Aruba Murder Suspect Gary Giordano Calmly Told Authorities, 'She Might Be Dead Now'

Aug. 29, 2011 — -- In the initial hours of searching for missing woman Robyn Gardner in Aruba, a reportedly drunken Gary Giordano looked down at his watch and said calmly to Aruban authorities, "She might be dead now."

Giordano has been jailed as the lone suspect in Gardner's disappearance, although he has not been charged with a crime. Giordano could be released Tuesday unless a judge orders otherwise.

Gardner, 35, was last seen alive Aug. 2 at the Rum Reef Bar & Grill in the Baby Beach area of Aruba. Giordano, 50, claimed Gardner got swept out to sea when the two went snorkeling.

Information obtained by ABC News reveals that the two travel companions drank heavily during their Aruban vacation, and that Giordano's behavior in the initial days following the Maryland woman's disappearance raised the eyebrows of investigators, and Gardner's mother.

When Giordano reported Gardner missing, he seemed extremely drunk, a local fisherman, Sergio Silva, told ABC News, although Giordano told police that the the two never purchased alcohol at the restaurant.

"One of the police guys told us that he was so drunk that we got to wait, we can't talk to him now," said Silva.

ABC News has seen receipts that revealed that the couple ordered four Bloody Marys at 9 a.m. at the Orlando Airport on their way to the island, and that the two bought a liter of Ciroq vodka after they checked into their room at the Marriott Hotel in Aruba.

"The receipts function as a timeline, which is very important to the investigators," said ABC News consultant and former FBI investigator Brad Garrett.

Along with the bar and hotel receipts, Giordano's calm demeanor -- and statements -- alarmed authorities and Gardner's mother.

A source told ABC News that when police spoke with Andrea Coulson, Gardner's mother, she told them Giordano had called her three days after her daughter went missing.

He said, "I just got my socks and my shoes wet when I was looking for your daughter."

In a statement, Coulson said she thought it was a strange thing to say given his previous account that the couple had been snorkeling when she vanished.

Several eyewitnesses have disputed Giordano's snorkeling defense.

A restaurant worker told ABC News that he found it odd to hear that the couple went snorkeling, because Gardner "seemed so perfectly put together," referring to her clothing, hair and make-up. The last photo of Gardner, obtained by ABC News, shows her wearing a flowing printed dress with her long, blond hair loose. Eyewitnesses said Gardner seemed woozy at the restaurant and barely ate her salad.