burn clothing. A mound of dirt was found behind the shed according to Greenwalt.

After Greenwalt left the stand, an AT&T employee testified they received a call about disrupted service at 9:46am the day Gonzalez disappeared. They were able to identify damaged underground cable in the De La Cruz backyard, possibly caused by someone digging with a shovel. The employee said nobody with AT&T would have been responsible for digging a trench in the backyard shed.

NEIGHBOR: DE LA CRUZ STARTLED

For years, Karen Ozment lived across the street from the De La Cruz family and said they seldom came out to talk with the neighborhood. However, a conversation with George De La Cruz shortly after Gonzalez’s disappearance was recalled on Monday when she took the stand.

“There was one part of the conversation that appeared to have startled him a little bit,” said Ozment. Having received a call from Sandra Soto, Gonzalez’s mother, asking she inquire with neighbors about possibly seeing the missing woman, Ozment went to talk with Jesse Corpus. Earlier in the trial, Corpus testified his father had seen Gonzalez’s gold Chevy Impala pull up to the De La Cruz home and mysterious men get out and go to the home before getting back in the car and leaving.

While talking with Corpus, Ozment said De La Cruz came through the door and joined the conversation. Ozment said when Corpus mentioned seeing two Mexican nationals escort Gonzalez to the backyard towards the shed, De La Cruz’s demeanor changed.

“He appeared to kind of collapse on the frame of the door and his face turned white.”

During the course of the conversation, Ozment said De La Cruz continuously mentioned men on Gonzalez’s MySpace page and tried to imply Gonzalez likely ran away with one of them. He also said Gonzalez kept personal items in the backyard shed and probably went to retrieve them before leaving, according to Ozment.

“It gave the appearance that she was selfish and ungrateful and I expressed that it did not sound like Julie Ann,” said Ozment.

She went on to testify that after an appearance on the Dr. Phil show and increased media attention, she spoke with De La Cruz again about what may have happened to Gonzalez. At that time, she said De La Cruz continued to paint Gonzalez as selfish for leaving.

“I emotionally said ‘Julie Ann did not leave. Something very wrong has happened to her,’” testified Ozment. “He turned his head and said ‘Do you really believe that?’”

Ozment also said she was not aware of De La Cruz using her unsecured Wi-Fi network and confirmed she did not give him permission. Earlier testimony from former APD digital analysis detective Robby Godeaux stated De La Cruz used Ozment’s Wi-Fi even though an internet network was in use at his own home.

“We thought that was just odd that he was connecting to a Wi-Fi source across the street rather than his own within the house,” said Godeaux. Ozment said she was not aware her network was unsecure. The state is trying to provide evidence postings made on Gonzalez’s MySpace page may have actually been posted by De La Cruz.

Interesting photos in the article.

I haven't posted any of the photos in the tweets, but they can be viewed by clicking on Chris Sadeghi's twitter link below.

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 20, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  18m 18 minutes ago
http://kxan.com/2015/04/20/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-second-week/ … - Wrap-up of today's #DeLaCruz trial. More evidence from the backyard plus more from cell phones & computers.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Detective reading through posts made to Gonzalez MySpace. "I'm really hurt. Don't know if this heart can take it anymore."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Within 7 minutes of each other, someone accessed Julie's MySpace and then George's MySpace from the same IP address.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Julie responds by criticizing #DeLaCruz for not being involved enough w/ Layla. Says he can be nasty to her (Julie) but not to Layla.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Homicide det. going through email between George & Julie in Feb. George sends email to Julie saying he doesn't want to be friends & "F off."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Records on Julie Ann Gonzalez's cell phone show that it never left the Austin area.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Robert Lewis, AT&T engineer, is now on the stand. Could hear testimony about cell phone activity.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Julie Ann Gonzalez's gold Chevy Impala. Being inspected a couple says after it was found at Walgreen's.
 
 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Detective David Gann is now on the stand. He helped search through Gonzalez's car.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
Lunch break in #DeLaCruz trial. Be back around 1:30pm. Hearing closing arguments could happen as early as tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday AM

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
Jordan says the damage done to the line was covered back up before AT&T crews even arrived. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
State trying to show disruption that happened at 9:46 am on day of disappearance was caused by trench dug in #DeLaCruz shed.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
AT&T employee Jason Jordan on stand now. They were called out for complaints in area about service disruption. Said they did not dig trench.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Ammunition found in backyard shed. Knife found on picnic table. Items found after Victoria #DeLaCruz found trench.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Burned area of #DeLaCruz backyard. A purple shoelace in the ash.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Greenwalt said some burned clothing items were found in the backyard including some kind of shoelaces. Latex gloves & knife on picnic table

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
An ambulance was called to house because of Victoria #DeLaCruz's accelerated heart rate and nerves over the situation.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Greenwalt said Victoria #DeLaCruz's phone call to police after finding trench in shed was described as "Frantic and frenzied."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Sgt. Jeff Greenwalt is now on the stand. Now works at fusion center, but was in homicide unit during investigation of #DeLaCruz.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Jesse Corpus Sr. claimed to have seen Julie Ann Gonzalez w/ two Mexican nationals at 2pm, escorted to shed in back of home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Ozment said in 20 years, the #DeLaCruz family rarely came out of house. She noticed they came out to talk after Gonzalez disappearance.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Ozment says she was unaware De La Cruz was using her internet service and did not give him permission. She did not know it was unsecured.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
"I told him Julie Ann did not leave and something has happened to her." - Ozment told him. She says George asked "You really believe that?"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
After the Dr. Phil show and media attention, George again told Ozment Julie left and was selfish for leaving family behind.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
De La Cruz told Ozment and Corpus that Julie had items in the shed and the person in her car was likely retrieving them for their getaway.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Ozment says George's face turned white when Corpus talked about seeing the mysterious men arrive at the home that day.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
5 to 10 minutes into conversation, George De La Cruz shows up at door & joins the conversation. Says part of conversation startled George.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Ozment when to the Corpus house. She says Jesse Corpus described to her what he had seen (the car driving up & then leaving.)

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
The day of Gonzalez's disappearance, Ozment received a call from Sanda Soto (Julie's mother) asking her to inquire w/ neighbors about Julie.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Ironically, Ozment's children are second cousins with Julie Ann Gonzalez although she was not aware of the connection.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Karen Ozment, the neighbor with the unsecured wifi network, is now on the stand. Says she's known De La Cruz since he was a kid.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
1st exhibit is a picture of George De La Cruz and Layla at carnival. Second picture is a photo of Julie Ann Gonzalez and new boyfriend Aaron

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Godeaux talking about the search through De La Cruz's cell phone. Possibly could see some cell phone pictures or texts.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
“We thought that was just odd. He was connecting to wifi source across the street rather than his own wifi within his house.” - Godeaux.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Godeaux: Xbox was connected to unsecure wifi from neighbor while SSID called "Zeo" was inside De La Cruz home. His Xbox tag: "no mercy Zeo."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Robby Godeaux, former detective with APD's digital analysis team is on stand. Said there was particular interest in De La Cruz's Xbox card.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Officer testifies De La Cruz's XBox was gaining Internet access from an unsecured network. IP address coming from cross street neighbor.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Murder trial for George De La Cruz resumes today. Another APD officer is on the stand testifying about items found in search of home.

http://kxan.com/2015/04/21/closing-arguments-may-come-tuesday-in-de-la-cruz-trial/
Closing arguments may come Tuesday in De La Cruz trial
April 21, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Closing arguments can be expected as soon as Tuesday afternoon in the murder trial in the death of a missing woman, Julie Ann Gonzales. Prosecutors are trying to prove her estranged husband, George De La Cruz, killed her and covered his tracks.

Forensics experts testified on Monday that five days after Gonzalez went missing, someone accessed both her and her husband’s Myspace pages — just seven minutes apart — using the same IP address.

Prosecutors say De La Cruz might be the one behind postings on Gonzalez’s page, saying she was running away to Colorado.

With video

This article was from January 2015, when George De La Cruz was offered a plea deal, which he declined. 

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27802585/man-accused-of-julie-ann-gonzalez-murder-declines-plea-deal
Man accused of Julie Ann Gonzalez murder declines plea deal
January 9, 2015

George De La Cruz has declined a plea deal of 50 years in prison. His trial is set for March 30th.

De La Cruz's estranged wife and mother of his young daughter, Julie Ann Gonzalez, disappeared in March 2010. De La Cruz was arrested in September 2013 for Gonzalez's murder.
 ::snipping3::

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 20, 2015 Tweets Yesterday

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  12h 12 hours ago
http://kxan.com/2014/10/16/austin-lawyers-arrested-in-federal-drug-ring/ … - Of course, there is even more twists to the story. Fagerberg was also arrested in a federal drug ring last year.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  12h 12 hours ago
serious head injury after a fluke crane accident. But it apparently unlocked a special talent. Quite the story. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/traumatic-brain-injury-turns-texas-attorney-artist-article-1.2122528 …

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  12h 12 hours ago
For those following the George #DeLaCruz trial, his original attorney was Patrick Fagerberg. In 2011, Fagerberg suffered a (cont)

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/traumatic-brain-injury-turns-texas-attorney-artist-article-1.2122528
Patrick Fagerberg went from hotshot lawyer to talented artist after a 30-foot camera boom fell on his head at a 2011 concert.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, February 20, 2015


It was a tragedy with a miraculous twist.

A hotshot Texas attorney was transformed into an accomplished artist after suffering brain damage when a camera boom fell onto his head.

Patrick Fagerberg was an admired defense lawyer who'd never lost a trial when he attended a concert in Austin, Tex., in March 2011, KHOU reported.

But his whole life changed when the 30-foot long boom bashed him on the skull.
 ::snipping3::
Photos

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/de-la-cruz-knocked-estranged-wife-unconscious-form/nkzBy/
Former inmate: De La Cruz knocked estranged wife unconscious
April 21, 2015

George De La Cruz once recounted a fight he had with his estranged wife in which he said she fell, hit her head and had been bleeding before he knocked her unconscious in an attempt to stop her from calling for help, a former Travis County inmate told jurors Tuesday.

Testifying in a murder trial for De La Cruz, Justin, who asked that his last name not be used in court for fear of retaliation, said the conversation between him and De La Cruz took place sometime in 2013, when they were both incarcerated in Del Valle and had been members of the same prayer circle.

“He told me about the blood,” Jason recalled on the witness stand. “I know she was knocked out, and he freaked out.”

Former inmate: De La Cruz knocked estranged wife unconscious photo
George De La Cruz
The evidence came on what could be the last day of testimony in the case against De La Cruz, who is facing up to life in prison if convicted in the March 2010 disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez. Prosecutors could rest their case in the afternoon and jurors could start deliberating in the evening.

In a trial that began April 13, the state has sought to prove that De La Cruz, 27, attacked and killed his wife, who feared him, and disposed of her body, then sent messages and updates from her phone and social media accounts to make it look as if she had fled to Colorado with a man named James.

Defense lawyers have argued that the state does not have the evidence to prove the allegations. Gonzalez’s remains have not been found, and investigators do not have forensic evidence or a murder weapon tied to De La Cruz.

But in a courtroom packed with more than 45 people, many of them friends and family members from both sides of the case, prosecutors on Tuesday brought their strongest witnesses.

Among them was Justin, who seemed hesitant to testify but gave jurors incriminating details. “I believe it was over some guy she was talking to,” he said of the argument between De La Cruz and his estranged wife. “They fell and she hit her head on the side of the counter.”

Defense lawyers delved into Justin’s criminal history. They suggested the former inmate was testifying only to help lower his potential punishment in his pending cases and that there was no proof he ever spoke with De La Cruz.

But perhaps the most damming evidence against De La Cruz came from cell phone network expert Jim Cook, who placed Gonzalez’s cell phone in the vicinity of her estranged husband’s home for hours at a time from March 26 to March 27 — the days her family and friends say she stopped answering their calls and sent texts about leaving the state.

That was “highly uncharacteristic of her device,” said Cook, who conducted an analysis of all calls, texts and data connections from her cell phone from March 2010 to May 2010.

On March 26, her phone also connected to a tower near a Best Buy where Gonzalez had been shopping, while the next day, it pinged off a tower where his friend lived, Cook said. Out of 27 data connections from her phone in that time, 22 were made within the area of De La Cruz’s home, the expert told jurors.

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 21, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Lunch break. Cell phone expert still pouring through call logs. Most of it shows connection between Gonzalez phone and #DeLaCruz home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Day after disappearance, Julie's phone pings off tower it never pinged off before, in vicinity of #DeLaCruz friend. His phone did, as well.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
After 10:50 am on day of disappearance through next day, there 27 cell connections from Julie's phone. 22 in vicinity of #DeLaCruz home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
On day of disappearance, her phone was tracked in vicinity of #DeLaCruz home for more than three hours.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
In a six-month period prior to disappearance, Julie's cell phone would typically depart vicinity of #DeLaCruz home minutes after arriving.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
At around 8pm on night of disappearance, #DeLaCruz and Julie Ann Gonzalez's cell phone both tracked in vicinity of Best Buy.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Cook says Julie Ann Gonzalez's cell phone patterns were also unusual on day of disappearance. Spent a lot of time near #DeLaCruz home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Cook monitored gaming habits of #DeLaCruz in weeks surrounding disappearance. Said gaming access day of disappearance "Uncharacteristic."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Many members of the #DeLaCruz family are present here today. Now jury has returned and will here from Jim Cook, the wireless expert.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Using GPS, wattage outputs, and other methods, the next witness will testify as to more specific locations of cell phone activity.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Jury has been given a break, but while they are gone, defense is being allowed to depose the next witness; an expert on cell phone networks.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Hampton says #DeLaCruz and the jail witness were in same facility and would have had access to speak with each other.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
The jail witness steps down off stand. Sgt. Trina Hampton with Travis Co SO now up. She oversees activities in jail.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Things get tense as defense asks him if he told mom another inmate killed Gonzalez. Defense indicated its on tape. He says "Play it for me."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness says #DeLaCruz said his wife was unconscious at the end of the struggle that happened inside De La Cruz home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
"Whether you believe it or not, I didn't care about a deal. There's a little girl involved" - Witness back to defense questioning his motive

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Defense asks witness if he would be surprised if there is no jail video of him talking w/ #DeLaCruz would it surprise him, he says yes.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Defense disputes whether witness got benefit for testimony. Point out a charge reduction. Witness said it had nothing to do w/ testifying.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
While on theft probation, this witness committed two more burglaries of buildings and ended up back in jail. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Burglary, drug possession among the crimes for which this witness has served time.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Now defense goes to work on cross-examination trying to discredit the witness. Bringing up his own criminal record. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness says he has been given no benefits or leniency for his testimony. Said this process has been more setback than gain for himself.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness admits his memory about specifics of conversation has faded. Witness arranged meeting w/ detective through his attorney.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness says as #DeLaCruz is telling him this, he is hesitant and crying. "I know she was knocked out and he freaked out."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness said in a physical argument, #DeLaCruz & Julie fell, she hit her head & was bleeding & tried to call for help, he tried to stop her
e
 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Witness said #DeLaCruz told him the altercation was about "a guy she was talking to." That argument was about her interest in another guy

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
In 2013, the witness said #DeLaCruz was "venting" one day, almost in tears, felt bad abt having an altercation w/ a girl he had a child with

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
The witness said he asked #DeLaCruz what he was in jail for and he did not want to talk about it.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Says #DeLaCruz showed him a picture of a woman and depicting something about "what woman can make men do."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Jury is in and we are ready. We have been asked to protect identity of the first witness. He met George #DeLaCruz in jail.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
A bit of a delay here to start. Looks like the court is trying to work out some kind of technical issue with one of their computers.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
Back at the George #DeLaCruz murder trial. There is a chance jury could start deliberating today.

http://kxan.com/2015/04/21/closing-arguments-may-come-tuesday-in-de-la-cruz-trial/
Mother details days leading up to Julie Ann Gonzalez’s disappearance
April 21, 2015

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 21, 2015 Tweets

 Chris Sadeghi retweeted
 KXAN News @KXAN_News  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Mother details days leading up to Julie Ann Gonzalez’s disappearance

@chrissadeghi has recap from #DeLaCruz trial: http://bit.ly/1bfFeWN

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
The state has no further witnesses and rests their case. We are done for today. Will be back tomorrow for possible defense case and closing.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Sandra Soto has stepped down off the stand. Attorneys meeting at the bench. Five minute break.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
When couple separated, Soto tried to get them to talk with each other for the sake of Layla. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Under cross examination, Soto admits her relationship with her daughter was not always smooth. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Defense attorney Keith Laurman starts cross examination by saying "Miss Soto, I know this must be difficult for you. I can't imagine."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto was frustrated with police investigation. APD said bc she was 21, she was allowed to leave. Soto asked "But how do you know she left?"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Sandra Soto went to media when she felt police weren't doing enough. Did not know anything about backyard trench until reported by media.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
'He kept telling me she'll be back. He never once told me he had anything other than Layla." - Soto about #DeLaCruz. She's crying heavily.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
"I begged him, I said 'Please George, if you know anything else, please tell me." "He just said 'She'll be back. She'll be back." - Soto.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Sandra Soto: George #DeLaCruz said Layla gave him the scratches. Looked to his mom, nudged her and said "right, mom." His mom simply nodded.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
"I asked him when we stepped outside and I saw him in sunlight. I said 'George what happened to your face.' He had scratches on face."- Soto

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
When #DeLaCruz reported Julie abandoned Layla: "I knew right then. He did something to her. Because Julie would not leave Layla w/ George."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
"We knew that's not Julie. That's not Julie at all." - Sandra Soto. She says everything that weekend was "so surreal."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Sandra says from the beginning, it didn't seem right. They both seemed to think it was someone else sending the text. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
On Saturday, Aaron (new boyfriend) told Sandra he received text from Julie saying she sent a text breaking up with him.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
PROSECUTOR: Fair to say you and Julie Ann let your guard down. SOTO: ..........Yes. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto said "that doesn't sound right, something is wrong. I asked Julie, do you want me to go with you?" - sobbing heavily.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Asked if she picked up Layla that day, Julie said no because #DeLaCruz asked for another day. So she agreed to meet Friday morning.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto recalling last time she spoke to Julie. "She told me she felt like George was up to something. She was afraid of him." #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Sandra admits Julie was caught in middle. On one hand, a husband she was trying to make life with, on other, a mother who saw her unhappy.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto says he put down the game and "real smart alec like" said "Okay, now what do you want me to do?"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
"Instead of concentrating on his wife who was having contractions, he was playing stupid video games," -Sandra Soto crying on stand.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
The day Layla was born, Gonzalez was having labor pains, asking George for help, but he was playing a hand held game.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
As many have said this trial, Soto says #DeLaCruz's love of video games were big part of couple's problems.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto said #DeLaCruz did not want to sign divorce papers, wanted to work it out but made no effort to change, provide good home.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Whenever Julie Ann Gonzalez tried to get her belongings out of home, Soto says #DeLaCruz would make it difficult.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
After separation, #DeLaCruz kept asking Soto why. She urged him to give Gonzalez time, but says it obviously affected him emotionally.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  4h 4 hours ago
Soto says Gonzalez got scholarship to St. Edwards. After getting pregnant, realized she needed career job. Dropped out, became pharmacy tech

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Sandra describes her daughter as sweet, playful, with a beautiful heart. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Last conversation Sandra has w/ her daughter was March 25th, 2010. Day before disappearance.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Asked if she knows why we are here, Sandra starts to cry. Prosecutor asks "It's been a long time coming?" She replies "Yes."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Before even taking the stand, Soto is very emotional.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Sandra Soto, Julia Ann Gonzelez's mother, is up next to testify.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
Cross-examination of wireless expert taking place. Looking less and less likely that #DeLaCruz trial will get to deliberations today.

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 22, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"He had the intent & he did it. He covered his tracks, showed up to police station, & lied in their face." -Monica Flores completes argument

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Flores on #DeLaCruz's meeting with police: "He took himself to the interview. He didn't take the truth."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Flores: Julie's car was dumped at Walgreen's within walking distance of George's home. Never mentioned that to police.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Flores reminds jury Julie's cell phone was tracked seemed to follow #DeLaCruz everywhere he went.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"A home doesn't have to look like a crime scene in order for it to be crime scene.George intended to kill Julie the moment shovel hit dirt"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"She chose to be with a man who rolled out of bed and went to work instead of a man that rolled out of bed and played XBox." - Flores.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"Who would have known that Julie Ann's choice in a man was going to be fatal?" - Flores.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Flores has the love letter Julie left for new boyfriend Aaron. "You heard together they were planning a future."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"Julie Ann had a beautiful and bright future ahead of her..... until she met George."- Monica Flores.  #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Monica Flores starts closing argument for State of Texas. Reminds jury direct evidence is not required. Body, cause of death not required.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
#DeLaCruz defense rests opting to bring no witnesses. Evidence portion of trial is complete. Judge Brown now reading charge to jury.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Julie Ann Gonzalez's mom & aunt are in courtroom today. They've stayed out all trial due to "the rule" preventing witnesses from watching.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Back at day 7 of the George #DeLaCruz murder trial. Closing arguments and deliberations will happen today according to Judge Cliff Brown.

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 22, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"You decide if George walks thru that door (courtroom exit) or that door (door to jail). You have a monumental task ahead of you." -Lauerman

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"Not knowing. Not guilty. No conviction.... no, no, no, no." - McCabe finishes and Keith Lauerman takes over for defense.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"You cannot hand down a real verdict with a case so full of loose ends and unanswered questions," says McCabe.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"Cell records can only tell you how call was made. No pinpoint accuracy." - McCabe attacking wireless expert testimony.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
McCabe on why #DeLaCruz didn't tell officers everything. "Who's job is it to ask questions? It is the detectives job."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"Cops though so little of this 'grave,' they didn't even take pictures." - McCabe about the backyard shed trench. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"You can have a murder w/o a body. You can have a murder w/o a weapon. But you have to have something." -McCabe saying state case incomplete

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
McCabe about jailhouse inmate informant who told jury about #DeLaCruz conversation. "Show me a thief. I'll show you a liar."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
McCabe says timeline provides reasonable doubt. Asks how #DeLaCruz could clean up scene, dispose of body w/ no trace in short amount of time

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
McCabe points to a 2008 purchase of an XBox card using Gonzalez's card as evidence #DeLaCruz had been allowed to use card previously.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"This is not a parenting contest. This is a murder trial," - McCabe says state is asking jury to "use imagination" to fill in gaps.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"The state has done an excellent job proving a missing person's case. Excellent job of proving who more mature parent is." - McCabe.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"You convict based on facts. Not feelings. Not fantasy. When you convict on emotions, feelings and fantasy, innocent people get convicted."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
"If she died, the state must prove she died in Travis County. If she died, state must prove George #DeLaCruz killed her." - McCabe

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
McCabe: "There' s no burden for us to prove Gonzalez is alive. Don't let that burden shift because it is a violation of justice system."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  10h 10 hours ago
Defense Attorney Robert McCabe: "Convictions are about knowledge. There is no evidence in this trial to tell you Gonzalez is deceased."

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 22, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"All these things by themselves don't mean anything. When you bring all that circumstantial evidence in, it means everything." - Cobb

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Cobb points to changes in #DeLaCruz's internet usage, behavioral changes. "Why do any of this if you have not committed murder?"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Cobb points to #DeLaCruz MySpace postings about "not being able to move on" and then later mentioning "back to my original plan."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"What does it take for your mama to call police on you? When there's a person missing for a month?" -Cobb on #DeLaCruz mom finding trench

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"Had he sent her a text, it would've gone from one pocket to other pocket." -Cobb reminding of evidence showing #DeLaCruz had Julie's phone.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"He never once sent her text asking 'why haven't you come back.' You know why? Cause he's not waiting for her to come thru that door." Cobb

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Cobb points to evidence showing #DeLaCruz constantly played video games but his usage level dropped big time on day of Julie disappearance

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Cobb tells jury defense has misrepresented much of the evidence in hopes jury would believe it. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"You learned so much about Julie Ann Gonzalez, that should convince you beyond all doubt she would never leave Layla." - Gary Cobb.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"We don't believe in rewarding someone who is clever enough to hide a body." - Cobb.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Defense argument is complete. Gary Cobb will now complete state argument.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"We are asking you for a decision of not guilty because you do not have the evidence of anything otherwise." - Lauerman.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"The reason innocent people get convicted is because juries do not follow the law. That means holding state to their burden." - Lauerman.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Lauerman talking about how innocent people get evicted. "Emotion overrides our logic. We want to do something because we are emotional."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Lauerman says pieces don't fit. Timeline is not plausible. Not jury's job to make pieces fit. It is prosecution's job to make them fit.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Lauerman again reiterating it is not burden of defense to tell jury what happened. It is burden of state to prove #DeLaCruz killed Gonzalez.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"We have given you no theories about what happened to Julie Ann Gonzalez bc we agree w/ Miss Soto, the possibilities are endless" - Lauerman

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 22, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
AT&T rep arrived three days after disappearance, but "trouble ticket" call came in on the day of.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Judge Brown says jury disputing whether AT&T rep arrived to #DeLaCruz home assess service outage on day of disappearance or day after.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
There are 2 counts for murder in charge. Jury decides if criteria met for either/or to arrive at guilty. If it meets neither = not guilty.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Chris Sadeghi retweeted Susan Dunn
Just told it is a dispute about something in testimony. Jury wants to have it read back to them from record. Chris Sadeghi added,
Susan Dunn @DunnSusan
@chrissadeghi any idea what this question is @chrissadeghi  ?

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Five hours into deliberations, jury has a second question in #DeLaCruz deliberations.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  5h 5 hours ago
Just been informed media will NOT be allowed to live stream the #DeLaCruz verdict. Sorry. But will tweet immediately when it happens.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1465  - Here is the link to the August 2010 episode of Dr. Phil with George #DeLaCruz taking a polygraph.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  6h 6 hours ago
Chris Sadeghi retweeted Aaron Hoelscher
If you have the @KXAN_News app, there should be a push notification. Chris Sadeghi added,
Aaron Hoelscher @ahole1465
@chrissadeghi Anyway to get a notification when the #DeLaCruz jury has reached a verdict?

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  7h 7 hours ago
Two hours into deliberations, the #DeLaCruz jury has a question. Attorneys back in courtroom. Not uncommon/unusual for jury to ask questions

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
Cobb says too many people trusted George #DeLaCruz. "Don't make that same mistake." Arguments done. Deliberations begin now at 11am on dot.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"Now it comes down to you (jury). You've seen the warnings and the consequences of those warnings." - Cobb

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  9h 9 hours ago
"You can hide a body. But you can't hide the truth," says Cobb. #DeLaCruz.

https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi (https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi)
April 22, 2015 Tweets

Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  44m 44 minutes ago
http://kxan.com/2015/04/22/closing-arguments-underway-in-george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/ … - Wrap-up of today's closing arguments and verdict. George #DeLaCruz guilty for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Gary Cobb said he doubts this verdict will give closure and Soto confirms. Says no closure. That goal from beginning is to find Julie.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Asked if guilty verdict gives hope truth may come out, Sandra Soto, Julie's mom, says "No. George is a coward. He's always been a coward"

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Just watched tape again, #DeLaCruz slightly drops his head after hearing "Guilty."

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Chris Sadeghi retweeted Daizy Anaya
No visible reaction from #DeLaCruz Chris Sadeghi added,
Daizy Anaya @daizy_anaya
@chrissadeghi how was his reaction?

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Cobb says they will not entertain deals for lenient sentence in exchange for information about Gonzalez's fate. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Prosecutor Gary Cobb says in his past experience, guilty party still not likely to reveal what happened to victim. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Chris Sadeghi retweeted Susan Dunn
Up to life in prison. Chris Sadeghi added,
Susan Dunn @DunnSusan
@chrissadeghi What are the choices the jury has @chrissadeghi  ?

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Now that a guilty verdict has been returned..... a punishment phase will begin tomorrow morning. #DeLaCruz

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
George De La Cruz has been found GUILTY for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Judge is on bench. #DeLaCruz has entered. Jury being brought in.

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Prosecutor just advised Gonzalez family to make sure they keep emotions in check regardless of outcome. Still waiting on #DeLaCruz to arrive

 Chris Sadeghi @chrissadeghi  ·  2h 2 hours ago
We have been told a verdict is reached in the #DeLaCruz trial after 6:40 of deliberation.

Guilty!!!   ::justice2nj2:: ::justice2nj2::

Muffy - I haven't been following this case.  Since he has been found guilty shall I assume she was murdered and move to Deceased even though her body has not been found? What do you think?

http://kxan.com/2015/04/22/closing-arguments-underway-in-george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/
George De La Cruz found guilty of murder
April 22, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After six days of testimony and nearly seven hours of deliberations, a Travis County jury returned a verdict more than five years in the making. George De La Cruz was found guilty Wednesday evening for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez, his estranged wife who disappeared in 2010 and has never been found.

A punishment phase will begin Thursday to determine an appropriate sentence for De La Cruz. The newly convicted murderer ever so slightly dropped his head when he heard the word “guilty” from Judge Cliff Brown.

But despite the guilty verdict, Gonzalez’s mother Sandra Soto said it brings no closure and gives her no hope that De La Cruz might finally reveal what happened on March 26, 2010, when the 21-year-old mother disappeared.

“George is a coward,” said Soto, her eyes filled with tears after the verdict. “He has always been a coward.”

Prosecutor Gary Cobb said, in his experiences, guilty parties are unlikely to reveal information after a verdict. In the punishment phase, Cobb said the state will seek a sentence of life in prison for De La Cruz and would not entertain deals for a lenient sentence in exchange for information about Gonzalez’s fate.

Ever since Gonzalez’s disappearance in March 2010, the case has garnered national attention including an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show. In that episode, De La Cruz failed a polygraph test. The test was not admissible in court, but even without a polygraph, without a body, and without a cause of death, the jury found that circumstantial evidence, aided largely by digital fingerprints, was enough to eliminate reasonable doubt as to De La Cruz’s involvement.

Closing arguments

After hearing six days of prosecution witnesses ending with an emotional testimony from Gonzalez’s mother, De La Cruz’s defense team presented no witnesses, deciding instead to rest their case and proceed directly to closing arguments.

De La Cruz is on trial for the murder of his estranged wife who has not been seen since March 26, 2010. With no body and no murder weapon having ever been recovered, the state reminded jurors direct evidence is not required for a murder conviction. Instead, they asked the jury to consider all of the circumstantial evidence which included testimony of a troubled marriage, a new lover, cell phone and internet tracking, and an unexplained trench in De La Cruz’s backyard shed.

“All of those things by themselves don’t mean anything,” said prosecutor Gary Cobb. “But when you bring all that circumstantial evidence in together it means something. You can hide a body, but you cannot hide the truth.”
More...

I remember the day I walked up to a vehicle in a parking lot near Austin, TX that had missing posters of Julie Ann Gonzales mounted on many of the windows.  I spoke to the man as he got out of the car, and I told him I hoped she would be found.  This man was Julie Ann's grandpa.  And he and the family not only worried about where Julie Ann was, but also George had little Layla.  That is so sad to not only have to worry about the missing loved one, but also to know there was an innocent child that needed to be considered. There were legal fights about visitation/custody.   I saw missing person's posters that had been put up at the local community college, at an oil change shop, they were posted miles out of town in either direction.  I saw a billboard.  I saw where her family were holding barbecues to raise money to continue searches.  They still haven't found Julie Ann, and that's so sad.  There's always hope. 

George will be behind bars, and I hope that brings some comfort.

I think you should go ahead and move it Klaas.   ::MonkeyTears::

Yes  ::justice2nj2:: ::justice2nj2::

 ::justice2nj2:: ::jeep3::

 ::justice2nj2::

Even though her body has not been found, the assumption is she was murdered thus I moved to this thread.

I've been reading comments in various places in the news regarding the jury finding George De La Cruz guilty in the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez, and I personally don't agree with the opinion of some that wouldn't or couldn't find him guilty because her body hasn't been found.  George just wishes it were "no body, no case".   JMHO

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/jurors-deliberate-sentence-for-george-de-la-cruz-i/nk2XP/
George De La Cruz gets life in prison for killing Julie Ann Gonzalez
April 23, 2015

Update
11:48 p.m. update: George De La Cruz was sentenced Thursday morning to life in prison for the 2010 disappearance of his estranged wife, Julie Ann Gonzalez.

In the audience, Gonzalez’s friends and family members let out low exclamations of relief. “Yes, yes,” her mother said.

A Travis County jury recommended the life sentence after a short deliberation, and Judge Cliff Brown made the life sentence official.
 ::snipping3::



De La Cruz’s defense lawyers contended there wasn’t enough evidence to even prove she was dead. But jurors convicted the 27-year-old Wednesday following nearly seven hours of deliberations.

He faces between five to 99 years in prison.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/28886763/timeline-of-a-murder-george-de-la-cruz-case-through-the-years
Timeline of a murder: George De La Cruz case through the years
April 23, 2015

(http://i.imgur.com/qyiPjo9.jpg) (http://imgur.com/qyiPjo9)
Victim Julie Ann Gonzalez

 ::snipping3::
This week, the jury found De La Cruz guilty. They reportedly couldn't ignore tracking data from cellphone towers that put Gonzalez's missing phone near locations where De La Cruz frequently visited.

And he went on a shopping spree with her debit card.

On Thursday, pent up emotions erupted in the courtroom as a life sentence was delivered.

De La Cruz's life sentence comes with the possibility of parole in 30 years.

There is a possibility there are several accomplices who helped De La Cruz cover all of this up.

Prosecutors may try to track them down.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/28885307/tempers-flare-after-george-de-la-cruz-is-sentenced-to-life-in-prison
Tempers flare after George De La Cruz is sentenced to life in prison
April 23, 2015

 ::snipping3::
The life sentence for George De La Cruz comes with the possibility of parole in 30 years. The sentence could not fill the lingering emptiness for Sandra Soto, Julie Ann's mother, because her daughter's body still remains missing.

"He is not going to have any freedom, that's a comfort, it's not closure. But it is a comfort knowing that what he did to Julie he did to himself too."

A member of the jury told FOX 7 when deliberations began the majority of the group quickly started leaning toward a guilty verdict. The trial lasted about a week and a half. But the key evidence for the jury came on one of the last days. The jury just could not ignore tracking data from cellphone towers. The information was put Gonzalez's phone after she disappeared near locations De La Cruz was at or frequented. Images from store surveillance cameras and receipts made during a shopping spree he made with her debit card were matched up on a timeline map.

The information confirmed - what her family already knew - Julie Ann was gone. Sandra Soto said despite the loss- says she still talks to her daughter.

"So in my prayers tonight, she will come to me and hopefully she will tell me mom, I'm ok."

Soto trying to get full custody of her granddaughter who is currently living with De La Cruz's mother. Keith Lauerman, the lead attorney for George De La Cruz said an appeal will be filed.

On a side note; there is a real possibility there are two to three accomplices who helped dispose of Gonzalez's body and/ or helped with the cover up. Prosecutors tell FOX7 they have not decided if they will try to tack down those who took part in the crime.

http://kxan.com/2015/06/03/cell-phone-tracking-leads-to-crucial-evidence/
Cellphone tracking leads to crucial evidence
June 3, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Television shows may lead one to believe by smashing a “burner” phone after a call, you will be able to eliminate any record of its use. But geolocation of cellphones has recently impacted two high-profile murder cases in Central Texas.

In April, a wireless expert delivered key testimony against George De La Cruz and he was ultimately convicted in the murder of his missing wife, Julie Ann Gonzalez. The expert presented evidence showing Gonzalez’s cellphone being “pinged” or tracked in areas De La Cruz was known to frequent even after her disappearance..

On Tuesday, an affidavit filed by Harris County District Attorney’s Office indicated cellphone records show text messages were made to Samantha Dean’s phone the day she was killed asking her to meet the sender. Those messages were traced to a pre-paid cellphone investigators found was purchased at a Houston area Walmart. Surveillance video from the Walmart led to a possible suspect.

Greg Ledenbach is a digital forensics expert for E-Investigations, a private computer and cellphone investigations company. He said the GPS which comes equipped in many smartphones is one way to track cell location. Having “locations services” turned on can leave digital fingerprints when using the phone or its applications.

But that is not the only way to follow.

“Triangulating from cellphone towers requires cooperation from tower’s owner,” said Ledenbach. Triangulation is a locating process requiring at least three cell towers. Using the amount of time it takes for a phone to “ping” off a tower, forensic experts can identify an approximate location to where the phone is located. The more towers in range, the more accurately the phone can be placed. Cellphone companies have to grant access which is why private investigators are rarely involved in such a location technique, however, law enforcement with a search warrant can get access to such evidence.

Pre-paid phones do not provide as much protection as what television may lead you to believe according to Ledenbach. He said unless the actual memory chip is destroyed, data can still be retrieved. And even though the phone is prepaid, it can still be tracked like any other phone.

 I posted an article this morning in Rachel Cooke's missing person thread.  Fourteen years later, Rachel is still missing. 
Link to Rachel's current discussion thread: http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=6897.0  Julie Ann's mother Sandra Soto comments in the article:

http://kxan.com/2016/01/10/georgetown-teen-still-missing-after-14-years/
Georgetown teen still missing after 14 years
January 11, 2016

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — “I ain’t giving up.”

It’s the 14th year of staying strong. Janet Cooke is back at her daughter’s memorial tree next to Georgetown High School, flowers and balloons in hand.

“It’s important to keep the story out there, because we don’t have closure yet,” says Janet.

Nineteen-year-old Rachel Cooke disappeared in January of 2002 while jogging near her parents’ home in rural Georgetown. It’s clear she won’t be forgotten. Dozens of people showed up to her memorial, sharing memories of Rachel.
 ::snipping3::
It’s been nearly six years since Sandra Soto’s daughter, Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared. Julie’s estranged husband was sentenced to life in prison for her murder. Her body has never been found.

“Not knowing is the hardest part, just not knowing and not being able to plan a funeral,” says Sandra.

It was hard enough losing their daughters. Now all these women ask is that they’re found, so they can have closure.

“These mothers who have their children missing, and don’t have answers,” says Sandra, “There are other people out there who understand your pain, you’re not alone.”

They’re certainly not, and these families won’t let go of the memories, or the search for their loved ones.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says they’re still looking into leads on Rachel’s disappearance. The family still has a $50,000 reward to whomever helps them find her.

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/family-still-searching-for-answers-on-the-anniversary-of-a-21-year-old-woman-s-disappearance
Family still searching for answers, on the anniversary of a 21-year-old woman's disappearance
March 24, 2019

AUSTIN,Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - March 2010 was the last time Dora Soto-Derma would see her 21-year-old niece Julie Ann Gonzalez alive.

Sunday on the anniversary of her disappearance her family and friends are still desperate for answers.

"We didn't get the call we didn't get a text we didn't hear nothing. We knew something was wrong."

The Walgreens near the intersection of South 1st and Stassney Lane in south Austin is an area that has haunted Soto-Derma for years.

"It's painful we avoid this area. We just avoid this area for obvious reasons," said Soto-Derma.

It's been nine years since Gonzalez was reported missing. 

"She was a very good mom, good sister, cousin, and friend," said Soto-Derma Gonzalez's aunt.

Soto-Derma says her car was found abandoned in the Walgreens parking lot where Gonzalez worked.

"I remember it like if it was yesterday. I remember the ordeal as if it were yesterday it really hurts," said Soto-Derma.

Investigators say her ex-husband George De La Cruz was allegedly the last person to see her alive.

De La Cruz told investigators that Gonzalez had asked him to watch their daughter for a few more days and then left town with a new lover.

A story Soto-Derma says she didn't buy, and neither did a jury.

Five years later De La Cruz was trial for the murder of his estranged-wife

During the trial, prosecutors showed evidence connecting De La Cruz to the case.

They reportedly couldn't ignore tracking data from cellphone towers that put Gonzalez's missing phone near locations where De La Cruz frequently visited.  And said he went on a shopping spree with her debit card.

De La Cruz was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. However, till this day Gonzalez's body has never been found.

Gonzales says it doesn't compare to the life sentence her family is currently serving.

"Waiting for answers waiting for a sign a clue. My family wants to know where she is whether alive or gone," said Soto-Derma.

And says even though the family has their justice they still haven't been able to lay Gonzalez to rest.

"That's what we want we want to know where she is she needs to be buried properly," said Soto-Derma.