Grace: No Regrets Over Tough Interview

CNN Host Says Guilt Probably Drove Missing Boy's Mom To Suicide

(CBS/AP)  The family of a missing Florida boy says CNN's Nancy Grace and others in the media helped push the child's mother over the edge.

Investigators say Melinda Duckett shot herself to death Friday, the day after she was grilled by Grace in a telephone interview, and hours before the interview aired.

Grace told ABC News on Friday that it was more likely guilt than the media that drove Duckett to kill herself. "To suggest that a 15- or 20-minute interview can cause someone to commit suicide is focusing on the wrong thing," she said.

Duckett's 2-year-old son, Trenton, disappeared late last month. Duckett had said she found his crib empty one night, along with a 10-inch cut in the window screen above it. Investigators have been looking into Duckett's movements just before the boy vanished.

In the CNN Headline News interview, Grace grilled Duckett, at one point demanding to know, "why aren't you telling us where you were that day?"

Duckett's grandfather accuses Grace of "bashing" her. He says the strain of her son's disappearance and the media attention "sent her over the edge."

A spokeswoman for Grace called the suicide a "sad development," but said the program would continue to cover the case.

Police using cadaver dogs failed to find the 2-year-old during a search Thursday in the Ocala National Forest.

They found a stuffed animal, but don't know whether it belonged to the boy who disappeared from his bed almost three weeks ago.

Police say they have no physical evidence linking her to the area of the forest searched by investigators Thursday.

[joanna_owens]

Nancy Grace have you considered maybe the boy has been trafficed, and also Natalee H. nobody has found a body. Isn't there a huge chance that she was also traffics especaily because she wazs in a forien country. I never knew about trafficing until I saw a program on Lifetime. Maybe that help find these inocent children. May God be with the children.

[joanna_owens]

Hands up to Nancy Grace!! She is going on facts only and that is how the courts work. Nancy is in no way shape or form responsible for that pathetic womans suicide. That mother obviously had problems. If you want to blame any body it should be the system for giving the little boy back to the mother. The little had been taken away in the past and the courts stupidly gave the child back to the unstabe mother again. We need to focus on finding the little boy and stop pointing fingers on someone who was trying to help find the little boy.

[kerry_zaputz]

Oh, no!! I can see it now: Jeffrey Fieger, or some other bottom feeder will sue Nancy Grace for 100 Billion $ for the wrongful death of this (in my opinion) killer white trash mother. I rarely defend Nancy Grace, but she can not be held responsible for this obviously guilty mother killing herself. The above is my opinion only.

[annec60ss]

No mother on the planet would commit suicide if she held onto even the smallest shred of hope that her child was still alive. It is clear that this mother was certain her son was no longer living and had some direct knowledge of her son's fate. I am certain that every mother out there would agree. Nancy Grace holds no responsibility for the death of this woman. Quite the opposite - hats off to Nancy for attempting to uncover the true facts regarding the disappearance of this little boy.

[agnim]

I must admit that I didn't listen to the interview, and wouldn't have anyway.

However, when a female can't empathize with another who has lost an offspring (regardless of the circumstances) I brand her as heartless and beastly.

Mother Nature designs mothers to want care for offspring.
So when the mother does a 180 degree, we have to know that something radically wrong with that mother.

It is obvious then that even if the woman killed her own offspring, that she has a huge problem, huge enough to make her want out!

This is not the time for this witch to be clinging to how right she is without at least demonstrating some humanity, some understanding now that we have two fellow citizens gone; unless of course we are dealing with a dumb ignoramus.
Women being porsecutors and judges is such a joke anyway that we shouldn't expect any better.

[shrobbie]

I listened to the interview. Nancy Grace was spot on and did a good job. After listening to the mother and her mother-in-law, the mom had something to hide. She didnt even do as good an acting job as the Smith woman in SC when she offed her kids. NG did great.

[vjasmam]

Of course she has no regrets, she's still alive.

[mallemee]

Nancy Grace is one of the shrillest and most patronizing egomaniacs on any program be it CNN or Court TV. The minute she comes on we turn off. It would be nice if she at least let her colleagues, who many times have something intelligent to offer, speak without interruption.She should re-join the prosecutorial base somewhere in the hinterland since she has now demonstrated her inability as a journalist. News will invariably suffer with "crossovers" like her and people's dislike for the true professionals will increase. The line has to be drawn somewhere......beginning now.(!!???)

[comfortmd]

she doesn't seem to realize that, not only is she NOT a prosecutor anymore, she is not judge jury and executioner, and i hope that she is found civilly liable for that woman's death.

[dekish]

Ms Grace is a typical "know-it-all - I'm perfect -
you're wrong - you're guilty - you'd better tell me or else" and a dozen more I could mention here.I stopped tuning in to her sometime ago because of her method of lashing out at everyone, colleagues included. If anyone needed counseling more than this poor woman who is trying to get even with everyone, I don't know who it would be. She keeps mentioning that "she is the victim of a crime" - well, too bad for her. but that's no excuse for pounding other people into the concrete, too. If CNN had any balls at all, they would fire the broad and send her back to the courtroom - preferably close to the Siberian border. dekish ps. maybe it's all that extra weight she has put on that's making her even more cranky.

[webdepot]

Nancy is in the same bannana boat as Rush Limberger... both are idiots without half brain between them.. Innocent until proven guilty is "supposed" to be the American way...but obviously not with some self indulgent idiots..

[antibully]

Nancy Grace is a bully.Whether right or wrong, she badgered that mother in a way that would be considered abusive if it were done as part of an official investigation. Whether the mother was involved or not, bullies pushed her over the edge.Rumors were gong around that the child was dead. The mother was badgered and bullied, told that her child was probably dead. A despondent young woman took her life. If she was guilty, there is no way to know what her role was, or perhaps even where the child is now. If she was not guilty, she was a despondent mother who suddenly had any hope of finding her child alive shattered by the arrogant and manipulative bullies from the media. Grace, and all the bullies like her, appear to be guilty of manslaughter, and they show no remorse. Firing Grace from her show would not be enough. End this "reality TV " pseudojournalism disguised as investigative reporting. It isn't good journalism, or appropriate legal practice. Shameful, shameful.

[hyusen]

Nancy is a shrill "bull ***" who would love to grow gonads. I look at her and laugh.

[peaceforusa]

Quote

"To suggest that a 15- or 20-minute interview can cause someone to commit suicide is focusing on the wrong thing."
Nancy Grace, interviewed by ABC News

She made this statement so that she can reflect the responsibility of Melinda's suicide off of her irresponsible and arrogant treatment of Melinda. The focus is, Nancy, YOUR interview treatment of this young lady. Nancy Grace is a disgrace to humanity in itself. For her to even make a statement of this nature goes to show she has utter disregard for human value. Nancy needs to join the Al-quaida(?) or the Taliban because that is where she will do her best work. She seems to enjoy the idea of terrorizing already fragile minds.

[charlestdog]

Nancy Grace has abolutely NO IDEA of what happened the night that Trenton Duckett went missing. She is the poster-woman for irresponsible action--not only by a member of an otherwise good organization, but by an attorney who whould have known better. And, finally, it was simply in BAD TASTE for her to turn on her interview subject like that. Nancy belongs with other notable media junkyard dogs and pot-stirrers such as Jerry Springer. She is NOT a journalist.

[exceller78]

Please pull the show from the air. As soon as she comes on, I stop watching CNN. This show does not add any value!

[gdriver--2008]

For Nancy Grace to not be GRACEFUL about a mother's suicide shows a heart that is a cold as a killer. Nancy needs to change last name.

[rattlecan-2009]

There clearly was something wrong with Melinda Duckett, and the proof is that she ever agreed to an interview with Nancy DisGrace.

[dargay]

"Vicious" is the best word to describe modern media. The only good news is that to keep behaving this way will end their credibility. These media folks go way over the top in their coverage.

[j_flood]

As an American living abroad, this case once again puts the American culture under the spotlight. This seems like a continuation of lowering the bar for American media. Why do we allow this type of broadcasting? Who gains by this form of 'entertainment'? Where is the public served by this? There used to be codes that broadcasters were to meet and adhere to. Once again, sadness is heaped upon sadness - will something change? I doubt it.