This video was uploaded to Youtube on 1-11-2010. It from Fox News and was uploaded to their channel originally.
Did Mom Murder Her Child?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edz1YUoRF-c[/ame]
Transcription from 1:00 in video.
Reporter: …and here’s the latest twist. Police have named Jack and Tammi Smith, you see them there, persons of interest in the case. They are joining us live from Phoenix. Jack and Tammi, thanks for being with us.
Jack: You’re welcome. [inaudible]
Reporter: Jack, are they saying that you’re a person of interest in the disappearance, that you may have had something to do with harm to baby Gabriel or they saying that you may have information about what she may have done to the baby and you’re not forthcoming with that information?
Jack: Well, we did talk with the detective after they, after they, um, made that announcement, and it’s very hard to, to, certainly that the public understand that after the story you read, went through previous about the, about the person of interest. But, he, they said to us, it really don’t mean anything, it just means we have a few questions to ask, and, uh, ask you, uh, that we feel that needs an answer. And we said, uh, and that was New Year’s Eve. We were asking, uh, for over a week, 8 days, for them to give us a polygraph test and get this behind us, cause we need to get on to finding this baby.
Reporter: Tammi, its, it’s an unusual story to hear that you would approach someone at an airport and you would notice that they were having a difficult time with their child and offer to adopt that baby. Was this all handled just between the two of you, do you have other children, and do ya’ll have any criminal background or record that might make the police suspicious?
Tammi: Neither of us have any kind of a criminal background at all. Um, and yes, I have other children and when I met her at the airport, it wasn’t like I’m approaching her to come adopt the baby. Um, she, she was distraught and upset. You could tell, by holding a newborn down in your lap, you know, rather than holding him up, like this, and somebody crying, you know. I asked her what was wrong. I can’t remember still to this day, what the words she told me was, but basically, in other words, I don’t want this kid, ya know? And so I asked her, well, what are your plans? Are you planning on adopting him out or do you have family members that could raise him? What are your plans? So, we went on from there. Um, but I didn’t see or speak to her again until seven months later, until the 8th of December, when she called me late at night, saying, are you still wanting to adopt a child.
Reporter: Well, Jack you had Gabriel for a short time, you had custody of him and then he vanished. What have you told authorities about the last time you saw baby Gabriel and what you think might have happened to him?
Jack: We had baby for, uh, baby Gabriel for 8 days. Uh, we were taking him back to his mother because of the father was wanting visitation. So, we took and dropped him off and then we spent the weekend, uh, basically calling, checking to see if he was okay. We didn’t know anything until the following Monday when we actually was, uh, first was able to talk with the, the father, Logan. And at that point, we all determined that something had gone awry because he hadn’t seen the baby over the weekend. So, uh, we started uh, back and forth, uh, we, uh, he mentioned about a Myspace page that she had, um, gone onto and made a blog. Uh, I went in and, uh, uh, and did a response to that blog. And, um, she called, uh, she texted us a few minutes later, saying, sorry, I should have called, I didn’t mean to worry you but what’s the problem? And, uh, then, uh, shortly after that, er, my wife texted her back and said, too long for a text, uh, call us. So she called us, and then at that time we realized because it came from a 210 code that she was in San Antonio, Texas. [inaudible]
Reporter: Okay, before I let you go, Jack, tell me first, and then Tammi, have you done anything to baby Gabriel? Are you withholding any information from authorities?
Tammi: No, absolutely not. And the authorities do not believe that either.
Jack: No. And, we, we’ve spent ten years building a successful business here. For someone we knew for nine days, I don’t think that makes a whole lot of sense. No, have not done anything… [inaudible]
Reporter: Alright, asked and answered. We’re gonna put up the tip line.
Jack: Absolutely.
Reporter: If anyone has any information, authorities really do want to know what happened to Gabriel Johnson, this eight month old baby. If you have information, call the Tempe Police Department, there’s the number. Thank you both for joining us, we appreciate it very much.
End of video.
