On the Road Again
Fr. Phil follows up with Angela, the runaway teen whose story touched millions.
Angela, a 17-year-old runaway, originally came on the show when her mother Beth made what she called a "last resort" effort to save her daughter from ending up "in jail...or worse."
Angela appeared responsive and before leaving the show, she told producers she was happy to reconnect with her mother and was excited about going back to school.
Dr. Phil sent members of his staff to Ohio right after show to follow-up with Anglela and her mom. "We got along really well after the show," says Beth. "Angela seemed really excited to go back to school and was resting her head on my shoulder on the plane ride home."
The situation soon changed, however. "She was home for a week and then ran away again," explains Beth.
Maridee Costanzo is the public defender who has been assigned to Angela's case. "My goal is to have the most positive outcome for Angela," says Maridee. Angela remains in the juvenile detention facility where she is attending school while Maridee fights to get her out.
Concerned about her safety and well being, Dr. Phil hired a team of private investigators to help find Angela and convince her to come out of hiding. They located her boyfriend, who said he hadn't seen or heard from her.
Julie, a Dr. Phil producer, contacted Angela's grandmother to try to locate her. The grandmother revealed that although she had received a phone call from her, Angela refused to reveal her whereabouts or to come out of hiding.
With the help of the private investigators and messages relayed through Angela's friends and relatives, Angela finally surfaced and made contact. A deal was worked out in which Angela would agree to come out of hiding and attend school while living with her aunt.
Angela agreed to show up in court the next day (she was scheduled to appear for a previous runaway charge) and finalize the custody deal.
In spite of the pre-arranged custody agreement, Beth had a change of heart. "I couldn't give up custody and trust someone else to take control of the situation," says Beth.
Phil called Beth to try to convince her not to give up on Angela and salvage the deal. Beth agreed to give it a try. But in court, Beth told the judge she wanted Angela to be "held accountable." The judge sentenced Angela to up to 90 days in a juvenile facility. Angela was handcuffed and taken away.
Jay McGraw, who has followed Angela's story from the beginning, was one of her first visitors in the detention facility. He was allowed to take a picture of Angela and explains, "She has to wear that hat because some of the girls in there have head lice ... She's doing as well as she can in the situation ... when she saw me she started crying ... Angela has been placed in isolation ... she says she ran away again because she 'felt like a stranger in her own house.'"
Jay then went to Beth's home to ask about her change of heart. Jay asks, "How can you say you love Angela and put her in jail?"
"Watching her self-destruct is not caring," says Beth. "I know where is now. She's not being abused or hit. She is safe."
Jay then tracked down Angela's boyfriend, Jim. Addressing Angela's allegations of abuse, Jay asks, "Do you think a real man should spit in a woman's face? Do you think Angela is living the life she's supposed to live?"
"I spit in her face but she's spit in mine," Jim answers. "We apologized to each other but everyone is making a big deal out of it...I see a future with her when she turns 18...tell Angela I love her."
Angela, a 17-year-old runaway, originally came on the show when her mother Beth made what she called a "last resort" effort to save her daughter from ending up "in jail...or worse."
Angela appeared responsive and before leaving the show, she told producers she was happy to reconnect with her mother and was excited about going back to school.
Dr. Phil sent members of his staff to Ohio right after show to follow-up with Anglela and her mom. "We got along really well after the show," says Beth. "Angela seemed really excited to go back to school and was resting her head on my shoulder on the plane ride home."
The situation soon changed, however. "She was home for a week and then ran away again," explains Beth.
Maridee Costanzo is the public defender who has been assigned to Angela's case. "My goal is to have the most positive outcome for Angela," says Maridee. Angela remains in the juvenile detention facility where she is attending school while Maridee fights to get her out.
Concerned about her safety and well being, Dr. Phil hired a team of private investigators to help find Angela and convince her to come out of hiding. They located her boyfriend, who said he hadn't seen or heard from her.
Julie, a Dr. Phil producer, contacted Angela's grandmother to try to locate her. The grandmother revealed that although she had received a phone call from her, Angela refused to reveal her whereabouts or to come out of hiding.
With the help of the private investigators and messages relayed through Angela's friends and relatives, Angela finally surfaced and made contact. A deal was worked out in which Angela would agree to come out of hiding and attend school while living with her aunt.
Angela agreed to show up in court the next day (she was scheduled to appear for a previous runaway charge) and finalize the custody deal.
In spite of the pre-arranged custody agreement, Beth had a change of heart. "I couldn't give up custody and trust someone else to take control of the situation," says Beth.
Phil called Beth to try to convince her not to give up on Angela and salvage the deal. Beth agreed to give it a try. But in court, Beth told the judge she wanted Angela to be "held accountable." The judge sentenced Angela to up to 90 days in a juvenile facility. Angela was handcuffed and taken away.
Jay McGraw, who has followed Angela's story from the beginning, was one of her first visitors in the detention facility. He was allowed to take a picture of Angela and explains, "She has to wear that hat because some of the girls in there have head lice ... She's doing as well as she can in the situation ... when she saw me she started crying ... Angela has been placed in isolation ... she says she ran away again because she 'felt like a stranger in her own house.'"
Jay then went to Beth's home to ask about her change of heart. Jay asks, "How can you say you love Angela and put her in jail?"
"Watching her self-destruct is not caring," says Beth. "I know where is now. She's not being abused or hit. She is safe."
Jay then tracked down Angela's boyfriend, Jim. Addressing Angela's allegations of abuse, Jay asks, "Do you think a real man should spit in a woman's face? Do you think Angela is living the life she's supposed to live?"
"I spit in her face but she's spit in mine," Jim answers. "We apologized to each other but everyone is making a big deal out of it...I see a future with her when she turns 18...tell Angela I love her."