Young girl playing in puddles dies after falling into manhole
A 3-year-old Chinese girl died while playfully jumping in puddles — and accidentally falling into a rain-filled manhole, according to reports.
The girl fell into the open sewer on June 11 as she played games while walking home from her nursery with her grandmother in Chang’an in China’s southern Guangdong Province, according to The Sun.
It sparked a huge rescue operation involving nearly 200 people, including divers searching through the shoulder-width sewers, The Mirror said.
The underground tunnels were full of water after a “torrential downpour” that officials believe may have also pushed off and carried away the manhole cover, the reports claim.
Video of the search shows an elderly woman, believed to be the toddler’s grandmother, held back as she sobs uncontrollably.
A body was found near a sewage outfall three days later and the girl’s family positively identified her as the missing child, according to the reports.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/06/18/young-girl-playing-in-puddles-dies-after-falling-into-manhole/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Boy, 5, dies after being shot and abandoned at hospital
KENOSHA, Wis. — A 5-year-old boy has died of a gunshot wound after two men abandoned him at a hospital in southeast Wisconsin, according to police.
The shooting happened before 2 p.m. Monday at a home in Kenosha, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Milwaukee, authorities said.
Staff at the Froedtert South Hospital-Kenosha Campus called authorities after two men dropped off the wounded boy then left. Authorities have not described the relationship between the adults and the child who died.
Police said they have interviewed the men and recovered a firearm, but have not made any arrests.
Curtis Cannon told WISN-TV that the boy was his grandchild and that one of his two adult sons accidentally shot the boy. He said both sons drove the child to the hospital and left him there. Cannon said one son is the boy’s father, but he didn’t say which son shot the boy or describe the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“Maybe they was scared to death. Maybe they took him to the hospital because they realized they (expletive) up, and they didn’t want the boy to be in pain or suffer. I don’t raise killers,” Cannon said.
Neighbors questioned how the young boy died.
“That’s a 5-year-old kid. Why would you leave a child?” said Karen Bialas, neighbor. “How the hell did this happen? Who did it? Who had a gun around a 5-year-old? Why would you have a gun around a 5-year-old?”
Police said the investigation was still “very active.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/06/18/boy-5-dies-after-being-shot-and-abandoned-at-hospital/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Prop mistaken for dead baby found near Queens park
BAYSIDE, Queens — A prop was mistaken for a dead baby Tuesday morning, prompting a police investigation near a Queens park, NYPD officials said.
Fire, EMS and police units responded around 7:45 a.m. after a call reported a deceased baby in the grass by Bayside’s Crocheron Park, near 215th Street and 35th Avenue, the FDNY said. Once they arrived, they found what “appeared to be a baby with discoloration consistent with signs of prolonged death, but thankfully, it was actually a lifelike prop,” an FDNY statement read.
According to a police source, EMS did not actually touch the “baby” but pronounced it dead at the scene, before it was later realized it was a prop.
PIX11’s Nicole Johnson was on the scene and described the prop as very realistic, saying it “even had a purple hue to it, like a human would if strangled.” The doll reportedly looked like a prop used on a movie or television set.
Additional information about the prop, and its origins, were not immediately available, but police are looking into whether it was placed at the location on purpose or not.
Officials are also looking into whether or not someone at the crime scene dropped the ball.
According to fire officials, EMS will conduct a medical review of the incident.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/06/18/police-investigating-after-baby-found-dead-in-queens-officials/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Alaska teen accused of killing her friend after a man she met online offered her $9 million
Denali Brehmer began planning how to kill her “best friend” after a man she met online said he would pay her several million dollars for evidence of the killing, Alaska authorities say.
The 18-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, had developed an online relationship with Darin Schilmiller, 21, of Indiana, who posed as a millionaire named “Tyler,” and offered her at least $9 million to kill Cynthia Hoffman and send him “videos and photographs of the murder,” according to the Alaska Department of Law.
The two began discussing “a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska,” several weeks before Hoffman’s murder, according to court documents.
Hoffman, 19, and Brehmer are described in the documents as “best friends.”
Hoffman was bound with duct tape, shot in the back of the head, and pushed into a river near a hiking trail outside Anchorage on June 2, the department said in a statement.
Anchorage Police officers discovered her body along the Eklutna River bank on June 4.
Brehmer recruited Kayden McIntosh, 16, Caleb Leyland, 19, and two juveniles to help her carry out the killing, and in exchange, “all of them would receive a significant sum of money for their part in the planning and/or execution of the murder,” according to the department’s statement.
CNN has reached out to Brehmer’s attorney, Emily Cooper, but a request for comment has not been answered.
Victim had a learning disability
Hoffman was brought to Thunderbird Falls by Brehmer and McIntosh in a truck borrowed from Leyland under the ruse they were going on a hike near the Eklutna River, the statement said.
They stopped at a clearing and Hoffman’s hands and feet were bound with duct tape and duct tape was wrapped around her head and mouth, according to court documents.
McIntosh shot Hoffman one time in the back of the head with Brehmer’s gun, court documents said, and she was then put in the Eklutna River.
Phone records show Brehmer was sending videos and photographs to Schilmiller “at his directive” throughout.
Hoffman’s father, Timothy Hoffman, told CNN affiliate KTVA that his daughter had a learning disability.
Hoffman said in court his daughter was an “angel” and a “daddy’s girl.”
‘Tyler’ had also directed girl to sexually assault a child
A grand jury indicted all six defendants Friday for first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and two counts of second-degree murder and other charges. McIntosh is being charged as an adult.
Brehmer, McIntosh, and Leyland are in the custody of the Department of Corrections and will be arraigned Tuesday, according to the Alaska Department of Law.
The juvenile defendants are also currently in custody, the Department of Law said.
Schilmiller will be arraigned once extradited to Alaska, the Department of Law said. He is currently in federal custody for child pornography charges.
Federal court documents allege Schilmiller had also directed Brehmer to sexually assault an “8 or 9 year old” and a 15-year-old and send videos to him. Brehmer told investigators she did, and video of the 15-year-old was recovered by investigators.
It is unclear who is Schilmiller’s attorney or if federal charges have been brought against Brehmer.
CNN has reached out to Leyland’s attorney, Claire DeWitte, but request for comment has not been answered. McIntosh’s attorney, Ben Muse, was unavailable for comment Monday.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Barbecue lover wanted: Eat ribs and travel the country – while making $5K a week
Summer barbecue just got a whole lot tastier.
Reynolds Wrap is looking for someone to travel across the United States in search of the tastiest ribs. If the savory barbecue wasn’t enough, they’re also handing out a $10,000 check to go along with it.
“If you don’t mind being paid to taste some of the most delicious BBQ ribs across the country, posting envy-inducing pictures of your food and falling asleep every night dreaming about your next rack of ribs, then you could have what it takes to be the next Reynolds Wrap® Chief Grilling Officer,” the company states in a news release.
The person chosen will travel across the country for the first two weeks of August in search of the best barbecue in America. Along the way, the CGO will be in charge of posting photos, grilling techniques and other multimedia on the company’s website and social media channels.
An influencer for rib lovers, basically.
The position includes prepaid travel and lodging for you and a guest. The hardest part will be picking who goes with you.
Those interested in applying need to submit a photo of themselves grilling along with 100 words about why they would be the best fit for the position. Apply by Wednesday, June 19, at midnight CT on the Reynolds Wrap website.
via: https://fox2now.com/2019/06/17/barbecue-lover-wanted-eat-ribs-and-travel-the-country-for-5k-a-week/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Caregiver accused of trying to kill couple with rat poison-laced cigarettes
WEST CHILLISQUAQUE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing from an elderly couple and then trying to kill the pair with rat poison.
According to state police, Tina Young, 37, of Montandon, was serving as an “in-home health assistant” for 80-year-old Albert Mench.
Troopers say Young forged a check for $2,500 from Mench and his wife, and when Mench’s wife confronted her, Young allegedly laced their cigarettes with rat poison.
Police say Young was afraid of being fired and wanted to inherit the couple’s money if they died.
One of Young’s neighbors wasn’t entirely surprised by the accusations.
“I’m not shocked, really. I’m not shocked that she would go behind somebody’s back and try to get over on them. I’m not surprised at all,” Peggy Reynolds, of Montandon, told WNEP. “That actually makes me kind of scared that I was her neighbor this long and I’ve had this many problems with her, like I can’t believe she didn’t try to kill me.”
It’s not yet clear if the couple were sickened by the alleged attempted poisoning.
Young is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Former teacher faces sex charges involving at least 28 first graders
SPRINGBORO, Ohio – A former Ohio teacher is facing sex charges involving at least 28 first-grade girls.
According to WLWT, John Austin Hopkins, 25, was indicted on Monday on 36 counts of gross sexual imposition.
Prosecutors say Hopkins was a gym teacher at Clearcreek Elementary School and Springboro Intermediate.
“The 36 counts of gross sexual imposition relate to 28 different children. All of these students again were female, first graders at Clearcreek Elementary. The elements of gross sexual imposition are that on the specific dates in question and specific dates specifically identified in the indictment, Mr. Hopkins had sexual contact with a person who was under 13 years of age,” said Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.
The potential victims were reportedly identified through security footage beginning in December 2018 after Hopkins was accused of having contact with a first-grader.
Hopkins allegedly had female students sit on his lap so he could touch them sexually, WHIO reports.
“They loved him as a teacher because of the amount of affection he was showing them,” Fornshell said. “What these kids didn’t realize was this was completely inappropriate and criminal.”
Authorities arrested Hopkins after one of the children’s parents reported the alleged abuse.
According to WLWT, Fornshell said Hopkins would repeatedly inappropriately touch the female first-graders; one of the victims was reportedly convinced she would marry Hopkins when she got older.
Hopkins was booked into the Warren County Jail and remains in police custody.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Mother uses phone tracking app after daughter misses curfew, finds her pinned under a car – was under car for about 7 hours
Meredith) – A mom in North Carolina used an app on her smartphone to help find her 17-year-old daughter, after the teen crashed down a ravine and became trapped under her car.
Catrina Alexander said she knew something was wrong when her daughter, Macy Smith, missed curfew on June 7 and didn’t call to check in.
“The lack of response was out of character for her,” Alexander told CBS affiliate WFMY-TV.
As the mom became more frantic, she opened the Find My Friends app on her phone — which helped Alexander pinpoint her daughter’s most recent location.
“I can’t explain watching the GPS on my phone, with the dot for my phone getting close to hers and then suddenly seeing the tire tracks,” Alexander said.
She found her daughter lying in a ditch, about 25 feet down the side of a embankment in Pilot Mountain.
Smith said she had been trapped there for about seven hours.
“I will never forget the sound of my family calling out my name when they found me around 10:30 pm,” Smith wrote in an emotional Facebook post. “I hydroplaned at 4:00 pm and ran in between 2 trees down an embankment, flipped my car 3 times, and landed in my back seat with my arm pinned in between the car and the ground.”
The 17-year-old said she tried to remain calm during the terrifying ordeal and turned to prayer.
“I searched for my phone to call for help but the only thing in sight was my bible,” she wrote. “I held on to my bible and prayed harder than I had ever prayed before.”
Smith suffered a fractured neck and nerve damage to her left arm, which she said she’s lost feeling in.
“I do not deserve to be here right now, but God has bigger plans for me,” she wrote. “I ask that everyone continues to pray for me as I will have upcoming surgeries, therapy, and struggles to face within the next couple of weeks. I will keep everyone updated as best as I can but for now PLEASE pray for me and my family “
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Michigan girl who burned 49 percent of her body while attempting ‘fire challenge’ warns others: ‘Don’t do it’
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ/CNN) — A Michigan teen is speaking out after she burned 49 percent of her body while attempting a disturbing online challenge.
Miyah Landers, 13, was hospitalized last August with severe burns to her entire back and limbs. The teen said she and her friends participated in the so-called “fire challenge” after seeing it on YouTube.
The challenge involves people dousing themselves in rubbing alcohol, lighting themselves on fire, and then jumping into a tub or shower to extinguish the blaze.
“Don’t do it because it’s not worth it,” Landers said. “It’s just not worth it.”
While attempting the dare, Landers’ body became engulfed in flames and her mother had to put out the fire.
“I was scared. I was terrified that I was about to lose my daughter,” said Landers’ mom, Brandi Sholar. “It was so much fire and all she was doing was crying.”
Landers said she spent two months bed-bound and wrapped in bandages at a hospital. The experience changed her life.
Now, the 13-year-old wants to advocate for other burn survivors and is in process of putting together care packages.
“I feel obligated to,” Landers said. “I’ve been through it, so I feel like I need to help.”
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Mom, 10-year-old daughter dead in apparent strangulation, man shoots self in head in Bronx family tragedy
BELMONT, the Bronx — A mother and her 10-year-old daughter were killed in an apparent strangulation and a man is hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a wellness check turned into a deadly barricade crisis at a Bronx home Saturday afternoon, police said.
Police arrived at the multifamily home on at 2157 Belmont Ave. near East 181 Street between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to check on the family — and the visit ended in a family tragedy.
Linda Manigault, 34, and her daughter, Heaven Ross, 10, had “injuries that are consistent with strangulation,” cops said.
It was Ross’s older brother that made the discovery, calling police to tell them his little sister was unresponsive.
Neighbors say Manigault was a mother of four. One neighbor said they heard one of her children frantically screaming earlier in the day.
Police say the 32-year-old man, who was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition with the head injury, was believed to be in a relationship with Manigault. Neighbors say he lived in the home.
Heidi Sanchez, a resident in the home, was in tears as she told PIX11 one of the victims “was awesome. She was just so loving to her kids. I would never in a million years think this would ever happen.”
She described the man as “standoffish” and “he didn’t talk much.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/06/15/2-dead-1-critically-injured-during-incident-in-bronx-home-police/
Photo Credit: Getty Images