Diena and her attorney, Mike Freed, join the show via satellite, and Dr. Phil asks her how she and her children are coping.

“The kids, each one of them, are handling it differently,” she says. “Myself, I don’t know. I feel like a robot. I just get up and do what I have to do, but I can’t let them win. I have to stay strong and maybe be a voice for other children who’ve ended up like this, or who could possibly end up like this."

Somer left school with her twin brother and older sister, but got separated from them on the walk home. “What I’ve heard is that she got into a little fight with a classmate, and she ran ahead. They lost eye contact,” Diena says.

Dr. Phil asks Diena about the people who have blamed her for her daughter’s disappearance.

“I got a letter from a fellow here in Florida saying I should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for child abuse and child neglect for letting her walk. I’ve gotten terrible phone calls that I need psychological treatment,” she says. Fighting back tears, she continues, “I’m just a single mom, just trying to do the right thing, and I do feel guilty.”

“That is complete and utter crap, and I support you. We all support you. I am so desperately sorry that this has happened to you. I stand right there with you in saying that you’re not going to rest until this person is caught,” Dr. Phil tells her. “I just hope that you don’t listen to that voice, and you don’t hear this guilt message. You’ve got to take care of you. You have two other children who rely on you, and this is a time that you truly need to be there for each other.”