For months, the Groene family has been grieving in the wake of the disappearance of Dylan, 9, and Shasta, 8. Plus, the bound and bludgeoned bodies of their mother, older brother and mother’s boyfriend were found at their rural Idaho home.
The family has finally received some good news — Shasta had been found. The girl was spotted by employees and customers early Saturday morning eating breakfast with a man at a Denny’s restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Brandy Hoagland and Misty Cooper, Shasta Groene's aunts, join Dan Abrams to talk about the ordeal.
DAN ABRAMS, 'THE ABRAMS REPORT' HOST: Thank you both for coming on the program. I know this has got to be a tough time for you. Brandy, how is little Shasta doing?
BRANDY HOAGLAND, SHASTA AND DYLAN GROENE‘S AUNT: Little Shasta, believe it or not, she is doing great. She looks absolutely wonderful. She looks like she is in good physical condition. We just went and visited her again today. We have been there every day, every opportunity we can get to see her. It is the most amazing feeling after going through what we have been the last seven weeks, so worried. It is an amazing feeling to be able to hold her in your arms and actually see a smile on her face right now.
ABRAMS: Just seeing her smile gives me chills and I don't even know her. But just seeing the fact that she can muster up a smile after everything she has been through. That has got to be one strong little girl.
HOAGLAND: Yes, she is a very strong little girl just like her mother. Her mother was very strong. I honestly cannot even imagine what this little girl has gone through in the last seven weeks. I mean she does look like she is doing very good right now, but you have to believe at some point a lot of things are going to start hitting her, probably very slowly as she goes through a process. She's going to need a lot of help and a lot of counseling probably and a lot of love from the family.
ABRAMS: I am sure. Did she say anything to you about that surveillance tape? And it does seem at times like she is almost trying to be seen at times on some of these tapes. Did she say anything to you about that?
HOAGLAND: You know, out of respect for the investigation, we have given our word to the FBI to the detectives and all of the authorities that we will not bring up any of those details with Shasta.
ABRAMS: Misty, how is the family doing? I mean you know, yes, this is a great relief to the family, but this is also a family that I know you all are suffering from major tragedy of your sister, and the other brother and maybe Dylan, et cetera. How is the family doing?
MISTY COOPER, SHASTA AND DYLAN GROENE‘S AUNT: They are doing as well as what can be expected right now from everything that we have been with and been through.
ABRAMS: How is papa doing? It's a nice picture of him hugging her there when they were reunited for the first time.
COOPER: He's been doing good. He's been doing really good. I have not seen much of him right now because he's spending a lot of time with her, but you know as well as could be expected for the situation.
ABRAMS: Yes. All right. Well look, send our best. And when I say our, I can tell you that we get e-mails all the time, even when we weren't covering this, people were saying you know why aren't you following up on little Shasta and Dylan, please keep covering that story. And so a lot of my viewers have been very invested with your family and so for them, I say to you, that we all wish you the best and of course, wish Shasta the best of luck.
HOAGLAND: Absolutely, thank you very much. And everybody has been absolutely wonderful to the family. We have a lot of thanks to give to the media and to the authorities. It has just been a real blessing to have Shasta back.
Watch the 'Abrams Report' for more analysis and interviews on the top legal stories each weeknight at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC TV.