AFP: You received a remarkable visit in your home.
NG: There was a knock at my door at about 2:30 a.m. I went to the door and I could see through the peephole that there was a young man outside. I said, "Who's there?" He said, "It's me, mom. It's Johnny." I could see that there was someone with him, but I let them in. I don't know who the other young man was. I asked, but he declined to tell me.
AFP: Johnny would have been about 24 years old at this point. What did he tell you?
NG: It was very emotional. I asked if I could call someone to come and help us, thinking that he was home to stay. But Johnny was so terrified. He said, "You don't understand. You can't call anyone. No one can know that I've been here. If you do, my life is in danger and yours might be, too. They will kill me for what I know."
Instead of pushing this issue, I said to myself, "No, I'm going to let him talk and tell me what's happened." So during our hour-and-a-half time that we had together. I learned a lot. I asked him names of people. I asked him how they did their organization. What type of things did they do? What methods did they use to traffic in children?
He was here in 1997, but I kept silent for two years and didn't tell anyone about his visit until 1999 when I was on the witness stand testifying for Paul Bonacci in his civil case. But what I had done in the meantime was to make an appointment with the county attorney. I went in and told him that I had information from an informant. I gave the county attorney the names of the people involved and how the organization worked and asked him to begin an investigation. I did not tell him that the informant was my son.
AFP: Did the county attorney investigate?
NG: No, he said that he would not. The only reason he gave was that I would have to somehow convince my informant to turn himself in and be a part of the witness protection program and that they "might" be able to give my informant (Johnny) immunity for any crimes he may have committed during his captivity.
I looked at the county attorney and said, "They 'might' be able to give him immunity? That doesn't work for me." He responded, "Well, you're going to have to turn over the boy." I said, "I don't have the boy." I didn't tell him that it was Johnny, but I did tell him that "the informant" had told me that Johnny was still alive.
I said to the county attorney: "I came here to share information with you as I always have. This way I can never be charged with withholding information. If you choose not to investigate, that's up to you. I will continue my investigation as I always have."