Gone

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Donna Malone (0:07)

MUSIC MUSIC As a mother, Michelle was awesome. I called her the picture girl. Pictures, pictures, pictures.

She looked like a million dollars. Wear high heels and carry a baby on her hip. When she was a child, it was hard not to have a close friend relationship with her, even though I had to be the mom.

Phil Waters (0:39)

A woman has vanished from her Houston apartment.

Dr. Phil McGraw (0:42)

Her family and friends are fearing the worst.

Donna Malone (0:45)

I got the phone call from my son, and David said, something's wrong.

SPEAKER_5 (0:50)

Authorities say Warner's estranged boyfriend claims she stormed out of the apartment following an argument.

Donna Malone (0:55)

Mark Castellano was Michelle's boyfriend for a while. Mark and Michelle did meet at work.

Mark Castellano (1:01)

She captivates the room as she walks in. That part about her is completely true. She mesmerizes people.

Donna Malone (1:07)

They had a son together who was Caden. Michelle was living with Mark the night she disappeared. We called the police.

Everyone was searching.

Phil Waters (1:16)

We don't have a scene. We don't have a witness. We don't have evidence. We don't have a body.

The more we thought about it, we kind of looked at each other and said, let's go back and let's search.

Tracy Smith (1:39)

So will you explain to me how you use the iPhone and FaceTime?

Brian Harris (1:43)

They tried to follow it like a treasure map.

Tracy Smith (1:45)

Like that kind of thing, right?

Brian Harris (1:47)

Correct.

Phil Waters (1:49)

Well, it was in real time.

Tracy Smith (1:51)

So you were essentially FaceTiming?

Brian Harris (1:53)

Yes.

Tracy Smith (1:56)

So it's like I'm aiming it at this tree here and you say, do I go to the right of the tree or is it more to the left of the tree? That kind of thing?

Brian Harris (2:03)

Correct, exactly what I'm looking at right now.

Donna Malone (2:07)

A week went by, Michelle was still missing. We heard about Dr. Phil and Mark Castellano was going on his show.

Dr. Phil McGraw (2:14)

Today, we will take you inside a national news story as it unfolded in front of our cameras in real time.

Donna Malone (2:22)

Mark was going to be on Dr. Phil.

Tracy Smith (2:25)

When he said he wanted to talk with you, what did you do?

Dr. Phil McGraw (2:28)

I got on an airplane, flew to Odessa, and there was a woman missing. And like everybody else, we wanted to help find her.

Mark Castellano (2:37)

I'm staying strong for my son. I cry every once in a while.

Dr. Phil McGraw (2:41)

But you're hurting inside.

Mark Castellano (2:42)

Yes, I'm hurting inside.

David Malone (2:44)

This is killing me.

Dr. Phil McGraw (2:46)

Friends describe her as bubbly. Those same people describe you as psychotic.

Mark Castellano (2:54)

Well, they don't like me too much. She has to be alive. I'm sorry she does.

She has to be out there.

Dr. Phil McGraw (3:00)

If she is watching this right now, let's say she's sitting home.

Mark Castellano (3:04)

She can come home.

Dr. Phil McGraw (3:05)

What do you say to her?

Mark Castellano (3:06)

We can fix this.

Donna Malone (3:08)

It was the worst week of my life. Michelle was just gone.

Tracy Smith (3:19)

I'm Tracy Smith, tonight on 48 Hours.

Tracy Smith (3:43)

It's just about a 45-minute drive from the refineries of the Texas coast to the high rises of downtown Houston.

And in 2000, 20-year-old Michelle Warner moved to the big city. She was a new mom looking to make a fresh start.

Donna Malone (4:00)

Michelle did have the small town girl in her, but Michelle always desired to go to the big city.

Tracy Smith (4:06)

Donna Malone is Michelle's mom.

Donna Malone (4:09)

She loved to talk to people. She never met a stranger.

David Malone (4:13)

We were really, really close when we were young kids. I mean, really close.

Tracy Smith (4:16)

Her brother, David.

David Malone (4:17)

From the time we were born, we did pretty much everything together. I was her child, not theirs.

Donna Malone (4:22)

She just grew into this beautiful swan, you know, and she had the long, pretty hair and a beautiful smile. She started going to college and started studying criminal justice.

Tracy Smith (4:35)

But things didn't exactly work out. Michelle may have been a saint, but she was also a sinner.

She married right after high school in 2001 and had a daughter, Haley.