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DOJ interviewed Trump’s Epstein accuser four separate times, but now those records have quietly disappeared from public view

The Department of Justice has quietly removed records of four separate FBI interviews with a woman who accused President Trump of sexual assault when she was underage. These records were part of the Jeffrey Epstein files and are supposed to be publicly available under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The woman, identified as one of Epstein’s victims, accused President Trump of forcing her to engage in oral sex sometime between 1983 and 1985, when she was in her early teens. She described a violent encounter where she bit Trump’s exposed penis, after which he allegedly punched her in the head and kicked her out. She also told the DOJ that Jeffrey Epstein first introduced her to President Trump in 1984.

Independent journalists Roger Sollenberger and Nina Burleigh brought this to light, noting that DOJ records clearly showed the FBI spoke to this woman at least four separate times. According to The New Republic, Sollenberger found records of these interviews, which took place in the summer and fall of 2019, in a separate document database that was originally provided to Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers for her trial.

The timeline of these disappearing records raises serious questions about accountability

The interview records spanned from July 24, 2019, to October 16, 2019, and have since been removed from public access. The first interview took place on July 24, 2019, but was not entered into the FBI’s case files until August 9, 2019, a 16-day gap. This is unusual, as FBI agents typically have a five-day deadline to file interview write-ups. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell just one day after that first interview was finally filed.

Despite these documented interviews and the allegations, Attorney General Pam Bondi recently stated there was “no evidence” President Trump had committed any crime. Lawmakers have also accused the DOJ of failing its final obligation under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, adding to concerns that the department is not being fully transparent. Many see this as part of a broader effort to shield the president from scrutiny connected to the Epstein scandal.

The FBI interviewed one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims four times over her allegation that Donald Trump assaulted her when she was underage—but most accusations against the president appear to have been removed from the government’s documents. https://t.co/jmRc4QZylS pic.twitter.com/bnrXMI1WgT

— The New Republic (@newrepublic) February 21, 2026

In the U.K., Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, directly tied to the Epstein files. This development has drawn attention to the question of whether equally powerful figures connected to Epstein in the U.S. are being held to the same standard.

Some observers have noted that the rule of law should apply equally to everyone, and that justice should not stop with one imprisoned accomplice while others with more influence avoid scrutiny. The truth, no matter how “politically explosive,” needs to be fully examined.

The disappearance of these interview records, given the broader context of the Epstein case, has added to concerns that certain powerful individuals are not being treated the same way as others under investigation. This comes alongside other controversies involving the department, including reports of the DOJ displaying a pro-Trump banner inside its offices after Trump had previously sued the department for $230 million.

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Epstein’s Zorro Ranch probe reopens as lawmakers demand answers over a shocking detail

New Mexico is officially reopening a criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous Zorro Ranch. This is a huge development, especially since new allegations are surfacing from recently released Justice Department files concerning the convicted sex offender.

State prosecutors are making it clear they’re taking a “broad and comprehensive” look at the ranch, according to Attorney General Raúl Torrez on X. They’re actively seeking full access to all the unredacted Epstein files related to Zorro Ranch that federal investigators are holding in Washington D.C. Plus, they’ve pledged to team up with the new “Epstein truth commission” that state legislators just set up.

This bipartisan, four-member panel has a big job on its hands. It’s investigating serious allegations that the ranch might have been a hub for SA and trafficking. One of the state legislators on the commission, Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, told the BBC that there might have been reports to the FBI back in 2019, or even earlier, about bodies being buried and people being trafficked. 

New email from anonymous sender has everyone scurrying for answers

In fact, the state confirmed it’s investigating a specific 2019 email from the recently released documents. This email, from an anonymous sender, alleged that Epstein had ordered the bodies of two foreign girls to be buried outside the ranch. 

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is also seeking an unredacted copy of that email. The lawmakers on the commission also want to know why Epstein didn’t register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl way back in 2008.

We are taking a broad and comprehensive look at Zorro Ranch–related matters and working alongside the truth commission and law enforcement partners. We will follow the facts and keep the public informed. pic.twitter.com/FXoCKBZGeG

— New Mexico Department of Justice (@NewMexicoDOJ) February 19, 2026

This isn’t the first time New Mexico has looked into the ranch. The state actually shelved its initial investigation back in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019, never faced any charges in New Mexico, but prosecutors did confirm in 2019 that they had interviewed possible victims who visited the property. There are reports from a number of women alleging they were abused by Epstein at Zorro Ranch. 

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico highlighted how isolated and beautiful the landscape of Zorro Ranch is, noting, “We know that there are horrible things that occurred at that ranch.”

Zorro Ranch is located south of Santa Fe. There are thousands of references to it in the millions of documents released by the US Justice Department in late January. The ranch boasts a huge 21,000 square foot mansion perched on a hilltop, overlooking nearly 10,000 acres of desert. It even had its own private airstrip and helipad nearby.

Today, Zorro Ranch is owned by former Texas state Senator Don Huffines, who purchased it from Epstein’s estate in 2023.

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Many games have tried to take away GTA’s crown, so here are the failures worthy of looking back on and reminiscing what could have been

GTA 6 protagonists wielding guns

Ever since the GTA series became the biggest game franchise in the world with GTA 3, many have tried to one-up it. No game has succeeded, but many of its challengers have remarkable development stories, so let's remember the fallen.

Driv3r

Tanner in the cover for Driv3r
Image via Atari

The first two Driver games are staples of the original PlayStation and legendary car-chase titles. Driv3r, the game meant to beat GTA 3 with its experience in the 3D realm, achieved legendary status, but only for the worst reasons.

Driv3r's development became so troubled that it was delayed to the point of competing not with GTA 3 or GTA Vice City, but with GTA San Andreas, a game lightyears ahead of everything else. And it gets worse.

Driv3r is responsible for "Driv3rgate," a huge scandal that hit when people suspected publisher Atari was cozying up to big gaming outlets of its time in exchange for ridiculously high scores that overlooked all of the game's technical issues. Never heard about Driv3rgate? Well, that might be because Atari then allegedly spent big bucks on a campaign to delete all negative press about Driv3r and replace it with positive reactions from fake accounts. Seems bad, but you gotta give them credit for pulling off this level of crap before AI was a thing.

So, if we're to end on a positive note, as far as criminal simulators go, Driv3r actually outdoes GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas, because its development reportedly featured actual unlawful activity! Here's hoping that joke doesn't age poorly very, very fast.

JAK 2

Jak in his flying car in JAK 2
Image via Naughty Dog

Jak 2 isn't the game most would think of as a GTA competitor, but they'd be wrong.

The original Jak and Daxter was a cool platformer, one that combined the action of the Crash Bandicoot series that Naughty Dog was known for, with much more open play areas. The natural evolution of that alone should've gotten Naughty Dog enough praise and sales to keep the series alive, but then something changed everything.

GTA 3's release deeply shook the entire gaming landscape, and Naughty Dog admitted the Jak and Daxter sequel was heavily inspired by it, and that’s why you now have guns, cars, and a huge megacity-like play world. Even the name was changed to a three-letter name followed by a number. Jak 2 is a good game, but it's too far away from the original, and definitely still not the game that would appeal to the more mature GTA-loving audience.

Mafia

Strolling in Mafia
Screenshot by Destructoid

If we overlook Mafia 3's considerable technical issues because a dangerous-looking dude told us to, we can say the Mafia series is pretty great overall. It did, however, make a big mistake in its clinging to realism. The original Mafia takes place over the 1930s, some of the greatest years of organized crime, I've been told, and also a time that feels completely separate from the '90s and '80s of most GTA games up until then. Sadly, however, the developers seemingly didn't conduct much research into the cars of that time, a big part of making a GTA competitor. The good news is that cars were, indeed, already a thing back in the '30s, but they were slow as hell and thus not fun for either chasing other bad guys or getting away from the police.

Interestingly, there's one mission in the original Mafia where the cars can actually achieve decent speeds—the racing minigame, naturally—but that's actually gone down in history as one of the worst missions in this kind of game, since the cars are nearly uncontrollable. Mafia is a good game, but beating GTA 3 would have taken so much more than just that.

True Crime: Streets of LA

Nick Kang from True Crime points a gun at a bad guy.
Screenshot by Destructoid

To anyone growing up in the '90s and Y2K times, everything about True Crime: Streets of LA read like "GTA but BETTER." It had you join the "good" guys, starred a wild number of Hollywood A-listers, and even added cool martial arts and Matrix- inspired shooting shenanigans. How are we not suffering acutely while waiting for True Crime 6 right now? Well, turns out there's such a thing as a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

Though the idea of putting a greater focus on combat was the right one, the game suffered from a bunch of technical hiccups, like bad camera and clipping that left the gameplay feeling too unpolished to measure up to GTA 3 or Vice City. Weirdly, True Crime's weaker technical side would only get worse with its sequel, True Crime: New York City, and the martial arts GTA-like would only resurface a decade later with Sleeping Dogs.

The Getaway

A car chase in The Getaway
Screenshot by Destructoid

The Getaway is one of the most expensive games ever made, and it shows. The developers at Team Soho literally cloned a large part of London and put it in a game with some of the best visuals of its time. The Getaway was as real as a game could get up until that point—and that proved a problem. See the sky in the image above? It's grey just like the London sky tends to be, but that just isn't as fun as sunny Vice City, sorry, Londoners.

The same focus on realism over fun is seen in many other parts of the game, like the minimalistic or null HUD, a very realistic and immersive choice that absolutely works with games meant for hardcore players like Escape From Tarkov, but that tend not to work on games aimed at mass market appeal. The Getaway was still a technical marvel, but not a marvelously fun game.

The post Many games have tried to take away GTA’s crown, so here are the failures worthy of looking back on and reminiscing what could have been appeared first on Destructoid.

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A man is arrested with 100 skeletons in his basement, and his Facebook activity raised alarms

According to BroBible, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania man is facing hundreds of charges after authorities discovered more than 100 human skeletons in the basement of his Lancaster County home. Police say the remains were stored throughout the property and represented a wide range of ages and conditions.

Jonathan Gerlach was arrested after investigators uncovered what they allege was an ongoing operation involving grave robbing and the online sale of human remains. Authorities say the case is notable not only for the number of remains involved but for how the activity was allegedly coordinated through social media.

Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse confirmed that police identified more than 100 distinct sets of remains in Gerlach’s basement. According to court documents, the remains ranged from more than 200 years old to those of infants only months old, with several human skulls displayed openly on shelves.

The investigation began with a tip and quickly escalated

The investigation began after a Lancaster County tipster contacted police. The tipster reported that two acquaintances had discovered a partially decomposed body hanging in Gerlach’s basement during a visit.

Detectives then reviewed Gerlach’s online activity and identified multiple red flags. Police say his Facebook account was connected to a group called “Human Bones and Skull Selling,” where messages allegedly showed Gerlach selling human remains to other members.

In Pennsylvania, a man was discovered with 100 distinct skeletal remains in his basement, making this post even more intriguing. 💀 pic.twitter.com/qFTboxn6QX

— Duchess of Meme (@DuchessOfMeme) January 9, 2026

Investigators were also told that Gerlach’s social media profiles included frequent posts about taxidermy, oddities, and skeleton collecting. Court records note that his CashApp profile image showed him holding a human skull, echoing the kind of disturbing online behavior that has fueled other viral stories, including when an Outback Steakhouse customer believed they were served a strip of leather before discovering the reality.

The case expanded further after Yeadon Mayor Rohan Hepkins was alerted to repeated mausoleum break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery. Members of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery group reported grave disturbances, prompting police to increase patrols in the area.

Those patrols led to Gerlach’s arrest as he exited the cemetery. According to court documents, he was carrying a burlap bag containing three skulls, assorted bones, and mummified remains believed to belong to two small children.

Police later executed a search warrant at Gerlach’s home, where they reported finding two decomposing human torsos, mummified hands and feet, long bones, and numerous other skeletal remains. The revelations have drawn comparisons to other unsettling social media incidents, such as when a LongHorn Steakhouse customer ordered a meal and discovered it covered in what appeared to be “love butter,” later explained by a former cook.

Gerlach is currently being held in Delaware County Prison and faces 574 charges, including abuse of a corpse, burglary, and criminal trespassing, as he awaits a preliminary hearing.

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Crypto millionaire and wife lured to meeting with ‘investors’, then something horrifying happens

Russian investigators have shared disturbing new details about the deaths of crypto millionaire Roman Novak and his wife, Anna. The couple was reportedly forced to watch each other being tortured to death by their kidnappers. Their dismembered bodies were found in a Dubai desert in October.

According to LAD Bible, the 38-year-old crypto businessman and his 37-year-old wife, a former TV reporter, were targeted for their large cryptocurrency fortune. The couple was tricked into attending a meeting at the Hatta mountain resort with people pretending to be investors. Once there, they were kidnapped.

The captors tortured Roman and Anna to get access codes to their cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators believe the wallets turned out to be empty. When the kidnappers realized there was no money, they killed both victims.

The empty wallets may have sealed their tragic fate

Roman had created a crypto app called Fintopio, which helps with quick digital transfers. He had raised about £380 million in investment for the app. However, he was later accused of stealing money from his investors.

Local reports described Roman as a skilled manipulator who convinced businessmen from China and the Middle East to give him huge amounts of money. He had even served prison time for stealing money before. His case shares similarities with other high-profile fraud cases involving CEOs who deceived investors.

⚠ WARNING: This post describes torture & fatal kidnapping

Russian investigators have revealed that convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Roman Novak & his wife Anna were tortured to death by kidnappers in the UAE after the criminals failed to access the £380 million they sought.… pic.twitter.com/x6RcaUsgWb

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 3, 2025

After killing the couple, the murderers tried hard to hide evidence. They cut up the bodies and put them in thick plastic bags. They poured strong chemicals on the remains to speed up decay and destroy DNA evidence. The bodies were buried in the desert near the Oman border. Police found them in October after searching a large area of sand.

Russian and UAE police worked together on the case. The killers kept the couple’s phones on for two days to mislead investigators. The phones showed movement from Hatta to Oman, then to Cape Town, South Africa, before the signals stopped in early October. Police found Anna’s blood at a villa, blood in a rental car, and knives near the crime scene.

The reality behind the Dubai crypto influencer attack:

•Roman Novak, 38, called himself a crypto millionaire
•his wife, Anna, 37, was a former TV reporter in Russia
•they moved to Dubai after his prison release for fraud
•showed a luxury life with sports cars and private… pic.twitter.com/7B84Q4eyF0

— StarPlatinum (@StarPlatinum_) November 10, 2025

Three Russian men were arrested in early November after they returned to Russia from Dubai. The suspects are Konstantin Shakht, 53, Yury Sharypov, 46, and Vladimir Dalekin, 45. Shakht used to be a murder investigator but later became involved in drug smuggling. Sharypov and Dalekin both fought for Russia in the Ukraine war.

Svetlana Petrenko from the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed the killers had help. She said accomplices helped organize the kidnapping, rented cars and places to hold the victims, and got rid of personal items and knives across different areas.

This tragedy serves as a warning about romance scams and financial deception that target wealthy individuals. Shakht denies the charges, but Sharypov and Dalekin have pleaded guilty. All three remain in custody until December 28. Roman and Anna left behind young children, who are now living with their grandparents.

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‘Hopefully learned that breaking and entering is not the answer’: Animal control officer details a raccoon’s bizarre liquor store rampage

A raccoon was detained by animal control officers in Ashland, Virginia, after the little guy broke into a closed liquor store and threw a full-blown, drunken rampage, according to AP News. This isn’t just a simple break-in; this particular “trash panda” was causing serious chaos after deciding he needed a stiff drink early in the morning.

The incident began early Saturday when the masked burglar managed to breach the security of the Virginia liquor store while it was closed for business. Samantha Martin, an officer who works at local animal control, later detailed just how the tiny menace entered the building. Martin confirmed that the raccoon “fell through one of the ceiling tiles” before initiating his chaotic bender. Once inside, the raccoon went on what Martin described as a “full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

When an employee showed up later that Saturday morning, the scene was truly awful. This wasn’t just a little spill. The raccoon caused significant damage, targeting the bottom shelf where the good stuff was kept. We’re talking about the scotch and whisky sections. Bottles were completely smashed, leaving a thick, expensive pool of alcohol all over the floor. Plus, the ceiling tile collapse added another layer of mess that the staff had to deal with.

At least it had the courtesy to make it into the bathroom

The suspect wasn’t hiding for long. Having clearly achieved peak party mode, the employee found the culprit passed out cold on the bathroom floor. You have to admit, finding a raccoon sleeping off a bender next to the toilet is probably one of the most bizarre things an employee can encounter on a Saturday morning.

Samantha Martin was the animal control officer called to handle the cleanup and transport. She had her fair share of giggles along the way, and honestly, who wouldn’t? This story is hilarious. Martin said she personally enjoys these little critters. “I personally like raccoons,” she said, calling them “funny little critters.” She summed up the whole situation perfectly, saying, “Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess.”

A raccoon fell through the ceiling of a Virginia liquor store and went on a drunken rampage. Staff found the shitfaced animal passed out on the bathroom floor the next morning. It was taken to a local rescue to sober up and later released. 😆https://t.co/XVkQniGvS8

— Resister Sister Nicki 8647🗑 (@WorldTravelDiva) December 3, 2025

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter confirmed they took the raccoon into custody following the break-in. While Animal Control officers are faced with much worse scenarios, they gave high commendations to Officer Martin for handling the situation with professionalism and humor. Their main focus was making sure the animal was okay, checking for any injuries. The agency confirmed that after a necessary period of recovery, the raccoon had successfully sobered up.

It seems the only lasting damage was likely a massive hangover and maybe some regret over his poor life choices. After ensuring he was totally fine, the shelter safely released the raccoon back into the wild. While a human breaking in would definitely be behind bars, they definitely hope the experience taught the little guy a valuable lesson about respecting private property and maybe sticking to trash cans instead of single malts.

The agency issued a statement upon his release, noting that he was sent back to nature “hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer.”

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Police release disturbing details after beloved doctor and wife found dead in driveway, and what they discover about the suspect is heartbreaking

A California doctor and his wife were shot and killed in their driveway, and police now believe their own son was responsible. Eric Cordes, 63, worked as a radiologist, and his wife Vicky Cordes, 66, both died in Simi Valley.

According to Unilad, the Simi Valley Police Department said officers found the couple on Sunday, November 30, after getting reports of gunshots at their home. Both Eric and Vicky were taken to the hospital but died from their injuries. Police say this was a planned attack, not a random shooting.

Detectives discovered the black car that left the scene was registered to Keith Cordes, the 37-year-old son of Eric and stepson of Vicky. After the shooting, the gunman drove away in a black sedan with out-of-state license plates. Police used automatic license plate recognition software to find the vehicle driving south on the 210 Freeway.

The suspect fled but police tracked him down using technology

Different police departments worked together to track down the car. They found it abandoned and burned outside Ayala Park. Inside the destroyed vehicle, investigators found a dead body. The San Bernardino County Medical Examiner later confirmed it was Keith Cordes.

Police believe Keith set the car on fire before killing himself. Officers found a gun in the vehicle that matched the weapon used to shoot Eric and Vicky. This evidence makes Keith the main suspect in the case. Similar to how doctors uncovered disturbing details from a body, investigators carefully examined all evidence in this tragic case.

⚠ WARNING: This post describes a double homicide & suicide

Police have confirmed that Dr. Eric Cordes, 63, and his wife Vicki Cordes, 66, were fatally shot in their Simi Valley, California, garage by the husband's son, Keith Cordes, 37. Keith Cordes then fled the scene, drove… pic.twitter.com/YzBDSQdhqL

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 3, 2025

Dr. Cordes worked in the local area for almost 30 years. His death shocked his coworkers and neighbors. Adventist Health Simi Valley, where he worked, called him a dedicated radiologist who served the community “with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years.” They said their hearts go out to his family during this terrible time.

Focus Medical Imaging, another place where Dr. Cordes worked, praised his commitment to the area. They called him “a brilliant, hardworking doctor, and a respected colleague” who spent his entire career serving Simi Valley and never left for other communities.

#BREAKINGNEWS Police confirmed the suspect in the double murder of a couple at their Simi Valley home is the son of one of the victims. The San Bernardino County Medical Examiner says Keith Cordes gunned down his father, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki Cordes, on Sunday.… pic.twitter.com/rMlwWkzQzB

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 3, 2025

The community continues to process this shocking tragedy, which has left many people declaring how disturbing such violent incidents have become. Neighbor Mike Hylton said Dr. Cordes was the director of radiology at Adventist Health. His son heard the gunshots and saw a car speeding away from the house. Simi Valley Police are still investigating what led to the shooting.

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‘Neither was traveling with a cell phone’: Texas couple leaves holiday gathering and vanishes, then search teams make tragic discovery in New Mexico

Authorities found Linda and Gary Lightfoot dead in New Mexico after the Texas couple went missing following a family Thanksgiving celebration. The couple, both in their 80s, were the focus of a large multi-state search after they disappeared following the holiday gathering.

According to People, family members reported Linda, 81, and Gary, 82, missing on November 28 after they didn’t return home to Lubbock, Texas. They had left a family celebration in Panhandle, Texas, the day before on Thanksgiving, November 27. Panhandle Police Chief Sace Hardman said that the couple left the gathering around 3:00 PM local time.

The drive from Panhandle back to their Lubbock home is only about 150 miles. When they didn’t show up, their family quickly raised the alarm. Police believed the Lightfoots were driving a silver 2024 Toyota Camry, which was later spotted on cameras in both Texas and New Mexico.

The search faced a major problem that made finding them much harder

Neither Linda nor Gary were traveling with a cell phone or any other trackable device. When searching for an elderly couple who may have become confused, having no GPS signal or ping to follow is very challenging for law enforcement. Without any modern technology to guide them, investigators were basically searching blind across the vast areas of Texas and New Mexico.

Authorities in Texas issued a Silver Alert for the Lightfoots on November 30 after the Texas Department of Public Safety joined the search. The Carson County Sheriff’s Office shared details and photos of the couple on Facebook, asking for the public’s help. This isn’t the first time Texas authorities have dealt with unusual cases, as a rancher faced a bizarre lawsuit from State Farm recently.

Authorities found the bodies of Charles and Linda Lightfoot, an elderly Texas couple who had been missing since Thanksgiving, in a rural area of New Mexico. https://t.co/9u6UcKzvUn pic.twitter.com/tcLQdEJcCc

— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) December 2, 2025

The search involved large coordination between state and local agencies. The Panhandle Police Department, the Carson County Sheriff Office, New Mexico State Police, and the Texas Rangers all worked together to find the couple. New Mexico State Police and Quay County officials used helicopters and drones to scan the rugged terrain.

DISCONTINUED SILVER ALERT: Initially issued 11/29/2025 for Charles Gary Lightfoot and Linda Lightfoot who reside in Lubbock, TX but last known sighting in Santa Rosa, NM, TX plate TWN0925. pic.twitter.com/brVf7onYtm

— Texas Alerts (@TX_Alerts) December 2, 2025

The tragic discovery was made in Quay County, New Mexico, on Tuesday, December 2. Panhandle Police Chief Sace Hardman confirmed the finding to Everything Lubbock, stating that authorities currently suspect no foul play in their deaths. Chief Hardman indicated that the couple likely died of hypothermia. The bodies will undergo autopsies in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to confirm the official cause of death.

Gary Lightfoot was a highly respected member of the law enforcement community. Lubbock reported that he previously worked for the Lamb County Sheriff’s Office and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, among other departments. 

He also served as the Littlefield Police Chief for ten years, from 1993 to 2003. Tensions have been running high across Texas lately, with incidents like a violent Bass Pro Shops brawl making headlines in the state.

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Alleged D.C. shooter resorted to desperate measures before attack, and what his former unit mate says he was dealing with is heartbreaking

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is facing first-degree murder charges after shooting two National Guard members near the Farragut West Metro station in Washington D.C. last Wednesday. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries, while Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, is still in critical condition. A former unit mate who served with Lakanwal says he was dealing with serious mental health problems and could not support his family before the attack.

According to Rolling Stone, Lakanwal is an Afghan national who served nearly 10 years in a CIA-backed Afghan force called the “Zero Units” in Kandahar. After the war, he moved to Bellingham, Washington in September 2021 with his wife and five sons through Operation Allies Welcome. But starting a new life proved extremely difficult for him.

His financial situation was terrible. He lost his job at a laundromat because he did not have a work authorization card, even though the Trump administration had approved him for asylum and allowed him to work. About a month before the shooting, he told his unit mate that his family could not afford food or rent because of missing immigration paperwork. His unit mate said Lakanwal broke down crying from frustration during that conversation.

Years of loyal service meant nothing when he needed help

In June, Lakanwal tried getting help through a CIA program made for Zero Unit veterans with immigration problems. Rolling Stone saw evidence of Lakanwal posting messages asking for help in a group chat. His last post got no response and was deleted by the chat administrator. “He’s very sad [depressed],” one of his Afghan unit mates said. “He’s very worried. This problem, like, he’d say, ‘I am working nine years or 10 years with [the] U.S. government. [They] never answer my phone [call].’”

Lakanwal also had major mental health issues. He would go through long periods of isolation, sometimes not talking to his family for weeks. Then he would have manic episodes where he would suddenly drive across the country to places like Chicago or Arizona for weeks.

‼🇺🇸: CIA-linked Afgan "Zero Unit" National Guard DC shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, "FELT ABANDONED BY CIA" & was suffering from mental health issues that were IGNORED, or were they? 👀 🤔

‘I am working nine years or 10 years with US government. [They] never answer my phone’… pic.twitter.com/2n0gmZHxdW

— Diligent Denizen 🇺🇸 (@DiligentDenizen) December 1, 2025

In January 2024, a community advocate worried Lakanwal might be suicidal and asked a refugee organization for help. The organization visited Bellingham in March 2024, but Lakanwal and his family refused their help. Like a mother who knew doctors failed her son, sometimes people sense when the help offered isn’t enough.

He also felt isolated where he lived. In September, Lakanwal’s nephew asked the Bellingham housing authority to move him closer to the Afghan community in Seattle. The nephew said Lakanwal felt isolated, had poor English skills, and needed to find work urgently. The application also said Lakanwal did not feel safe in Bellingham after someone assaulted him by spraying something in his eyes.

“Every time, like looking [for] somebody [to] help for documents, somebody [to] help for pay the rent, he’s not going to work,” Lakanwal’s Afghan unit mate said. His situation reflects how discovering something truly heartbreaking can change everything for someone already struggling.

After the attack, President Trump called it a “terrorist attack” and ordered a review of all Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Vice President J.D. Vance, and FBI Director Kash Patel blamed former President Joe Biden, saying Lakanwal and other refugees were “unvetted.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal should never have been allowed into the U.S.

But Lakanwal actually went through more vetting than most Afghans. Soldiers had to be recommended and then vetted by the CIA before joining the Zero Units. The vetting worked so well that these units never had an insider attack. The Zero Unit community feels hurt by claims they should not have been allowed in the U.S., especially after protecting CIA officers for nearly 20 years.

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Four hackers ripped through 120,000 private cameras for cash, the locations they targeted confirm your worst surveillance nightmare

Four people are now under arrest in South Korea after police announced that they had allegedly hacked more than 120,000 private and commercial video cameras, as per the BBC. According to the police, the hackers used it to generate sexually exploitative footage for an illegal overseas website.

If you use an Internet Protocol, or IP, camera at home or in your business, this news should genuinely alarm you. The sheer scale of this breach is shocking, but the locations targeted confirm our worst fears about pervasive surveillance.

The cameras reportedly hacked across the country included standard private homes, which is awful enough. But the suspects also accessed footage from karaoke rooms, a pilates studio, and even a gynaecologist’s clinic.

It’s a colossal privacy breach, and what’s more shocking is how vulnerable to it we are

IP cameras are often seen as a cheaper alternative to traditional CCTV systems. They connect directly to your home or business Wi-Fi network and are commonly installed so people can monitor their children, pets, or overall security.

The police revealed that the accused exploited some pretty basic vulnerabilities in these devices, primarily simple or default passwords. This is a crucial reminder that if you haven’t changed your device’s password from “12345” or “admin,” you’re leaving your digital front door wide open.

South Korea police say 120,000 home cameras hacked for 'sexploitation' footage https://t.co/ktzfmRWbSE

— Mas73r (@Mas73r) December 2, 2025

The money involved shows just how lucrative this illegal trade has become. One of the suspects is accused of hacking a staggering 63,000 cameras. That single individual produced 545 sexually exploitative videos, which he then sold for virtual assets valued at 35 million won, or about $12,235.

Another suspect was even more prolific in terms of reach, allegedly hacking 70,000 cameras. That hacker sold 648 videos and made 18 million won worth of assets. Unlike the hacker who took over accounts of billionaires and presidents, these two main perpetrators alone were responsible for approximately 62% of the videos posted on the illegal distribution website over the past year.

Police are taking this extremely seriously. They are actively moving to block and shut down the distribution website and are cooperating with foreign agencies to investigate the person running the site itself. They’ve also arrested three other people who are suspected of simply buying and viewing the material distributed through the site.

South Korea’s National Police Agency issued a critical security warning for anyone using this technology. They emphasized that personal vigilance is the most effective defense right now. The agency stated, “Above all, it is crucial and effective for individual users who have installed IP cameras in homes or business premises to remain vigilant and immediately and regularly change their access passwords.”

If you’re using an IP camera, please take this advice immediately. You can’t rely on the factory default settings for real security. If you are a US senator, though, your surveillance worries don’t stop there.

  •  

‘I was so shocked. It was horrible’: Family brings man’s body home from vacation, but doctors discover something disturbing from his body

A family brought their loved one’s body home after he died on vacation in Cyprus. When doctors did a second examination in the UK, they found something shocking. The man’s heart was missing from his body. The family is now fighting to get answers about what happened to 76-year-old Michael Graley.

According to Lad Bible, Michael was on a trip to Cyprus with his wife Yvonne, 73, and their family when he got a bad cramp in his leg. They took him to the hospital right away. Doctors told the family that Michael died just 10 minutes after he got there.

The problems started when Michael’s body came back to the UK. The family was told a doctor in Cyprus had already done an examination. But when the body arrived, the paperwork didn’t show any cause of death. This left the family with no answers about what actually happened.

Officials made a disturbing discovery during the UK examination

Because no cause of death was listed, doctors scheduled another examination at the Rochdale Coroners’ Office in the UK. During this examination, officials discovered that Michael’s heart had been removed.

Michael’s wife Yvonne spoke to the media about what happened. She said the coroner told them they couldn’t find out how Michael died because his heart was missing. “I was so shocked,” Yvonne said. “It was horrible.”

76 yaşındaki Michael Graley, Güney Kıbrıs'ta tatil yaptığı sırada hayatını kaybetti.

— Yapılan otopside yaşlı adamın kalbinin çalındığı ortaya çıktı. pic.twitter.com/kpDZtprvvE

— Solcu Gazete (@solcugazete60) December 2, 2025

The family is angry that Michael’s heart was taken without anyone telling them or asking permission. Police in Cyprus later said the heart was sent away for research. But this explanation hasn’t made the family feel any better. Like when people doubt sudden transformations, the family isn’t accepting the official story. The Rochdale Coroners’ Office is now investigating what happened.

This isn’t the only case like this. Other families have faced the same horrible discovery when bodies came back to the UK. A 28-year-old woman named Beth Martin died in Turkey earlier this year. When her body returned to Britain, doctors found her heart was also missing.

A family of five had also passed away after coming to Turkey from Germany on vacation. Initially, it was thought that food poisoning was the cause of death, but later it was revealed that the spray hotel staff had sprayed to kill bedbugs led to the accident.

The Graley family can’t move forward until they get Michael’s heart back. The coroner told Yvonne they can’t determine the real cause of death without it. The family is waiting for the investigation to give them the answers they need.

  •  

Pure chaos erupts as the ‘Slender Man’ knife attacker escapes, and officials admit they had no idea she was gone for 10 hours

The woman convicted in the infamous “Slender Man” stabbing was caught in Illinois after a bizarre encounter with police, ending her brief escape from a Wisconsin group home, as reported by NBC News. Morgan Geyser, 22, was apprehended in the town of Posen after officers were called to a truck stop regarding two people loitering behind the building, the Madison Police Department confirmed.

When officers arrived at Thornton’s Truck Stop, they found Geyser and an unidentified male sleeping on the sidewalk. According to the Posen Police Department, Geyser repeatedly refused to give her real name, offering a false one instead.

After continued questioning, she finally admitted that she didn’t want to tell the officers who she was because she had “done something really bad,” suggesting they could “just Google” her name. This eerily reminds me of one recent case where a jury reviewed Google search history to pin a perpetrator.

Officials admitted they had no idea Geyser was missing for nearly 10 hours

Once her identity was confirmed, police realized they had apprehended the woman who had cut off her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and vanished from her group home Saturday night. What makes this situation truly shocking isn’t just the escape, but the massive failure in communication that allowed her to be gone for so long.

The Madison Police Department confirmed that the first time they were made aware of Geyser’s status was at 7:58 AM Sunday, when officers were dispatched to the group home based on a 911 call reporting a missing person.

Geyser was last seen at the group home around 8:15 PM Saturday. Just over an hour later, around 9:30 PM, the Department of Corrections (DOC) was alerted that her location tracker had malfunctioned. It took the DOC two hours, until 11:30 PM, to reach out to the group home. Staff members at the home told corrections officials at 11:35 PM that Geyser was definitely not there and had removed her tracking device.

Morgan Geyser, convicted in the “Slender Man” stabbing case, was apprehended in Illinois after cutting off her monitoring bracelet and leaving her Wisconsin group home, officials said. #Datelinehttps://t.co/OfCrpFTT7x

— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 24, 2025

The DOC distributed a request to other agencies that she should be apprehended if spotted around midnight. However, the Madison Police Department said they never received that request for law enforcement apprehension. You can only imagine the anxiety this must have caused for the community, especially since the police weren’t even brought into the loop until Sunday morning. It’s arguably better than jurisdictional overreach, but still something we won’t like to see repeated.

Geyser’s escape brings back memories of the brutal 2014 attack that shocked the nation. Geyser and another girl lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, to a suburban Milwaukee park where Geyser stabbed the victim. All three girls were 12 years old at the time, and Leutner barely survived the attack. Defense lawyers explained that Geyser and her accomplice believed they had to attack the victim or risk having the fictional boogeyman, Slender Man, come after their families.

Geyser appeared in court on Monday and was ordered to be detained at Cook County Jail. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed that an out-of-state warrant from Wisconsin was executed, and she is scheduled for her next court date on Tuesday in Chicago.

It’s a relief that she’s back in custody, but the massive gaps in communication between the DOC and local police are something we absolutely need to look at moving forward.

  •  

A bank robber was released from jail, walked right back into the same bank, and was immediately betrayed by one shocking physical symptom

A 43-year-old man named Christopher McKay is facing serious charges after trying to rob the exact same Fort Worth bank he robbed nearly a decade ago, only to fail spectacularly and get caught almost instantly, as per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Police say McKay walked into the PNC Bank on the 8800 block of Camp Bowie West Blvd. about 10:00 AM on Thursday, demanding cash and claiming he was armed.

He didn’t manage to get away with a single penny, which is an awful outcome for him, but what really sealed his fate was a shocking physical symptom that betrayed him right at the scene. When the police located McKay nearby and placed him in custody, they realized something was seriously wrong with his health.

A police spokesperson confirmed that an ambulance had to be notified immediately because the suspect was actually going through fentanyl withdrawals while being apprehended. Fentanyl is, in fact, the infamous drug on the boat that the president recently ordered a military attack on. In McKay’s case, the painful physical reaction basically alerted authorities to a serious medical emergency, making any chance of a quiet escape completely impossible.

This second attempt wasn’t a subtle operation at all

Let’s talk about the attempt itself. McKay jumped right over the counter, which is a bold move when you’re trying to keep a low profile. He told the bank employees he was armed with a handgun and demanded that they hand over the money immediately.

Unfortunately for McKay, the bank employees had done their job well. The tills were locked up tight, preventing him from accessing any cash. Since he couldn’t get any money, he had to cut his losses and run away from the scene empty-handed, leaving the PNC Bank just as broke as when he walked in.

Fort Worth man arrested after trying to rob same bank twice, police say https://t.co/LKfe9Jhsk1

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) November 22, 2025

It’s truly unbelievable that this wasn’t McKay’s first time targeting this specific location. Police confirmed that nine years ago, he was arrested and charged with robbing the very same bank. That previous attempt earned him seven years spent locked up in a federal prison.

The attempt on Thursday was so short-lived that police were able to locate him nearby and take him into custody almost immediately after he ran. That’s when the medical situation became apparent, requiring the ambulance notification. It sounds like he was in desperate need of help, which makes the whole situation rather tragic.

Now, McKay is back in the legal system. He was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Friday and is currently facing a charge of aggravated robbery. That’s a serious felony charge, and given his history of robbing the PNC Bank, I don’t think he’s going to see much leniency from the courts.

Right now, we don’t have all the details on his legal status. His bond has not been set yet, and it’s unclear whether he has secured a defense attorney to handle his case. It looks like this latest, desperate attempt is going to cost him a lot more time behind bars.

  •  

FBI Director assigns entire SWAT team to shadow his girlfriend at event, but when agents leave early, his reaction stuns everyone

FBI Director Kash Patel got really angry after a whole FBI SWAT team he sent to watch his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, left her while she was singing the national anthem at a big event. This happened back in April at the yearly National Rifle Association conference at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The 45-year-old FBI boss had sent the SWAT team from the agency’s Atlanta office to follow his 27-year-old girlfriend, who wants to be a country singer, The New York Times reports. But the agents saw that the place was safe and decided Wilkins wasn’t in any real danger. So they left before the event ended.

According to Daily Mail, when Patel found out his security team had left, he reportedly got very upset with the team’s commander. He called their decision to leave a “failure of the chain of command” for leaving his girlfriend “unprotected.”

Using taxpayer money for girlfriend protection is wild

This kind of heavy and unusually common taxpayer-funded SWAT security is making people across the bureau raise their eyebrows. Current and former FBI officials say this is “highly unusual,” pointing out that girlfriends and spouses of officials normally don’t get this kind of protection.

This isn’t just a one-time thing either. Patel has reportedly used his power to give Wilkins extra protection many times. Top FBI agents who usually work with the Nashville office’s SWAT team have been sent to watch her in her home city.

Exclusive: Kash Patel's girlfriend being protected by FBI SWAT agents as a security perk

“There is no legitimate justification for this. This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources,” said Christopher O’Leary, a former senior FBI agent “She is not his…

— Ken Dilanian (@KDilanianMSNOW) November 17, 2025

Critics say that agents assigned to protect the singer are being pulled away from handling more serious possible crimes. Christopher O’Leary, a former Marine and FBI agent who led dangerous missions, didn’t hold back his criticism. He said that sending SWAT-trained agents to guard Wilkins shows Patel’s “lack of leadership experience, judgment and humility.” O’Leary has previously shared insights on what law enforcement looks for during routine encounters.

“There is no legitimate justification for this. This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources,” O’Leary explained. He pointed out that Wilkins is not Patel’s wife and doesn’t even live in the same city or house as the Director. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray’s wife, Helen Wray, even said that she only got a security detail when she was traveling with her husband.

A morning in my DMs. pic.twitter.com/RKPK6ojlWr

— Alexis Wilkins (@AlexisWilkins) November 17, 2025

The bureau is trying to defend the heavy protection, saying Wilkins has faced many death threats since her three-year relationship with Patel became public. A spokesperson said that Wilkins is getting the detail because she has faced “hundreds of credible death threats.” Wilkins has shared publicly some of the abuse she’s gotten, posting screenshots on X that she called “a morning in my DMs.” 

The comments included one user writing, “you should pray to christ and end your life! You’re better off in his hands than on this earth.” Another person wrote, “You need to touch a bullet,” and a third added, “Someone needs to kidnap her.” Public figures and workers in various fields often face uncomfortable situations, much like flight attendants dealing with boundary issues from the public.

Despite all the criticism, the White House is standing by Patel. Abigail Jackson said that “FBI Director Patel is restoring integrity to the FBI and doing an excellent job implementing the President’s agenda,” though she didn’t directly mention Wilkins or the security detail controversy.

  •  

Coach goes missing days before his team’s biggest game, but what happened Thursday night remains a mystery

Union High School football coach Travis Turner has been reported missing just days before his undefeated team is set to play in their biggest game of the season. This is truly terrible news coming during what should be a happy time for the Big Stone Gap, Virginia, community and its football program.

According to the New York Post, the Virginia State Police officially listed Turner as a missing person on Sunday. This confusing situation started because the coach was last seen way back on Thursday. What makes this whole situation even stranger is the detail about his last known appearance.

Officers were sent to his home Thursday evening to check on a complaint. It’s important to know that the police weren’t there to arrest him, but when they got to the location, Turner was no longer there. This important detail raises more questions than answers about what exactly led to him disappearing that night. State Police confirmed that when he was last seen, he was wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Authorities are using every tool available to find the missing coach

Search efforts in Wise County have totally ramped up as authorities try to find the coach. “We have had the drones up in the air looking, searching,” Jason Day of the State Police said. “We tried to, get the state police aviation, but they were unable to fly yesterday because of the weather. We’ve had, K-9 units, bloodhounds from local departments, sheriff’s office here, and wise state police dogs into the woods, searching, you know, the local area of last known, place where, Mr. Turner may have been or had seen.”

Despite the weather challenges, K-9 units and bloodhounds from local departments and the Wise State Police have been sent out. Day noted they are searching the woods and the local area of the last known place where Turner may have been or had been seen.

It sounds like they’re pulling out all the stops, which is exactly what you want to see in a high-stakes missing person case. Missing person investigations have become increasingly urgent nationwide, with cases like a young child found in horrifying circumstances showing why quick action matters.

In Virginia, a massive search is underway for a missing high school football coach.

State police say Travis Turner was last seen on Thursday, and he was reported missing on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/itZK2dyuqG

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 24, 2025

This situation is an incredibly tough emotional blow for the Union High football program. The team had celebrated an impressive 11-0 regular season and was firmly focused on their deep playoff run. Turner’s disappearance happened right when the team should have been focused entirely on practice and preparation for the regional title.

Despite the massive distraction and emotional upheaval, the team has managed to press on. Just one day after Turner went missing, the Bears advanced to the regional semifinal. Assistant coach Jay Edwards stepped up immediately to take over the program as the interim head coach. That must be a huge amount of pressure for Edwards, but he clearly handled it well.

Virginia high school football coach missing amid undefeated season with massive search underway https://t.co/fqCSaTBG9X pic.twitter.com/BtggHaCef2

— New York Post (@nypost) November 24, 2025

The team secured a 12-0 victory against Graham High School in Virginia despite the news swirling around their head coach. That kind of focus and strength in the face of chaos is really impressive. Workplace tragedies have shaken other communities recently, including a shocking fatal attack on a colleague, reminding us how fragile normalcy can be.

Now, the Union Bears are preparing for the biggest game of their season. They will face Ridgeview High School in the upcoming regional title match-up. It’s wild that they’re playing for a championship while their head coach remains officially listed as a missing person. 

  •  

After ’40 years’ of blame, an ex-husband chose the most agonizing and unforgettable day possible to commit the ultimate betrayal

Martin Suter, 68, is facing a minimum of 27 years and 230 days behind bars after being handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of his 71-year-old ex-wife, Ann Blackwood, according to the BBC. This wasn’t just a random crime; Suter chose the most agonizing day possible to commit the ultimate betrayal, attacking Ms. Blackwood at Crofton Cemetery in Stubbington, Hampshire, on what would have been their late son’s 36th birthday.

Suter, who lives in Lee-on-the-Solent, previously pleaded guilty to the murder, which took place in July 2023. The court heard horrifying details about the sheer premeditation involved. Suter didn’t just happen upon his ex-wife; he lay in wait for about five hours at the cemetery before Ms. Blackwood arrived on her bicycle, planning to place flowers on their son’s grave.

Prosecutor Robert O’Sullivan KC detailed the horrifying attack. Suter initially stabbed Ms. Blackwood in the back with a kitchen knife. The force of the initial blow was so great that the blade broke off. Undeterred, Suter then repeatedly stabbed her in the neck with a pair of scissors. Adding to the tragedy, those scissors weren’t his; they were the ones Ms. Blackwood had brought with her specifically to cut the flowers for her son’s memorial.

This level of calculated cruelty is absolutely chilling

After the attack, Suter called 999 right from the graveside to confess. When members of the public saw the victim on the ground and asked if they could help, Suter reportedly told them, “No, she’s dead – I killed her. I called the police.” He then gave a disturbing explanation for his actions, claiming that Ms. Blackwood was responsible for their son’s suicide and that she had ruined his life over the past four decades. He told the witnesses, “It’s been 40 years. I couldn’t take it any more.”

Their teenage son, Christopher, tragically died in 2003 when he was just 15 years old. Suter and Ms. Blackwood divorced the following year. During the sentencing at Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge Michael Bowes KC did not mince words when addressing Suter. He imposed a life sentence, telling Suter directly, “You brutally murdered Ann Blackwood in the most cruel and agonising way you could.”

Man jailed after murdering ex-wife at son's grave in Stubbington – BBC News https://t.co/ADsFfg7ujL

— Katrin (@CatharineSwash) November 21, 2025

Ms. Blackwood was much more than just a victim in this terrible story. Her brother, John Blackwood, provided a victim personal statement that was read in court. He described his sister as the “hub of the family,” noting that she was “affable, inoffensive” and had many friends who loved her. He explained that her “shocking and brutal death has sorely impacted many people,” fracturing the family in “the most grotesque manner possible.”

Judge Bowes imposed an additional four-month sentence on Suter for a separate, extremely disturbing offense. About two months before the murder, on May 11, 2023, Suter had pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 14. This separate conviction added to the overall severity of the life sentence, which resulted in the 27 years and 109 days for murder, totaling the minimum time Suter must serve before he’s eligible for parole.

  •  

Jury takes just one hour to reach a verdict for man who lost his ‘whole adult life’ to a crime he didn’t commit

A jury in Buffalo, New York, has given $80 million to the family of Darryl Boyd, a man who sat in prison for almost 25 years for a murder he never did. Boyd was one of several Black teenagers who got arrested for killing William Crawford back in 1976. People sometimes call this group the Buffalo Five. Boyd took his case to court in 2022 to sue the police and prosecutors in Erie County.

According to ABC News, Boyd’s lawyers said the police and prosecutors hid more than a dozen pieces of evidence that showed other people might have done the crime. They also said the police forced witnesses to lie and blame Boyd, and that prosecutors said things they should not have said when the trial ended. After hearing the case for two and a half weeks, the jury only needed about an hour to decide Boyd should get the money.

Ross Firsenbaum, one of Boyd’s lawyers, talked about how the false conviction destroyed Boyd’s entire life. “He lost his whole adult life to this wrongful conviction. The jury heard just how many years he was suffering in maximum security prison. All the terrible things you assume happen in prison, happened in prison,” Firsenbaum said. People who know about these cases say this is one of the biggest amounts of money ever given to someone who was locked up for something they did not do.

Getting out of prison did not fix what happened to him

Boyd got out of prison but then had to stay on parole for another 20 years. A judge finally threw out his conviction in 2021. The county decided not to try Boyd again or John Walker Jr., another man from the same case who also got his conviction thrown out. A third man who got convicted, Darren Gibson, left prison in 2008 and died the next year.

Life outside prison was really hard for Boyd. He had PTSD and felt anxious all the time. He could not get good jobs or keep them because he still had the conviction on his record. At some point, he started using drugs to deal with his pain and became addicted. Doctors told him he had pancreatic cancer that would kill him, and he died in 2023 before the trial happened. His mom and his son came to court every single day.

Jury awards estate of Buffalo 5 member Darryl Boyd $80 million for wrongful conviction, the largest wrongful conviction compensation in U.S. history: https://t.co/fWxNWAbc3N

— Colin Miller (@EvidenceProf) November 20, 2025

Firsenbaum said the county tried to say Boyd’s drug problem caused all his troubles, not the fact that he sat in prison for around 27 years for nothing. “And that’s offensive. And the jury recognized that and responded with this verdict,” he said. The lawyers showed the court that the police and prosecutors had a habit of doing wrong things back then, not just one person making one mistake. In other recent criminal cases, prosecutors have presented digital evidence like Google searches to prove premeditation.

Boyd and Walker had already made deals with the city of Buffalo and each got about $4.7 million. Walker got $28 million from the county earlier this year. Someone speaking for the county leader said they feel bad for Boyd’s family, but they think $80 million is way too much and plan to fight the decision.

Still, the fact that the jury decided so fast shows they really believed the police and prosecutors did wrong and that Boyd deserved the money. The case adds to other high-profile criminal proceedings making headlines across the country.

  •  

Police came looking for a handgun, left ‘flabbergasted’ after discovering what was buried under the garage

A man from Canada has lost a court case that lasted 16 years. He was trying to get back more than $1.2 million that he had hidden in strange places around his house. Marcel Breton kept the money at his home in the countryside near Thunder Bay, a city in northwest Ontario.

According to CNN, Police came to Breton’s house, because they were looking for an illegal handgun. But they ended up finding something completely different. They discovered $15,000 in cash hidden inside the floor heating ducts in the living room. They also found around $32,000 stored in different spots in the garage.

The really big surprise came next. Police found more than $1.2 million in Canadian money inside a rubber tub that was buried in the ground under the garage. All of this added up to $1.19 million in US dollars back in 2009. Police also found drugs at the property, including cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy. They told Canadian news reporters at the time that they were “flabbergasted” by everything they found.

Burying money under your garage probably wasn’t the best idea

Breton was charged with crimes including having money that came from illegal activities. He was found guilty at first, but then he had another trial. This time, he won because he proved that the police search was not done properly according to the law. So he was cleared of all charges. But even though he beat the criminal charges, there was still the question of what would happen to all that money.

This week, a court in Ontario said that most of the money has to go to the government. This decision backed up an earlier ruling from 2023. The judge in the case, Justice Bruce Fitzpatrick, said it was “unusual for an average person to have such a large amount of money buried in tubs underneath their property.” He also said that most of the bills were $20 notes, which is the type of money bill that gets used most often in drug dealing.

IMO Marcel Breton should consider appealing to the Supremes. The ruling is inconsistent with a finding from his criminal trial that the search was illegal. https://t.co/AeXM36IQf4

— Kitty Grimnirs (@KittyGrimnirs) November 21, 2025

Records showed that Breton did not tell the Canada Revenue Agency about any income from 2001 to 2008. The judge did not believe the reasons Breton gave for having so much cash. Breton said he won the money from a lottery or casino, or that he made it from his car repair business. In another case involving unusual police discoveries, YouTube star Jack Doherty was arrested after police found something in his possession.

Michelle Gallant, who teaches law at the University of Manitoba, said that Breton had to prove the money came from legal ways. She pointed out that “cash is the currency of illegal drugs” and asked why someone would bury money that they got legally instead of putting it in a bank where it could make interest.

Breton did get one piece of good news though. The court said he can keep the $15,000 that was found in the heating vents. The judge could not say for certain that this money came from crimes. That amount is worth a bit more than $10,600 now. Similar to how a moped rider attempted a wild move during a police chase, Breton’s case shows that trying to hide things from the law usually does not work out well.

  •  

Woman streaming live on TikTok hears a thud while driving, then realizes something horrifying just happened

Police in Zion, Illinois, are looking into a troubling video that appears to show a woman on TikTok live when she hit and killed a man on Monday night. The video has people talking about how dangerous it is to use your phone while driving.

According to TMZ, the crash happened around 5:30 p.m. in the Chicago area. Darren Lucas, 59, who lived in nearby Beach Park, was hit by a car and later died at the hospital from his injuries. The 43-year-old woman who was driving stayed at the scene and talked to police.

Someone recorded the TikTok livestream, and it shows the woman talking to her phone when a loud bang happens. Right after that, she says, “F***, f***, f*** … I just hit somebody.” The video cuts off quickly after that. You can hear a child asking what happened and someone else checking if the driver is alright.

This is what happens when you livestream behind the wheel

The Lake and McHenry County Scanner was the first to report the story. Lt Paul Kehrli from the Zion police said they don’t think drugs or alcohol had anything to do with the crash. The Lake county state’s attorney’s office said they know about the video but can’t talk about it yet because they’re still investigating.

The TikTok user went by the name “Tea_Tyme_3” but has changed her username since then. She made her account private and removed the part of her profile where she said she was from Zion, Illinois. Someone on Reddit who says they watched the livestream when it happened wrote that the driver wasn’t watching the road. Instead, she was “reading comments and grinning at her phone.”

@live.catch.up

WHOA!!! Teatyme went live Monday while driving and HIT a pedestrian?! There are more rumors but for now we are hoping it’s not true & everyone is going to be okay. GET OFF YOUR PHONES WHILE DRIVING PEOPLE!!!! #teatyme #LiveCatchUp #tiktoklive #crash

♬ original sound – Live Catch Ups

That same Reddit user talked about how upset they were after seeing what happened. They wrote, “It feels like I accidentally witnessed the moment someone’s life was taken and now I can’t stop thinking about the victim, and how avoidable it was.”

They said they keep hearing the sound of the crash in their head. This sad event adds to other recent tragedies in Illinois, including a gubernatorial candidate who lost four family members in a helicopter crash.

Research has shown for years that using your phone while driving makes crashes much more likely to happen. This awful situation is just another example of why that’s true, much like other tragic accidents involving young drivers.

Chris King is Lucas’s son-in-law. He told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner that hearing about the video made his family “hold our loss tighter to our hearts.” He also said, “We … will continue to pray for what the driver must be going through. We are trying to find our ways to live, without someone we cherished so much.”

  •  

A pharmacy employee saw something in a man’s eyes that night, but she didn’t realize what was about to happen

A contractor came into Nisson Pharmacy in Des Plaines, Illinois, on December 11, 1978. He said he wanted to measure the store for a remodeling project. Kim Byers was working her shift that night with her friend Robert Piest, who was also a high school student. The man who walked in was John Wayne Gacy. He would go on to kill 33 young men and boys around Chicago in the 1970s.

Byers’ daughter, Courtney Lund O’Neil, wrote a book called Postmortem about what her mother went through. “She bumped into John Wayne Gacy the night he took Rob,” O’Neil told Fox News Digital. “He wasn’t a nice guy. It almost seemed like he was there with a plan when you reflect on it, and she wasn’t of interest to him. But I do think he was watching Rob, and that’s why he came back later that night.”

The book talks about how Gacy looked that day. He was “a large man, overweight, his slightly receding brown hair laced with silver.” He ignored Byers completely. When she accidentally ran into him while walking through the store, she looked at his eyes. They were a “dark omen indigo.” She had no idea this would be the last night she would see her friend.

He never made it home for the celebration

Byers asked to borrow Piest’s blue jacket that evening because it was cold. She was wearing it when she filled out a form for developing photos. She put the form in the jacket pocket. When Piest’s shift ended, he asked for the jacket back. Gacy came back to the store later because he forgot his appointment book. He stayed longer than needed and watched Piest while pretending to look at items on the shelves.

Gacy told the 15-year-old about a summer job that paid $5 an hour. This was twice as much as the $2.50 minimum wage back then. Piest wanted to go home quickly because his mother was having her birthday that day. But the job offer sounded good to him. He told his mother he would be back soon to celebrate with her. He left the pharmacy with Gacy and was never seen again.

The business card of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Between 1972 and 1976, Gacy assaulted and murdered at least 33 young men and boys in Cook County, Illinois. pic.twitter.com/4JhNdmMxSr

— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) June 25, 2023

“Rob was taken on his mother’s birthday,” O’Neil said. “I always thought how horrifying that was for her, being a mother, and for the whole family. Rob loved his family and was excited to celebrate with his mom that night. And this one man destroyed everything. My mom saw her friend Rob leave with Gacy that night, and it changed her life.”

Police searched Gacy’s house and found strange things. They also found the photo receipt from Nisson Pharmacy. Officers called Byers and asked her to give a statement about what she saw. That receipt became very important evidence.

Gacy told police he never talked to anyone named Piest at the pharmacy. But police knew he was not telling the truth because they had the receipt.

Police watched Gacy more closely after that. His story kept changing, and they found more proof he was lying. They did a complete search of his house and found human remains under the home in a crawl space.

Most of the bodies were either there or buried somewhere else on his property. They also found Piest’s blue jacket. His body was pulled out of the Des Plaines River later and identified using dental records.

Gacy was found guilty of all the murders in 1980. He was put to death by lethal injection in 1995 when he was 52 years old.

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