it has been just over two years since a pair of bombs exploded at the boston marathon. 21-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev admitted he was responsible and now he has been sentenced to death by lethal injection. tsarnaev and his brother tamerlan set off two bombs 12 seconds apart near the finish line of the boston marathon in 2013. you might remember this horrific scene. the homemade pressure cooker bombs were filled with nails and bb pellets loaded into backpacks. they caused horrific injuries.

at least 17 people lost limbs and three people were killed. from left to right, 8-year-old martin richard, 29-year-old crystal campbell and 23-year-old lindsay lu. three days later the brother shot and killed police officer sean collier as they tried to flea. dzhokhar tsarnaev was not sentenced to death for that shooting. firefighter michael ward a first responder at the bombing says it was the right decision to sentence tsarnaev to death. >> he wanted to go to hell and he's going to get there early. >> u.s. attorney carmen ortiz made her feelings crystal clear. >> even if the wake of horror and tragedy, we are not intimidated by acts of terror or radical ideals. on the contrary, the trial of this case is show cased an important american ideal, that even the worst of the worst deserve a fair trial and due

process of law. >> friday's verdict marked the first time in the post-9/11 era that federal prosecutors have won the death. ality in a terrorism case. pamela brown has more on the final week of testimony in the case. >> throughout the more than two months of trial, the jury remained focused on this moment. with dzhokhar tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan detonated two homemade pressure cooker bombs at the race finish line, killing three and putting the city of boston on lockdown. jurors heard days of dramatic testimony from some of the 264 bombing survivor answer families of the deceased like 8-year-old martin richard. his father fought back tears' described the moment he saw his son after the bombing, telling the jury "i just knew from what i saw that there was no chance." tsarnaev's attorneys including

judy clark argued tsarnaev shouldn't be put on death row because he was under the influence of his older brother tamerlan. sister helen prejan told the jury she met with tsarnaev and "absolutely believes he is remorseful for his crimes" but the prosecution argued tsarnaev's writings show he was complicity in the bombing. >> the defendant claimed to be acting on behalf of all muslims. this was not a religious crime, and it certainly does not reflect true muslim beliefs. it was a political crime, designed to intimidate and to coerce the united states. the defendant was an adult who came to believe in an ideology of hate, and he expressed those beliefs by killing, maiming and mutilating innocent americans on patriots day. >> reporter: pamela brown, cnn,

washington. >> the courtroom in boston was packed with people who survived the 2013 attack. 17 people lost limbs when the pressure cooker bombs exploded, sending bb pellets, nails and other shrapnel into the crowd. some of the survivors spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. >> there is nothing happy about having to take somebody's life. i'm satisfied. i'm grateful that they came to that conclusion, because for me, i think it was the just conclusion. but there's nothing happy about any single bit of this situation. >> i'm sure at one time in his life he was very lovely, caring young man. what he turned into obviously was we know what he turned into. he turned into a monster. >> there's justice now. he wanted to go to hell and he's going to get there early. >> the family of 8-year-old martin richard killed in the

bombing said they were against the death penalty for tsarnaev and "boston globe" columnist kevin cullen said that is a common sentiment. >> i don't think most people in boston wanted this necessarily, but then again that's in the abstract. the jury that made this decision was sitting there looking at evidence frankly that wasn't in the public domain. there was stuff i thought i knew most everything about this case before this trial started. there was stuff in there that was very overwhelming. some of the sort of cinema verite that came from cell phone footage taken in the immediate aftermath of the bombs. it brought the horror to life and the jury saw that. you know, at one point one of those videos, crystal campbell, one of the victims, her death wail went through everybody sort of like a chill, and so there was a real visceral feeling in that courtroom throughout this trial, so i think people outside

are probably going to be surprised that a massachusetts jury sentenced this guy to death, but i think anybody who sat through this inside that courtroom will not be surprised. >> we won't know where tsarnaev will stay while he's on death row until the judge formerly sentences him in court and that date has not yet been set. isis and iraqi security forces are in the middle of a fierce battle for the city of rah maddie. the militant's big push started thursday and friday's fighting left at least 47 iraqi security forces and more than two dozen civilians dead. rah maddie is important because to both sides because of its closeness to baghdad. let's go now to jamani karachi in amman, jordan, joining us live via skype. what happens if isis actually is able to solidify its control over the strategic city?

>> of course the main area of concern here is that this would be a major blow, atika, for the iraqi government, for the u.s.-led coalition. this would be the first major iraqi city. it is the provincial capital of anbar that would basically fall into isis for the first time since the coalition air strikes began since this battle against isis intensified last summer, and the one line that we have been hearing over and over from weather from u.s. officials or from the iraqi government is that isis is on the backfoot, they're not gaining major ground in the country, but this would be a major blow and of course significant because it is a city, a province that borders baghdad. of course, this is a main concern for iraqi officials in baghdad and it does give the group a real boost here as you mentioned it does tighten their grip on that territory that they control all the way from the

syrian/turkish border through syria and into anbar province right to the western outskirts of baghdad, providing them with that vital supply line, also a line for fighters coming in across that pretty much non-existent border, and that would mean that isis would pretty much be in control of iraq's largest province, anbar, the sunni heartland and the vast desert province has been pretty much under the control of isis, the majority of it has been under isis control since last year, and it has been some pockets that have seem to be under the control of the iraqi security forces and the iraqi government, and losing what they had in rah maddie would be a major blow for everyone, and a very really concerning situation atika when it comes to the humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding. we have seen offensive after offensive being launched in

anbar province, back in april. we saw this major displacement of people in anbar province with more than 120,000 iraqis according to the you nations displaced by the offensive. now we hear more people are leaving ramadi. where do they go? there's concern about families not being able to get into neighboring provinces like baghdad, predominantly sunni families, sunni people from this province and a lot of sectarian dynamics when it comes to the displacement issue and where people are allowed to go and where they would feel safe to go. concerning situation on all levels. >> it sounds like a serious deepening of humanitarian and political crisis. thank you very much, keeping us up to date on the situation in ramadi, iraq. isis is also advancing on

p p palmira and killing as it goes. militants executed 23 family members of syrian government officials in a village nearby. the london-based syrian observatory for human rights sayshe murdered were children. there are concerns it will bulldoze the world heritage site as it has done to so many others throughout iraq and syria. this dates back 2,000 years. nema l bagr has why it is so important. >> reporter: for 2,000 years its column answer temples loomed over the oasis at the heart of syria, a crossroots of roman, greek, persian and babylonian influences now in a renewed territorial push isis militants stand poised at the gateway of this so-called venice of the sands.

this is what's happened in other towns and territories taken by isis, pillaged, hacked and sold. artifacts standing for thousands of years as testament to man's flights of imagination deemed unislamic by isis. the winged gods 900 bc, the muslim museum across iraq and syria in the place of priceless art ifacts, iceless has left rubble as the world stood helpless. palmyra recognized by the united nations as one of the most significant monuments in the middle east now the u.n. is pleading with the world to find a way to save this symbol of our shared past. >> i don't know what will happen in palmyra. i'm worried. i'm alarmed by what is happening. let's hope that this wonderful monument will not be destroyed

like we've seen unfortunately in some of the other, some of the bulldozing and bombing for the sites. >> reporter: across iraq and syria, palmyra and seven other ancient sites and cities are on the u.n. cultural agency unesco dangerous less. damascus, aleppo, the list goes on. this in a year where, in nepal alone 200 heritage sites were damaged during the recent earthquake. nature, of course, can't be stopped. whether isis, who is just outside palmyra can, remains to be seen. cnn, london. moving to nepal officials say they've recovered the bodies of the eight people on board a u.s. marine helicopter. they were delivering aid supplies on tuesday when they lost contact. will ripley was in kathmandu and he filed this report.

>> reporter: a very difficult and painful task under way on the mountains, 21 miles east of kathmandu at 11,200 feet crews are working to recover the eight bodies that have now been identified at the crash site of the u.s. marine helicopter and also working to pick up and recover the debris so they can continue to investigate what caused this chopper to go down with six u.s. marines and two nepalese soldiers on board. yesterday weather forced searchers to call off their efforts early due to safety concerns. the weather at the altitude unpredictable and dangerous not only for people but aircraft. if you can hear there are thunderstorms in the area so it's unclear if the weather will once again force recovery crews to cut off their efforts. the humanitarian mission does continue. the united states remains committed to working with the nepali government to make sure that the people, the tens of thousands are people badly in

need, in these remote mountain villages are getting the food, water and medicine they need in addition to getting supplies so that they can build some sort of shelter to guard them from the rains that are here now and of course the monsoon rains which are just weeks away which will make a bad situation even worse. will ripley, cnn, kathmandu, nepal. >> a much different situation in the mediterranean after close to 2,500 my grants are rescued according to the italian coast guard. the rescues happened on thursday and took 11 different operations, coordinated by the central office of the coast guard, within the last two days, italian officials report more than 3,600 migrants have been rescued sailing from africa to europe. coming up next on cnn newsroom, friends of the amtrak engineer at the controls of tuesday's deadly derailment say he is a safety conscious person who loves his job. plus some symbolic wins this

weekend for palestinians. the vatican prepares to formally recognize palestinian statehood as the hope rds to cannonize two palestinian christian nuns. boost water gel. ydro instantly quenches skin to keep it supple and hydrated day after day. formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid which retains up to 1000 times its weight in water. this refreshing water gel plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin that bounces back. new hydro boost. from neutrogena. the beautiful sound of customers making the

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amtrak engineer brandon bostian say the train was struck by something just minutes before it jumped the rails. bostn talked to ntsb officials friday who say he was "extremely cooperative." >> reporter: a potentially crucial piece in figuring out the causes of tuesday's train crash, locomotive engineer brandon bostian speaking to ntsb investigators today. >> he's required to sound his bell as he goes past the station stop and he did that. he recalled doing that. but he has no recollection of anything past that. >> reporter: investigators say right before the crash, amtrak train 188 accelerated until it was doing over 100 miles an hour. the ntsb is examining all potential causes from human factors to mechanical to environmental. so far investigators found no trouble with the track, the signals they tested or the train's maintenance records. they're studying the locomotive and cars and videos and witness

accounts. friend of bostian's calls him a safety conscious person. >> he wouldn't go above the speed limit. he was a 10:00 and 2:00 kind of day. when i go drive five to ten over he'd fuss at me. >> reporter: he was good at handling stress. >> told me it was a challenging route, hard to stay on schedule all the time because he wants to make sure that he takes the time to perform all of the safety requirements each and every trip. >> he's always had a love of trains and this is his dream job to be able to drive trains for amtrak. >> reporter: a user named brandon bostin posted messages on a train forum often focusing on rules and safety. in 2009 he sounded like a safety whistleblower when it came to using the radio to report safety issues. "we were in the process of cutting corners and not in full compliance of the rule when i

asked about it so i got scolded for mentioning it on the radio" and he wrote "the railroad culture is to avoid admitting operating irregularities on the recorded radio channel." amtrak declined to comment on the postings. >> from my vantage, 40 years in the railway industry and dealing with safety the railroad industry takes safety very, very seriously. >> that was cnn's brian todd reporting. an automatic braking system wasn't installed on the stretch of rail where this incident occurred. the technology is supposed to be in place by the end of 2015, but uk rails are already operating a lower tech version of the automatic brakes. phil black explains how it works. >> reporter: west london, september 1997. passenger train and a freight train collide killing seven, injuring more than 100. two years later another collision involving a passenger train in london kills 31 people.

these accidents refocused safety efforts on the british rail network. >> it was a matter of the will really from the country as a whole. >> reporter: ian prosser, the chief of safety on britain's rail network said it's led to a system now rolled out in high risk areas across the country. >> it was deemed that the technology was now available to actually overcome human error. >> reporter: it's called the train protection warning system. those grids between the tracks are located in areas where speeds is dangerous, ahead curves, stations and signals. first a warning alarm sounds and if the driver fails to slow down it automatically triggers the brakes. its specific purpose is to prevent accidents like this week's derailment in philadelphia. that train was traveling at more than 100 miles an hour on a bend with a 50 mile speed limit. >> the scenario with the permanent speed restriction we have those curves fitted with train protection warning systems

which will apply the brakes if the driver is overspeeding. >> reporter: in theory that should not be possible here. >> that should not be possible here. >> reporter: the other advantage he says it was rolled out quickly, in 2002 and relatively cheaply for around $700 million. >> if you look at the statistics and history over time, it has more than made up to are that in terms of saving people's lives. >> reporter: the uk is slowly upgrading to a more sophisticated europe wide system but it will take decades and experts say this 2013 derailment in spain shows transition carries great risk. investigators say the driver was distracted as the train left a high speed section of the track and moved into a slow bend with an older manual safety system. the result, 79 people were killed. officials here say experience proves driver concentration is not enough to guarantee rail

safety. phil black, cnn, london. moving on to weather now, some much needed rain fell across southern california in the united states yesterday. derek van damme is standing by at the international weather center with the details. they've been waiting for this for so long. there must be a lot of happy people in california. >> reporter: including this father and son combination, atika. this was 22 months in the making, just to give you an idea of how long standing this california drought has been, four years at the moment and this young boy from dana point, california, waited 22 months just to experience his first raindrop. made for a nice photo opp with the mother capturing the father and son duo capturing the first shower of the year. the latest radar over the western half of the united states, the storm system continues to move inland but it will set up the possibility of severe weather. more in one moment. we have a nice hefty line of

thunderstorms currently moving through the central plains, we are also keeping an eye on boston, rather the baltimore region today the 140th preakness stakes, the thoroughbred horse racing event taking place later today. the storm system responsible for the rainfall in southern california but again it's providing the ingredients for another round of severe weather. in fact the storm prediction center has just upgraded to a moderate risk from central kansas through central oklahoma, anywhere from wichita through the oklahoma city region. we have the possibility of tornadoes, some of which could be strong and long trekked, creating a very dangerous situation later this afternoon and evening. large damaging hail and damaging winds a possibility. significant amount of rain over the region in the last couple of weeks. additional rainfall could lead to flash flooding, why the national weather service issued watches and warnings across the region. we'll understand on a lighter note. something magical happened in

atlanta, georgia, here in the united states where the cnn world weather center is located a baby beluga calf was born sunday this past weekend, this is the footage of it taking place, fantastic. i love reporting this stuff, shortly after the birth the female calf swam with the aid of the surface of the water and took her first breath, an important milestone. the early stages of the calf's life is important as the bond is established, successful nursing takes place and to make sure the calf has proper growth and development. you can see the hundreds of volunteers that took part in the birth of this baby beluga calf. i just love seeing mother nature at its finest. i think the best and most excite being part about this, atika, this calf was born on mother's day. here is a close-up picture, love this. what do you think, atika? >> extraordinary pictures definitely. thank you very much, derek van

dam at the international weather center. >> take care. we now have this just coming in, former president of egypt mohamed morsi has apparently already been, the verdict has been read and his sentence is now in. we would like to go i believe live to ian lee, outside the courthouse in cairo. ian, you have just heard the verdict coming in. tell us, what was said? >> reporter: the judge started mohamed morsi on the death sentence procedures. he and dozens of other defendants have been sentenced to death. it is not confirmed right away. this ruling will go to egypt's grand mufti, the highest legal authority of islam here in egypt. he will have his say on the verdict as well and then on june 2nd that is when we will hear

whether or not this actual death sentence is confirmed but this is the harshest sentence that mohamed morsi could receive in these procedures for the jailbreak which the prosecution accused him of helping free roughly 20,000 inmates during the chaos in the 2011 uprising. the judge handing down these very harsh verdict, condemnation from the muslim brotherhood, who will have no surprise called this a farce, called it a kangaroo court but for others they show that as justice being served. morsi has already had, already has been given a 20-year sentence for the death of protesters outside the presidential palace, but also need to note that egypt has a very lengthy appeals process. we have seen other people given death sentences in the past only to have those overturned or reduced. so this is a very harsh sentence, but there's a long

ways between now and potential limo med morsi going to the gallows. >> does the egyptian public feel this is a fair trial considering that you have the muslim brotherhood condemning it as a kangaroo court and groups like amnesty international saying there's no way mohamed morsi could get a fair trial? what's the reaction on the ground been? >> reporter: well the reaction is definitely split here in egypt. we need to remember that president abdul fatah al sisi who originally overthrew morsi and then became president still has popularity. the muslim brotherhood very much polarized but there is a lot of condemnation from the very beginning, mohamed morsi's lawyer said that he didn't believe that he could get a fair trial. he didn't have the consultation that he wanted, also said that the procedures were off. so there has been a lot of

skepticism about that, also, mohamed morsi and the judiciary has no love loss during the reign of president mohamed morsi he tried to regulate the judiciary, he tried to forcibly retire a number of judges, and so there's a lot of animosity there, which raised the question, if he could get a fair trial. so there are two camps. some saying yes and some definitely saying no. >> thank you very much, that's krpen's ian lee live outside the courthouse in cairo, where egypt's former president mohamed morsi has just received a death sentence after his conviction for a jailbreak and espionage. more on that later on, thank you very much. barundi's president says calm is restored after a failed coup funpunctuated protests.

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comcast business. built for business. i'm atika shubert. an update on the top stories we're following this hour. former egyptian president mohamed morsi has just been sentenced to death for his role in a 2011 prison break. he'll learn his fate in another case involving espionage. his name will be passed to the grand mufti for the conffirmation of the death sentence june 2nd. el we'll have more throughout this hour. also a federal jury in the u.s. sentenced dzhokhar tsarnaev to death for his role in the boston marathon bombings. witnesses say there was no visible reaction from the 20-year-old as the sentence was announced. 2013 bombings killed three people and injured at least 240 others.

isis militants are on the offensive in ramadi and taken over government buildings from iraqi forces. u.s. official says the situation in this key city is still very fluid. at least 47 iraqi security members and more than two dozen civilians were killed on friday. the u.s. is expediting a weapons shipment to help iraqi forces. and indian prime minister narendra modi officially wrapped up his trip to china. both nations signed agreements to boost economic ties over a wide range of issues including education and renewable energy. the deals are worth more than $22 billion. and the president of burundi says peace has been restored in the african nation after chaos erupted this week. several military leaders attempted a coup on wednesday following weeks of protests. all this violence has forced more than 100,000 people to flee the country, that's according to the united nations. for more details let's go live now to robin creel with the

latest there on the ground. robin, can you tell us a little bit more, it does seem that the president is now firmly in contr control. what hopes are there now for stability going forward? >> reporter: indeed free and fair elections that are due to take place in june, presidential elections which of course has been the hot spot, the reason that this all erupted in the first place. i just want to tell you atika, i got off the phone a short while ago with the former president of burundi, preceding the current president, and hes would telling me a number of things, he's now a member of the opposition party, but they are very, very worried about the situation on the ground in burundi at the moment. now while the fighting of the coup attempt has stopped for about 24 hours, while the soldiers were battling, soldier loyalists to the president he is now wary of the fallout of the fighting, that the coup and the

protesting had little to do with one another and that needs to be made clear to the international community that the protests erupted because of the president's bid to seek a third term in office have little to do with the coup attempt by the major general. he told me he's worried of a possible genocide occurring in burundi if this is not monitored carefully about the the international community and he's appealing to the united states and yunited nations to watch to make sure the coup attempt is not used by the ruling party to further crackdown on civil society's currently most of the private radio stations are closed, only the state broadcaster is broadcasting. lot of people are worried, are fleeing for their lives to the borders. the rwandan and tanzania border, not just refugees but members of the opposition who say they have had threats. very worried and saying it's not

just a matter of ethnicity. it's also politics and is he worried, asking the international community to monitor the situation closely. >> robin, can you give us a backgrounder on this? burundi is really a very fragile country. it's just emerged from 12 years of civil war, and the current president was really the first one that was transitioning to democracy. so what are the hopes then that we will actually have those elections, given the history that's already happened there? >> well that's part of the problem really is this history and this accord which was signed, which made a pathway to the constitution which only allowed a president two terms in office. the big controversy comes in that, in 2005 when the current president was voted into power he was voted into power by the parliament and not by the general population and that's the excuse he's using to be able

to seek a third term in office because he says he was only voted in by the general population once. in terms of just how volatile it could be and the baggage that so many people are carrying around with them given the fact they had 12 years of civil war is huge. refugee does not want to get stuck in the middle of ethnic or political violence. they'd rather leave ahead of time, go to neighboring countries. it is a small great lakes reamon where there are a lot of neighboring countries they can get to easily. this is why we see the outflux of refugees heading to neighboring countries. >> thank you very much, robin, for giving us the bigger picture on that situation in burundi. next, an emotional mother/daughter reunion nearly 50 years in the making. that's coming up. you're watching "cnn newsroom." wish your skin could bounce back as quickly as it used to? introducing neutrogena hydro boost water gel. instantly quenches skin to keep it supple and hydrated

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it's been a busy weekend for pope francis. little while ago he met with palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas as the vatican is set to formerly recognize palestinian statehood in a treaty according to officials. israel says it is disappointed with the decision and doesn't believe it will help the peace process. the vatican favors a two-state solution to the israeli/palestinian conflict. also on sunday the pope will con nonize two 19th century palestinian christian nuns. this will make them the first two palestinian saints in modern times. orin lieberman has the women's stories. ♪ >> reporter: it is the perfect celebration of sainthood for two palestinian nuns, a humble and

devout offering of prayer to mark an historic moment for christians and palestinians. in the land of jesus christ and the virgin mary, the land of the beginnings of christianity, the two nuns are the first two palestinian saints in modern times. >> this is a sign of hope, this is a light in the dark tunnel where we are living especially now in the middle east with all the events, with all the violence, we are celebrating the lives of two saints who worked humbly for everyone and who proved to be true followers of jesus christ. >> reporter: marie was born in jerusalem in the 1840s to a devout christian family and became a nun, dedicating herself to a life of quiet servitude. in bethlehem she began to receive visions of the virgin mary telling her to start a new congregation for arab girls called sisters of the rosary. her hard work, her devotion led

to the rosary sisters convent you see here. it was the home donated to the convent to spread education and culture. >> sometimes god creates from these weak people something great. >> reporter: her canonization comes one year after his first trip overseas as pontiff to the homeland. it celebrates a triumph for the christian community that continues to the sainthood and mary of jesus crucified. sister buardi was born in a small village in galilee, also in the 1840s. she was the 13th child in her family, and the only one to survive past infancy. her parents died when she was 3 years old and her urncle raised her in alexandria, egypt, one of her uncles told her to convert to islam. it is here the miracle begins.

mary became a martyr and went to heaven, says this sister. she saw the crown of grace, saw her mother and father but heard a voice saying your life is not yet over and you should return to earth. according to the account a young woman, a nun dressed in blue healed her, cared for her and led her to church, it was the virgin mary. she led a life of service to the poor and the church, her room remains a symbol of her humility a few possessions oen display. bone from her arm has become a shrine in bethlehem's monastery in the west bank. the faithful are eager to celebrate the message of this canonization. >> it's a message for the whole world that palestinian christians do exist in this land that, palestinian christians have heritage of 2,000 years and the journey continues. >> reporter: this day has been decades in the making for palestinians and christians of the holy land, mary of jesus

crucified was beautified in 1983. thousands of palestinian faithful will travel to the vatican for the canyonization and for one moment be able to forget about the difficulties in the middle east and remember thousands of years of religious history. cnn, jerusalem. imagine meeting the mother you never knew you had. >> oh my gosh! oh my gosh! >> an emotional story with a happy ending that took nearly 50 years. still ahead on "cnn newsroom." yg more than clean. your touch stimulates her senses and nurtures her mind. and the johnson's® scent, lather and bubbles help enhance the experience. so why just clean your baby when you can give her so much more™?

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high performance skincare™ only from roc®. thoerts in st. louis will cooperate from an alleged baby ring 50 years ago. gary tuchman has the story. >> reporter: for almost a half century zella jackson price has mourned a baby girl who a nurse told her died hours after she gave birth to her. >> diane was born november the 21st, 1965. >> reporter: diane the name she gave to her daughter, the

hospital closed down in 1979 and now the site of a senior apartment complex. zella never received a birth certificate or death certific e certificate. it was like diane never existed. did any of the nurses or doctors say would you like to see her? >> no, they did not do that, never. >> reporter: across the country in eugene, oregon, a woman born the very same day who had been adopted always wondering why her birth mother had given her away. melanie gilmore lost her hearing from an illness when she was a child found a piece of paper when it years ago that said her birth mother's name was zella jackson. her adoptive mother told her her birth mother passed away. melanie and her daughter tell us what happened after her adopted mother got sick in the '80s. >> translator: before she died she was afraid to tell me that my mom was alive. and i told her that i forgive you and i love you. >> reporter: a search would begin and as melanie closed in

on her 50th birthday this year her children investigated using facebook and sent this text to zella jackson price. >> "and i know you do not know me but my mother was adopted when she was born. she said that her mother's name is zella jackson." >> reporter: her daughter did not die. melanie gilmore is diane, zella's daughter, a dna test has now proven it. melanie's children surprised her by setting up a video call so melanie and zella could see each other for the first time since melanie was born. >> we're telling the truth. >> yes, mom. mom? mom, mom, mom, mom, mom. >> i love you, mom. >> oh my gosh i'm shaking. oh, my gosh, mom. >> are you okay? it's okay. it's okay. it's okay. >> that's your mom. >> mommy.

>> reporter: and then melanie flew to st. louis to meet her mother in person. >> oh my gosh, oh my gosh! >> mommy! >> reporter: and when you hugged her, tell me the feeling you had? >> oh, baby, it was warm. i didn't want to let her go, you know? and she is so precious. >> reporter: homer g. phillips hospital was st. louis's only hospital for african-americans until the mid 1950s, and continued to serve the black community until it closed. it has a proud history, but what happened to this mother and daughter has raised some deeply unsettling questions, questions that are being asked by many other families. this as the mother of danini antoinette washington. >> she was born june the 24th, 1964. >> reporter: the mother of marissa ann berry says her daughter was born on -- >> june 26, 1963. >> reporter: both babies born at

homer g. phillips hospital. the two mothers and at least 70 others who gave birth between 1955 and 1972 have now come forward to say they were also told by nurses their children died, but they were not given death certificates and not allowed to see their babies afterwards. >> they told me that my daughter had died after i delivered her, and i really felt that she had not died, because i heard her cry and i also seen her move. >> i heard her cry, and then they, i looked up and they said here's your baby, and they were standing at the foot of the bed with the baby wrapped up, and we got to take her to put her on the machine, and she was gone. >> reporter: did you ever see her again? >> no, never. >> the nurse told me i was too young to have a baby, that my parents did not need to have another mouth to feed. >> reporter: an attorney is now investigating. asking the city to release records from the former city-owned hospital. the common theory as to what may

have happened here? why do you think they lied to you at the hospital? >> because there were black families that wanted children and couldn't have children. so they marketed children to those families that didn't have them. >> i was associated at homer phillips hospital from 1960 through 1979, when it closed. >> reporter: dr. mary a.t. tillman is an accomplished physician practicing for 51 years, now retired she specialized in pediatrics and says most if not all the hospital bosses from that time period are now dead, but as a young doctor she never had any inkling whatsoever of what's being alleged. if a baby died after childbirth, if the mother were still in the hospital you would tell the mother you wouldn't leave it to a nurse to tell the mother. >> no. that would not be what i did. >> reporter: you would offer the mother a chance to hold her baby. >> that's right. >> reporter: you would never say you can't see your baby. >> no, not at all. >> reporter: the city of st. louis tells cnn it will give all hospital records it's able to recover to the st. louis police

department. dozens of women who were told their babies died are now dreaming of an outcome like zella and melanie's. >> so happy. >> i'm really happy. >> that's my baby. my child. >> reporter: you became a mother again at the age of 76 years old. >> at the age of 76 i got a new baby. >> reporter: that should go in the "guinness book of world records." >> and i'm registered at dillard's and macy's for a baby shower. >> reporter: you're serious. >> she wears a size 12. >> reporter: gary tuchman, cnn, st. louis. >> just an extraordinary story there. some of the old medical records from that hospital have been moved to the st. louis city health department. attorneys say information from those files could help solve these cases. thank you very much for joining us. i'm atika shubert here in london. for viewers here in the u.s. "new day" is just ahead and for everyone else, "amanpour" starts

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♪ developing this morning, the fbi now called into investigate amtrak's deadly crash. and there's new information surfacing about the possibility that an object struck the windshield. he wanted to go to hell, and he's going to get there early. >> that message to the boston bomber after learning he'll be sentenced to death. now, an automatic appeal process begins that could keep him alive for years, even decades, in fact. and this morning, isis