Where Is Specialist Robert Hornbeck?

This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," April 26, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Twenty-three-year-old specialist Robert Hornbeck had just returned from a year in Iraq and was celebrating with an Army buddy into the early hours of Easter Sunday. But when his father arrived to pick them up, the Army buddy was not there. His Army buddy was there but Robert his son was not. The last person to talk to Robert was his father, Eric Hornbeck and Eric joins us by phone.

Eric, correct me if I'm wrong but you and your wife were out that night with your son and his friend and at some point, about 11 p.m., you retired and then it wasn't until about three o'clock or 3:12 a.m. that you received a phone call is that right?

ERIC HORNBECK, FATHER OF MISSING SOLDIER (by telephone): That's correct. It was at 3:12 a.m., Greta, and it was his buddy Jeremy [Stone] that said that they were lost. They didn't know if they were in a good area or not and they needed a ride home.

Jeremy had the phone because Robert was upset that Jeremy was calling his father. Apparently Robert wanted to do things on his own, as usual. But, at any rate, so we jumped in the car and we were there within seven minutes. We know that because of the traces we'd done on the Nextel.

And, his buddy Jeremy came out of the buffet room at the Hilton, which is actually a dark room. It's between the Hilton and the bank and said Robert was inside. So, we went in there to get him and he was not there.

So, naturally we looked all over the place. We looked in front and back. At the time I did not know but there is a staircase that leads into the garage, which is a three-story lower level basement type garage.

So our assumption is he went down that staircase because as soon as we didn't see Robert I called Robert and he said, "Dad, I'm on the stairs." And that is the last we've heard from him.

VAN SUSTEREN: And do you remember about what time or do you know what time that phone call in which he said "Dad, I'm on the stairs" was?

HORNBECK: Three nineteen.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, now since 3:19 there's been no activity on his cell phone, no use of a bank credit card, nothing right? You've heard absolutely nothing from him.

HORNBECK: Nothing. We've run checks on every card, every ATM card. His cell phone was alive well into the next day until the battery eventually died and no answer.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, Robert had gotten back from Iraq in January, was soon to get out of the military, go back to school at the University of Michigan and planning to get married this summer right?

HORNBECK: That's correct. He is to be discharged April 30th.

VAN SUSTEREN: Any personal problems? Any reason why, I mean you said that he was mad that his friend Jeremy had made the phone call to you, anything going on in his life that you didn't know about before?

HORNBECK: Nothing that I'm aware of, Greta. He's always been a very family orientated kid. He's the kind of child that would call us twice a week from Iraq, even in a war zone, just to let us know he was OK. We saw no outward signs of any issues when they came home. I can't have any reason or don't know of any reason why this would occur on his will.

VAN SUSTEREN: Has anyone given you any tips, any spottings of your son?

HORNBECK: Well, there have been some, probably as you would term rogue calls. I mean there's certainly good folks out there looking. They did have a tip yesterday.

A town called Statesboro, which is about 45 miles from here. There was actually allegedly three sightings of him or someone that possibly fit his description I should say and it was credible enough to where I know the police went out there. They actually went out there with bloodhounds and helicopters and could not find anything.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Robert Hornbeck is missing. He's just returned from Iraq in January. His father and family desperately want any calls or tips if you know anything about it. He was last seen April 16th in Savannah, Georgia. Eric, thank you and good luck sir.

HORNBECK: Thank you for the opportunity.

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