Monday, June 15, 2009 - 2:00 PM

The witness, Helga Freudenberger, is a 34-year old white female. The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department and recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.

Detective Samantha Murphy
Detective Ted Armstrong
Helga Freudenberger

Detective Armstrong: Good afternoon, Ms. Freudenberger. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. It's nice to see you again. Please come in and have a seat. As you know we need your name and address for our record.

Helga Freudenberger: My name is Helga Freudenberger and I live at 613 Andrews Circle. I insist you call me Helga.

Detective Murphy: Helga it is. Thank you for coming to speak with us. It's been awhile since we last saw you at that court case.

Helga Freudenberger: It's nice to see you both. It would be nicer if it were under more social circumstances.

Detective Armstrong: Helga, can you tell us what credentials you hold?

Helga Freudenberger: I'm a licensed marriage and family counselor/therapist. I hold a Masters Degree in this field. I've been in practice about 10 years now.

Detective Murphy: Helga, we're working on a case involving one of your patients, Chandler Duncan. As I'm sure you know, his daughter has been missing for about a year now.

Helga Freudenberger: That's correct, Mr. Duncan is my patient, and I do know about his daughter's disappearance.

Detective Armstrong: We've opened up the case in light of new evidence. Is it ok if we ask you some questions?

Helga Freudenberger: I will do my best to answer your questions as long as it doesn't violate my patient's rights.

Detective Armstrong: Good enough. How long have you known the Mr. Duncan?

Helga Freudenberger: Chandler Duncan made his first appointment about 5 weeks ago. He said he wanted to try and fix his marriage and relationship with his family. He said he's having a lot problems coping due to his daughter's disappearance. My assessment is he's being forced to live a parent's nightmare. He shows the pain, fear, frustration and aloneness coping with the trauma of having a missing child.  I told them having a missing child demands courage and determination on the part of the parents and other family members, who often feel isolated in facing their fears and frustrations.

Detective Armstrong: How often did you meet with Mr. Duncan?

Helga Freudenberger: I was supposed to meet with him once a week. At the second meeting, Mr. Duncan stormed out saying it was ridiculous and a waste of time because his daughter was never coming back because she was dead. But two weeks later and much to my surprise, Mr. Duncan phoned me and said he was sorry and he wanted to start seeing me again. Of course I said yes, I knew the man was obviously distraught.

Detective Armstrong: Helga, we know about the arguing between Mr. and Mrs. Duncan over his drinking and Joey's withdrawal from the family.  Are you at liberty to discuss why Mr. Duncan came back after the things he said?

Helga Freudenberger: I don't want to say anything that would go against his patient's rights. But since you already know of these problems I can tell you that Mr. Duncan's drinking is causing a lot of problems in his marriage. He's as much as abandoned his wife and son since his daughter disappeared. They argue all the time and his son stays in his room. I suggested family therapy but he got angry and said that was out of the question.

Detective Armstrong: Why do you think suggesting family therapy made him angry?

Helga Freudenberger: It's as though he doesn’t want anyone to know his real feelings about his daughter missing and that's including me. At times he doesn't make any sense.

Detective Armstrong: Helga, what did you mean by not being sure of his real feelings and making sense?

Helga Freudenberger: I've said enough. I don't think I can discuss this with you without breaking patient’s confidentiality.

Detective Armstrong: There must be something you can tell us.

Helga Freudenberger: I'm not sure how well I've assessed the situation. I've only met with the man three times. I really can't give any specifics, but if I were a homicide detective where this man's daughter came up missing, I'd sure keep a close eye on him. I can't tell you exactly why I formed that opinion but I can tell you that my meetings with him fully support what I said. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you, detective, but that's as good as it gets.

Detective Armstrong: We appreciate your candor and won't press you anymore on details. We certainly appreciate you confiding in us. We'll most definitely take into consideration what you’ve told us.

Helga Freudenberger: I hope I've been of some help. Goodbye for now.

Interview ends: 2:47 PM