This will hopefully be the last time we will ever hear from Stephen McDaniel, the 28-year-old law school graduate who pleaded guilty last week to the murder of his 28-year-old neighbor, Lauren Giddings. In new reports from The Telegraph, which has been an excellent source of info for this case, McDaniel’s guilty plea almost didn’t happen. If you’re unfamiliar with this case, you can read my prior posts about it HERE.

The guilty plea came in just minutes before McDaniel’s hearing was scheduled to begin, and it was never a sure thing until the very last minute.

From The Telegraph:

On the Thursday before the hearing, McDaniel offered to plead guilty and write out a confession if Giddings’ parents dropped a wrongful death lawsuit they’d filed against him and if prosecutors dismissed the additional burglary and sexual exploitation of children charges.

The Giddings family agreed that if the confession was “fulsome, truthful and verifiable” they would drop the wrongful death lawsuit against him. When they received the draft of the confession, they thought it was drafted to fit the known evidence and that it was only partially truthful.

Miller said she and the Giddingses were suspicious of McDaniel’s claim that Giddings wedged herself under her bed. With her lower body strength, she would have been able to fight free, Miller said.

They also found it odd that he didn’t admit to taking a weapon — or something — to subdue Giddings.

Miller said it was troublesome that McDaniel said he disposed of Giddings’ head, arms and legs in a trash bin at Mercer’s law school, knowing that police had searched the part of the landfill where that trash had been dumped and found nothing.

Minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin last week, the parties reached an agreement.

The Giddings family agreed to a consent judgment against McDaniel in which he was found liable for Lauren’s death. If McDaniel is ever paroled, her family will be eligible to received monetary compensation from him.

The Telegraph is also reporting that McDaniel’s attorneys gave a note to the judge from McDaniel himself, detailing ways in which he feels he was “wronged” by the system.

Among his claims in the letter:

• On the morning Lauren’s partial remains were found, McDaniel claims he was not asked if he would accompany a police officer to the police station, but he was instructed to do so.
• Before he left with the officer to the police station, he asked if he could lock his apartment and the officer would not let him.
• He was “subjected” to a pat-down and placed in an interrogation room once he arrived at the station.
• He requested a cup of water and the officer “yelled” a refusal at him.
• The detective asked McDaniel if they could search his apartment and when McDaniel refused to consent, he was “placed back into the interrogation room” and was told he had to obtain permission if he wanted to get water or use the bathroom.
• The detective “coerced” him by “use of peer pressure and a preconceived deception to obtain consent under false pretenses.”
• The detective then ordered McDaniel to lift up his shirt and “it had been demonstrated that if I refused, I would be harassed until I complied, and that I could not leave until the police released me.”
• After McDaniel’s apartment was searched, he was “forced” from his home and told he could not stay there.
• He was taken back into police custody (and again was not asked), and while he was with the police, he suffered a seizure, which was diagnosed from an EMT. When he became conscious again, he was forcibly removed from the EMT’s care and placed in the Police Mobile Command Center. The EMT was allegedly not allowed to access him anymore.
• While inside the Mobile Command Center, McDaniel requested to go to the hospital and an officer shoved him back into the seat and pinned him there. McDaniel says he was “disoriented, had severe head pain, had lost sensation in my extremities, could barely breathe, and was suffering from impaired vision.”
• He was told, “We’ll have the EMT look at you if you’ll let us search your apartment.” McDaniel complied, but says he never received medical care. He “fell into an impaired state in which I was barely conscious and not in control over my words or actions.”
• McDaniel was transported to the Detective Bureau, where he was “subjected to intense interrogation and insults” and was not free to leave.
• The detective stated during the interrogation, “I hope they kill you” and joked that he was going to be sexually assaulted.

Are you feeling sorry for him yet? Me neither.

McDaniel also states that when he spoke to a reporter that day and was told that a body had been found, he collapsed “from the mental and emotional shock of the news, because, despite my own actions, at the time, my mental state was such that I was unaware of her death.”

The video of his interview with the reporter can be seen below, and it’s quite interesting (to say the least) to see his reaction when he realizes that Lauren’s body has been found. To me, it doesn’t seem as though he’s in shock that she is dead, but that he’s freaking out because her body has been found, and he knows that it’s all over for him.

You can read the letter McDaniel gave to the judge in its entirety HERE.

Read More:

- McDaniel’s parting shot: I was wronged
- McDaniel guilty plea almost didn’t happen

The post Behind the scenes of Stephen McDaniel’s guilty plea; claims he was “wronged” by the system appeared first on CourtJunkie.

Nothing seemed out of place in the hours before Dammion Heard’s death. The 20-year-old college star wrestler made plans with a friend to share an off-campus apartment the following semester, spoke with his father, and attended a party that night with his fellow wrestlers. After the party, surveillance video shows him at a local gas station in Gunnison, Colorado, putting $25 in his gas tank. Phone records indicate that he was planning on meeting up with a girl from his class later that night.

But he never made it to that meeting, and he never used up that gas in his car. Instead, Dammion drove about seven miles away and hung himself from a tree. For some odd reason, even though he had been making plans for the immediate future, Dammion committed suicide.

At least that’s what it seemed like to police at first.

Police still haven’t determined what exactly happened to Dammion that night, but Dammion’s family is convinced that he was murdered. Dammion’s friends reportedly told his dad that he had gotten into a physical altercation at the party that night, and there were even rumors that a guy had Dammion in a headlock and had dragged him into another room at some point.

Dammion’s dad thinks Dammion may have gone back to the party after pumping the gas, and that maybe something happened there.

The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as strangulation by hanging, but the manner of death has not yet been announced.

Dammion’s family seems determined to find out what happened, even if that means finding out that Dammion really did commit suicide.

His father has hired a private investigator, paid for a separate autopsy and toxicology tests, and has spoken to Dammion’s friends. He is offering a reward of $25,600 for any info that might lead to an arrest and conviction for whoever was responsible for Dammion’s death.

He has also set up a website.

If you have any info about Dammion’s death, the site says to email beheard1993@gmail.com.

Read More:

- Gunnison wrestler’s “suicide” under investigation

The post Dammion Heard: Mystery surrounds death of college wrestler appeared first on CourtJunkie.

A second man has just been charged with murder in the disappearance of 20-year-old nursing student Holly Bobo. Holly was last seen April 13, 2011, after her brother told police he saw a man in camouflage leading her away from their home in Darden, Tennessee.

Last month, authorities announced that they were charging 29-year-old Zachary Adams with kidnapping and murder, even though Holly has not yet been found. You can read about that development HERE.

Authorities said yesterday that 39-year-old Jason Wayne Autry, a friend of Adams, has also now been charged with kidnapping and murder. Autry is already in prison for an unrelated assault conviction.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn held a news conference yesterday afternoon and told reporters that several witnesses led to Autry’s charges and that more suspects can expect police to be on their doorsteps soon. Gwyn said investigators believe there are more people with information and possible involvement and that more announcements should be expected in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Adams appeared in court yesterday for an additional count of coercion of a witness. While in court, it was revealed that Adams’ brother told investigators that he saw Holly alive in Adams’ home after she disappeared. He is expected to testify against Adams at trial.

Holly’s body still has not been found.

Read More:

- Second man charged in nursing student Holly Bobo’s disappearance
- Second suspect charged with murder in Holly Bobo case

The post Second man charged with murder in missing Holly Bobo case appeared first on CourtJunkie.

A little over a week ago, on December 6, 19-year-old Jessica Chambers was found on a desolate road in Panola County, Mississippi, having been badly burned from head to toe. Her car, so badly burned the paint had burnt off, was burning alongside her. From My Fox Memphis:

The Panola County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a car fire outside of Courtland Mississippi they say killed a young woman Saturday night.

The cause of the fire is not known. According to Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby, a passing motorist alerted his department and the fire department to the scene. Darby says by the time rescue workers got on the scene the car was fully engulfed in flames. The driver tried to tell rescuers something but she was so badly burned she could not be understood.

Jessica died after being airlifted to Regional Medical Center in Memphis.

Her father, Ben Chambers, told reporters that investigators told him his daughter was set on fire. From Wave 3 News:

“When the fire department got there, she was walking down the road on fire,” he said. “Only part of her body that wasn’t burned was the bottom of her feet.”

He continued as he held back tears, “They squirted lighter fluid down her throat and in her nose, and apparently they knocked her out. She had a big gash on top of her head.”

Jessica’s dad also told reporters that she may have whispered the name of her killer to paramedics before she died, but investigators won’t say what she told them.

Timeline

The timeline of that night is far from being complete, but here’s what I’ve been able to piece together from various news reports. Jessica’s mom, Lisa Chambers, said her daughter came home Friday night after ending her shift at Goody’s Department Store in Batesville, where she had recently started working. She woke up Saturday morning for a little while, but then went back to sleep for most of the day. On Saturday evening, Jessica left to go get her car cleaned.

Lisa said she spoke with her at around 6:48 PM, and Jessica said she was going to get a bite to eat.

Shortly before speaking with her mom at 6:48, Jessica stopped at a gas station off Highway 51. From The Clarion-Ledger:

There is surveillance video from a gas station in Courtland that shows Chambers in her last hours. She runs into someone she knows and is called off-camera. She can be seen from a different view returning alone.

In the background, a man in a striped shirt is seen filling up what looks like a gas can, then he walks away with it.

Authorities have cleared the man filling the container.

By 8:15 PM, Jessica and her car had been set on fire.

Ali Alsanai is the gas station owner and was working the night Jessica came in, quite possibly making him one of the last people to see her alive. He told WREG that nothing seemed out of the ordinary that night.

“She seemed normal,” he said. “She didn’t seem like something was going wrong, you know? She just seemed normal. She just pumped some gas, we had a talk, and she left.”

There are a lot of rumors and speculation surrounding Jessica’s death, almost like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Hacktivist group Anonymous has allegedly gotten involved in the case, tweeting some pretty interesting (although I can’t confirm how accurate) things about the community, claiming that it’s corrupt and run by an alleged gang known as “The Black Squad.”

I won’t go into anything else, but you can read their timeline on Twitter here. It’s interesting, to say the least and if half of what they’re saying is true, it’s also pretty alarming.

Possible Suspects?

In some of the earlier reports, the sheriff’s office told reporters that they believed Jessica may have had plans with two people that night, but they have never officially called out any suspects.

Other rumors circulating have said that Jessica may have been the victim of domestic violence in her last relationship.

According to WMC Action News, investigators went to the home of Jessica’s ex’s parents today and have since announced that he has been cleared as a suspect.

The District Attorney’s Office also announced today that they have cleared Ali Alsanai, the owner of the gas station, despite many posts by bloggers online alleging that he may have had something to do with it.

Several other people are reportedly being questioned by detectives, but no arrests have been made.

According to her family, Jessica didn’t have a boyfriend or any enemies that they knew of.

Possible Clues?

A cell phone believed to be Jessica’s was found at the crime scene and investigators are reviewing it for clues.

Another possible clue was reported today that might shed some light on the killer’s transportation the night of the murder. From WMC Action News:

“I called the sheriff’s department and I told them everything that I knew,” said tipster Ray McClenic. “I said, ‘What y’all are looking for, I don’t know what kind of vehicle.’ I said, ‘But it’s got really, really loud pipes on it.’” McClenic said he heard a vehicle driving fast down his street the night Jessica Chambers was discovered burning next to her car in Courtland, Mississippi more than one week ago.

So could the killer or killers have been driving around in a car with a really loud muffler?

Jessica’s father works as a mechanic at the Panola County Sheriff’s Department, and so The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has joined the investigation, as well as the FBI.

The autopsy results are expected to be available sometime this week, which will hopefully shed some more light on how Jessica was killed.

There’s a Facebook Page called “Justice For Jessica” that is run by Jessica’s sister and other family members. Their most recent update details how torn up Jessica’s family is about what happened to her:

Jessica Chambers mother Lisa can’t bring herself to put up a Christmas tree. Jessica was going to help her set the tree up and decorate it this week. Lisa Chambers says multiple times she has gone to get the tree out of the box but she just can’t bring herself to do it. #JUSTICEFORJESSICA

Perhaps an even sadder detail of this whole thing is that this isn’t the first tragedy suffered by the Chambers family. A couple years ago, Jessica’s parents lost their son to a car accident.

Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at (800) 729-2169. The reward for information is expected to get up to $30,000.

Read More:

- Father speaks out after daughter set on fire and killed
- Burning victim’s last words could lead detectives to her killer
- Investigators going over phone records of teen burned alive
- Sheriff: No arrests imminent in Jessica Chambers murder
- Investigators follow new lead in Jessica Chambers murder case
- Man target of death threats in Jessica Chambers case
- FBI, ‘Anonymous’ now involved in burned teen case

The post Who killed Jessica Chambers? appeared first on CourtJunkie.

***Scroll down for updates***

30-year-old Washington DC lawyer David Messerschmitt texted his wife at 7:34 PM on February 9, 2015 letting her know that he would be home from work in about an hour. The next morning, he was found dead in a downtown hotel room about a mile from where he worked, having suffered multiple stab wounds to his back.

So what happened to David after he texted his wife?

That’s the question that police and David’s family and friends are still wondering, more than a month after his death.

Police say that about 10 minutes after David texted his wife, an unidentified person (gender unclear) was seen on surveillance video at the Donovan Hotel where he was found, walking into the hotel lobby. The person was wearing a hooded jacket and was seen pacing in the lobby and stopping to press an elevator button. Surveillance video then shows the person climbing the stairwell.



In the video, you may notice that the person gets into the elevator and pushes the button, but doesn’t go anywhere. According to the Washington Post, “the hotel elevators must be activated with a room keycard, making it difficult for visitors to get to guest floors without being escorted.”

Meaning most likely this person wasn’t a hotel guest.

According to the search warrant, police found a wallet with credit cards, an HP computer, computer bag, lubricant, condom, enema, and a cell phone in the hotel room. Additional credit cards and “identifying documents” were also “observed throughout the room.”

David’s wife, Kim Vuong, told police he was acting normally that day. She said she last saw him on Sunday, February 8, but that they texted throughout the day on Monday. She filed a missing persons report with police at about 1:50 AM on Tuesday, after David failed to return home. From the Washington Post:

In filing the missing person report, Vuong told authorities that it was “not like” her husband to disappear and that “he usually beats her home and would notify her if anything was to change.” She told police that “everything seemed fine today” when they talked by phone. The couple lived in an apartment on East Capitol Street near Stanton Park.

It’s also interesting to note that the Search Warrant Affidavit says that while they were looking for him, police called the hotel to ask if David was a guest there. It doesn’t specify how police knew he was there or what made them call that particular hotel.

A friend of David’s told reporters that David left work that day around 5:30 PM.

Law enforcement is offering a $25,000 reward for info leading to an arrest in this case.

UPDATE: 3/25/15 1:24 PM CST

David’s wife Kim just read a prepared statement outside police headquarters, talking about how great of a person David was and asking the public for help in identifying the FEMALE person of interest in the surveillance video.

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG

UPDATE: 4/1/15 4:47 PM CST

Fox News is reporting that police have made an arrest in this case. Reportedly, a 21-year-old woman has been arrested and is currently in police custody. This story is still developing and I’ll post any updates below.

Read More:

- Lawyer found dead in hotel room had been stabbed in back, police say
- Wife of man found dead in hotel tells police he had been acting normally
- Person of interest on surveillance video
- Woman arrested in murder of DC lawyer at Donovan Hotel

The post DC Lawyer David Messerschmitt found dead in hotel room appeared first on CourtJunkie.

Daniel Jack Kelsall was found guilty Wednesday for the brutal murder of 31-year-old Australian businessman, Morgan Huxley. You can read my prior posts about Morgan’s murder HERE.

A jury of five men and seven women deliberated for a little more than two hours before finding the now 22-year-old Kelsall guilty of stabbing Morgan to death in his apartment in the early morning hours on September 8, 2013. Kelsall was convicted of one count of murder and one count of indecent assault.

Kelsall took the stand during his trial and was the only witness his Defense called. He told the jury that he met Morgan on the street as Morgan was leaving The Oaks Hotel at about 1:30 AM on September 8, 2013. He said they had a conversation and Morgan invited him upstairs to his apartment to continue talking. According to Kelsall, he asked Morgan if he had hooked up with anyone earlier in the night and Morgan told him that his friends were all busy. Kelsall said he then asked if Morgan would want to “do things” with him and that Morgan agreed. He said he and Morgan went upstairs, turned off the lights and that he “fondled” Morgan for about 10 minutes until he felt someone hit him in the head. He looked up and saw someone else in the room, so he stood up and ran out.

According to the Prosecutors, Kelsall’s version of events is far from accurate. About 16 months before the murder, Kelsall had allegedly gone to a general practitioner to report having “intrusive thoughts about killing someone with a knife.”

From Stuff.co.nz:

“Who is this young man who had all this bad luck on this night?” McGrath asked.

“Chillingly, he just happens to be someone who had experienced intrusive, recurring, persistent thoughts about killing someone with a knife on the way home from work – a total stranger, someone random; to the extent that he told [his GP] he actually, on one occasion, took a knife home from work one night with the thought of stabbing someone. But thankfully, luckily, he did not meet anybody.

“Members of the jury, Morgan Huxley was not so lucky in the early hours of September 8, 2013.”

While Kelsall didn’t show any emotion while the verdict against him was read in court, Morgan’s family could be heard sobbing. After court was over, Morgan’s former longtime girlfriend read a statement on the family’s behalf, saying that Morgan was “an inspiring, generous and loving young man” who was “beginning to make his way in the world.” From Stuff.co.nz:

“He had hopes and dreams that he will never have a chance to realise. He will never get married and enjoy running around the park with his children.

“His life was stolen by a worthless psychopath.”

Kelsall has also been charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material. He has pleaded not guilty to that crime also, and will be in court for that case on April 7, 2015.

Kelsall will be sentenced for Morgan’s murder at a later date.

Read More:

- Victim’s family lash out at New Zealand murderer Daniel Jack Kelsall

The post Daniel Jack Kelsall Guilty in Morgan Huxley murder appeared first on CourtJunkie.

***Scroll down for updates***

There’s a shocking story coming out of Vallejo, California this morning about a 29-year-old woman who was allegedly kidnapped and is being held for ransom. But the details of exactly what happened are sketchy at best.

Denise Huskins, a physical therapist at Kaiser Vallejo Hospital in Northern California, was reported missing on Monday at about 2 PM by her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. Quinn told police that at some point between midnight and 5 AM Monday morning, an intruder broke into his Mare Island home and took Denise by force, while demanding a ransom.

The intruder allegedly then took off with Denise in Quinn’s car, a white 2000 Toyota Camry, which was later found at an undisclosed location in Vallejo.

Police have not yet said why Quinn didn’t report her missing until later that afternoon, but they’ve said they are not considering him a “person of interest.”

Quinn’s next door neighbor, Dana Vandaweg, told KCBS that if there was indeed a kidnapping, she believes she would have heard something.

Denise’s father, Mike Huskins, told reporters that Denise would “not go easily” and that she would not have just let someone take her. He received a call from police on Monday and flew out to the Bay Area from LA.

Denise grew up in the Huntington Beach area and moved to Vallejo in June 2014.

Today, investigators are searching the area around Mare Island with dive teams for any signs of Denise. They have released few details about the abduction but said they are treating the case as a kidnapping for ransom.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Vallejo Police Department at 707-648-4524.

UPDATE: 3/25/15 12:46 PM CST

It’s being reported by numerous news outlets on Twitter that Denise has been found and that she is safe. There is said to be a press release later this afternoon, so I’ll post more updates then.

Read More

- Vallejo Woman Taken From Home In Possible Kidnapping For Ransom Plot
- Woman Reportedly Kidnapped for Ransom: Police
- Vallejo police search for woman possibly kidnapped, held for ransom

The post Denise Huskins: Bay area woman allegedly kidnapped and held for ransom appeared first on CourtJunkie.

There’s been a lot of action lately in the case of missing 6-month-old Ember Skye Graham from Happy Valley, California, but nothing has led investigators any closer to finding her.

Ember was reported missing at 5:26 AM on July 2, 2015, by her father, who allegedly noticed she was missing from her crib. He told police he had put her to bed and then fallen asleep after smoking marijuana.

Ember’s parents were both questioned at length by police and shortly after, investigators publicly named 24-year-old Matthew Graham, Ember’s father, a person of interest in her disappearance. He was taken into custody for suspicion of violating his probation, stemming from prior DUI and forgery charges. From Redding.com:

During questioning, Matthew gave investigators information that he took medication that had not been disclosed to his probation officer, which is a violation of conditions…

Matthew was released from custody, however, shortly after a court appearance.

Police released a photo last week of a pickup truck owned by Matthew and asked the public if anyone saw the truck in the area of Clear Creek Road during the evening hours of Wednesday, July 1, the day before Ember was reported missing. As for why Matthew was considered a person of interest, police released the following press release to the media:

“From the onset of this case the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit has been investigating the incident. On day one numerous law enforcement agencies that make up the CART team (Child Abduction Response Team) descended on the area and conducted door to door canvassing of the neighborhood and surrounding areas developing no viable leads as to Ember’s whereabouts. The Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit has investigated this case from all angles. At this time we have not found any credible evidence supporting Matthew Graham’s account that Ember was abducted by a stranger or by anyone else.

Matthew came voluntarily to the Sheriff’s Office on day one to be interviewed. Immediately investigators began to find several inconstancies in his statement during routine questioning of events leading up to the time of Ember’s missing report. Matthew showed very little remorse for the disappearance of his daughter. At no time during the eight plus hours that he was with detectives did he ever inquire what was being done to find her. He also refused to submit to a CVSA (Computer Voice Stress Analysis) exam to help rule himself out as a participant in his daughter’s disappearance. He offered little to no assistance to investigators to help clear himself. During the course of the investigation video surveillance was obtained from the Happy Stop Market near the corner of Oak Street and Cloverdale Ln in Happy Valley. The surveillance showed Matthew arriving with Ember not fastened in a safety seat, as he took her into the store and pumps fuel. He then drove out the parking lot heading westbound on Cloverdale Ln in the opposite direction from his home.

Matthew told detectives that he was taking a drive to get Ember to fall asleep. Keeping in mind the sweltering temperatures that day, and that his vehicle is not equipped with air conditioning the child would not likely fall asleep under those conditions. Matthew was adamant that he drove to the intersection of Clear Creek Rd and Cloverdale Ln, completed a U-turn and drove back home. Investigators took Matthew to the location and drove the route. The round trip from the Happy Stop Market and back took approximately 8 minutes under normal driving speeds.

Matthew said he did not stop and did not have any vehicle problems while on this trip. He agreed that it only took under 10 minutes to complete the drive.

What Matthew didn’t know prior to making that statement is that detectives had video surveillance showing he left the Happy Stop Market and also video of him driving back by over an hour later. When he was shown this he immediately said he didn’t think it was that long and then could not remember what he did or where he went during that hour. When detectives pressed him to remember, he asked to speak with a lawyer before any further questioning. This is one of many inconstancies in Matthews’s statement.

When investigating the possibility that a third party could have abducted Ember as Matthew has stated, detectives have considered several facts. Matthew was keeping Ember in an approximate 25 foot camp trailer on the Noosha Ln property. The trailer has no running water or working bathroom. The sewage from the main residence flows into a cesspool and the property is covered in garbage and old vehicles. The property is cross fenced and you have to go through two gates and guard dogs that will bark and confront strangers. The trailer door leading to Ember’s playpen where Matthew said she was sleeping has a broken door handle mechanism and needs to be opened with a screwdriver or similar tool. You would also need to have some knowledge on how to operate the door. Crime scene technicians found the door to be difficult to open and close as it did not fit in the frame well and made noise opening and closing. According to Matthew, Ember would cry within 10 seconds of being picked up by a stranger.

When Matthew said he laid Ember down it was so hot that he only had her sleeping in a diaper. He said he had a swamp cooler on which would mask noise however later said it was so “chilly” that he turned it off prior to going to sleep. Records indicate the outside temperature was over 90 degrees around the time he said he went to sleep. Due to Ember’s medical conditions she does not sleep consistently and needs to be fed every two hours. Matthew said he went to sleep around 2230 hours, and did not wake up until around 0530 hours. He later told detectives that he passed out and had been smoking “wax” marijuana honey oil all night.

Ember has special medical needs. She is prone to having seizures and takes medicine twice a day to control them. The medication does not make her tired or sleepy, but rather it makes her restless so that she never really goes into REM sleep. Due to the medication, Ember is a very restless sleeper, is constantly flailing around, and wakes up at night about every 2 hours to eat.

…

As of this date, Matthew Graham is still considered as a Person of Interest into the disappearance of Ember Graham. Detectives with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit continue to follow up on leads and are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ember’s disappearance as to Matthew Graham’s involvement as well as any information of a third party abduction.”

The case took an even odder turn last week, when on Saturday, July 11, Matthew allegedly stole cash and a pistol from his mother and went on the run after failing to meet with his probation officer. The manhunt ended on Monday, July 13, when Matthew was shot and killed by officers after allegedly carjacking a vehicle in Shasta County. From KRCR News:

Law enforcement authorities were alerted to a vehicle that was carjacked in the Shasta County area by gunpoint early Monday morning. The vehicle was spotted traveling north on Interstate 5.

Deputies report additional officers were put into position because the suspect involved in the carjacking was reported to be “armed and dangerous.” Authorities pursued the vehicle to a residential area in the South Dunsmuir area, off Katherine Street.

Officers say Graham fled the vehicle and ran toward a residence in that area. Shots were exchanged between Graham and officers who were attempting to take him into custody. The firearm exchange ultimately resulted in Graham being fatally wounded.

Matthew’s family seems to still be standing by him, even though going on the run with a handgun might seem like guilty behavior to a lot of people.

Police say they still don’t know where Ember is, or what happened to her. The fear is that with the death of Matthew, we may never know.

Anyone with information about Ember Graham is asked to call the sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at 245-6135 or Sheriff’s Records at 245-6025. Information can also be sent to the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit email address: mcu@co.shasta.ca.us. There is currently a $10,000 reward.

Read More:

- Deputies search for baby reported missing from crib
- Sheriff’s officials investigating baby’s disappearance
- Deputies confirm Matthew Graham killed in Dunsmuir shooting
- Father of missing Baby Ember shot, killed in Northern California

The post Missing 6-month-old Ember Graham; Father killed in shootout with police appeared first on CourtJunkie.

The murder of a beloved doctor from Bonita Springs, Florida, is baffling an entire community and everyone that knew her. On June 29, 2015, the body of 46-year-old Dr. Teresa Sievers was found in her home, having been murdered by an unknown assailant.

That weekend, Dr. Sievers had been on vacation in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She left her family on Sunday to return home early so she could see her patients the next morning. She called her husband, Mark Sievers, when she landed to let him know she had arrived safely.

The next morning, her staff at the Restorative Health and Healing Center became concerned when she didn’t show up for her first scheduled appointment, and called police. Her body was found in her home shortly after.

Police have been extremely tight-lipped about what happened to Dr. Sievers. Neighbors told reporters that a hammer was allegedly used in the crime. Another neighbor said they heard a man yelling in the middle of the night and yet another said she heard shrill screams early Monday morning.

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott did give an interview to reporters and said that the murder was not a “random or arbitrary” crime.

Dr. Sievers, dubbed “Mother Teresa” by friends and neighbors, was board certified in internal medicine and held a medical master of science degree in metabolic & nutritional medicine.

She leaves behind her husband and two daughters, who are 8 and 11 years old.

Read More:

- Mystery as doctor is killed in her Florida home while her husband and children were out of town
- Sheriff: Doctor’s murder isn’t random
- Deputies chasing tips in Bonita doctor’s murder

The post Who murdered Dr. Teresa Sievers? appeared first on CourtJunkie.

A family camping trip quickly turned into a nightmare for one Idaho family, after their 2-year-old son reportedly went missing from the campground.

On July 10, at approximately 2:35 PM, Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a missing 2-year-old from a campsite outside rural Leadore, Idaho. The family of Deorr Kunz Jr. said they were camping at the Timber Creek Campground when they noticed that Deorr was missing. The parents said they believed he was with his grandfather at the campsite and the grandpa thought he was with the parents at the creek.

Unfortunately, he was in neither place. The family told reporters that they searched for him for about 20 minutes before calling 911, and that they believe he was abducted.

A search of the 2.5-mile radius of the campsite hasn’t turned up any clues, and the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office suspended the search and rescue efforts on Sunday. Deorr’s family says they will continue to search for him until he is found.

In the meantime, his parents are urging everyone to share his photo and help get the word out.

Deorr was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, blue sweat pants, and dark boots. If you have any info about his whereabouts, please call the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 756-8980.

Read More:

- Idaho Toddler Missing Five Days After Wandering Away from Family’s Campsite
- Lemhi County crews search for missing 2-year-old
- Heartbroken Parents of Missing 2-year-old: “We’ll Find You Son”

The post Idaho toddler Deorr Kunz Jr. missing while camping with family appeared first on CourtJunkie.

Tyler Noel and Marissa Shephard

***Scroll down for updates***

18-year-old Baylee Wylie’s body was found in an apartment complex in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada on Thursday, December 17. Police and fire officials had been called to the complex on Sumac Street to investigate a fire there at around 4 AM. When they arrived, they discovered Baylee’s body.

A few days later, police arrested 18-year-old Devin Morningstar and charged him with first-degree murder and arson in connection with Baylee’s death. But it looks like they believe more than just Morningstar was involved. Canada-wide arrest warrants have since been issued for 18-year-old Tyler Noel and 20-year-old Marissa Shephard, who, as of this posting, are still on the run. Both are being charged with first degree murder.

Morningstar appeared in court today and the judge ordered a 30-day psychiatric assessment. His next court appearance is scheduled for February 15.

The real reason I am writing this post, however, is because it’s been almost two weeks now since Marissa and Tyler have been on the run, which is two weeks too long. Outside the court hearing this morning, Baylee’s mom spoke to reporters about her concerns with finding Marissa and Tyler.

From CBC News:

“We need justice for Baylee, so we’ve been sharing it all over Facebook and nobody seems to be finding these two people,” she said.

“I don’t know if they’re Canada-wide, or what, or if they’re together,” she said.

“I just want to plead with the public that they help find these two people, that they help bring my son to justice.”

Police haven’t given out many details of the investigation. They’ll only say that Baylee’s murder was “extremely violent.” Perusing everyone’s social media accounts has yielded a little bit of info, however. For example, it appears as though Baylee and Marissa were good friends – such good friends that Baylee’s Facebook cover photo features him kissing her on the cheek. So what in the world went wrong?

Marissa’s Facebook shows that she has a young son. If she’s really innocent in all of this, why did she run off and leave her son? Guilty or innocent, Marissa and Tyler need to be found so that Baylee’s family can have some answers.

For more pics of Marissa and Tyler, check out their Facebook pages (links below).

UPDATE: 1/10/16 5:04 PM

One of the fugitives, Tyler Noel, has been located and is currently in police custody.

From CBC News:

Codiac RCMP have confirmed Noel, 18, was apprehended near Petitcodiac, N.B., around 1 p.m. Saturday.

Const. Julie Rogers-Marsh says police were called to a break in at a cottage in Elgin yesterday around noon. She says that led them to Petitcodiac where police arrested Noel, who they say was in a car at the time.

There were two other people in the vehicle, police say.

Noel and the two people with him were taken into custody. Marissa, however, is still on the run.

Baylee’s aunt gave a statement from the family to reporters:

“Yesterday was a good day for us. We received notice that Tyler Noel had been captured at approx 3 p.m. If you could only understand the feeling of relief as my sister heard across the phone that they had him,” Angie Wylie wrote in a text message to CBC News.

“Now we just need to concentrate our efforts on finding Marissa. Anyone who has even a tip no matter how small please call it in. All it takes is one person.”

UPDATE: 1/11/16 2:25 PM

The two men arrested with Noel are 18-year-old Zachary Holden and 20-year-old Bradley John Bonnell. Holden has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder, unlawfully being in a dwelling house, flight from police and dangerous driving.

Bonnell faces a charge of unlawfully being in a dwelling house.

Read More

– RCMP investigate suspicious death after Moncton house fire
– Devin Morningstar charged with murder, arson after Baylee Wylie’s death
– Devin Morningstar sent for 30-day assessment in murder case
– Bayee Wylie’s Facebook Page
– Marissa Shephard’s Facebook Page
– Devin Morningstar’s Facebook Page
– Tyler Noel arrested in Petitcodiac, wanted for murder of Baylee Wylie
– Teen charged with accessory after the fact in connection with Baylee Wylie murder

The post Wanted: Canada-wide arrest warrants issued for 2 murder suspects appeared first on CourtJunkie.

***Scroll down for updates***

“Live free or die.” Those are the words on the Instagram bio of 35-year-old Ashley Ann Olsen, an American artist who was found dead in her Florence, Italy apartment over the weekend.

The Italian news is reporting that Ashley was strangled, but police wouldn’t confirm, only saying that she was found with bruises and scratches on her neck. Her body was discovered Saturday afternoon by her boyfriend, Italian painter Federico Fiorentini. Reports say Fiorentini told police he had gotten into an argument with Ashley three days prior to her death. When he wasn’t able to get a hold of her during those three days, he asked her landlord to unlock her apartment for him. Once inside, he found her deceased.
There were reportedly no signs of forced entry.

Ashley had moved to Italy from Summer Haven, Florida in 2012 to study art and be near her father, who also lives there.

So who could have wanted to kill Ashley? The media has been quick to point out that Ashley posted a couple photos on her Instagram account 12 weeks ago, in which she alludes to having a stalker.

It’s not clear where the pics originated from, since it’s obvious Ashley didn’t take them herself.

In perusing her Instagram account, I noticed another post that seems a little curious, in light of what’s happened. Approximately two weeks ago, Ashley posted this photo:

It’s an excerpt from the movie, Eat Pray Love. Was Ashley “seriously considering” breaking up with her boyfriend? Could that have contributed to her death?

The Telegraph spoke with a local resident who said that Ashley had recently confided that she and her boyfriend were having problems.

Ashley’s death also could have been random, but the fact that police have said there was no forced entry makes me think it was someone she knew. And if she was strangled, that just seems so personal.

Police have reportedly taken Ashley’s computer into evidence, but say they have no suspects as of yet.

I’ll keep updating as this case unfolds.

UPDATE: 1/11/16 11:24 AM CST

A Timeline is starting to come together for the days leading up to the discovery of Ashley’s body.

From CBS News:

• Thursday, January 7: Ashley goes to a club with a girlfriend and stays out until dawn. This is the last time anyone was known to have seen her.
• Friday, January 8: Someone is on Ashley’s computer until lunchtime. Investigators believe Ashley was killed sometime on Friday.
• Saturday, January 9: Ashley’s body is found by her boyfriend and landlady.

According to The LA Times, Ashley’s boyfriend, Federico Fiorentini, told police he had gotten into an argument with Ashley “three days earlier,” which would mean they argued on Wednesday.

Some other new info coming out includes that Ashley was found nude with black restraints located nearby, but that there was no initial evidence of a sexual assault.

Police are also reportedly saying that Fiorentini has an alibi.

Investigators are going through surveillance video from Ashley’s neighborhood, looking for clues. Hopefully this case will be solved soon.

UPDATE: 1/11/16 1:50 PM CST

I’m not sure how reliable this is since I can’t speak Italian, but I found an Italian publication that describes what allegedly happened when Fiorentini found Ashley’s body, as told by Claudia Colivicchi, the landlady of Ashley’s apartment.

From Il Messaggero (translated to English):

“Federico was desperate. He hath has been thrown on her to revive her. He could not even see the evidence or at least could not accept it. The body was cold, but he did not understand that there was nothing to do. He tried in every way, first with the mouth-to-mouth then with heart massage. My boyfriend tried to help him and he cried while he repeated “my little one, my love.” The house was also the dog Ashley whining. Believe me, it was a shocking scene.”

Also, from La Nazione:

“I tried to save her – told the artist to investigators – I saw her on the bed and I raised, bringing it to the center of the room. Then I did mouth-to-mouth.” And ‘it annihilated Fiorentini, exasperated at having lost the love strong, intense, often made of quarrels dictated by jealousy for that beautiful girl smile and soft-eyed but the small body and helpless.”

UPDATE: 1/12/16 11:15 AM CST

Prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo spoke to reporters on Tuesday and said that an autopsy confirmed that Ashley was strangled, and that it was possibly done with a rope. He also said more time was needed to determine if she was sexually assaulted as well as the time of death.

CBS News is also reporting that Ashley’s apartment was found in disarray – “broken glass all over the floor, a smashed chair and clothes strewn about.”

It’s odd because it was reported earlier that there were no signs of a struggle on Ashley’s body except for bruising on her neck. But if there was a struggle, as the scene indicates, that might not be true.

They’re also reporting that Ashley was found wearing only socks.

UPDATE: 1/13/16 12:02 PM CST

There’s a lot of info coming out today, but it’s difficult to judge how accurate it is, seeing as the only source reporting it so far is the Daily Mail. Either way, this is from The Daily Mail’s latest article about Ashley:

The American artist murdered in Florence took part in a ‘consensual, erotic sex game’ before she was strangled to death, police said today.

Ashley Olsen, 35, died when she was strangled with a USB wire or cord, an autopsy has found.

The development came as police also identified a potential suspect seen with her on CCTV from outside her apartment.

The man, who is thought to be a drug dealer and may be of African origin, was apparently already known to the victim.

The article then goes on to state that Ashley arranged to meet up with the drug dealer after leaving the nightclub on Thursday night. The arrangements were reportedly coordinated through her cell phone.

If this is in fact true, it shouldn’t be long before an arrest is made. It sounds like police know who the man is and an arrest is hopefully imminent.

UPDATE: 1/14/16 11:17 AM CST

An arrest has been made. You can read about it HERE.

Read More:

– Was American murdered in Florence being stalked?
– Italy fears another Amanda Knox saga after killing of American in Florence
– Italian police search for killer after American socialite found strangled in her Florence apartment
– Ashley Ann Olsen’s Instagram Account
– Mysterious murder of American woman grips Italy
– Murder in Italy of U.S. woman confounds cops

The post American artist Ashley Olsen found dead in her Florence apartment appeared first on CourtJunkie.

31-year-old Brenda Jackson, a mother of six and Iraq war veteran, has been missing from her Park Forest, IL home since January 3.

Brenda was reportedly last seen on that Sunday night by her father, who had dropped her off at her home. She was reported missing two days later, on January 5th.

Here’s the timeline as we know it so far:

• Sunday, January 3: Brenda is dropped off by her father at her home in the 200 block of Arcadia in Park Forest, IL. The time of the drop off is unknown, but she speaks with her mother by phone at 10:30 PM, and tells her mother that she’s home alone. Her six children are staying at her parents’ house so she can get up early for work the next morning.
• Monday, January 4: Brenda is scheduled to be at work at Rich South High School in Richton Park at 5:30 AM but never shows up.
• Tuesday, January 5: Brenda’s mother and husband report her missing to the Park Forest Police Department.

The last activity on Brenda’s cell phone was reportedly the phone call with her mother at 10:30 PM on January 3. There has been no activity on her credit cards either. Her purse and coat were found inside her home.

Brenda’s family and friends have been conducting searches in the area, but the freezing temperatures are no doubt making it difficult.

Some questions I have that I have not been able to find the answers to yet:

• When was the last time her husband saw her and what was their relationship like?
• Has Brenda ever left for any periods of time before this?
• Have the police ever been called to the home before?
• Was Brenda known to suffer from depression or was she taking any meds?
• Why did it take so long to report her missing after she didn’t show up to work?
• When did her husband notice that she was missing?

Police told reporters that they are following up on all leads, including a tip that Brenda may have been spotted in Chicago.

Brenda is Hispanic, 31 years old, 5′ tall and 125 pounds. She has a scar on her upper chest, and star tattoos on both sides of her neck. She also has a heart tattooed on her ring finger and a tattoo that says “Michael” on her left inner wrist.

Anyone with info about where Brenda is should call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at 708-748-1309 or 9-1-1.

Read More:

– Park Forest Woman Missing For A Week
– Concern Grows Over Disappearance Of Iraq War Veteran Brenda Jackson
– Search resumes in Park Forest for missing mother of six

The post Missing: 31-year-old Brenda Jackson, mother and Iraq war veteran appeared first on CourtJunkie.

Diaw Cheikh Tidiane

***Scroll down for updates***

Italian police have arrested a 27-year-old Senegalese man for the murder of 35-year-old American artist Ashley Olsen. Ashley had been found strangled in her apartment in Florence, Italy on January 9. You can read my first post about this case HERE.

Police announced at a press conference Thursday that they were charging Tidiane Cheik Diaw, an illegal immigrant from West Africa, with Ashley’s murder. Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo said there were “very serious indications of his guilt” and that Diaw had “substantially admitted” being responsible for her death.

From The Telegraph:

Investigators believe Miss Olsen met him in the early hours of the morning last Friday after leaving a nightclub, the Montecarla.

The pair walked back to her flat in Via Santa Monica and had consensual sex, possibly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

But a furious argument developed after Miss Olsen told him he had to leave the apartment because her Italian boyfriend was about to arrive.

Diaw became enraged, accusing her of treating him “like a dog.”

He allegedly strangled the American and inflicted wounds to her head, either by hitting her with a blunt object or by shoving her to the ground.

She sustained two fractures to her skull and is believed to have died at around 8am on Friday morning, prosecutors said.

Diaw allegedly told police that he pushed her to the ground, where she hit her head hard, but said that he had not meant to kill her.

Prosecutor Creazzo said Ashley’s skull was fractured twice, before she was strangled with either a rope or computer cord. He said the fractures were so violent that they alone would have killed her. He also said he believes that in addition to alcohol, drugs may have been involved. They are still awaiting toxicology reports.

Police reportedly took Diaw in for questioning after identifying him from surveillance video showing him walking with Ashley to her apartment early Friday morning.

According to The Telegraph, while he was being interrogated, officers gave him a cigarette. They then tested the cigarette butt for DNA evidence and matched it to a condom and cigarette butt found in Ashley’s apartment. His DNA also matched DNA found underneath her fingernails.

Diaw had also reportedly taken Ashley’s cell phone and put his own SIM card in it.

So who exactly is Tidiane Cheik Diaw? Reports say that Diaw came to Italy several months ago and earned money by distributing nightclub flyers in Florence. He was allegedly known to police for being involved with drugs.

According to his Facebook Page, he is from Dakar, Senegal.

And now he faces the charge of murder aggravated by cruelty.

UPDATE: 1/14/16 1:48 PM

Diaw now has an attorney, Antonio Voce. Voce told the Associated Press that Diaw and Ashley had consensual sex and were both drunk and using cocaine. He said Diaw denies ever intending to kill Ashley, saying that when he left her apartment, she was still alive.

From ABC News:

Voce said Diaw told investigators that they had fought when she tried to push him out of the apartment fearing her boyfriend would be arriving. After being pushed against the door, Diaw responded by punching Olsen in the neck and then pushing her to the ground, where she hit her head, Voce said.

Diaw helped her to the bed and left.

I don’t know about you guys, but that sounds pretty unbelievable to me.

Read More:

– Italian police arrest illegal immigrant over murder of American woman in Florence
– Senegalese immigrant arrested in murder of American woman in Italy
– Tidiane Cheik Diaw’s Facebook Page

The post Arrest made in Ashley Olsen murder appeared first on CourtJunkie.

Courtesy of the Help Find Katelin Akens Facebook Page

19-year-old Katelin Akens was last seen after reportedly being dropped off at a Virginia shopping mall by her stepfather on December 5, 2015. It has now been over a month since Katelin has been seen or heard from, and her family, as well as a community, is desperate to find her.

Katelin was in town from Arizona, where she currently lives with her fiancee, visiting her family. On the day she was due to catch a flight home, she seemingly vanished.

From ABC News:

“Lisa Sullivan, Katelin’s mother, says she dropped her daughter off at her stepdad’s home in Spotsylvania County on Saturday so he could take her to the airport to catch a flight to Arizona. Sullivan said the teen’s stepdad told her that Akens decided she wanted to go to Springfield Town Center first. She then planned to take the Franconia-Springfield metro to Reagan National Airport.”

Police say they’ve been able to confirm that Katelin’s stepfather’s car was in the area of the mall that day, but they were unable to find either Katelin or her stepfather on surveillance video.

Two days after Katelin went missing, police found her luggage abandoned in a drainage ditch on River Road. Along with the luggage, Katelin’s phone charger, wallet with ID, credit cards, cash, her old glasses and her old plane ticket were found.

Katelin’s loved ones have started a Help Find Katelin Akens Facebook Page, where they posted a detailed timeline of events, which I copied and pasted below:

Sep 2014
Katelin moves from Virginia to Arizona

Dec 1 2015
Katelin travels from Arizona to visit family in Virginia

Early Saturday Dec 5 2015
Katelin’s mother (Lisa Sullivan) drops her off at her stepfather’s home in Spotsylvania County, so he can take Katelin to Reagan National Airport: she is supposed to catch a 5:40 p.m. flight to Las Vegas, where her fiancé (Amber Rios) would pick her up and drive them back to their home in Lake Havasu City.

• (Katelin’s mother and stepdad are divorced, but are still on friendly terms)
• According to Katelin’s mother, she was excited to go back to Arizona to start cosmetology school.
• Katelin’s stepfather later tells her mother that, while on the way to the airport, Katelin asked to be dropped off by the Springfield mall, from where she planned to travel to the airport from the nearby Franconia-Springfield Metro station: Katelin has never taken the metro on her own before.
• Investigating LE has said there is NO surveillance video of Katelin from the mall, or the metro.
• Katelin may have (according to Amber) been wearing a dark gray fleece pullover sweater with a Bass Pro Shop emblem on it, as well as pink and grey Vans brand shoes.

Afternoon Saturday Dec 5 2015
Katelin’s mother receives a text message from Katelin’s phone at around 2:00 p.m., saying she had arrived safely at the airport.
(Time of text verified by family)

• At around the same time, Katelin’s fiancé receives a text saying “something came up and I’m not coming back today. I’ll let you know when I get a new flight”

Monday Dec 7
Katelin’s luggage is found by road workers, in a drainage ditch in the 6600 block of River Road near Fredericksburg – not far from the Fall Hill intersection, and nearly 50 miles from the airport.

• ID, wallet, phone charger, her old glasses, her ticket from AZ to VA, and her fiancé’s credit card is found, but a few articles of clothing and her cellphone are missing.

  (ID: “It was just an identification card. She didn’t have a drivers license. And I believe it was her Arizona one. If one was missing I think it was her Virginia one” — per family)
  (Credit card: It has been stated her fiancé’s credit card was Katelin’s only means of support. Per family, “Katelin had a bank account at the same bank as her mother. And her mother has access to it. She put money in Katelin’s account from time to time. And no there isn’t much in her account )
  (Ticket: per family it was her old ticket, from AZ to VA, that was found.)

• Cash and credit cards were still intact in her wallet.
• According to Katelin’s sister, no articles of clothing were found, and also, the luggage was not “scattered”
• Detectives call the find suspicious, and also says Katelin would not normally travel through this area of the county.

Wednesday Dec 9
Police say there is so far no surveillance video of Katelin, or her stepdad, at either the mall or the Metro, but they have been able to corroborate that Akens’ stepdad’s car was in the area of the mall on Dec 5.

Saturday Dec 12
“Help Save The Next Girl”, family members, and volunteers, hands out more than 3000 flyers Saturday afternoon in Fredericksburg to raise awareness about missing Katelin.

• Police cannot confirm whether Katelin was at the mall or if she even left Spotsylvania.
• Katelin’s stepfather has been interviewed by police. He has not been called a suspect or a person of interest in the case.
• Katelin’s disappearance has been called suspicious by the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office.
• Police have said organized searches for Katelin are allowed.

__________________________________________________________
Anyone with information regarding Katelin’s disappearance is asked to called the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office at 540-582-7115.

They can also call Spotyslvania Crime Solvers at 1-800-928-5822 or 1-540-582-5822 or text a tip by sending SEE911 to CRIMES (274637).

Read More:

– New developments in case of 19-year-old missing from Spotsylvania
– Help Find Katelin Akens Facebook Page

The post MISSING: 19-year-old Katelin Akens from Spotsylvania, VA appeared first on CourtJunkie.

ABC7 Chicago producer Anne Swaney was founded murdered while vacationing in Belize this week. She was 39.

Anne started her vacation on Saturday and was staying at the Nabatunich Resort, Benque Viejo, in the Cayo District of western Belize, a seemingly popular tourist destination.

Anne reportedly went to a deck area by the river to do yoga, and hours later, a tour guide found her belongings on the deck with no trace of her.

From ABC News:

“A horse riding tour returned in the afternoon and found her personal effects on the deck. This looked suspicious so they went to her cabin and she wasn’t there. They told the owner who called the police. The police came with their canine unit and the scent led them along the river but due to the darkness the search was called off for the night before finding her,” Supt. Arzu told the I-Team.”

The next morning, Anne’s body was found floating face down in the river. She was wearing only her bra, and there were lacerations on her neck and both sides of her head. Early reports suggest that she was sexually assaulted.

Anne Swaney’s belongings on the deck, courtesy of The Daily Mail

River where Anne Swaney’s body was found, courtesy of The Daily Mail

An autopsy has confirmed the cause of death as manual strangulation as well as blunt force injuries to her head and neck.

Anne was executive producer of online operations at abc7chicago.com.

I’ll update as the story unfolds.

Read More:

– Tourist from Chicago murdered in Belize; Anne Swaney worked website at ABC7 Chicago
– ABC producer was ‘murdered and sexually assaulted while on vacation in Belize’

The post ABC7 Chicago producer Anne Swaney murdered in Belize appeared first on CourtJunkie.

***Scroll down for updates***

A 38-year-old husband and father of two has mysteriously gone missing in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Tim Anderson was last seen on Monday, February 8 at the home he shared with his wife. According to news reports, Cathrall Anderson heard her husband getting dressed at about 4:30 AM Monday morning. She assumed he was leaving to take out the trash before work and fell back asleep.

Later, when she woke up, she noticed his work bag was still at home and called the wife of one of his coworkers. He was reported missing when it was discovered that he had failed to show up to his work at Northern Trust Bank.

On Monday night at about 7 PM, authorities were able to ping his cell phone, which led them to the Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve, where his silver Acura was found locked and abandoned. According to his wife, Anderson has no known connections to that area and she isn’t sure why he would have driven his car there, if he in fact did.

Neither Anderson nor his cell phone have yet been found.

Cathrall told reporters her husband was wearing jeans, gym shoes, a Chicago Bears hooded sweatshirt, a black North Face jacket and a Chicago Bears baseball hat when he left the house. He is 6′ tall, weighs 215 pounds and has hazel eyes and brown and gray hair.

The couple have two sons – ages 3 and 6. Anderson’s friends and family say he is very “methodical” and that his disappearance is very out of character for him. They also say he had no known medical or psychological issues.

Local authorities as well as Homeland Security are involved in the search.

Anyone with information on Tim Anderson’s whereabouts should call (847) 368-5300.

UPDATE: 2/10/16 3:31 PM

Multiple news publications are reporting that the body of an unknown male has been found this afternoon in the woods where police were searching for Tim Anderson. No positive ID has yet been made.

Read More:

– Police searching for missing Arlington Heights man
– Search continues for missing Arlington Heights man
– BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR ARLINGTON HEIGHTS FATHER OF 2, ME SAYS

The post MISSING: 38-year-old father Tim Anderson from Arlington Heights, IL appeared first on CourtJunkie.

San Antonio police are asking for the public’s help in locating a 29-year-old mother of three and registered nurse who’s been missing for over two months now.

Bianca Carrasco was last seen on Sunday, May 1, leaving her house on the 1600 block of Walnut Creek Drive after an argument with her estranged husband. She reportedly left on foot and was carrying her Prada purse and wallet.

From News 4 San Antonio:

According to the police report, her husband told investigators they had been having martial problems in the week prior to her disappearance. In the report, he told police that Bianca told him she was having an affair and gave back the wedding ring. The person who filed the report, who isn’t named, said her husband cleared out her bank account and took the phone.

Bianca’s sister Jovanna is the one who filed the missing persons report with the San Antonio Police Department two days after Bianca was last seen, after finding out that Bianca hadn’t shown up for work at her oncology office.

Below are some Facebook posts from Jovanna on the Help Find Bianca Carrasco Facebook Page:

A week after Bianca went missing, her youngest daughter turned 5 years old, which was also on Mother’s Day, something Jovanna says Bianca wouldn’t miss. Jovanna currently has Bianca’s three children and has a GoFundMe page set up if you’d like to help.

Jovanna and other members of Bianca’s family are desperately trying to get the word out about Bianca’s disappearance. They’ve appealed to both Nancy Grace and Dr. Phil, but nothing has come of it yet. They are asking people to share this info with everyone they can. You can find printable flyers on the Help Find Bianca Carrasco Facebook Page.

Bianca is 5’1″ tall, and weighs about 125 pounds. She has straight shoulder-length dark hair, is right hand dominant, has a tattoo of the letter “B” on her left hip, and a large surgery scar on her abdomen. She was last seen wearing a blue jean jacket, multi-colored leggings, wedge shoes, and was carrying a pink Prada purse and a black Prada wallet.

If you have seen Bianca or have any info concerning her whereabouts or disappearance, please immediately contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7660.

I’ll post any updates to this case below.

Read More:

– MISSING: Woman left to go for walk, never returned
– Help Find Bianca Carrasco Facebook Page
– Bianca’s Facebook Page

The post 29-year-old mother Bianca Carrasco missing from San Antonio, TX appeared first on CourtJunkie.

A manhunt is underway for 27-year-old Jason Earl Armstrong, who is now wanted by the FBI for the murder of his wife, 24-year-old Iris Armstrong.

Iris’ body was found on July 6 in the couple’s home on Fort Bragg, an Army base in North Carolina. According to the FBI, Iris, a soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division, had been stabbed and beaten. She had been deceased since July 1.

Armstrong was seen on a surveillance video using his wife’s debit card shortly after her death, the FBI press release said. He has ties to Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Dallas, and Amarillo, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Orange County, and Los Angeles, California.

Armstrong and Iris have two children, both of whom the FBI said are in a safe place.

The 82nd Airborne Division posted a tribute to Iris on their Facebook Page:

Today, the 82nd Airborne Division remembers an All American Soldier, Specialist Iris Armstrong, who left us too soon this weekend. While the circumstances of death at her on-post residence are under investigation, the Division mourns our loss.

Specialist Armstrong was a human resources specialist assigned to the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade. By all accounts she was a great Soldier and a great person.

Lt. Col. Jeremy St. Laurent, commander of the 189th CSSB: “Specialist Armstrong was an outstanding Soldier who was well-liked throughout the battalion and at Garrison Operations. She always had a smile on her face and her attitiude and character epitimozed what the Army looks for in our leaders. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to her Family, friends, and loved ones during this very difficult time.”

Staff Sergeant Alisa Dunn-Reid: “She was the sweetest person you could ever meet and a great Soldier. She always came to work with a smile on her face.”

The FBI has put up an award of $5,000 for info leading to Armstrong’s arrest. If you know his whereabouts or happen to see him, please call 911 or your local FBI office. Do not approach the suspect – he is considered armed and dangerous.

RIP Iris Armstrong.

Read More:

– FBI Press Release
– Jason Earl Armstrong Jr On The Run For Murder Of His Wife

The post WANTED: Jason Earl Armstrong, Jr For The Murder Of Wife Iris Armstrong appeared first on CourtJunkie.

A Travis County Sheriff’s Deputy has died from his injuries after being shot while confronting burglars outside his home early Monday morning. The two burglars are still on the loose as of this posting.

From the TCSO Press Release:

At 1:22 AM TCSO dispatch received radio communication from Sergeant Craig Hutchinson, who had gone off duty moments earlier. Hutchinson notified them that he had prowlers in his yard in the 2000 block of Oak Meadow Drive and requested they send Round Rock Police Department to assist him.

At 1:36 AM, officers found Sergeant Hutchinson near a creek behind his back yard with a gunshot wound. Hutchinson, known to the TCSO family as “Hutch,” was immediately transported to Round Rock Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

A joint investigation between Round Rock Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s Office is underway. Help is needed from the public in identifying and locating the suspects involved in the crime. Anyone with information is asked to call the Round Rock Police Department tip line at 512-671-2767.

Sergeant Hutchinson has been with the TCSO for 32 years and was set to retire in September 2016. In his press conference this morning, Sheriff Hamilton described Hutchinson as a “Gentle Bear” who stood about 6’4″ and weighed 270 lbs.

Round Rock Police Department is the lead agency handling the investigation.

Hutchinson was only 54 years old and was set to retire in September.

Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton gave a press conference hours after the incident and said that Hutchinson had reported that people were running out of his backyard of his home in southwest Round Rock. He said the shooting appears to be part of a robbery and that investigators do not think it was an ambush or targeted attack.

There is a $41,000 reward to help find the individuals responsible. The Round Rock Police Department has a tip line at (512) 671-2767 or you can call Crime stoppers at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

I’ll keep updating this post as this case develops.

Read More:

– Travis sheriff: Longtime deputy killed in robbery at Round Rock home
– Round Rock police seeking any and all tips in deadly deputy shooting

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