Page 5 - Venus A News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Prosecuting doug stewart fell to baby-face doug mcdonna. seated at the defense table, doug stewart wearing casual guy sweaters and sweater vests. >> courtroom demeanor, what'd you see, john? >> he was very good at kinda presenting himself as kinda the all-american guy. it was very bizarre. 'cause we would go into chambers, he would talk out loud like he was one of the guys. you're on trial for murdering your wife. none of this seemed to affect him one bit. >> reporter: as the prosecutor began his case, his opening witnesses focused on april 26th, 2010, the day venus vanished. state trooper aar...

And got additional units. >> reporter: venus' dad showed trooper steensma the patch of his gravel driveway that was scuffed up. the father also pointed out a pink hair tie on the ground and something else he hadn't spotted earlier. >> there was a tarp cover, a piece of plastic wrapping with the barcode on it. i didn't realize what it was or anything. i just told them that's out of place. and so he put a rock on it so the wind wouldn't blow it away. and they had people, i guess they are crime scene specialists, that gather evidence. >> reporter: crime scene techs were able to lift what they bel...

Remained there. he gave a reporter from wood-tv a telephone interview. >> now that the timeline has gone so far, i'm getting very worried and very concerned. >> reporter: despite their ceaseless marital battles, doug insisted he still cared about her. >> i don't know what is next, to be honest with you. i'll just keep watching the news and pray and hope for the best. >> reporter: but he was also still bitter about losing his kids in that custody showdown, just two weeks before. so his take on her disappearance was a unique one. he wasn't upset, he said, because he believed venus was a runaway ...

Baptized in 2009 at the age of 30. in the first days after her disappearance, dustin would need his faith to believe she'd be found soon, and alive. but he also still had hope and his own theory, that doug was holding her hostage. >> i figured it was another desperate attempt of his to try to get her back. since she wasn't having contact with him and stuff, he probably wanted to try to manipulate her and coax her into coming back to him. >> reporter: but police feared the worst and began looking for a body. they searched miles of rolling farm country and thick wooded areas throughout western m...

By then, doug had moved out of the couple's newport news apartment and returned to michigan. so larry mccomb headed south. >> the people that ran the apartment complex where she lived called us and they said there's all kinds of stuff like the kids' toys, pictures. would you be interested, and we'll send them to you? i said, i'll come and get them. and i went down and got all the girls' toys. i got all the pictures that i could find. that was very painful. >> reporter: he found comfort, though, from venus' neighbors. >> i saw where my daughter lived, and everybody in the complex was so support...