Dr. Phil Also Reunites Heist with Her Mother For The First Time Since Her Disappearance Over A Decade Ago

(Hollywood, CA – May 17, 2013) – Brenda Heist breaks her silence as to why she abandoned her family 11 years ago when she talks exclusively with Dr. Phil in an emotion-filled hour on Monday, May 20, 2013 (check local listings).  The interview takes place in the Santa Rosa County Jail where Heist is currently being held on outstanding warrants.  

Heist vanished without a trace after dropping her two young children off at a school in Lititz, PA on February 8, 2002.  At the time, Heist was in the middle of a divorce and tells Dr. Phil she felt there was no way she was going to be able to care for her children and they would be better off with their father.  Distraught over her situation, she went to a park that day, sat down on a bench and began to cry.  It was there that Heist was befriended by three homeless people, who invited her to hitchhike to Florida with them.  She agreed, thus beginning a journey that would last more than a decade.  Heist, who was declared legally dead in 2009, resurfaced late last month when she turned herself in to police in Key Largo, FL.  

When Dr. Phil asked if she ever missed her family, Heist admitted that she thought about her children every day, but knew they would be better off with her husband.  Her children have grown into adults since her absence, and now, understandably, have mixed emotions about seeing their mother.  Heist’s son, Lee, is now 23 and recently graduated from college, and her daughter Morgan, is 19.  Dr. Phil asked Heist if she would like her family’s forgiveness and she responded by saying, “I would like their forgiveness, but I’m going to have a hard time forgiving myself for what I’ve done.” 

“There are people in your life that love you,” Dr. Phil told Heist.  “There are people that are mad at you right now, but you work through these things.  Families work through these things.”

Heist also sees her mother for the first time since early 2002 in an emotional reunion.  Before the two reunite, Dr. Phil sits down separately with Heist’s mother to see how she feels about the situation and if she has any forgiveness for her daughter.      

The syndicated series, DR. PHIL, was created by Harpo Productions, and is produced by Peteski Productions in association with CBS Television Distribution.  DR. PHIL, in its 11th season, is the #1 ranked syndicated daytime talk show, a position held since the conclusion of The Oprah Winfrey Show in May, 2011.