North Korea Frees American Detainee; Indiana Serial Killer Investigation
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BALDWIN: And here we go. We begin with breaking news. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. Up first this hour, American Jeffrey Fowle is free from the clutches of North Korea's Communists. CNN has learned the 56-year-old tourist, detained since May, has, in fact, landed in Guam aboard a U.S. government airplane. North Korea freed him in the dark of night without really saying why, as they still hold two Americans convicted there of crimes. Fowle had been awaiting charges for leaving a Bible, which is forbidden in North Korea, in a nightclub. But the timing here of this release, the timing here is certainly curious, and we will talk about that in just a moment. But, first, here is confirmation about Fowle's release from the White House.</s>JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm in a position to confirm that Jeffrey Fowle has been allowed to depart the DPRK and is on his way home to rejoin his family. We certainly welcome the decision from the DPRK to release him. And while this is a positive decision by the DPRK, we remain focused on the continued detention of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, and again call on the DPRK to immediately release them.</s>BALDWIN: Got a lot to talk about here, including what exactly this could signal from the uber-secretive nuclear armed North Korean government. Let me bring in CNN's Elise Labott, live from the U.S. State Department, and then from Seoul, South Korea, CNN's Paula Hancocks. So,, ladies, thank you for joining me here at the top of the hour. And, Elise, let me just begin with you here. Specifically on Fowle's condition, how is he doing? Do we know?</s>ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the State Department just said moments ago, deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf, Brooke, that he was evaluated by a doctor and is doing well. Obviously, there's a lot more to discuss with him. He will need to be debriefed by the U.S. government, but right now heading home to his family, the circumstances about this, as you note, very peculiar. State Department not saying much, but it does seem as if the North Koreans called up the U.S., said come get him, demanded it was a U.S. plane, gave them a time frame, and the U.S. sent a Department of Defense plane, and now he's headed back to the United States. Obviously, his family very happy, but those other two Americans' families, not a very good day for them, Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: Let's get to that, because there are two Americans still over there in detention. But, first, you know, when we talk about what he did to become detained in May, you know, he confessed. He confessed to leaving this Bible behind. This is a big no-no in communist North Korea. So, Paula Hancocks, the question to you -- actually, let me pause. Let's take a listen to when Fowle spoke exclusively to our correspondent Will Ripley not too long ago just back in September. Here he was.</s>WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you tell us about the charges that you're facing as you have been told?</s>JEFFREY FOWLE, AMERICAN DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA: The charges are violation much DPRK law, which stem from trying to leave a Bible at the Seamen's Club in Chongjin around</s>BALDWIN: So, Paula, admitting guilt, forgiveness. He talked about this trial. He expected to be tried as have the other two Americans being held by Pyongyang. Do we know if he was put on trial? Isn't that what they do there?</s>PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As far as we know, from the information we get from North Korea, he was never actually put on trial. When he spoke to CNN in that interview, he said that he believed that was going to be imminent. And that's why he thought his situation was so desperate. The other two, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, were both tried and both found guilty of hostile acts against the government. Kenneth Bae, of course, sentenced to 15 years hard labor, he's had about two years already in detention in North Korea. And Matthew Miller sentenced to eight years. But, of course, when you look at Jeffrey Fowle's crime or alleged crime, if you like, it is less serious in North Korea's eyes than the other two American citizens. Yes, he did leave a Bible in a Seamen's Club in a northern port city. Of course, anything that is religious and is not state-sponsored is more than frowned upon in North Korea. It is seen as a hostile act against the regime and an attempt to topple the regime. But it's not as serious in North Korea's eyes as the crimes from the other two U.S. citizens.</s>BALDWIN: OK. And of course, the question remains, if he's released, what about the other two Americans? Elise Labott, thank you so much. And, Paula Hancocks, appreciate it from Seoul. To Indiana we go, where police are frantically searching abandoned homes. They're looking for more victims, more bodies of a possible serial killer. And CNN got up-close access, riding along with police here in Gary, Indiana, today as they looked for bodies possibly connected to Darren Vann, the man police say led them to half-dozen dead women just in the last couple of days. Everything was set in motion because of this young woman, her body, the discovery of 19-year-old Afrika Hardy's body in this motel room in Hammond over the weekend. Vann allegedly strangled her before placing her body in the bathtub. Police are now saying today that there were signs of a struggle. As we mentioned, seven bodies and six others and were found over the course of the weekend mere miles from one another. Let me go to CNN's Poppy Harlow. She is live in Hammond, Indiana. And, Poppy, you were out with police today. Tell me what they told you. Where did they take you?</s>POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke, we were. I mean, it's an incredibly, incredibly disturbing thing just to think that these seven women were so brutally murdered in this community and then to think that police are spending all of today looking home by home for any more bodies. That is because this 43-year-old suspect Darren Vann has obviously made any indication to them that they should still be looking. Police told me, no, he has not said, yes, I killed more women and here's where they are, like he did for the other women whom he led police to, but he'd given them some indication. We spent the morning out with the police, their cadaver dogs looking, abandoned home by abandoned home for any signs of any other possible victims. Listen to what the sergeant told us.</s>HARLOW: Why did you come here to search for possibly more bodies?</s>SGT. WILLIAM FAZEKAS, GARY, INDIANA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: We just want to cover all the bases because we just want to make sure this gentleman didn't leave anything unturned. In other words, there could be potentially more bodies. We don't know for sure.</s>HARLOW: OK.</s>FAZEKAS: We're just checking.</s>HARLOW: One of the big concerns here is all the abandoned homes. These bodies, most of them were found in abandoned homes.</s>FAZEKAS: Yes. Unfortunately, the individual that committed these crimes, seemed his M.O. was to put people in the abandoned -- these dead women in an abandoned house.</s>HARLOW: This is a man with such a long criminal history spanning back to the '90s. We know that in...</s>BALDWIN: OK. We're losing you, Poppy Harlow. My apologies. I don't know where the microphone is or what the issue is with the audio. But I think we got the crux of it. We will watch for the rest of your reporting as these police are going now to abandoned home to abandoned home seeing if they will find more, more victims, more bodies. Alleged cop killer Eric Frein still hiding and believed to be somewhere in the Pocono Mountains. Even with another possible sighting, police can't find him, they can't catch him. Is he really that skilled? My next guest says the police are actually the ones making huge mistakes. Plus, millions of car owners could be at risk. Exploding air bags could lead to deadly injuries, and now a stepped-up effort to get these fixed ASAP -- what you need to know ahead.