New plea for public's help in Aruba case

Gary Giordano and, in inset, Robyn Gardner / AP Photo/Aruba's Police

ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- Authorities in Aruba made a fresh plea to the public late Friday night for any information on Gary Giordano, who is being held in the disappearance of his traveling companion, fellow American tourist Robyn Gardner.

Though he's been detained for a month, reports CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano, Girodano has yet to be charged with a crime, and has denied any wrongdoing.

He is challenging the ruling of an Aruban judge this week that extended his incarceration in an Aruban jail by 60 days.

His attorney, Michael Lopez, said he plans to appeal the ruling Monday before a three judge panel.

Giordano, 50, a businessman from Gaithersburg, Md., says he was snorkeling on the island with Gardner, 35, of Frederick, Md. early last month when she vanished, apparently having been swept out to sea.

The pair met online.

Giordano reportedly stood to gain $1.5 million in insurance money through a policy he bought specifically for their five-day trip. He apparently tried to cash it in just two days after she went missing.

Police detained Giordano when he tried to leave Aruba after promising to stay and answer questions. He has been jailed ever since.

Authorities believe Gardner is dead, but her body hasn't been found.

On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," famed defense attorney Rob Black, who isn't involved in this case but whose clients have included William Kennedy Smith and Rush Limbaugh, said prosecutors have their work cut out for them proving Giordano was responsible for Gardner's disappearance and presumed death.

"It's just purely circumstantial evidence at this time," Black, speaking from Miami, told co-anchor Russ Mitchell, "and I say purely -- there obviously are some interesting facts leading up to the disappearance of this young woman. But the problem is, without a body, it is very hard to make a case like this, because how do you prove it's not accidental? So, while he has acted very strangely and there are some unusual circumstances, this is certainly not a slam-dunk case."

To see the entire interview of Black, click on the video below: