michael scott speicher's family waited 18 years. >>> and extreme caution. amid signs of economic recovery. but the obama administration isn't saying the tax hikes are but the obama administration isn't saying the tax hikes are off the table. captions paid for by abc, inc. >>> good morning. thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm andrea canning filling in for jeremy hubbard. there are intense diplomatic efforts to learn more about the fate of three americans being held in iran. >>> they were captured after hiking in a dangerous region on the border between iraq and iran. abc's sonia gallego is in london with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the families of the americans are still coming to terms with the news of their capture. and their arrest comes at a time of increased strain between iranian and the u.s. governments. the three, shane bauer from minnesota, a freelance journalist based in the middle east, sarah shourd, a writer and teacher from california also based in the middle east and joshua fattal, an environmental wor

navy pilot michael "scott" speicher are being examined by military dna experts in maryland this morning, but the pentagon says it's sure of their identity. speicher was the first american casualty of the 1991 persian gulf war, but his family had to keep pressing the military for years to track down exactly where he died. the family says it finds solace in having transformed the search process so that no serviceman or woman is ever left behind again. kimberly dozier has the story. >> reporter: navy captain michael "scott" speicher has been found at last, ending an almost two decade long wait for his family. the first american casualty of the gulf war was found buried in the desert west of baghdad, near the wreckage of his f-18 hornet. u.s. marines in al an bar found bones and dental fragments now positively identified by pentagon. an iraqi said he was there when bedouins found scott speicher dead from the crash. >> he remembered the plane going down, and he remembered the bedouins burying the body. >> reporter: captain speicher was shot down on january 17th, 1991. the 33-year-old father

scott speicher. >>reporter: michael "scott" speich speicher, mia for 18 years, now the first american casualty of the gulf war. gina kim, nbc news. >>> the government's cash for clunkers auto rebate program is headed for a breakdown. that is unless the senate can provide billions of dollars in additional funding. that was the message yesterday from transportation secretary ray lahood, who said the obama administration will suspend that cash for clunkers program unless the senate provides $2 billion more for the incentive. it provides trade-in money for older, gas-guzzling vehicles blew through its budget in days. the administration is pressing the senate now to follow suit before summer vacation at the end of the week. >>> the u.s. is calling on the swiss government to help with the release of three americans in iranian custody. the three strayed across the iranian border while hiking in northern iraq on friday. shawn bower, sarah shourd and josh pa tal were hiking, while a fourth stayed behind. they have not releaseded any further information. >>> now here's a look at some other stories making news

how the military tracked down the remains of captain michael scott speicher. >>> a massachusetts couple discovers their baby boy posted for sale on a craigslist ad. how the scammer got his photo. >>> dozens of toledo cops who lost their jobs over budget cuts are returning to work. how the city plans to pay for it. >>> and back to school season may mean a resurgence of swine flu. hear what federal officials want to do to help keep it in check. >>> hi there, you're watching hln news and views, thanks for joining us. >>> the remains of the first american pilot shot down over iraq during the 1991 persian gulf war are finally back home. navy captain michael scott speicher disappeared when his plane went down over anbar province on the first night of the war. his remains have been recovered and positively identified. the discovery should end years of speculation that speicher survived and was held captive. according to the navy an iraqi civilian told u.s. forces early last month that he had witnessed the crash. another iraqi told the marines he saw speicher's body being buried after the crash

navy capitaling michael "scott" speicher was shot down. the latest announcement by the pentagon in 18 years of speculation that speicher may have survived that crash. captain speicher's family and friends agonized for nearly two decad decades. joining me his close friend miriam novelly, and jim stafford. both join us live from jacksonville, florida. >> good evening. >> thank you so much for joining us. the past couple hours i would imagine have been unbelievable to you. >> yes, they have. >> tell us what you have been dealing with. >> a lot of phone calls, an emotional roller coaster, but glad there's a conclusion to this. >> ms. novelly, you want it's been a roller coaster not just the past couple hours and days, but really the past 18 years. >> you had not given up. >> correct. we wanted answers and a conclusion. >> what is the website, mr. stafford? is it still up? >> currently we've taken the website down as a group, we just -- the amount of time involved in the effort got to be too much for everybody. we did take the website down. we

the pentagon says the remains of navy pilot michael scott spieker have been found near the wreckage of his plane in anbar province in western iraq. kimberlie dozier has more and what it means for the family spieker left behind. >> reporter: navy captain michael scott spieker has been found at last, ending an almost two decade long wait for his family. the first american casualty of the gulf war was found buryed it in the desert west of baghdad near the wreckage of his f-18 hornet. u.s. marines found bone and dental fragment identified by pentagon pathologists, they were led by an iraqi who said he was there when -- >> he remembered a plane going down and he remembered them burying the body. the captain was shot down on january 17th, 1919 two hours after the war began. >> i'm scott spieker. >> reporter: the 33-year-old father of two was not supposed to fly that day. >> i would also like to say hello to my wife. >> reporter: his ship mates told "60 minutes" he refused to be left behind. as the jets approached their target a fellow pilot saw a flash where spieker's plane had been. >> an i

navy captain michael "scott" speicher disappeared when his plane went down over anbar province on the first night of the war. his remains have now been recovered and positively identified. the discovery should end years of speculation that speicher actually survived and was held captive. >> it is a bittersweet ending. i mean, it is great that we have finally accomplished an ending. but it is bett bittersweet. you always hope he will be found alive. if he was found alive, look what he's missed. his children are in college now. and, you know, what kind of life would he have led, being a prisoner of war and always speculation that he was, you know, tortured and beaten and, you know, so it is, like i said, it is bittersweet. >> the navy says an iraqi civilian told u.s. forces early last month that he had witnessed the crash. another iraqi told marines that he saw speicher's body being buried after the crash.

>>te afr 18 years of not knowing if captain michael scott spiker was dead or a prisoner of war, we have answers. the remains of the first american killed in operation desert storm have been recovered. >> today's announcement from the pentagon in is nearly two decades of uncertainty, and finally brings closure to the wife and children he leaves behind. >> of first american soldier killed in operation desert storm is now the last to come home. today the navy announced that the remains of captain michael scott speicher have been found and positively identifd. >> it is bittersweet. gregg's the navy pilot was flying and a combat mission on the first night of the first gulf war in 1991 when he was shot down. ins re for years, rumors pstersied that he s in 2001,caof e beus the uncertainty, his status was changed from killed to missing in action. many can only imagine what the family winter. >> i would think they assumed the worst and went on from there. i am glad that they finally were able to find remains. >> to not know, you always have hope. haen wn uyo find o t,utt i ope t,hat hope iss gon

captain michael scott spiker's disappearance in the first gulf war had fueled years of hope and heartlot captain michael scott speicher was shot dawn over the iraqi desert on the first night of the war, january 17, 1991. other pilots from his elite squadron remember flying that night. >> one of the pilots sow usa a big fire ball in the describe, we thought maybe that was spike. >> reporter: speicher never answered calls because he plane had been hit by enemy fire. >> the total u.s. losses are one aircraft and one individual. >> reporter: but miker's body was never recovered. he was listed as killed in action, no body recovered and given a headstone memorial at arlington national cemetery. but years later evidence found at the crash site indicated it would have been possible speicher could have ejected and possibly could have survived. the canopy was quite a distance from the airplane and the black box was found showing the pilot did try to eject. his status was then changed to missing in action and then changed to missing or captured, leaving so many unanswered questions for the wife,

you about half an hour ago for 18 years, no one knew for sure what happened to this man, captain michael scott spiker, considered the first american lost in the 1991 gulf war. >> the mystery is now over. defense officials say his remains have been found in iraq and they have positively identified him. we're covering this breaking story for you from all angles. we want to start from our pentagon correspondent who has been taking us through the story. on the phone with us this morning. and barbara, start here from the top. how did this come about after 18 years we now know what happened? >> well, t.j., this is just an extraordinary story. what the u.s. military tells us is in early july, an iraqi citizen in western iraq came to them and said there was a location that u.s. forces needed to go to and he believed that was the crash site and the place where scott spiker was buried. u.s. marines in the province went to the location, which was believed to be the crash site, the iraqi citizen told the u.s. he knew of two others who were called, seen an american jet hit the desert floor on the night of

admiral tom brooks the navy says remains find in iraq have been positively identified as captain michael scott spiker. >> it also is essential for our men to know they are not going to be left behind. >> reporter: but the near two- decade search for spiker has not gone without its critics from family, friends and lawmakers. spiker was shot down on the first night of the gulf war, january 17, 91sa he naidhe was action . >> i wonder to myself if some kind of cruel prank, cruel joke. >> i'd also like to say hello to my wife joan, my son michael and megan. >> reporter: speculation th spiker may have been held captive. looking back admiral brooks says losing one of their own on his watch is the hardest part of his job. >> i strongly empathize with the air group commander who would have written letters and had to have told the family of what happened. very, very difficult thing to do. >> reporter: the navy learned from witnesses that a desert tribe had buried spiker's remains which is part of their culture. bones and skeleton fragments were recovered and send to rockville, maryland. >> thank you. >>

michael scott speicher's wife and two children are standing outside. his buddy, who married his wife after he was confirmed dead, he is a company in the body. shepard: do we know what happened? >> he was shot down on january 16, it 1991, the first night of operation desert storm. investigators later determined that he was shot down by a fighter jet from the iraqi air force. he apparently objected before his plane crashed in a vermont waistlinpromote wasteland. shepard: how long did it take -- do they have a sense of how long it took to fine-tune? >> there were reports that he was alive and that he was captured. that may have slowed down the search for his body. did not help that the people who buried him roam around in the desert. his identity was finafinally confirmed. capt. michael scott speicher's body has arrived at the base. shepard: thank you. a spokesperson for the family and an attorney who knew scott. >> thank you for your continued interest. shepard: i cannot even imagines trying to process a loved one -- you just do not know the answers. thi

able to put it to rest. >> i'm sure it gives some closure to them and helps them. >> reporter: michael scottp, eierchmia. now confirmed as the first american casualty of the gulf war. >>> five ppl an overnightob an overnight htighes. heights. bteorefnedus jeoref 3:00 a. 00 atwood see trt. atwood geoeees prince grgnt county police say their injuries are not life threatening. >>> have you started to notice it costs a little bit more to fill up lately? the price at the pump is starting to inch up again. it's happening in what aaa says is typically the most heavily traveled month of the year on the road. darcy spencer joins us with more. >> reporter: aaa is saying the prices have gone up a bit in recent days. but for the most part they're remaining pretty flat. that could produce a surge of end of summer road trips. gas prices in the d.c. area have been creeping back up recently. just over the past week they climbed five cents per gallon in the metro area. some drivers are struggling to fill their tanks every week. >> i can't fill up. if i fill up my tank now i'll be 15 or 20. we don't have enou

shot down, who was lost in the first gulf war back in 1991, you'll know the name, his name is scott spiker, michaelpiker, his disappearance has been the stuff of mystery and conjecture and confusion, quite frankly and conspiracy theories. it appears his remains have been identified now. again the first american lost in the first gulf war after some 18 years now finally his remains appears to have been identified. our barbara starr at the pentagon has more for us. please, barbara get us caught up on what the latest is why we think now this story might finally be able be put to rest and maybe his family can get some peace. barbara, go ahead. >> reporter: this is just an extraordinary story. news breaking very early today that the armed forces institute of pathology has now positively, positively 18 years later identified the remains of captain michael scott spiker, shot down in his f-18 over west central iraq on january 17, 1991. the first gulf war, some 18 years ago. they had looked for his remains ever since then. there had been so many reports. there had been rumors, legends, that he had been aliv

a perfect example is scott michael's company called dear l departed tours.ected to the manson murders and who goes on these tours? >> the people that take this tour are people that are generally fascinated with this case. >> it's completely fascinating. it's got celebrities, it's got blood, it's got gore. >> reporter: helter-skelter, the made for tv movie came out in 18976, but documentaries about manson are still being made, heeding the fascination over what happened and why. >> meeting charlie for the first time was very exciting. >> reporter: the history channel is premiering manson next month. >> he gave me the feeling that i would be cared for and he took care of everybody. eventually felt really safe. and protected. we were like his children. >> and then charles manson followers, i never had any followers. >> reporter: back on the bus where it's $50 a ticket for a three-hour tour scott michaels says it's not just about making money, he's also obsess would the manson case. >> i don't think i'm a bad person. i think the people that take my tour aren't ba

and a perfect example is scott michaels company called dearly departed tours.y have a helter-skelter tour where people go around to different spots that are connected to the manson murders. who goes on these tours? >> the people that take this four are people that are generally fascinated with this case. >> it's completely fascinating. it's got celebrities, blood, it's got gore ♪ helter-skelter >> reporter: helter-skelter, the made for tv movie came out in 1976 but documentaries about manson are still being made. feeding the fascination over what happen eed and why. >> meeting charlie for the first time was very exciting. >> reporter: the history channel is premiering "manson" next month. >> he gave me the feeling that i would be cared for. and that he took care of everybody. i eventually felt really safe and protected. we were like his churn. >> it wasn't charles manson followers. i never had any followers. that was the district attorney's trip. >> this is the home coming up on the left. >> reporter: on the bus where it's $50 for a three-hour tour, it's not ju

captain michael scott speicher has been killed but it was later changed to missing in action. last month, an iraqi informants told u.s. officials that his body had been buried in the desert. the news came as a relief to those close to speicher. >> to bring scott home, it really does mean something to us. i am just sorry we cannot bring them home alive. critics >> were asked why did not send a search team after his plane went down. >>> a man accused of defrauding the district out of thousands of dollars is expected in court today. he may be near a plea deal. he was a top official. prosecutors say he and others ran a complex bribery and kickback scheme up to four years. his home was rated. >>> it has been three years since robert wonn was murdered and police to not know who killed him. his murder anniversary was marked at the home where he was killed. they are handing off flyers and created a new website. >> we thought it was our responsibility to do what we could do to help find some answers to this mystery. >> three men who lived at that home are now facing obstruction of tuxe

navy captain michael scott speicher was unknown. there were many false leads. in 1993, the wreckage of speicher a's plane was found, but no body. after the u.s. invaded iraq in 2003, speicher's initials "mss" were found carved into the wall of an iraqi prison, leading to speculation speicher might have survived the crash. nothing panned out, but family members and friends worked to keep the investigation alive. >> we are here in washington, d.c. trying to not to let him be forgotten, trying to make sure that the search never stops until he is found. i think we to owe him that and much more. >> reporter: finally, last month, marines spoke to an iraqi in anbar province who said he saw speicher buried. based on that account, speicher's remains were recovered from the iraqi desert and flown to dover air force base in delaware for positive identification. captain speicher is survived by two children, toddlers when he disappeared, but now, in college. and some people never gave up demanding a search for speicher. u.s. senator bill nelson is among those who kept pushi

. >> joining us now, scott michael, a partner with the law firm, kaplan and driesdale, busy representing clients with ubf and other overseas accounts.s. thank you for being with us. as i look at what is now going on between the irs, justice and ubs, how big a deal is this?? is this the end of swiss banking as we know it? >> well, this is an enormous step in the united states that breached swiss bank secrecy, this quickly, at this level of magnitude. the turn that occurred in february was, as you mentioned, 250, 285 names, but now with the united states attaining access to substantially more names than that, as well as with the swiss government agreement to conform its information exchange agreements with the united states, the international standards, i think we're beginning to see the erosion of bank secrecy, not just in switzerland, but in other countries around the world that have protective bank secrecy rules. >> is this a good thing in the long run? >> well, certainly for the united states, it is. there are taxpayers who for whatever reason have put money in foreign accounts, some o

. >>> 18 years after he was shot down in iraq, we finally know what happened to captain michael scott speicher. speicher was the first american shot down during the 1919 gulf war. the pentagon said the remains have now been identified and recovered from a grave in the desert. the discovery ends years of speculation that speicher was being held captive. >> it's a bittersweet ending. it's great we finally accomplished an ending. but it is bittersweet. you always hope he is going to be found alive, but on that end, if he was found alive, look what he's missed. his children are in college now, and what kind of life would he have led being a prisoner of war? >> well, speicher was shot down on the first night of the first gulf war, january 17, 1991. his children were only toddlers at the time. his family issued a statement thanking everyone involved in the search. searchers found his remains after getting tips from iraqis who remembered the crash and witnessed his burial. >>> three-time boxing champion vernon forest laid to rest today outside atlanta. police are close to finding his killers

the the remains of captain michael scott spiker were positive identified after a witness pointed oute he had been buried in iraq. spiker was shot down on the fist night of operation desert storm in 1991. in a statement president obama said my thoughts and prayers are with his family and i hope the recovery of his remains will bring them a needed sense of closure. >> a tragic end to a country music festival in canada. lightning and hale toppled an outdoor stage killing a woman and injuring at least 75 others. >> reporter: they're the dramatic images in the seconds after this massive stage was swept to the ground, crews sifting through twisted metal trying to get to several people underneath. among them these twin sisters both on stage at the time, both hospitalized in the collapse. >> i just knew there was a lot of stuff on top of me, didn't know where i was, what was going on. i thought i was going to die. >> reporter: one woman d. friends are identifying the fatal victim as donna moore, crushed by a speaker when the stage came down. memberia was placed at a camp site while the man w

bret: president obama today thanked the marines who found the remains of navy pilot michael scott speicheralty of the gulf war in

top 3, brian robert, a double machine off scott baker. michael aubrey would come around to score. the al with 1-0 o's. bottom of the 5th, chris tillman getting help from his defense. melvin mora going deep, and bounces the throw over to the out. tillman strong through 5. but the wheels came off in the 6th after a lead-off triple by alexis. a wild pitch ties the game at 1. tillman pulled after loading the bases. jason against hendrickson. a fly ball to left gives the twins a 2-1 lead. bottom 9, walked 2 straight. matt wieters goes down swinging. twins win 2-1 that i play again tomorrow night at 8. >>> and finally, over the weekend, a pretty touching time as nick adenhart was honored in maryland. they named a little league field after him. pretty school stuff there. so nick adenhart was killed tragically a few months back by a drunk driver. they named the little league complex after him. a nice touch there. >> that is. >> friends and family. >>> i was thinking for the o's, the honeymoon has been over for a listening time. but for you, my friend, i hope it continues. for years to com

now, 18 years after the crash that kept michael scott's jet on the first night of operation desert storm finally the family has some answers. samantha haze reports. >> what happened to michael scott began ominously on the first night of the u.s. invasion in iraq january of 1991. his f-18 was shot down as the u.s. forces began operation desert storm. and for nearly two decades, the fate of captain spiker was unknown. the navy chased his status over the years from killed to missing in action. and then to missing capture in 2002, because speculation that he may have survived the crash. >> we decided to form friends freeing him because there were so many conflicts and reports guarding scott. >> reporter: fueling speculation in 2003, a report that invest gay tors found what appeared to be spiker's initials, mms, scratched into a wall of an iraqi prison, but nothing panned out. the florida man pressed them for answers. >> walking away from the down pilot. it was done by mistakenly declaring him dead and then they didn't go and search for him. and that was a mistake. >> reporter: in july, an ir

. >> the pentagon has identified the remains of captain michael scott speicher missing since 1991. owed to his family who never gave up on the search. we have a report. >> reporter: newschannel 4y pilot michael scott speicher was shot down back in 1991 during the first night of the gulf war. some 18 years later, marines stationed in the western anbar province of iraq have discovered bones and skeletal fragments, enough to make a positive identification. >> i guess you could use the word bit are sweet. bittersweet. you could say it is good there is closure because the family has been up and down all these years. >> reporter: pentagon official say the information that helped them uncover the pilot's remains came last month according to the deft defense department. an iraqi citizen stepped up telling u.s. forces he knew of a crash in the desert involving a u.s. war jet. says the pilot was found dead and then buried in the desert. speicher was married and had two young children when he disappeared. >> for those children to be able now to know and not have to continue to wonder is their

for 18 years, what happened to captain michael scott during the first gulf war has been a mystery. tonight, that is over. >> the commander and chief released a statement calling him a hero. now we know he was one of the very first patriots to give his life. >> the first american killed during the first howers will now be the last to come home. >> we saw a fire ball in the sky and we thought that was spike. >> we were calling out. >> spike didn't answer. he had been shot down over the iraqi desert. 18 years later, his remains have been found. sunday night, president barak obama issued a statement saying my thoughts and prayers are with the family. >> >> for me, personally, yes. to bring scott home. it really does mean something to us. i'm sorry we couldn't bring him home alive. two years aft being shot down, the wreckage were found. his remains were not. room yors of his survival and possible impressonment grew. his family waited for answers. >> i just want a straight answer . eid to brother. simple and plain, answer that question. last month, an iraqi citizen answer that had questi

meineke. >>> captain michael scott speicher one of the last to come home. getting some answers after more than 18 years of grief, false leads and false hopes and fears and rumors. imagine the roller coaster hearing he was dead, captured in a prison and missing again. >> reporter: captain scott speicher's children were toddlers the day he disappeared. now the remains are coming home to college students. was he captured? tortured? all of this time the answer was buried in the iraqi sand and solved by a single tip. >> it's a bittersweet ending. it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending, but it is bittersweet. >> reporter: last month an iraqi citizen told american troops about the crash site. when the marines arrived, another iraqi said he was there when veterans found captain speicher already dead and buried his body. u.s. troops found multiple skeletal fragments and bones. when compared his dental records with the recovered jaw bone, it was him. >> the whole family is so grateful that the navy stayed on this. >> reporter: but the military made mi

michael scott speicher, truly an american hero. >>> thank you to all of our guests, to you at home for being with us. see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp eastern. until then, good night, everybody. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> coming up next on "issues," very sad news to report. i'm holding the coroner's report in my hand and the body found in a canal near boise, idaho, has been tentatively identified as that of precious, innocent little robert manwill, 8 years old. he vanished approximately 11 days ago. the coroner's report says that the primary cause of death, pending investigation. the death has been ruled -- well, they haven't said homicide or not, it says, pending investigation. and even the place of death is unknown. so many more questions than answers. again, this is just a tentative identification. positive i.d. is pending the matching of the dental records, but it's extremely tragic news. look at that beautiful, innocent face. why is this happening so often in america? we are going to analyze this very, very disturbing trend and try to look at some commonalities so

captain michael "scott" speicher's plane was shot down on the first night of the war in 1991.ick cheney immediately declared him dead, but over the years, suspicion grew that he may have survived and been captured. what appeared to be speicher's initials carved into a wall. those suspicions ended last week when iraqi citizens led marines to speicher's grave. his case has changed the way the military treats search missions, something his family takes solace in. >> we owe our duty to the people who put themselves in danger for the defense of our country. you just do the part that you can. >> never give up? >> never give up. >> president obama called finding speicher's remains a reminder of his selfless service. >> our time right now is 5:38 and the temperature 72 degrees here in washington. >>> running on empty. the big changes for consumers looking to take advantage of the government's cash for clunkers program. >> plugs, a community on edge after an elderly woman was targeted inside her own home. >> why it's going to get more expensive to shot i hey smart, heard you're getting

captain michael scott speicher a u.s. navy pilot shot down back in 1991-his remains never found until now. we've got some new information to share with you. it is bringing his family some closure. the families first public statement in a couple of minutes. >> julie: tragedy at a music festival. an outdoor stage comes crashing down killing one person and injuring more than 70 others. >> gregg: a massive forest fire, raging out of control. take a look at this. we're going to tell you where several thousand people had to go to dodge this massive fire. >> julie: our first and top story, he was the first american soldier lost in the gulf war and for nearly two decades no one knew whether he was alive or dead. now, the mystery is finally over. pentagon says the remains of the pilot captain michael scott speicer has been identified. his plane was shot down in the opening hours of the war. it's a testament of how the military never stop looking for one of its own. laura ingle is live in the newsroom following this story for us to

the pentagon says it's identified the remains of captain michael "scott" speicher. as the first american killed in the 1991 gulf war. searchers found his remains in the iraqi desert after getting tips from iraqis who remembered the jet crash and witnessed his burial. >>> michael jackson's mother will fight for control of his fortune today. a judge in l.a. will consider who should handle jackson's estate worth at least half a billion dollars. right now it's controlled by his lawyer and a friend. the judge is also expected to give katherine jackson permanent custody of jackson's kids. >>> those are some of our top stories. if you just woke up and are just now joining us, where have you been? i'm robin meade. >>> the white house is considering moving all guantanamo bay detainees to a single prison in the united states. that's from a senior administration official who says possible locations include a soon-to-be closed maximum security prison in michigan and a military penitentiary in fort lef enforth, kansas. they would have a courtroom for the detainees' trials. presid

michael scott speicher, truly an american hero. >>> thank you to all of our guests, to you at home for being with us. see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp eastern. until then, good night, until then, good night, everybody. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> hello. i'm a.j. hammer in new york. this is a "showbiz tonight" news break. here's just some of what we're covering for you on "showbiz tonight" coming up at the top of the hour. rage over ryan o'neal. the hits just keep on coming here. first, ryan admits he hit on his own daughter at farrah fawcett's funeral. now ryan's son is lashing out. the son says ryan didn't like that farrah was dying of cancer because she got all the attention. this is really an unbelievable father versus son blowout. >>> plus, is michael jackson's dermatologist the real father of his kids? tonight, we're wondering why is dr. arnold klein requesting that he have a say in the lives of michael's children. >>> and jennifer aniston speaks out about being unlucky in love. wait until you hear why jen says she doesn't mind being known as the lonely girl. that

navy captain michael "scott" speicher was shot down in his fighter jet back in 1991 on the opening night of "operation desert storm." last month an iraqi citizen told u.s. forces in iraq where to find that crash site. the latest announcement by the pentagon ends 18 years of speculation that speicher may have survived that crash. in 1991 ken robinson was part of a top secret military team that would have been involved in the search and rescue operation for speicher, but before they could get started, something very unusual happened. ken robinson, who is a former military intelligence officer, joins me now to talk about that. something very unusual did happen, ken. >> well, the secretary of defense declared scott speicher killed in action within hours of the initial flash report which we received that he had been shot down. the united states government at that time had incredible search and rescue capabilities on the ground and prepared to go, and instead they were told to stand down. and to this day we don't have a really good reason as to how he came to that conclusion so rapidly, and we

it's been almost two decades since navy captain michael "scott" speicher's plane disappeared over iraqtwo hours into the gulf war. after years of dead end leads, an iraqi led them to the burial site near the wreckage of his jet. the iraqi said he died in the crash. >> he remembered the plane going down, and he remembered the bedouins burying the body. >> reporter: captain speicher was first declared killed in action. without remains, doubts grew. a decade after he disappeared, officials changed his status to missing in action. after the fall of baghdad, troops scoured iraqi prisons looking for evidence. all they found were the initials "mss" carved on the walls, leaving investigators to wonder if michael "scott" speicher had been held here. in the captain's hometown of jacksonville, florida, they kept up the campaign to continue searching. the family has thanked the navy for never giving up. president obama has saluted the family and said he hopes that this gives them closure. harry? >> kimberly dozier in washington, thanks. joining us now from jacksonville, florida, is speicher family

. >>> answers for the navy captain michael scott speicher. he was the first to be shot down in 1991 when his jet fighter was hit on the first night of the war. his remains were never found until last month, an iraqi civilian told u.s. marines in anbar province that speicher's body was buried at the crash site and excavation turned up bones that were positively identified as speicher's, for friends and family, who had been trying to learn his fate for 18 years, their long search has come to an end. >> it's a bittersweet ending. i mean it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending but it is bittersweet. on that end if he was found alive look what he's missed. his children are in college and what kind of life would he have led being a prisoner of war and there was always speculation he was tortured and beaten and you know, so it's, like i said, bittersweet. >> a short time ago we received this written statement from the speicher family who called the captain a brave and wonderful father, husband and naval officer who responded to the ca

. >>> we start with navy pilot michael scott speicher.he pentagon confirms his remains have finally been found in iraq 18 years after he went missing. the mystery of what happened to speicher began in 1991 shortly after his plane was shot down over iraq on the first night of "operation desert storm," listen to this 1991 cnn report. >> the pentagon has identified a united states navy pilot as apparently the first u.s. service man missing in action in the persian gulf war. he is lieutenant commander michael speicher. his f-18 attack jet went down during the raid on iraq before dawn yesterday. the 33-year-old pilot is married, has two young children. he's assigned to the "uss saratoga" which is based in mayport, florida. >> the remains of speicher have been located in iraq. let's get straight to our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence joining us on the phone from los angeles. so, chris, give us some details about how this discovery was made. >> well, fredricka, after nearly 20 years of waiting and wondering his wife, his kids, fellow offic

military says the remains have been found in iraq and have been positively identified as those of michael "scott" speicher. he's a navy pilot who was shot down in the first gulf war in a statement his family says learning of his fate has been difficult but it does bring some closure. brook hart has more. >> after return from camp david president obama called finding scott speicher's remains a reminder of his selfless service. it was 18 years ago on day one of the first gulf war that speicher's navy jet was shot down. then defense secretary dick cheney declared him the war's first fatality. >> as of 0900 this morning washington time there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> but with no proof of speicher's death, no remains, his family has lived with the mystery of what happened. the military says iraqi civilians just last week led marines to the crash site and his buried remains. what about claims speicher had been seen in captivity or his initials scratched in the wall of an iraqi prison cell? >> all of that evidence turned up not to be accurate. >> senator bill nelson of florida said the

. >>> 18 years after a navy fighter pilot michael scott speicher was shot down in the first hours of the persian gulf war, his remains are finally home. speicher's casket was flown yesterday to the jacksonville naval air station in florida and taken to the base chapel. speicher's f-18 jet went down in iraq in 1991, but the crash site and his grave were found only last month. a funeral is planned today in jacksonville. >>> also today, a private funeral is set in hyannis, massachusetts, for eunice kennedy shriver, who died tuesday at age 88. as christina hager of our boston station wbz reports, the kennedys celebrated shriver's life yesterday at a public wake on cape cod. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ >> reporter: it is storytelling time at eunice kennedy shriver's church, and in the tradition of the irish wake, a lot of laughter. >> i'm bobby kennedy, and excuse my voice. i was eunice's godchild, i think her favorite godson. >> reporter: the world may have known her as a great political and social advocate, founder of the special olympics, but on this day, her nephew bobby is

six years ago the initials mss, perhaps for michael scott speicher, were found carved into a prison wall. some said the initials could mean speicher was captured and was still alive. >> no mat are what, we were committed to finding either captain speicher alive, or if we couldn't find him alive to find his remains. >> a month ago the pentagon says they received information that bedouins had had buried speicher near the crash site. wjz, eyewitness news. >> earlier this year the speicher family pressed the pentagon to find out exactly what happened, saying they opposed any decision to change his status from missing to killed in action. >>> still to come, a frantic search. an underground train station collapses in china. >>> a new form of hiv. in tonight's healthwatch report, the alarming discovery by doctors j. and too brave for the bank. why a teller was fired after confronting a robber. >>> i'm alex did he meet trining anne arundel county. coming up, goats to the rescue. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> i'm meteorologist bernadette woods. another round of severe storms again

we're talking of course about navy pilot michael scott speicher.e was buried finally this morning 18 years after he was shot down over iraq. his remains were found last month buried in central iraq. today's funeral procession included a stop at a war veteran's moment and the jacksonville sheriff's office fired a 21-gun salute. >>> friends and family are remembering eunice kennedy shriver. her daughter and son-in-law arnold schwarzenegger were two of the family members who obviously there are carrying the casket into the church. vips oprah winfrey, john bon vo vo and vice president joe biden all among the invited guests. ted kennedy wasn't there. he's still fighting brain cancer. she died tuesday at 88. >>> want to take you to california where fire officials say two structures have been damaged by this large wildfire burning in the santa cruz mountains but they don't know yet what type of structures they were. more firefighters and equipment are expected today. this is the lockheed fire. it's only 5% contained, and 2,000 residents have been forced t

tonight the mystery of what happened to lieutenant commander michael scott speicher is solved, and for his family the anguish of not knowing is over. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has the extraordinary story. >> reporter: in the hours of the first gulf war january 17th, 1991, navy lieutenant commander scot speier was shot down. at the pentagon defense secretary dick cheney declared spiker dead. >> as of 0900 this morning washington time there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> reporter: but the u.s. military never found speicher's body until now. last week iraqi civilians led u.s. marines to speicher's remains. one iraqi said bedouins found him dead near the crash site shortly after his jet went down and then buried him nearby. military pathologists have now positively identified the remains as of this speicher. it's been an agonizer ordeal for his wife and their who children. senator bill nelson said initially the military gave up on speicher too soon. >> when a pilot goes out in harm's way, that pilot knows for sure that if he has to eject, that there's a search

since 1991, there was speculation as to whether navy captain michael scott speicher was held captive since his plane went down. it crashed first night of the gulf war. according to a statement from the navy, an iraqi citizen notified services about the location of the crash. another citizen told marines he saw speicher's remains being buried after the crash. we will keep you updated. >>> six people were wounded in a shooting outside of a chicago church with a gang member's funeral was being held. there was a stampede when people inside the church heard shots fired outside. precautions were taken so the shooter couldn't get in the church. >> they locked the doors for about two or three minutes, then opened it back up and found four bodies laying on the ground. >> it was so brazen. you know, there's so much violence in school. church is supposed to be a safe haven. if that is being violated, we are really in trouble. >> witnesses say the shooter ran off. no one has been arrested. police believe the shootings are gang related. >>> iran's former president has slammed the trials, unconsti

when michael scott speicher's jet went down the military first thought he had been killed immediately. then they thought perhaps he'd been captured. since 1991 the military, speicher's wife and their two children all wondered the same thing. what happened to captain speicher? today military forensic experts answered the questions. captain speicher's plane was shot down in iraq january 17th, 1991. the very first night of the first gulf war. >> as of 0900 this morning washington time there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> the military initially said speicher had been shot down over western iraq and killed. since they never recovered his remains and there was evidence he may have actually survived the crash, the pentagon eventually changed his status to missing in action. then at the start of the second iraq war, a more tantalizing clue. his initials mss were found scratched into the wall of an iraqi prison cell. but sunday, closure. the pilot's remains were finally found in the iraqi desert near thwreckage of his plane. it's been an agonizing ordeal for his wife, since remarri