in the workplace. also the mother of four children, she was considered strong, active, and most of all candid. >> it has been my own health that has made it possible for me to go ahead and in my way share what i learned with others. >> reporter: before 1974 it was almost unheard of for a first lady to publicly mention personal problems. in the first year of her husband's presidency. she announced she had breast cancer and would undergo a mastectomy. but it is the betty ford center for substance abuse that will be her greatest legacy. >> i think she educated a generation that needed education, that needed support in how to deal with these problems. >> reporter: mrs. ford disclosed publicly that she had for years abused alcohol anded that become dependent on prescription drugs. the first major political figure to openly address a problem that plagued millions. >> it has been from the very first day a place for any man or woman who wanted help. >> it made it unnecessary to hide the reality of substance abuse. and i think that was a contribution that betty ford made. >> reporter: mrs. ford kept largely out of the public eye in her latter years. most americans saw her for the first time in more than a decade at the funeral and burial of her husband. it was a four-day period of national mourning. and although she looked fragile, she never wavered. and the treatment center she helped create will be a memorial for generations to come. in washington, i'm samantha hayes. >> well, joining me now on the phone is larry ring who interviewed betty ford many times over the years. also on the phone presidential historian doug brinkley who wrote a boyography on gerald ford. thanks for joining us this evening as we take in the very very sad news. larry, if i can start with you, you interviewed betty ford a number of times. what was she like? >> she was an extraordinary lady. extraordinary wife. a great first lady. and she of course -- she changed the picture of first ladies with that announcement of her own breast cancer, with going public with being alcoholic. i had her on many times by herself, a number of times with her husband. one of the most dramatic nights was when her husband described the night they had an intervention and all gathered around the bed to tell her that she was -- they knew she was alcoholic and that she needed help. all that led really to the start of the betty ford center. we had a dinner once, my wife and i went, in which they honored betty ford. and all the first ladies came. and i was the emcee. it was a great dinner. she was a hell of a lady. she was just a terrific person. i can't find one negative about betty ford. and i'm sure doug brinkley would agree. >> doug, your thoughts as we take in this news. she was incredibly outspoken publicly. what was she like in private? >> well, as a young woman she was a model and did sales work. she was extremely attractive. and she married a football hero, gerald ford. that was her second husband. and throughout the 1950s and 1960s they lived in virginia, the ford. and she was just an extraordinary spouse for gerald ford. i mean, he advanced the republican party largely on the strength of his wife who everybody adored and loved. and we have to remember how gerald ford became president. i mean, watergate, richard nixon's leaving office. and suddenly it's gerald and betty ford front and center of american life. and she brought a new tone and tenor to the white house for the first time. her sense of humor, the fact that she openly talked about how much she loved her husband, her candidness on a 60 minutes interview with more lee safer dealing with, use of her daughter perhaps having a sexual relationship with somebody and marijuana smoking. she publicly endorsed roe versus wade. called it a great decision. they considered her too lib ra. it caused gerald ford problems in 1977-78 they were critical of her. >> how comfortable was she talking about her own problems with addictions? she spoke out on so many different causes. but what was your sense about her talking about her past, difficult past? >> she was very easy with it. i think she knew that she had a responsibility once coming out to help a lot of others. there's no telling how many people she helped. how many people eventually came through the betty ford center. all through her doing. that's the most famous rehab center in the world. and she started it. she did it all on her own. she had wonderful assistants helping her at the end. we had her on many times with the person who headed the ford center. and she was very, as doug pointed out, she was a gorgeous woman and a beautiful family. they were a very -- they had problems, of course, as discussed with the marijuana. but they hung together. they were as close a family as you will see ever in the white house. >> and doug, what do you think her legacy will be and her greatest achievement? >> well, the betty ford clinic. i mean, we all know the word "rehab" now and it's part of our lives. but betty ford was able to do very bravely was say all of us have somebody we know that's having a problem with alcohol or pill addiction, with drugs. and she destigmatized it. she made it okay to say that i have a problem and i want to try to get it fixed. so the betty ford clinic goes on. and i've read some reports that people say she kept a very low profile in recent years, which is true due to health reasons. but in rancho mirage, california, she owned the city. everybody who knew her loved her. and she was part of the charity world there like nobody else. and so she he's a great void. i think of her as sort of with lady bird johnson who did beaut fication and getting rid of billboards. and wildflowers in america. and betty ford with the clinic and the candidness about women's issues. i think both of them turn out to be two of the underrated first ladies in american history. lady bird and betty ford. and both of them passed just in recent years. >> larry king, doug brinkley, we thank you for joining us this evening and sharing your thoughts and perspective on betty ford who died this evening. thank you. statements are flooding in tonight with remembrances of betty ford. a statement just in from the white house says in part, and i quote "mrs. ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. while her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the betty ford center will honor her legacy by giving countless americans a new lease on life". once again, breaking news tonight, former first lady betty ford dead at the age of 93. coming up after the break, anderson's special report, casey anthony the verdict. i do believa locust. make sure your alignments good. your brakes are good. you've got all sorts different things that you check off. your fluid levels. pretty much everything you could need. it gets done. it gets done quickly. and it gets done correctly. the works fuel saver package, just $29.95 or less after rebate. only at your ford dealer. you're a doctor. you're a car doctor. maybe a car doctor. i understand you need a little help with your mortgage, want to avoid foreclosure. candy? 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[honks horn] [circus music plays] here you go, pete. thanks, betty. betty: we're out of toner. announcer: if you're facing foreclosure, talk to the right people. speak with hud-approved housing counselors free of charge at... unlike fish oil, megared softgels are small and easy to swallow with no fishy smell or aftertaste. try megared today. good evening. a little more than a week from now casey anthony will be getting out of jail. she'll be walking free into a world in which millions of people know her name and know her story. people who believe they know rightly or wrongly how her murder trial should have ended instead of how it actually ended. >> defendant rise along with counsel. madam clerk, you may publish the verdicts. >> in the circuit court for the ninth judicial circuit in and for orange county, florida. state of florida versus casey marie anthony, as to case number 2008 c f-15606-0. as to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we the jury find the defendant not guilty, so say we all, dated at orlando, orange county, florida, on this fifth day of july, 2011, signed foreperson. as to the charge of aggravated child abuse, verdict as to count two, we the jury find the defendant not guilty. so say we all. >> a tearful casey as the not guilties rolled in to every charge except lying to authorities about the disappearance of her daughter caylee. reaction afterward from defense attorney jose baez. >> what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure that there has been justice for caylee and casey. because casey did not murder caylee. it's that simple. >> well, we now know in fact it wasn't that simple for the juror his client in the court of public opinion. he later said he's afraid for his client's safety. but the first hint of a backlash to the verdict came early in the angry action to this video of him and the defense team celebrating at a restaurant across from a courtroom, whooping it up as local stations recapped the victory. the jury defending their decision to acquit her, one saying it made them sick to their stomachs saying the state had not made its case. radio phone lines lit up. those millions who took a limb girl into their hearts when she disappeared then grieved for her and followed every moment of her mother's saga, they are still out there. still talking about the lies her mother told, the family she alienated, her psychological state. the hazy future she has. and of course, the jury's stunning verdict. a lot to talk about ahead in the hour. martin savidge has been covering it all. martin? >> reporter: thanks anderson. i would say we've never seen anything like it at least since the trial of o.j. simpson. it's been a long time since we've heard people argue over the verdict over the way they did with this one. people took this one personally. they have it in their hearts but in their heads. i'm constantly surprised at just how much people know about every last detail. it was like that almost from the beginning. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> i fond out my granddaughter has been taken. she has been missing for a month. her mother finally admitted that she's been missing. >> can you tell me a little bit what's going on? >> my daughter's been missing for the last 31 days. >> the case against casey anthony was mostly about what she did and what she said during the 31 days between when 2-year-old caylee anthony disappeared and when her grandmother cindy anthony made that call to 911. we got a glimpse into casey's behavior on surveillance footage. in personal photographs. at local clubs. on stage dancing with another woman. and at a tattoo parlor getting a tattoo that read "bella vita" beautiful life. on july 7, five days after visiting that tattoo parlor, a snapshot of what she was thinking from a post on my space. "on the worst of worst days, remember the words spoken. trust no one, only yourself. with great power, comes great consequence. what is given can be taken away. everyone lies. everyone dies". the prosecution repeatedly underscored casey's character, deconstructing lie after lie told during those 31 days. she said she had a job at universal studios and that caylee was with a nanny. >> they never searched by her full anymore. z-e-n-a-i-d-a. >> reporter: neither ever existed. she lied to police and led hundreds of volunteers on a wild search for her daughter. when by the defense's own add mission, casey knew her daughter was already dead. and the neighbors who had been so sympathetic to the anthonys were angry at casey's lies. this is father's day, 2008, the last known video of little caylee. she was visiting her great grandfather at his nursing home. a day later, june 16, she moved out of her parents' house. that was the same day when casey's defense says caylee drowned in the family pool, and the same day this surveillance video shows her renting movies with her boyfriend, anthony lazaro. she never mention today him that her daughter was missing, much less dead. >> did she ever tell you that her child was missing? >> >> no, sir. >> had been kidnaped? >> no, sir. >> she never mentioned it to her parents, either. cindy apt any finally learned the truth when she overheard her daughter admit she didn't know where caylee was. it was 31 days since the disappearance. cindy anthony called 911 to report that her 2-year-old granddaughter had dismere had disappeared. >> i told you my daughter was missing for a month. i just found her today but i can't find my granddaughter. she just admitted to me that she's been trying to find her herself. >> on july 16, 2008 casey anthony was arrested for child neglect and providing false information to police. later, taped jail conversations revealed a casey who at times sounded angry. >> can someone let me -- come on! >> reporter: and other times, loving and sweet. >> you are the best father and by far the best grandfather. >> reporter: casey's defense went all the way back to her childhood to explain who she was and how she got here. >> my name is casey. >> reporter: alleging when she was just a little girl, her own father, a former policeman, sexually abused her. a charge he adamantly denied under oath. >> sir, i never would do anything like that to my daughter. >> reporter: for 35 days, casey and the jury were in court. some of the testimony mind-numbing. some of it scintillating. >> this child who at eight years old learned to lie immediately. she could be 13 years old, have her father's [ expletive ] in her mouth and then go to school and play with the other kids as if nothing ever happened. >> reporter: most thought the prosecution was methodically making its case, portraying casey as a liar and willing to murder her daughter to get back to her party girl lifestyle. >> caylee's death allowed casey anthony to live the good life, at least for those 31 days. >> reporter: the jury heard how casey planned her child's murder on a home computer. >> is that a google search? >> yes, it is. >> for? >> the words "neck breaking" with a space in between. " head underscore injury" search of internal bleeding. >> how many times was that site visited? >> according to the history, 84 times. >> reporter: central to the state's case was the theory that casey used duct tape and chloroform to kill caylee. but then, a bombshell from casey's mother cindy anthony. >> do you recall in march of 2008 you doing any types of searches for any items that might include chloroform? >> yes. >> reporter: although some experts claimed they found high levels of chloroform in casey's abandoned car, and smelled an unmistakeable smell in its trunk. >> did you immediately recognize the odor that was emanating from the piece of carpet in the can? >> i recognized it as human decomposition. >> reporter: but most of all, casey's defense team pounded away on the fact that precisely when and how caylee died remains unclear to this day. >> you have to have an abiding conviction of guilt. that's what you have to have inside of you. >> reporter: and in the end, it was enough. the once seemingly sure case for the prosecution failed. >> we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> reporter: the anger from the community was immediate and widespread. >> caylee caylee caylee! though the jurors skipped a news conference after they handed down their verdict, several started speaking out including juror number 3, jennifer ford, who told abc news that she and other jurors were "sick to their stomach" after delivering their verdict. the desire to know what really happened to caylee anthony makes this case far from over. many questions remain unanswered. how did caylee really die? will we ever hear casey finally tell the truth about the death in her own words? where will she live when she he's prison next week? and is she the one now in danger? >> plenty of questions in the hour ahead. and we have assembled an all-star team of experts to help provide the best answers possible. so i want to start with sonny hosten and jean casarez. they are both from "in session "on trutv. jean, let me begin with you. you sat through the entire trial. and the question really is here. having seen all of this, could you possibly believe that casey anthony would be a free woman in a week's time? >> i was shocked at the verdict. i truly was. as an attorney and someone that has covered so many high-profile trials, many, many times i feel there is reasonable doubt. i may not say it to the viewing audience, but i inside would say to myself, i would not convict in this situation. but in this case, i studied every bit of that testimony. i knew it. and i really felt that with this circumstantial case -- and that's what it was -- the computer searches plus the car plus that she drove the car, i felt there could have been a conviction in this case. and i think we all can learn from this, learn that there is a constitution, there are rights, and even though you may believe that someone is guilty, someone else may see it far different. and that is our judicial system. and we can't forget that even before trial to look at both sides of the issue. >> sonny, you were convinced that casey was going to take the stand. so the question now is of course she didn't. if she had, how would that have affected the outcome at all? for better, for worse? >> well, i think there's no question it would have affected the outcome. and historically when defendants testify it is for the worst. most convictions come after defendants testify. but martin, this case was so very different in so many ways. we heard that casey anthony -- i mean she was convicted of lying. she's a prolific liar, an expert liar. many people are thinking had she taken the stand, perhaps in her own defense she would have done a pretty good job. and so who knows what would have happened? but certainly i thought because of the opening statements that this defense made, and it was very clear that the evidence that they proffered to this jury could only have come in if casey anthony took the stand. i was very surprised that she did not. >> jean, you spoke with defense attorney cheney mason. and i'm wondering, what did he have to say to you? >> he said many things to me. he said that he's concerned for casey's safety. plans are being made for her protection. he would not say what. he doesn't think that she can live in orlando and wonders where she can live in this country without somebody recognizing, knowing her and hating her. he thinks the only thing would be plastic surgery and possibly coloring her hair. but he wants americans to step back and realize that a jury has spoken. they have spoken that she is not guilty. they need to accept that and move on. >> and sonny, what do you think we can expect from casey as far as book deals maybe, movie deals and other "if i did it"? >> that's the question everyone is asking themselves. because where does she work? where does she live? what does she do? her attorney jose baez says that she has a future ahead of her. but i think that people want to know her story. they want to hear from her. and i think the only other person that is perhaps similar to casey anthony would have been o.j. simpson. and remember when he got out, he was ville fired. there were restaurants that would not serve him. there were helicopters following him around. everyone i think it's clear that he never really led a normal life after this. and i think the same is going to come to pass for casey anthony. >> and the question of what actually happened to cayle