Rita Cosby, ‘Live & Direct’; Steve Cohen, “Dompig and Fred have established a strong rapport”

‘Rita Cosby Live & Direct’ for March 15, 2006

So this is what it takes to be asked to come to Aruba eight weeks later to search for Natalee Holloway. Although Steve Cohen’s comment makes about as much sense as Gerold Dompig’s decision. Dompig waits eight weeks and his decision is Fred Golba. It is truly sad that the search for a missing girl has to play second fiddle to thin skinned personalities. If this is the image that Aruba wishes to present, then so be it. It is unbelievable pathetic that searches and offers to search have been put off for months due to nothing more than ego and pride.

Cohen: Dompig and Fred have established a strong rapport and a great deal of trust between them, and that’s why he is there.

And Aruba still does not have anyone there with ground penetrating radar to search the dunes. As Steve Cohen would later states, there are still others that will search. Wonder how long we will need to wait from them to show?

But of course he’s not the only person that’s going to be searching. Dompig is coming back with a very meticulous search grid, and understanding, as well, in terms of the specialized dogs. They’re going to do some cadaver searching.

The rest of the interview:

So how and why did the Aruban government decide to hire their own team to complete a new search of the island? How did this time get involved? LIVE & DIRECT tonight is Steven Cohen, special adviser to the Aruban government.

You know, Steve, we’ve had Tim Miller from EquuSearch, all these different guys on there. They were all sort of turned down by Dompig and it seemed like the Aruban government, of course, the chief of police there. Why this team?

STEVE COHEN, SPECIAL ADVISER TO ARUBAN GOVERNMENT: Well, it’s a process, of course, that goes back to the Forensic Institute of Holland. Chief Dompig has been back there twice now.

And I think what was happening was a determination of just exactly what techniques, in terms of specificity, could one investigator bring to bear versus another? And, of course, Dompig and Fred have established a strong rapport and a great deal of trust between them, and that’s why he is there.

But of course he’s not the only person that’s going to be searching. Dompig is coming back with a very meticulous search grid, and understanding, as well, in terms of the specialized dogs. They’re going to do some cadaver searching.

And, you know, we’re hopeful, but we’re not going to get our hopes up that we will find some remnant of either physical evidence or actual DNA evidence that would lead further in the case.

COSBY: You know, Steve, you know, we were hearing all these things about—as we’re looking at a picture of the island, we’re looking at the beach there—we were hearing these tips that this person who knew Joran coming forward with a tip, that Dompig seemed to be putting a bit of stock in.

How credible do you think these tips are? And why wait so long for someone to search?

COHEN: Well, I think the waiting is somewhat obvious now. You know, we thought that we might be able to get in there at the end of February, but I think the chief investigators really felt they wanted to do everything they could to plot it out and be very meticulous. And also, they wanted to await this subsurface radar. It’s called an SIR-3000. It’s a special device to help us.

At the same time, I think that they had to accumulate different testimony from witnesses. And I don’t mean testimony, in terms of the court, but just in terms of people coming forward and speaking to investigators. That took many months. As you know, from basically December until the end of February, they were still talking to people on the island.

And we were able to finally get sort of a fix on this dune area, which still is the primary search area, Rita. Although they have been looking in caves, as you heard this morning, really the dune area is still the most likely area where there would be some remnants, if Natalee, in fact, met her demise in that area.

COSBY: Well, we certainly hope this case is solved. Steve, thank you very much.

COHEN: Thank you, Rita.