LifeDaily

Thanks to television programs like Planet Earth and Wild Kingdom, many of us have been lucky enough to bear witness to some of the most miraculous and previously unseen events that our natural world has to offer. Before these programs, only a select few would be able to glimpse such wonders.

One of these amazing moments, the birth of tiny sea turtles as they emerge from the sand and make their dangerous way towards the ocean, has been immortalized in film many times before. But it’s rare that native New Yorkers get to experience this remarkable sight, especially in the colder autumn months.

Beach Goers

Located in Queens, New York, Rockaway Beach is one of the most popular swimming spots in and around New York City. It’s certainly one of the easiest places for city dwellers to get to during the humid summer months. It was a hot July day when some New York natives noticed a scaly-shelled tourist crawl her way up the beach.

Odd Occurrence

Unbeknownst to the Rockaway beach goers, they were witnessing a very rare occurrence indeed. The mysterious turtle was a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, a rare species of sea turtle that doesn’t often make stops in southern New York, let alone stops at a fairly crowded beach. Still, she had obviously come ashore for a purpose, and a rather pressing one at that.

Dig In The Dunes

The female Kemp’s Ridley turtle made her way up into the dunes, heedless of the onlookers in the gathered crowd. Once she’d found a secluded spot, she began to dig. When she was finished with the rather laborious task, she turned and laid a clutch of eggs in the hold before finally using her back flippers to cover the clutch with sand.

Usual Habitat

Kemp’s Ridley turtles are some of the rarest turtles in the world. They generally prefer warmer waters and the majority of them make their homes in the Gulf of Mexico. The females prefer to nest on one particular beach in Rancho Nuevo, but will travel to the Carolinas if they make their way up the Atlantic Coast. This female was a little different.

Smallest Turtlets

In addition to being exceedingly rare, these are the smallest sea turtles in the world. Like most members of their family, the Kemp’s Ridleys feed on a mixture of mollusks, crustaceans, jellyfish, fish, algae, seaweed, and if they’re brave enough, sea urchins. Baby Kemp Ridleys actually feed primarily on crabs.

Queens

Queens was an odd departure for this particular Kemp’s Ridley. The colder weather in the North Atlantic makes it hard for eggs to stay properly incubated for the right amount of time. It was a gamble for the mama turtle, but with the added aid of some rather helpful humans, it looked like the gamble might pay off. Though, it wasn’t exactly a sure bet.

Wide Range

The Queens turtle mommy wasn’t the first Kemp’s Ridley to visit New York over the years. In fact, Maxine Montello, who runs the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research rescue program, spoke about how this particular species of turtle tends towards a wider range in general than other, more regimented sea turtles.

Stranded

“These guys tend to strand,” Maxine explained. “We see them during the winter months because of cold stunning.” Cold Stunning refers to a hypothermic state that develops in the turtles that prevents them from swimming or even moving too much. The cold-blooded turtles swim too far north and then get lost and stuck where they find themselves.

A Swim with Purpose

This particular turtle did stand out in one way, however. She was the first adult of her kind to actually deposit her eggs in New York. When she was done with her business, the onlookers contact the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research to ensure that they knew of the potentially delicate eggs now hiding in the Rockaway dunes.

Protect the Eggs

The next day, Maxine Montello and a team of rescuers came out to take measures to protect the nest itself. They built a fence around the site to keep predators and curious onlookers from approaching and made sure the eggs remained safe. Unfortunately for the tiny turtles tucked inside the eggs, they couldn’t plan for every eventuality.

Fenced Off

Rangers came by to check on the enclosure daily and since they made it look like a piping plover exclosure, no pedestrians or beachgoers bothered it. August gave way to September and with the change of seasons came flooding problems. On September 10th, the rising tide became too much of a problem to ignore.

Scavengers

Despite all their protective measures, the rangers could not stop the dunes from flooding during the abnormally high tides from a recent storm surge. The wildlife experts knew what would happen if they let nature take its course; the eggs could drown, or erosion of the surrounding sand could expose them to scavengers.

Noninterference

Fish and wildlife services across the country will tell you that you should never try to interfere in nature. It is a matter of balance. Nature knows what it’s doing, even without human interference. Still, the state of the eroded dunes was almost certainly due to impact by the human population, so there was a chance that helping out the baby turtles might be the best course of action.

Strange Request

In a last-ditch effort, rangers from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research rescue program contacted the Fish and Wildlife Service. They didn’t know if any of the eggs were even still viable, but they still asked for permission to dig up the nest and incubate any surviving eggs. Miraculously, the Fish and Wildlife Service granted them permission.

Store and Save

Of the 116 eggs they eventually dug up, an impressive 110 were still alive. The rangers carefully transported the eggs to a nearby facility and placed them in a few different incubation boxes. Still, this was such an unorthodox method of hatching, they weren’t sure if the turtles would actually hatch this way.

No Sure Thing

Normal turtle incubation occurs in about 60 days. It had already been two months since the eggs were laid. Perhaps the trauma of the flooding and move had injured the baby turtles within. One day though, a passing ranger noticed tiny cracks in the eggshells. The turtles were hatching, but even that came with problems of its own.

High Energy

Baby turtles are born with an extreme excess of energy, which is known as a “frenzy.” This period of hyperactivity allows them to race across the sand as fast as possible towards the open sea. It protects them from predators and allows them to swim through waves and currents they wouldn’t be able to if they were sluggish.

Quick as Can Be

Therefore, it was extremely important to release the incubating turtles as quickly as possible so that they could take advantage of this high-energy state. Rangers hurried the turtles out to the same beach as the nest and watched as one by one, the energetic little Kemp’s Ridleys swam out to the ocean to find their own lives.

Sandy Scramble

In the end, 96 of the 116 original eggs hatched. All 96 adorable little turtles scrambled across the cool Autumn sand and into the ocean. “It was one of the proudest and exciting moments of my career,” explains Patti Rafferty, the chief of resource stewardship for Gateway National Recreation Area.

New York Born

They were too small to tag of course, so there was no way of differentiating them from any other turtle hatchlings in the open ocean. Nevertheless, rangers at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and native Rockawayans would always know unequivocally that these Kemp’s Ridleys were New York turtles.

New Yorkers Rally to Help Rare Sea Turtle’s Eggs Hatch At Rockaway Beach is an article from: LifeDaily

Everybody’s family is different. Some families stay in close proximity with each other or, if they’re separated by great distances, they do their best to stay in frequent contact or at the very least check up on each other every once in a while.

Then you have families on the other end of the spectrum who can go months or years without talking to each other. It doesn’t mean they necessarily love each other less, they just have a different dynamic. But in long periods of time between contact, a lot can happen…

Difficult Childhood

Martin was the second of four kids born to an Australian family. He and his siblings, all girls, had a rough time growing up because their home life wasn’t the most stable thing. They spent much of their childhood separated from each other, being cared for by relatives or in the foster system.

Happy Kid

But with the time they did have together, they created a lot of good memories. According to his older sister Natasha, Martin loved Bruce Springsteen and was “full of life and a normal happy kid.”

Normal Stuff

“When the four of us got together on the odd weekends, it was great – just normal sibling stuff,” Natasha said. “We’d play, we’d argue and fight, just normal family stuff.” As they got older, the arguing and fighting tapered off as it often does between siblings. What was left was mostly just love.

A Real Sweetheart

“Martin was a sweetheart,” Natasha said. “He doted on my son Dylan and he couldn’t wait to see his new nephew [Blake] when he was born.” Of course, that was all when they were together. In 2004, Martin moved to Terowie, away from his other siblings.

No News Is Good News

He didn’t have much contact with his family after that point but because of his transient and carefree way of being, Natasha and the rest of Martin’s family adopted a “no news is good news” approach. But a few years after he’d moved away, a major event would occur that would test that approach.

Alarm Bells

The kids’ mother Lorraine died, prompting Martin’s family to try and get in touch with him. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a hold of him or even find out exactly where he was living at the time. “Maybe alarm bells should have gone off then,” Natasha said.

Dealing With Grief

“But we were already dealing with the grief of mum’s death and organizing the funeral and then we went back to babies and children,” Natasha continued. His family just assumed Martin hadn’t wanted to speak with them, for whatever reason. He was an adult, after all, so it was his prerogative.

Finally Found

But in 2013, Natasha and her siblings would be shocked when they found out exactly where Martin was. During a routine firearms check at the home of a man named Christopher Scott, Martin’s cousin, police stumbled across a gruesome discovery.

In Plain Sight

Inside a bag sitting in a plastic tub in Chris’s fireplace were a small collection of human bones. Amazingly, the partial skeletal remains were sitting in plain sight for anyone to see. After forensic investigators analyzed the remains, they found that they belonged to Martin.

Long Dead

The authorities believed that Martin had likely been murdered sometime in early 2005 when he was 23 years old. Chris, who would have been 16 at the time of Martin’s death, was initially charged with failing to report a death. For reasons that Natasha couldn’t fathom, he remained incredibly tight-lipped and uncooperative with police and the charges were eventually dropped.

Conflicting Emotions

“I couldn’t imagine a 16-year-old kid finding his own cousin and not asking for some advice,” Natasha said. “I’m often torn between do I feel bad for Chris or do I hate him?” As police further investigated Martin’s death, they uncovered evidence that suggested that Chris, along with multiple other people had been involved in his death.

Getting Paid

One of the strongest clues was the fact that, in the eight years he had been missing, a group of people had been collecting his twice-a-month disability payments. They’d pocketed a total of $130,000 AUD (approximately $93,500 USD) over eight years.

Open Secret

They had suspects and motive, and police described the circumstances around his death as “a poorly guarded secret.” But investigators were confronted by a wall of silence by anyone who knew anything about Martin’s murder so it would take several more years of painstaking police work to gather enough evidence to make an arrest.

Assembling The Pieces

By painstakingly going through years of ATM surveillance footage, police believed that they were able to identify several people who’d used Martin’s bank card to withdraw the pension. In September of 2018, they were finally ready to put all the pieces together in a court of law and arrested Martin’s cousin Christopher Scott.

Moved Around

“We believe that after Martin’s murder he was buried and was shifted at least once, possibly two times so it is possible that Martin’s remains are at either one of those burial sites,” major crime superintendent Des Bray told reporters.

We Want Information

“There is a reward of $200,000 (AUD) offered in connection with this case, not just for information leading to a conviction, but for information which allows us to find the rest of his remains,” he continued.

Tell The Truth

Investigators didn’t move on the other suspects yet, instead choosing to issue a final warning to those involved in the pension fraud. They should come forward and tell the truth about what they know in relation to Martin’s death or face a potential life sentence for murder.

Loved And Missed

At a press release about the arrest, Superintendent Des Bray read out a statement from the victim’s father. “Martin was a dearly loved and missed son and brother,” he said, “and although I am relieved that a person has been arrested for his murder, I will not find more relief until the person is behind bars for the rest of his life.”

Can’t Bring Him Back

In speaking to 9NEWS, Natasha said that she was “relieved but shocked” about her cousin’s arrest for her brother’s murder. “Even if someone, Chris or whoever is brought to justice, it’s not going to bring Martin back,” she said.

Proper Burial

Still, Natasha wanted the search for her brother’s remains and any other people involved in his death to continue. “I want it resolved, I want all of Martin brought back to us and I want to either keep him at home with me or I want to be able to bury him properly,” she said.

Family Searches For Justice After Authorities Accidentally Discover Long Lost Brother’s Fate is an article from: LifeDaily

There are people who do something stupid and get caught, and then there are egregious criminals. Inside the same prison walls, you’ll have some rough characters who are serving time for robbery or assault that you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley. But those men will sometimes be in a cell right next to real killers – hardened people who display all of the worst characteristics of humanity.

If the prison is well run and the guards do their jobs well, the problems that these sorts of people can cause are usually kept to a minimum. But if given even a minute opportunity, some criminals will jump at the chance to cause mayhem…

On The Big Screen

If you were to believe what you see on television and in the movies, breaking out of prison is something that can be accomplished by just about any competent person with a plan and some patience. Of course, what you see on the screen almost never accurately reflects what happens in real life.

A Rarity

The truth is, prison breaks are really quite rare. It makes sense if you think about it for a minute. Various forms of jails and prisons have existed since at least biblical times and the technologies and techniques used to keep people locked up have been steadily improving throughout that long history.

Idle Hands

But people are nothing if not resourceful and when you’re in prison, you’ve got nothing on your hands but time. Because of that, every now and then a prisoner will discover some vulnerability in a facility’s security and, although it’s rare, escapes do still happen from time to time.

Commotion

On the evening of September 9, the staff of the Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio would learn that there facility had an exploitable vulnerability. At around 7:40 p.m., prison guards noticed that three inmates were on top of the roof of a building near the entrance to the prison.

Silver Lining

facebook.com / Allen Correctional Institution

In a way, the escape was a good thing for the Allen Correctional Institution. It had pointed out holes in their security that could be exploited by prisoners but hadn’t resulted in any inmates going missing except for for a few hours.

DIY Project

The inmates had gotten onto the roof with some sort of makeshift ladder. Investigators would later discover that the inmates had made the thirteen-foot ladder over the course of several months, out of old cabinets they’d found in a crawl space next to the recreation yard.

Insufficient Security

Because the crawl space was essentially just a place to house old junk, it didn’t have any special security beyond a simple padlock, despite their being easy access to it from the recreation yard. The inmates had somehow been able to break the lock and put that old junk to good use.

Up And Over

Now on top of the building, the three inmates each took a running start and leapt over the prison wall. It was a fifteen foot fall down to the ground and then the men ran off into the soybean field just a short distance outside of the facility.

Springing to Action

The prison guards had already gone into high gear, working to establish a perimeter beyond the prison walls to ensure that the inmates wouldn’t get very far. At the same time, they were taking a head count of the remaining prisoners to determine which inmates were missing. It turned out that one of the missing men was especially dangerous.

School Shooter

One of the three inmate was Thomas “T. J.” Lane who had come to the attention of public when, as a teenager, he went on a shooting spree at Chardon High School, killing three students and wounding three others in 2012. He had further enraged the public with his disgusting tomfoolery during his trial.

Reprehensible

The most offensive of his antics occurred on the day of his sentencing, when he removed his blue button down shirt to reveal a plain white T-shirt on which he’d written “killer.” He also flipped off people in the courtroom, including family members of the victims.

Nothing to Lose

Lane was in the midst of serving three life sentences without the possibility of parole, which would explain why he’d be willing to risk a prison escape. And because he was such a remorseless killer, the prison staff had extra motivation to round him and his accomplices up.

Contingency Plan

Although they had been caught off guard by the inmates’ method of escape, they had trained extensively for the possibility that any prisoner got outside the walls of the facility. In the time between when the commotion began and the three men went over the wall, they were already in motion creating the outer perimeter.

Closing The Net

Thanks to their quick action, the prison guards had completely cut off all avenues of escape for the would-be fugitives. One man, Lindsey Bruce, was captured almost immediately, just a few minutes after he’d gone over the wall.

Hiding Spots

But capturing the other two inmates would take much longer. While they were sure that the inmates hadn’t escaped the perimeter they’d established, between the soybean field and a dense thicket inside that perimeter, there were plenty of places to hide.

Hide And Seek

It would be almost six hours from the time they jumped the wall before Lane was located. He was found hiding out in the wooded area, less than a football field’s length away from the prison walls and was taken back into custody.

Long Search

The third escaped inmate, a convicted robber and burglar named Clifford Opperud, would prove even more elusive. Prison guards and police were still searching for him for hours after they had captured Lane.

Search Dogs

The police were eventually able to track Opperud down through the use of police dogs, which located him by his scent at around 4:22 am. Like the other two men, he had been captured within a stone’s throw of the prison he’d escaped, making the escape rather unsuccessful.

New Measures

After the break, the correctional facility began taking measures to make sure that no other inmates could follow in Lane’s and the others’ footsteps. The first thing they did was to close the maintenance area that contained the crawl space and was adjacent to the recreation yard.

Not Again

Then, the prison invested in stronger and more secure padlocks for the crawl space and all other doors on the site that used them. Lastly, razor wire was added to the top of the building the inmates used to escape, ensuring that if anyone in the future attempted an escape, they would have to come up with a different plan.

Short-Lived Prison Escape Using Makeshift Ladder Exposes Weaknesses In Institution’s Security is an article from: LifeDaily

Having enjoyed success for decades as a well-known Australian Filmmaker, James Ricketson decided to broaden his horizons and make a movie about the ongoing civil war in Cambodia. His intentions were above board and professional, but the Cambodian Prime Minister didn’t see it that way.

When Ricketson was caught by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cronies flying a drone over an opposition party rally, he was arrested and thrown into jail, living in what can only be described as a living hell. But Ricketson never gave up hope, and nor did his loving daughter.

Making Movies

James Ricketson Story — shutterstock.com

James Ricketson, who was born in 1949 in Australia, studied at the Australian Film and Television School after college. He was an avid movie buff as a child and during his teen years and went on to make a number of feature films and documentaries. His first big break came back in 1973 when he traveled to film a spectacle at the north pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.

Risky Business

More than 40 years ago, Ricketson helped to organize and then film stuntman Philippe Petit’s daring high-wire walk between the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He subsequently released a short film of the daredevil walk on DVD. He also released the well-known, Academy Award-winning documentary called ‘Man On Wire’ about Petit’s World Trade Center walk a few months later.

Enjoying Success

Ricketson didn’t stop there, as he went on to direct three feature films between 1978 and 1994, as well as gripping documentaries from 1973 through 2004. One of those documentaries was called ‘Sleeping with Cambodia’ which he filmed in 1997. Cambodia was a country Ricketson had loved, and that’s why he returned for more in 2016 when he was arrested. But back in the day, this expert filmmaker and director even became one of the founding members of the Australian Directors Guild, a position he proudly held onto for many years. What befell this man was tragic in later years.

Trouble Brewing

Ricketson was earmarked for years by Cambodian authorities who considered him a nuisance and even a provocateur. Back in 2014, during yet another visit to the war-torn country, he was fined six-million Cambodian riel (approximately $1800) and given a suspended two-year prison sentence. The reason? Because he threatened to broadcast accusations that a local branch of the Brisbane-based Citipointe Church trafficked children.

Finally Arrested

The Cambodian authorities had wanted to get their hands on this man for decades, and finally, in June 2017 they got their chance. Ricketson attended a rally of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party in Phenom Penh. After filming the rally with a drone, he was promptly arrested and carted off to a kangaroo court to be charged. Once there, he was charged with espionage and held in the Prey Sar prison for nearly a year.

Devastating Verdict

Ricketson’s time at Prey Sar was reportedly a living nightmare as he faced regular abuse and beatings from inmates and prison guards alike. He was relieved when his trial came around in August 2018 but shocked when he received the devastating verdict; six years of hard time in a Cambodian prison. He was desperate, and so was his family who rallied support for this innocent man who was falsely imprisoned.

Ludicrous Charade

Soon after his sentencing many people and groups spoke up in defense of Ricketson. While a handful of politicians in Australia applied diplomatic pressure directly on Cambodian officials, Human Rights Watch dubbed the whole episode a “Ludicrous Charade,” and called for the filmmaker’s immediate release. But the true hero in this story is Ricketson’s adopted daughter Roxanne Holmes.

Brave Man

While Ricketson surely has the scars from his time in the Cambodian prison system, his adopted daughter also has some scars of her own. Holmes went through a childhood of intense sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of wicked parents until she was adopted by Ricketson and his wife. He bravely took this poor child under his wing and nurtured her back to a normal life.

Loving Campaign

Holmes’ campaigning efforts to see her father freed from subhuman conditions came from a place of pure love. She tenaciously campaigned with all her might to free her father, who was suffering from health issues and with no access to medical care. But the conditions in prison were almost unbearable and could have cost Ricketson his life. He reported that it was so cramped in vermin-infested cells that he shared with 140 other inmates, that people needed to take turns laying down.

Worse for Wear

As well as being seriously sleep deprived, Ricketson was reportedly malnourished too. Having lost around 20 percent of his body weight, he also had bumps on his head and showed symptoms of pneumonia. Lice-bitten and miserable, he also had no access to the outside world and no idea that people were campaigning for his immediate release as he suffered in jail.

Repaying Kindness

Holmes told reporters, according to a BBC report, that she wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for the kindness of the Ricketsons. “I honestly wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for James,” she said.”He gave me a voice. When every other adult turned their back on me, James stood by me and made me strong. I used that strength to campaign for his freedom.” She said.

Showing Resilience

Ricketson admits that he wouldn’t have made it through had it not been for the support he received. When he got word in prison that his daughter was campaigning hard for him, he put his head down and read books to keep his sanity. “Books were my savior in prison,” he said. “I’d read 120 of them. Initially, I thought, I’ll just read 500 books. I knew, with Roxanne’s campaign, I could make life a nightmare for both [the] Australian and Cambodian governments.”

Giving Up

Due to the extreme conditions Ricketson was forced into; he admitted that he all but gave up hope at some points. “I can’t deny though,” he said, “there were occasions I thought, I’m just so tired. I’d happily not wake up tomorrow morning – I’m 69, I’ve had a good life. But my refusal to buckle kept me alive.” But the pressure was on at high levels of government, and some started to feel confident about his release.

Royal Pardon

Thanks to 107,688 signatures garnered on a petition website for the release of James Ricketson, as well as some effective diplomatic pressure; he received a royal pardon. Out of the blue, on 21 September 2018, a royal pardon was granted to James Ricketson who was released from custody. Ricketson and his family were reportedly ecstatic at the news, especially as he had resigned himself to six years in jail.

Public Pressure

Soon after his release, he was deported from Cambodia back to his home country of Australia. Ricketson wasted no time at all in thanking his supporters for applying public pressure that secured his release. His son and nephew also released an official statement to the press, as reported by SBS News. They spoke about the strain the family had been under since James was arrested.

Thanking Everyone

James’ son Jess Ricketson and his nephew Bim Ricketson said in their statement: “The strain on our family and friends and supporters has been tremendous, but we thank everyone who has supported James and our family through this ordeal. James is almost 70, and our family has been very concerned about his health – we’re not sure how long he could have continued to endure the conditions of the notorious Prey Sar prison.” They wrote.

Helping People

For his part, James Ricketson wants to get back to what he does best; making movies. And while he takes the time he needs to recuperate from his ordeal, he intends to continue working to help people in need from around the world. To that end, his time in jail not only didn’t discourage him from his political activities, but it also emboldened him to want to reach out and help even more.

Pure Passion

Jess Ricketson also agreed that it would take a miracle to stop his father from returning to do what he loves most. James even raised the possibility that he will return to Cambodia one day to film again, although his family has tried to dissuade him from that. Jess said that the surprise release from jail would enable his father to “return to his passions of filmmaking, journalism and helping those who need it most.”

Family by Family

Ricketson is now planning to use his ordeal to fight the corrupt government in Cambodia and to end poverty in the country. To that end, he is setting up a foundation called Family to Family with the express purpose of bringing the plight of the Cambodian people to the forefront of the international arena. He spoke about how determined he is for his short-lived fame to benefit other people and not to be wasted.

Just 15 Minutes

“I’m determined to use my 15 minutes of fame to help impoverished families in Cambodia by releasing them from their economic jail,” he said, explaining that Family by Family will be in full swing soon. His daughter added: “That’s typical of James. He’s the most humanitarian man you could ever meet.”

Jailed Filmmaker in Cambodia Receives Royal Pardon Thanks to Adopted Daughter’s Courage is an article from: LifeDaily

Words can be used as weapons, however, they normally can’t cause any real, physical harm. Recently, however, a Massachusetts judge decided that words can cause bodily harm, and should be punished accordingly.

In 2014, a Massachusetts teenager was charged with committing a crime after police discovered her role in her boyfriend’s tragic death. Even though she was miles from the crime scene, a judge still ruled she was responsible because of what she said in the minutes before it happened.

A Tragic Discovery

On July 13, 2014, authorities in Fairhaven, Massachusetts discovered the body of an 18-year-old boy who had been reported missing by his mother in a pickup truck parked outside a Kmart. According to the police who discovered him, the teen appeared to have committed suicide.

Suicide by Carbon Monoxide

When the officers found the young man, it appeared he had killed himself by attaching a hose into the car from a portable generator. After turning the generator on, he got inside the vehicle and waited to die. Before long, the cabin filled with carbon monoxide and fatally poisoned him.

Breaking The News

After finding 18-year-old Conrad Roy III, the police contacted his family who had been anxiously waiting for any news about him. The evening before, Conrad’s family had called the police to report him missing after he failed to come home. Normally, that wouldn’t be cause for concern for other teenagers, but Conrad’s mother, Lynn, knew something was wrong.

Cause For Concern

Conrad had a history of depression and had previously tried to commit suicide. So when he never showed up at home, Lynn had a bad feeling that Conrad might be attempting to either harm himself or kill himself again. Unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong.

Making Progress

While Conrad had a history of depression and suicidal tendencies, Lynn was still devastated and shocked when the police called and broke the news. Before finding out what happened, Lynn truly believed Conrad had been making progress. He was getting help and seemed to be getting better.

The Last Day

“I thought he was doing great,” Lynn later said in a testimony. Just the day before, Lynn explained that she, Conrad, and his sisters had spent the day at Horseneck Beach in Westport, Massachusetts. He seemed better than he had in the past.

A Bright Future

Not only did Conrad seem to be getting better, but he had a bright future ahead of him. He always wanted to be a tugboat captain and had been accepted to Fitchburg State University. After graduating from high school, he planned to study business at the school in the fall.

An Open And Shut Case

Despite having so much to look forward to, Conrad tragically still decided to end his life. While it was sad that he felt he needed to end his life to end his suffering, it seemed like an open and shut case from the police’s perspective. However, they soon realized the case wasn’t as simple as they first believed.

The Concerning Messages

While looking through Conrad’s phone, the police discovered thousands of concerning messages. The texts were from a girl named Michelle Carter, who was 17 years old at the time. Based on the messages, it appeared she actually encouraged him to end his life.

The Long-Distance Girlfriend

The police later learned that Carter was Conrad’s girlfriend. The pair first met in Florida in 2012 while they were on vacation with their families. After their meeting, they kept in touch over the years. At the time of Conrad’s death, they were in a long distance relationship and only saw each other a couple of times since their first meeting despite living only 35 miles from each other in Massachusetts.

A Drastic Change

Based on their messages, police learned that Carter had attempted to dissuade Conrad from killing himself from 2012 to 2014. She tried to convince him to get professional help, but he wouldn’t listen. Then in July 2014, Carter’s attitude toward Conrad’s depression changed.

Encouraging His Suicide

Instead of dissuading him, she actually started to encourage Conrad. In the messages, Carter gave Conrad different ideas about how to kill himself and repeatedly told him that he had to go through with his plan. According to Sgt. Michael Bates, who read thousands of texts between the pair, Carter told Conrad to “take 10 benedryls and then wait 10 mins then take all the Tylenol.”

Helping With The Plan

She sent that message just a week before Conrad’s death. When he expressed fear about ending his life, she offered even more methods for him to try. “Hang yourself, jump off a building, stab yourself,” Carter told Conrad in a text message. Then Carter helped Conrad come up with his plan to use a portable generator to poison himself with carbon monoxide. The day of Conrad’s suicide, Carter pressured him and repeatedly asked him if he was finally going to go through with it.

Their Last Conversation

He told her he was finally ready, but when he actually put his plan into effect and was sitting waiting for the cabin to fill with the poisonous fumes, he started to have doubts. At one point, Conrad got out of the car and called Carter to tell her he was too scared to go through with it. Rather than tell him not to go through with it or call for help, Carter ordered Conrad to get back into the car. Then police found another text from Carter to a friend where she admitted to everything.

Admitting Her Guilt

“Sam his death is my fault like [honestly] I could have stopped him I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared and I [expletive] told him to get back in,” Carter wrote in a text to friend Samantha Boardman. “I knew he would do it all over the next day and I couldn’t have him live the way he was living anymore,” Carter told Boardman. “I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t let him. I should have did more and it’s all my fault because I could of stopped him but I [expletive] didn’t.”

A Fake Reaction

Yet in the wake of Conrad’s death, Carter pretended to be blindsided by the incident. “She never admitted to anyone in the Roy family that she had helped Conrad for weeks to devise a suicide plan, or that she was on the phone with Conrad and knew he committed suicide in the Kmart parking lot,” Assistant District Attorney Maryclare Flynn said in a statement after police charged Carter with involuntary manslaughter.

The Motive

The police and the prosecutors argued that Carter intentionally pressured and used her influence over the mentally unwell young man. Her motive was to get attention and sympathy from everyone while pretending to be a grieving girlfriend. “The defendant needed something to get their attention,” Flynn said in her opening statement during the trial. “She used Conrad as a pawn in her sick game of life and death.”

The Conviction

Despite there not being a law in Massachusetts at the time that made it a crime to assist in another person’s suicide, Carter was found guilty by Judge Lawrence Moniz after she waived her right to a trial by jury. “Carter’s actions and also her failure to act where she had a self-created duty to Mr. Roy, since she had put him in that toxic environment, constituted each and all wanton and reckless conduct,” Moniz said during the trial. “She [instructed] Mr. Roy to get back into the truck, well-knowing of all of the feelings that he [had] exchanged with her: his ambiguities, his fears, his concerns.”

The Sentence

“She did nothing. She did not call the police or Mr. Roy’s family. Finally, she did not issue a simple additional instruction: ‘Get out of the truck,’” Moniz said in court. On June 17, 2017, Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months in jail, which will begin after her appeal is resolved.

The Appeal

In 2018, Carter’s lawyers appealed the ruling in an attempt to reverse the decision as the texts were ‘cherry-picked’ to vilify her. “I am confident Michelle will be vindicated because I do not believe a law was broken and her words alone are not sufficient to establish a manslaughter,” Carter’s attorney, Joseph Cataldo, said after her conviction. “A lot of what has been reported thus far is that Michelle Carter always wanted to endorse Conrad Roy’s plan to kill himself. But it will be abundantly clear that for weeks prior to agreeing to his plan, she tried to talk him out of it, and he tried to get her to commit suicide with him,” Cataldo told People.

Teen Convicted For Manslaughter After Encouraging Boyfriend to Take His Own Life is an article from: LifeDaily

The old saying “blood is thicker than water” may be true for some people but it’s sadly not true for everyone. Tragically, there are some people in the world whose problems in life lead them to do unthinkable things, and that includes murder.

Having lived with his wife Jackie at his adoptive sister’s place, Christopher Kirby was indebted to her for her kindness. However, he decided to repay that kindness with violence after he was told he needed to get his life together and move out.

Criminal Past

Christopher Kirby Story — Warren County Sheriff's Office

In April, 2018, Kirby’s wife Jaqueline “Jackie” Kirby, was sentenced to three years probation for handling stolen goods and bringing them into the family home in South Lebanon. She was also charged with fraudulent activity on credit cards and was ordered to enter the Women’s Recovery Center for substance abuse in Xenia due to her addiction to drugs.

Full House

The bulk of the Kirby family lived in the house, although after Kirby’s grandmother passed away in recent years, the house was left overcrowded and in total disarray. There was also substantial tension building up between the family members – mainly surrounding money and the lack of it. But no one thought violence would ensue, even if Kirby was known to have a temper.

Moving Out

As the house officially belonged to Deborah Power, who was adopted as a baby, there came the point when the situation at home became untenable. Power, 63, felt she had no choice but to ask her brother and his wife to move out as they were not bringing home any legal income and were dealing in stolen goods and credit card theft. Kirby snapped when his sister insisted he moved out.

Another Relative

Another relative living at the overcrowded home on South Broadway, Greg Kirby, explained according to a Dayton Daily News report: “Debbie told them they had to leave. The kids could stay.” The couple had been asked nicely to leave the home after the money they had withdrawn from the family bank account caused it to become overdrawn.

Little Nathan

The Kirby’s son Nathan, 10, testified in court about a 911 call he made after hearing a deaf relative also living in the home screaming. That relative was Ronnie Power, who was on the floor bleeding profusely from the head. As the husband of Deborah, Power testified after the attack: “My wife and I had discussed having them move. We didn’t want any more stolen stuff coming up.”

Many Little Things

Power also spoke in court about how the family had fallen apart after the grandmother died. He explained that tensions were raised after tools and money from home went missing. “Many little things,” went missing, he said, “That and money problems. They wanted more money for drugs,” he added.

Drug Problems

Power explained in court that Kirby “would go out, come back and use drugs,” sometimes inside the house and sometimes inside his car. Power also explained that Kirby and his wife had major problems with pain pills and heroin. And that situation was a bad one as little Nathan and his younger sister needed to share a bedroom with their parents while they abused drugs together.

Child Abuse

Whether the drugs were directly responsible or not no one knows for sure. However, Nathan testified in court that his father had a taped belt which he used to beat him and his sister with and made him sign after each punishment. Life for poor Nathan was a nightmare as he did what he could to protect himself and his sister.

Good Times

Ronnie Power broke some of the tension in court when he explained that he had met Deborah Power in high school in Middletown. The couple married after meeting a few years later after Power returned from serving in the U.S. Navy. “We started dancing. We got married in February of 1974,” he reminisced.

Animal Lover

Power also spoke about his dead wife’s love for animals and the fact that she once owned 300 rabbits. But after Kirby beat Power around the head, he turned his attention to his sister Deborah and beat her so badly that she died in the family home from serious wounds.

Death Penalty

Christopher Kirby stood little chance in court when the mitigation phase of trial came before the judges. A three-judge panel quickly found him guilty of murdering his sister and attempting to murder his brother-in-law. He was also found guilty of aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and grand theft.

Brutal Attack

It’s unclear what caused Kirby to snap so badly on that day back in September. But when he did, he took a baseball bat and beat his adopted sister and her husband mercilessly and without remorse. While the murder and attempted murder may not have been premeditated, they were brutal, and Kirby clearly showed intent to kill.

Compelling Testimony

Both the prosecution and the defense rested after hearing the long testimony from Detective Jay Henning who worked the case. It was the third day of the trial by this stage and most of the morning was spent watching video recordings of Kirby’s statement where he admitted to beating both Deborah and Power with a bat.

Nowhere to Go

As Kirby told the detectives working the case: “We didn’t have nowhere to go,” and for that Kirby saw fit to beat his sister to death. He also admitted that he and his wife traded a TV that he took after the assaults so he could buy some heroin. But Kirby had reasons for why he turned violent, and he explained them to investigators.

Paying Back

According to Kirby, he saw red after his plan to reimburse his sister and her husband fell apart. He had some ways to make money, even if they were illegal, but when the family’s social security payments weren’t enough to sustain the household he knew he was in a fix and that’s when he claims he reached for the baseball bat.

Death Penalty

Life had become desperate for Kirby who was charged with murder, attempted murder, and robbery.”Does Ohio have the death penalty? Can I ask for it?” Kirby asked, showing his will to receive the death penalty for what he did to his sister. Kirby added that he was upset that Ronnie Power had reprimanded his daughter and felt he had to take some action against him.

Solely Responsible

Kirby said to the detectives about the situation with Power: “He hurt my little girl. I couldn’t take it anymore.” But at the same time, he also tried to minimize his wife’s involvement in the murder and attempted murder asking the detectives, “Can Jackie go home?”

Finding Deborah

Detective Henning explained to the court that he was at the Kirby home investigating the felonious assault on Power. It was at that stage when police found Deborah’s dead body behind a locked door to one of the rooms in the house. But the course of events surrounding the murder were cloudy and detectives needed to clarify matters.

Three Judges

Due to the specific laws in Ohio, three judges were tasked with hearing and sentencing this tragic case instead of a jury. It is now for the judges to decide between them whether or not Kirby will face the death penalty for the murder of his sister and the attempted murder of his brother-in-law.

All About Drugs

Kirby’s defense team knew that defending this client would be a tough one. As his main defense attorney John Kaspar explained to the judges, “This is really a story about drugs.” But even if it was all about drugs, Kirby cannot use that as a defense as he waits to hear whether he will receive a life sentence or pay for his crimes with his own life.

Man Asks For Capital Punishment After Overcrowded Home, Substance Abuse Push Him Over The Edge is an article from: LifeDaily

There are some crimes out there that are so abhorrent, so dreadful, and that arouse such indignation, that they are difficult to describe. These terrible crimes chill us to our core and make us doubt not just the society we live in, but our very meaning as human beings.

It is when we are faced with such crimes that we look to our governments for guidance. We want those who commit such heinous acts punished, put away forever to keep the rest of us safe. But what happens when life in prison doesn’t feel like enough? What are the limits of justice in those cases?

Dark Verdict

After hours in court and subsequent hours of deliberation, the justice had finally reached a decision. He described the murder as brutal, grotesque, dastardly and diabolical. The man had done the unspeakable, he’d killed two of his own family members in cold blood, for which the punishment was going to be, as the justice put it, “exemplary.”

Prime Witness

Sovaran Singh had been convicted of the double murder of his wife Mamta and his youngest daughter Sapna. His eldest daughter, the only one he had left alive, was the prime witness in the case against him. She had witnessed the whole gory display and though she had survived, her life would never be the same.

One Drunken Night

Singh’s night of horrors started innocently enough. He’d had a drink, then two, then a few more. Before he knew it, he was drunk – far too drunk to function. When he asked his wife for money to buy more liquor, she refused. What followed was a gruesome chain of events that boggles the mind and darkens the soul.

Badly Beaten

12-year-old Sapna came in to ask her father something and a moment later, he had flown into a rage. Singh beat his daughter badly, then dragged her outside into their yard. When he brought her back, she was unconscious. He then proceeded to slam her down onto the brick floor of their patio and kick her. The girl stirred and looked up at the cold, merciless eyes of her father.

Sapna’s End

Sapna began weeping uncontrollably, but the act only served to infuriate him even further. By now, the girl was bleeding from her head, eyes, ears, and nose, but the pitiless Singh wasn’t done. He put his feet upon his daughter’s frail neck and pressed down until she breathed her last. He had killed his own daughter and he was far from done.

Calling his Wife

Certain she was dead, Singh carried Sapna’s body to the courtyard and placed it down on a cot he had placed there. Still drunk, he managed to climb up on their low roof, then called out for his wife Mamta to come check on Sapna on the pretext that she was sick with a fever and needed medicine. The ruse worked. Mamta came running.

Beating Her

Just as Mamta reached the gate to the house, she saw Singh shouting at her. He had blood upon him and was clearly still drunk. Before she could do anything or mount any kind of defense, Singh reached down and grabbed hold of a large rock. He swung at her, knocking into her chest and sending her tumbling to the ground.

Run For Your Life

He then proceeded to beat her with a combination of rock and stick of bamboo. Mamta managed to get to her feet and tried to run, but it was too late. Singh grabbed her leg and dragged her back to him. The beating continued and before long, Mamta had gone the same way as her daughter.

Hiding Evidence

Singh’s eldest daughter, who had witnessed the whole ordeal, ran for help. In the meantime, Singh came to his senses and realizing what he had done, attempted to hide the bodies. He hid them nearby, but not well, and ran away from the home as fast as he could. He was caught soon after, fleeing from the area.

Muddled Motive

When his day in court finally came, the only defense Singh could mount was that the booze made him do it. He added that his wife’s refusal to accede to his demand for more money was what finally broke him. But was this a case of alcohol addiction taken to extremes or something far more sinister?

Reasonable Doubts

Justices Sudhir Agarwal and Om Prakash, who presided over the case, considered the alcohol motive offered by the defense. Yet both agreed that voluntary drunkenness is not an excuse for an offense of this magnitude. As far as they were concerned, Singh remembered enough of that evening’s events to be held responsible.

Abhorrent

Drunk or no, Singh knew exactly what he was doing when he killed his family. Even if some momentary violent passions had ignited within him, he still knew what he was doing. That, plus the magnitude of his crime, was more than enough for them to consider only the harshest of penalties as punishment.

No Remorse

Even in court, Singh had not shown any remorse or repentance for what he’d done. He tried to hide the bodies, he ran from the scene. At no point did Singh take responsibility for the brutal death of his beloved wife and child. That in-and-of-itself was what drove them to seek the death penalty in the first place.

Capital Punishment

The death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment or execution, has been in place since the very beginning of human history. It was used often during the Roman Empire and came back into fashion during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Though hardly the barbaric practice it used to be, it is still a government-sanctioned means of doling out maximum punishment.

All Over the World

Most executions are carried out as a result of capital crimes or offenses, such as murder, treason (a popular one during the Renaissance), espionage, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Even today, there are an astonishing 56 countries that retain capital punishment as a penalty, including the United States.

Controversy

Nevertheless, it is still a subject of controversy. By and Large, those countries who still practice capital punishment do not do so lightly. It is precisely because of this that the justices presiding over Singh’s case were so remiss to even consider it. They had to consider much about the nature of the crime in order to come to a well-informed decision.

Upheld

In the end, it was Singh’s outright depravity that forced them to the decision of the death penalty. When the justices heard that Singh had apparently chosen to mutilate his wife and daughter’s genitals after the murders had been committed, they knew that life imprisonment would neither serve the justice to the deceased nor be an appropriate punishment.

Another Case

Singh was declared guilty and sentenced to death. While many still believe this to be an extreme measure, it is hardly the first time that such a thing has happened in that part of the world. Beed-based tailor Sunil Gaikwad was similarly punished recently for much the same type of crime: murdering his family.

Another Survivor

Like Singh, Gaikwad killed his wife and two sons while also brutally stabbing his daughter as well. The girl survived, thankfully, and lived to testify against her father at the trial. She explained how he had taken her into his lap and tried to smother her with a pillow as he attempted to stab her to death. Gaikwad also no remorse for committing the heinous act.

Such Brutal Crimes

When asked why they chose the death penalty, the justices in both cases cited that these remorseless, senseless crimes affect people in a very jarring way. They shake people, they make people feel unsafe. Executions are final. Once they’re over, the killer will never be able to kill again. Whether or not this represents justice being served … perhaps we’ll never truly know.

Justices Have No Choice But to Sentence Father to Maximum Allowable Punishment After Brutal Crimes is an article from: LifeDaily

It can be said that a person’s true character is revealed during difficult times. How people respond to a crisis is very telling. For the couple in the following story, a medical diagnosis wound up testing their relationship like it had never been tested before.

While they couldn’t have imaged they’d be prepared to overcome something like this, they wound up coming out of the situation even stronger. After six months of barely being able to communicate, finally, their story had a happy ending.

Trip to San Fran

In early 2018, Kerry, 37, and his boyfriend Hayward, 27, went on a trip to San Francisco to visit family. The couple thought they would have a relaxing vacation, and while it was fun, upon returning home, Hayward felt “off.”

Feeling Strange

On their first night home, the pair had been drinking wine, so Kerry figured that Hayward wasn’t feeling well due to excessive drinking or dehydration. But as his condition worsened, he developed a headache and a strange sensitivity to light and migraine medication wouldn’t work.

Meningitis Outbreak

Hayward recalled seeing something about a meningitis outbreak on the news prior to their trip, but he wasn’t familiar with the disease. “We didn’t know anything about it, so we ignored it,” Hayward told BuzzFeed.

The Infection

Bacterial meningococcal meningitis is a widespread infection that results in inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The bacteria is contracted by prolonged contact with a carrier and saliva transfer, through sharing food, water, or kissing. It was shortly after that Hayward learned he had contracted bacterial meningitis during their trip.

Fatal Infection

The infection can be fatal, even if it is detected quickly. While a vaccine does exist, multiple college campuses have reported outbreaks of meningitis B in the last few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meningococcal outbreaks are still very rare in the U.S., with fewer than 300 cases reported per year.

Statistics

CDC says that about 1 in 10 people have these bacteria in the back of their nose and throat with no signs or symptoms of the disease. This is called ‘being a carrier,’ but sometimes the bacteria can invade the body and cause certain illnesses which are known as meningococcal disease.

Spreading

While it’s uncertain how Hayward contracted the disease, it could have been contracted from anyone he lived with and shared close quarters with. It’s more likely, however, that the disease is contracted by being in direct contact with an infected patient’s oral secretions, more commonly, in the case of boyfriend or girlfriend.

Hospital Stay

Hayward wound up being rushed to the hospital, where he spent the next three weeks. As his condition declined rapidly, Hayward lost his vision and he became paralyzed from the hips down. While in the hospital, he worked to fully recover his sight and mobility, with Kerry right by his side.

Difficult Times

“In a relationship, communication is key. We were left without communication for about six months,” Kerry said. Those six months were difficult for the couple, who had already been dating for over three years. Hayward described his health condition as feeling like he was “in jail” in his own head.

Learning to Communicate

“I could see everything that was going on – I could communicate, but the world wouldn’t communicate back with me,” he said. The couple decided they had to quickly learn as much American Sign Language (ASL) as possible so that they could communicate effectively. “He would place the ‘I love you’ sign on my leg or on my back, and that’s when I knew I could go to sleep,” Hayward recalled.

The Good News

Finally, after months of being unable to hear, there was some light at the end of the tunnel when Hayward learned he was approved to receive a Cochlear implant. According to their website, a cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that does the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.

Cochlear Implant

A cochlear implant replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. But, unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. The benefits of a cochlear implant are that adults can hear better than with a hearing aid, focus better when in noisy environments, talk and hear on the phone and enjoy music.

The Surgery

Hayward was excited because the statistics were good so he went for it and received the surgery. Following the surgery, there is a period of recovery time before the device is actually turned on and Kerry felt it was the perfect time to plan a proposal. Before making his plan a reality, Kerry spoke with the audiologist for approval.

Setting Up The Proposal

Once he agreed, Kerry dreamed up his perfect proposal. “We had talked a little bit about getting married – well, signed about it, at least,” Kerry said. “I wanted the first thing that I said to him to be asking for his hand.” After gathering some close friends and family, Kerry was ready to surprise Hayward.

Heartwarming

The beautiful proposal was captured on video and Hayward said he was in shock. “I’m hearing all these click sounds, I’m hearing my brother speak, and I can hear Kerry, and the first thing that comes out of his mouth – it’s this big spiel about what we’ve been through and he’s down on one knee.”

Facebook Video

Kerry shared the video on Facebook and wrote a heartfelt post about the magical day. “It’s been six months since you lost your hearing to meningitis,” he wrote. “These have been some of the most challenging months of our lives, but we made it together. Today your cochlear implant was turned on for the first time.”

Hearing Again

“For the first time in 6 months, you were able to hear me, and I knew exactly what I wanted to ask you. When you said ‘Yes’ today, that made all the challenges worth it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you Hayward Duresseau,” Kerry wrote. He explained how the experience gave him a newfound love of life.

New Appreciation For Life

“I’ll stop and smell the roses, so to speak,” he said. While going through an experience like this can be taxing on a couple, Kerry and Hayward didn’t crumble under the pressure. In fact, they believe the experience made their relationship even stronger than before. “Before, I knew he loved me, but how? It’s surreal,” Hayward said.

Learning ASL

Following the procedure and proposal, the couple has been committed to learning American Sign Language, even though Hayward already has the cochlear implant. They want to make sure that they have to go without communication again.

Future Plans

“The deaf community rallied behind us and helped us a lot to get through that six-month period,” Kerry said. While a wedding is not set in stone yet, the couple hopes to plan their big day around Mardi Gras in 2019. That date is special to them since their first date was around that time.

Couple Celebrates Overcoming Heartbreaking Condition With One Of A Kind Proposal is an article from: LifeDaily

Sometimes, the stars just align and in the case of the following story, they did. What looked like a random and senseless killing to investigations turned out to be a cold and calculated murder that was planned months before it happened.

But after a year-long investigation that centered on the use of technology as an investigative tool, justice was finally served. Here’s what happened and why the victim was a target in the first place.

Carlos Cruz-Echevarria

When Carlos Cruz-Echevarria saw a stranded driver near his home in Daytona Beach, he immediately went over to help. Cruz-Echevarria, 60, was a hard-working, self-made man who was loved by everyone that knew him. His genuine heart led him to help the driver in need, but he had no idea it would be the last good deed he ever did.

Helping A Stranger

After bending down to assist the man, Cruz-Echevarria was shot multiple times in the head and his car was torched and found miles away. Police assumed it was a senseless and random killing, but after an investigation that lasted one year, they discovered it was not that at all. Apparently, the killing was set in motion more than six months earlier.

Waving a Gun

According to The Washington Post, in May 2017, Cruz-Echevarria honked his horn at the car in front of him, at it stood stationary at a green light. The other driver, Kelsey McFoley, 28, pulled up beside Cruz-Echevarria at the intersection and waved a gun at him. Cruz-Echevarria managed to write down the car’s license plate number and he was able to pick McFoley out of a lineup later on.

Criminal Records

Sheriff Michael Chitwood from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department said that McFoley was a “thug of thugs” with a lengthy criminal record that showed his capacity for violence. After his road-rage incident, McFoley was charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. It was all thanks to Cruz-Echevarria.

Desperation

McFoley was then scheduled to go to trial in December 2017, but to avoid going back to prison, he hired a team of people to take Cruz-Echevarria out. He enlisted the help of other felons on the outside and communicated with them through phone calls that he made in prison. That’s where a man named Benjamin Bascom came in.

Criminal Associates

Captain Brian Henderson said that Bascom, 24, had a reputation as a killer. Investigators have also tied him to open murder cases in Orange County, Florida, where Bascom and McFoley were known as “criminal associates.” McFoley reportedly reached out to Bascom over the phone and offered him money to take out Cruz-Echevarria to prevent him from testifying.

Planning The Murder

Over the next few weeks, McFoley and Bascom worked together in coming up with a plan and they enlisted a woman, 21-year-old Melissa Rios-Roque to help. Investigators believe that she is pregnant with McFoley’s child, so it makes sense why he felt she was a reliable source. The trio plotted to kill the army veteran and Rios-Roque’s job was to help stalk him.

Conspiring to Kill

She would also be responsible for helping Bascom escape once Cruz-Echevarria was dead. McFoley got Cruz-Echevarria’s home address from court documents obtained during his road-rage case. Then, the suspects bought a stolen car and began stalking Cruz-Echevarria by driving past him home and staking out the area in Daytona Beach.

That Night

According to Henderson, on the night of the murder, Bascom drove the stolen car to Cruz-Echevarria’s house, only to learn that he wasn’t home. Bascom decided to wait for Cruz-Echevarria to get home and as he tried to turn around, his truck became stuck in a muddy ditch.

Cruel Murder

Then, a passing driver saw Bascom was in need of help and as the man got out of his car, Bascom recognized him as Cruz-Echevarria. As he bent down to inspect the truck, Bascom shot him multiple times in the head. “The stars aligned, unfortunately,” Sheriff Chitwood said in a news conference. “He didn’t even see it coming.”

One Year Later

But why did it take authorities so long to put the pieces together? The answer to this is unknown but as they dug further into the investigation, that’s when they discovered the phone records that McFoley made while in prison. At first, McFoley’s plan worked. The charges against him were dropped and for months, it seemed like there would be no justice in Cruz-Echevarria’s murder.

$10,000 Cash Reward

Investigators even offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s capture and then DNA evidence tied the stolen car and Cruz-Echevarria’s car to Boscom. However, Henderson said that the real “smoking gun” in the case came from the phone records.

Phone Record Data

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office wrote on their Facebook page, “The leads pursued by detectives were numerous, but some of the most crucial evidence turned out to be phone record data from the area of the shooting and the area where the truck was found in Apopka. Bascom’s phone records provided detectives with a good investigative lead which made it clear that he was the one who pulled the trigger.”

Analyzing The Phone Records

Then, “analysis of the records revealed evidence that on the day of the homicide, both Bascom and McFoley were talking on the phone with each other. Specifically, McFoley was giving Bascom instructions on how to carry out the murder. Detectives then obtained phone records for McFoley which implicated his girlfriend, Rios-Roque, when the two of them spoke about the execution and planning to pick up Bascom after the shooting.”

Finding The Co-Conspirators

After learning who Cruz-Echevarria’s killers were, all three of the alleged co-conspirators were arrested in different parts of the state. At first, Bascom tried to flee and he bought a one-way ticket to Texas and was going through airport security at Orlando International Airport when he was arrested.

The Arrests

Then, U.S. Marshals got McFoley in Orlando, when he was released from jail after Cruz-Echevarria was murdered and he wasn’t able to testify. As far as for Roque, she was caught by detectives on a Florida interstate. But their punishment may not end with just locking them up in prison.

Considering The Death Penalty

According to Assistant State Attorney Ryan Will, prosecutors are considering seeking the death penalty for the three people charged in Cruz-Echevarria’s death. In the next 30 days, prosecutors will talk with the victim’s family and see what their wishes are moving forward. Then, prosecutors will determine if the death penalty is the best option.

Capital Punishment

However, for now, capital punishment is a possibility according to Will. Being that Cruz-Echevarria was so beloved by his family, friends, and neighbors, the community has been “brought to its knees” in the wake of the tragedy. Sheriff Chitwood even says he hopes that the defendants get the death penalty as he stresses that Cruz-Echevarria did not deserve to die.

Losing A Good Man

“This tragedy cost our community a good man who was loved by his family and respected by his neighbors. I know that because I have heard about the kind of man he was. I also know what kind of man took him from his family: A pathetic coward who deserves to spend the rest of his life in a cage,” Sheriff Chitwood said.

Someone Will Pay The Price

He continued saying that “this is one of the most heinous, despicable, cowardly acts that I’ve ever witnessed. Somebody’s gonna pay the ultimate price. … A road rage incident where a man does what he’s supposed to do: notify the police, cooperate with the system, and his thanks was to end up with multiple bullets in his head.”

Investigation Uncovers Random Act Of Violence As Six Month Plot Against Crucial Eyewitness is an article from: LifeDaily

Before police officers are sent out to protect and serve their communities, they undergo thorough training so they are prepared to handle any situation.

In September 2018, a former police officer from London found himself at the scene of a traumatic hate-crime and realized an 8-year-old was about to be killed. Despite being retired from the force, the cop relied on his training and, thankfully, that little boy managed to walk away from the attack with barely a scratch.

A Religious Event

On the night of Tuesday, September 18, 2018, the Al-Majlis Al-Hussaini Islamic center in Cricklewood in northwest London was hosting a religious event. That evening, hundreds of Muslims from the surrounding area turned up for the event, which didn’t finish until after midnight.

A Suspicious Car

Just before the religious event finished, however, volunteers and members of the Muslim community center’s security team were notified about a car parked in the parking lot. According to officials from the Metropolitan Police Service, the security team learned occupants of the car were “behaving anti-socially, drinking and allegedly using drugs.”

Locating The Car

The security team heard that the group were in a red Nissan Juke in the private parking lot around the corner from the mosque. They immediately went out to see what was going on and found the car containing three men and a woman. According to sources, all four occupants appeared to be in their 20s.

Private Property

Not only were they trespassing on private property, but the group appeared to be drinking and using drugs. At around 12:30 a.m. that Wednesday morning, the security team then proceeded to ask the occupants to leave. While asking the group to leave, the team explained they were on private property.

Words Were Exchanged

Unfortunately, the occupants of the car refused to leave peacefully. According to the police, the occupants of the car responded by shouting Islamophobic and racial slurs at the volunteers. “Words were exchanged and comments of an Islamophobic nature were allegedly made by the group in the car,” the police said in a statement.

A Tirade of Abuse

According to Simon Rose, the local police commander, there was an altercation as a result of the slurs. “They were subjected to a tirade of Islamophobic and racist abuse and an altercation then took place,” Rose said at the scene. The altercation involved the occupants of the car and several members of the mosque.

The Confrontation

“The car then drove near the center and the occupants were involved in a confrontation with a large group of people visiting the center,” police said in a statement about the altercation. “The car then reportedly sustained minor damage by some of those outside the center.”

Violent Revenge

By that point, the hundreds of Muslims attending the event at the mosque began filing out and walking along the road to their parked cars. It was then that the driver decided to put his foot down on the gas. While driving about 60 miles an hour, the car jumped up on the curb and drove straight into the crowd.

A Traumatizing Hate Crime

“The people who had been challenged then drove at members of the community in a car,” Rose said about the moment the car plowed into the crowd of 1,000. According to those in the crowd, the occupants continued to yell out anti-Muslim slurs as they raced toward them.

An Eye-Witness Account

“I was a few milliseconds from being mowed down,” a witness, Ali Salman, told The Sun. “We were walking to our car when we heard a loud bang and a car revving its engine like it was trapped or being held back. Security were screaming ‘stop him.’”

A Life-Saving Reaction

“We heard loud sounds, a car skidding around,” Salman, told The Guardian. When he realized what was happening, he pushed his friend out of the car’s path. “If I didn’t react without thinking, we would have been dead,” the 33-year-old added.

‘Hitting People Like Dominoes’

“I managed to jump in between two cars and the parked cars acted as a barrier which saved many lives,” Salman told The Sun about how he managed to escape being run over. “Then the car came racing down the road and hitting people like dominoes, the driver was aiming at people for sure.”

A Chaotic Scene

“The car was bouncing off the other parked cars and there must have been 50 to 100 people chasing it down the street,” Salman said. “There was 1,500 people on the street. It was chaotic,” a security guard from the Islamic Center said. “If the cars weren’t parked on both sides there could have been at least 15 people dead. It was mayhem … but everyone came together and helped people out.”

A Former Cop In The Crowd

Ali Mashkour, who used to work for the Metropolitan Police, was in the crowd during the terrifying attack. “I heard glass breaking and the revving of an engine and the screeching of tires. It was driving quite fast,” Mashkour, a former special constable, told The Guardian.

A Chilling Realization

“It was in the middle of the road, then turned to come on to the pavement … There was a crowd. It turned right, on to the pavement where I was standing,” Mashkour said. “I was standing right here when the vehicle turned towards me,” Mashkour told Sky News about the moment he realized what was happening.

Staying Calm

Thanks to his police training, however, he was able to stay calm. While everyone else was panicking, he let his instincts take over. “Naturally, I don’t know why, I just looked around and there was this young boy, don’t know who he was, there were lots of people walking around,” Mashkour said.

A Hero’s Instinct

“I literally just picked him up from his shoulders and flung him across to the other side and then I moved out of the way,” Mashkour said. “If I did not move him and then myself, the kid would have been hit.” After passing them by, the former cop watched the car jump the curb and hit a man.

A Gruesome Sight

“He was three meters away from me. […] The vehicle hit him, he flew up into the air and then went back down. The top half of his body hit the bonnet and then he was dragged across these gates. Then the driver decide to go back onto the road and onto the pavement again to get more civilians.”

The Victims

“I had the father hugging me and kissing me, thanking me for saving his eldest son’s life. Which is quite emotional but I believe it’s something anyone would do.” According to the police, the car then drove off and was involved in a fail-to-stop accident. In total, three people who were hit by the car were taken to the hospital for treatment once first responders arrived at the scene. Thankfully, no one was killed in the attack.

A Terrorist Attack

“We were extremely fortunate there was no loss of life,” superintendent Rose said in a statement. “It is being dealt with as an Islamophobic hate crime and it is being dealt with as a racist hate crime. It is not at this time being dealt with as a terrorism incident, although that is as always subject to continuous review.” However, witnesses believe the attack was clearly a terrorist attack. Salman told The Sun: “It was a terrorist attack. It was an attack on our community fueled by hatred – he [the driver] knew what he was doing, he hadn’t lost control.”

Former Police Officer Hailed A Hero After Saving Young Boy And Others During Mosque Attack is an article from: LifeDaily

It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction. There are plenty of things that have happened throughout history that, if you saw them in a movie or TV show, you might roll your eyes and say “yeah, right.”

But with some stories, though they may be based on a kernel of truth, there may be some embellishment that takes the story from absolute truth into the realm of the tall tale…

Year of Violence

1974 was a turbulent year on the island of Cyprus. Over a decade of rising tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots came to a head in July of that year, when there was a military coup backed by a Greek invasion force to overthrow the democratically elected president.

Counter-Invasion

That led to Turkey responding with an invasion of Cyprus within a week, leading to a brief war – part civil war between Cypriots, part war between Greece and Turkey. Though it only lasted for a couple of months, hundreds of thousands of Cypriots became refugees thanks to the fighting.

Many Missing

Those refugees could be considered the lucky ones because thousands of Cypriots died and thousands more were simply lost. To this day, the families of many of those missing people are still trying to find out what happened to their loved ones.

Ahmet’s Gone

One of those missing people was a Turkish Cypriot by the name of Ahmet. Like many other families, Ahmet’s was relying on the work of organizations like the Committee of Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus to try and discover his fate and recover his remains.

Learning His Fate

It wouldn’t be until September of 2018, nearly 45 years after the conflict, that his family would have news and when they did, it would cause a minor sensation throughout the country. It was such a bizarre tale that it was published in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, then quickly picked up in international media.

Big Surprise

Apparently in 2011, a researcher spotted a fig tree growing out of a cave in a mountainous area of Cyprus, which was very unusual considering fig trees weren’t usually found in the area.In the course of his research, he was digging around the roots of the tree when he found a horrifying sight.

Human Remains

Underneath the tree with its roots growing through it, the researcher found the remains of a human body. When the authorities were notified and they examined the scene, they found two other bodies inside the cave.

Explosive End

As detectives investigated the deaths of the three men, they found that the man had been marched into the cave and had been killed by someone who threw dynamite in after them. The blast had also made a small hole in the cave that let light in, which explained part of the mystery of the fig tree.

The Disturbances

The other part was that one of the men had apparently eaten a fig shortly before he died. DNA testing on the body matched that of Ahmet Hergune. “We used to live in a village with a population of 4,000, half Greek, half Turkish,” said Munur Herguner, Ahmet’s 87-year-old sister. “In 1974, the disturbances began.”

Growing Inside

“My brother Ahmet joined the Turkish Resistance Organization (TMT). On 10th June, the Greeks took him away. The fig remnants in my brother’s stomach grew into a tree as the sun crept into the cave through the hole made by the explosion,” she said. “They found my brother thanks to that fig tree.”

Poetry In Life

It was an amazing story that added a bit of beauty to Ahmed’s tragic and violent death. Amidst brutality and senselessness of war, a seed was planted and something beautiful grew – something that would tell the story of that pain decades later.

Not Quite Accurate

With such a fantastic tale about how Ahmet’s body was found, it was no wonder the story went viral. It was, after all, like something out of a well-written piece of fiction. But there were some who were doubtful about all of the exact details of the account.

Investigative Journalism

The Cyprus Mail, a national newspaper began investigating the story and said that according to sources within the CMP, the story wasn’t exactly accurate as it was presented in the news. In reality, the case dated back to 2006 when the committee got information that there were the remains of three Turkish Cypriots in a cave close to the sea.

Underwater Entrance

The cave was close to a beach in Limassol and there was indeed a fig tree that had grown out of the cave. The tree had grown so large it had caused the roof of the cave to collapse. The entrance to the cave itself was underwater and blocked off due to the dynamite blast, but the roots of the tree were inside the cave and it had apparently grown there for decades.

Near The Tree

But unlike the original accounting stated, the bodies of the three Turkish Cypriots were found several feet away from the tree roots during the excavations, which indicated that the tree had not grown from a seed inside one of the men’s bodies.

Minester’s Eyes

However, it’s true that it was a very odd place for a fig tree to grow. But it wasn’t some random “researcher” who noticed the out of place tree. The tree was spotted by a man named Xenophon Kallis, a Greek Cypriot and head of the foreign ministry’s humanitarian affairs directorate who was deeply involved in the missing persons issue.

Out of Place

Xenophon also happened to frequent that particular beach regularly for years. “Gradually as the fig tree grew, Kallis noticed the change in the scenery on the beach,” said journalist Sevgul Uludag. “Kallis checked old photos he had of this beach.”

No Others

“He drove for kilometers on this beach but there was no sign of another fig tree. And there was no place for the birds to perch to poo inside the cave. The whole area was rocks,” she said. To satisfy his curiosity, he managed to find a way into the cave, which is when he found the bodies.

Who Knows

“Maybe this … fig tree grew because of the last meal of [Ahmet], maybe the bats had eaten this type of fig and came to the cave or maybe there is another explanation. But whatever the explanation, what was important was that this fig tree led Kallis to find these ‘missing persons.’ The fig tree had shown him the way.”

Impossible

The Cyprus Mail also reported that according to CMP officials, it was not scientifically possible that it happened the way Ahmed’s family claimed. One source believed that his family “wanted to believe that it happened that way,” because “it helped them in finding closure.”

Strangely Placed Fig Tree Leads Authorities to Find Three Men Missing For Decades is an article from: LifeDaily

While police officers across the U.S. are tasked with keeping law and order on the streets of America, there are unfortunate cases where cops shoot to kill when they don’t need to. These actions over the years have spawned organizations like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, who campaign against police brutality.

In a recent shooting in Nashville, officer Andrew Delke from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department was caught on camera chasing a suspect and then shooting him several times in the back. However, this shooting is set to have different and more serious ramifications than most when it comes to the future of law enforcement in the United States.

Traffic Stop

When Officer Delke was unsuccessful in his attempt to pull over a white Chevrolet Impala one morning, he kept his eyes peeled for the remainder of his shift just in case he spotted the vehicle again. When the officer thought he’d spotted the white car in a parking lot later in the day, he pulled in and parked up. But the white car he saw was a different vehicle altogether, even if it looked similar.

Patrolling Streets

Officer Delke grew suspicious of the white car while he was patrolling in North Nashville. But his reason for being suspicious was a strange one after the car simply stopped at a stop sign, in line with the law, and conceded right of way to him. It was at that point that the officer began to follow the vehicle. It seems that Delke was determined to stop the driver of the Chevrolet Impala no matter what.

Mistaken Identity

Even after Delke ran the license plates of the vehicle through his onboard system he “continued to follow to see if he could develop a reason to stop the Impala,” the affidavit said. That was after he had ascertained that the vehicle was not even stolen so why did he follow the car and look for a reason to stop it? There’s a lot to be said for the instinctual feelings that some cops get when on the job, but this was taking things a little too far by some accounts.

Giving Chase

For whatever reasons, which are still not clear, Officer Delke pulled onto the interstate and switched on his blue lights. The driver of the car either didn’t know the cops were following him or he didn’t care but either way, he failed to stop, and Delke lost track of the vehicle on the Interstate. The trouble started when the officer pulled into the apartment parking lot, mistaking the original Impala for another sedan that was also white.

Running Away

No sooner had Delke pulled up alongside the white sedan, that the owner of that car, Daniel Hambrick, took off in a hurry and ran away from the scene. At that point, Officer Delke gave chase even though he wasn’t even sure of the identity of the man. He also didn’t know whether Hambrick was associated with either the Impala or the sedan, but he gave chase anyway.

Fatal Incident

What should have been nothing more than a routine police stop soon turned into a fatal shooting that would change the lives of many people. When Hambrick failed to heed the orders of Delke to stop and drop the gun he was holding; the man ran as fast as he could to get away from the officer. Delke shot Hambrick four times from behind, hitting him with three bullets. At least one of those bullets struck Hambrick in the back of the head, killing him almost instantly.

Posing a Threat

Having turned himself in, Delke was released from police custody after posting $25,000 bail. His attorney, David L. Raybin, spoke to reporters via telephone according to a report in the New York Times. Raybin explained that backup officers were summoned to the scene on that fateful day and that even though the suspect was running away from Delke, he was running toward other officers and was armed.

Protecting Himself

According to Raybin: “Tennessee law permits a police officer to use deadly force when there is a danger to others,” he said. “Officer Delke was protecting himself, his backup officers and the public.” He also noted that he couldn’t recall a single time when a Nashville police officer had been charged with a crime for something like this that happened in the line of duty. However, on this occasion, officer Delke was to be tried criminally for shooting Hambrick.

Unusual Decision

It was more down to a procedural anomaly than anything else as Glenn R. Funk, the District Attorney explained. “The decision to institute charges by warrant as opposed to presenting the matter directly to a grand jury allows this case to be presented in open court in as transparent a manner as possible,” he said. “As this is a pending criminal case, I will have no further extrajudicial comments.”

Fair Enough

The fatal shooting sparked protest from some human right’s advocate groups including the controversial ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. Even the mayor of the city, David Briley, spoke out about the incident calling it a “tragedy,” and noting that the “decision to file charges, in this case, is a necessary step.” He said, “Put simply, we must have laws that are fairly, equally and transparently applied.”

Justice for Daniel

“In August, I spoke with Daniel Hambrick’s mother to express my condolences for her loss. I assured her that we would show respect for the life of her son, because his life mattered,” Mayor Briley said. “At that time, Ms. Hambrick asked for justice for Daniel. The District Attorney’s decision to file charges, in this case, is a necessary step toward that end.” But he also spoke about how police officers need to be held accountable for their actions, and that includes criminal proceedings.

Supporting Police

To that end, Briley said: “I fully support our police. However, officers will be required to account for their actions when they have been accused of misconduct.” But Officer Delke’s defenders are claiming that while the incident ended in a fatality, Delke was right to defend himself as the suspect was holding a loaded handgun.

Transparency Required

Community Oversight Now, an organization affiliated with other groups like the BLM movement, released a statement about the way the criminal proceedings were handled. “While the news is encouraging in regards to this decision, Community Oversight Now reinstates its insistence there be independent oversight of policing in Nashville,” they said. “There has long been a call for more transparency in the investigations, training, and misconduct of Nashville police officers.”

Lady Justice

The NAACP chapter president in Nashville, Gloria Sweet-Love, also expressed optimism about the process to get justice for Daniel. “Let us say that we are excited that at last Lady Justice is truly blind, and at last a person that has committed a crime that wears blue has been charged.” However, Funk’s decision, in this case, is likely to widen the rift between the city’s top law enforcement agencies.

Great Respect

At the same time, Police Chief Steve Anderson also spoke about the Delke case. “I have long had great respect for, and confidence in, the justice system in Davidson County and the State of Tennessee. That respect and confidence remains,” he said according to a new report in the Tennessean. “It has been my experience that as the justice process proceeds, all of the facts and circumstances concerning an investigation will become known.”

Above the Law

The case has raised interesting but difficult questions about due process in America. It’s little surprise that the ACLU of Tennessee has lauded Funk’s decision to prosecute Delke in this way. “The arrest of Officer Delke for the killing of Daniel Hambrick is a crucial first step in setting the wheels of accountability and justice in motion,” they said in a statement. “Officer Delke must receive due process during the proceedings. However, the arrest in and of itself sends an important – yet all too rare – message to the community that nobody is above the law.”

Date Set

Amid all the controversy surrounding this case, General Sessions Judge Melissa Blackburn said just yesterday that a new court date had now been set to try Officer Delke for homicide. His preliminary hearing is set for November 16, according to court records. It is hoped by prosecutors that that hearing will “give the public a clearer picture of the evidence that led prosecutors to pursue the historic charge.”

Self Defense

While prosecutors didn’t dispute the fact that Hambrick was armed at the time he was shot, they rejected Delke’s self-defense argument. They noted that the officer stopped running during the chase in order to take aim at him and shoot him from behind. To D.A. Funk’s mind, Delke very much broke the law by opening fire on a man from behind and striking him with three bullets.

Deadly Force

While it’s unclear precisely what was going through the mind of Officer Delke at the time of the shooting, the fact that he used deadly force against a man who was running away from him has raised some difficult and uncomfortable questions. According to the warrant, “When Mr. Hambrick continued to run away and did not drop the gun, Officer Delke decided to use deadly force,” the warrant said. “Officer Delke stopped, assumed a firing position, and aimed his service weapon.”

The Future

Sadly, it’s tragic incidents like these which make law enforcement an increasingly tricky minefield to navigate. While on the one hand Delke was justified to open fire on an armed suspect who was disobeying orders, which is illegal, it seems he may have fallen foul of the law by killing a man in cold blood on the streets of Nashville. The matter will become a lot clearer after Officer Delke’s preliminary hearing in a month’s time.

Nashville Police Officer’s Actions Under Scrutiny When Evidence Shows He May Have Broken The Law is an article from: LifeDaily

Even if you aren’t a Star Trek fan, you probably know the first few words of the original opening sequence, “space: the final frontier.” Mankind is in its earliest stages of exploring what lies beyond our own small blue world.

For as long as we’ve looked up at the stars in wonder, we’ve fantasized about what might be out there, waiting to be discovered. As what we are capable of doing constantly expands, we are finding that some of our dreams may be close to reality…

Stars Are Easy

Exomoon Discovery Story — shutterstock.com

As far as astronomical phenomena go, stars are the easiest things to find. They’re so large and bright that you can spot thousands of them with the naked eye just by looking up on a clear night.

Probably Like Home

Anything smaller and dimmer than a star and it becomes a lot more difficult to find. In the past, we could only assume based on our own solar system that some other stars would have planets orbiting them and that some of those planets would resemble those that we’re familiar with.

Planetary Shadows

Because planets don’t give off any light of their own, the best way to detect “exoplanets,” planets that are outside of the solar system. Is through a technique called the “transit method.” As a planet passes in front of a star, it blocks some of the light traveling toward earth, causing a small dip in its brightness.

Complex Analysis

So when scientist spot a regular dip in the light coming from a star, they can determine that it’s caused by some large body orbiting the star. Through more careful — and technically complicated– observations, they can tell a lot about that body, including whether or not it’s a planet, how big the planet is and what it’s composed of, and how long it takes to orbit its star.

Finally Found

The first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet came in 1992 when two astronomers named Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail discovered a pair of planets orbiting a pulsar named Lich, finally proving that the handful of planets in our neighborhood weren’t unique in the universe.

Where Are The Moons?

But there was one aspect of our solar system that we hadn’t been able to prove existed until very recently. In all our searching the night sky with the most powerful of telescopes, we had yet to find definitive evidence of a natural satellite — a moon — orbiting an exoplanet.

Even Tougher

The moons orbiting the planets of other stars are so difficult to see for the same reasons as exoplanets, compounded by the fact that they are by definition close to a planetary body. That proximity makes it difficult to tell if any blockage of light is caused by the planet itself.

Go Big

In order to be certain about the existence of an exomoon, it would help if it were very large. In 2018, astronomers believed they finally found exactly what they were looking for: evidence of an absolutely gigantic moon, orbiting an even larger planet.

Gigantic

Around Kepler-1625, one of the stars in the Cygnus constellation, there is a Jupiter-like gas giant named Kepler-1625b in orbit. The gas giant is somewhere between six and eleven times the size of the Earth. NASA’s Kepler and Hubble space telescopes have both spotted evidence of a moon roughly in orbit around that planet that seems to be roughly the size of Venus — about four times the size of the Earth.

Double Planet

Even though the colossal satellite is about 8 times farther away from its planet than our moon is from the Earth, it’s huge size would make it appear about twice as large in the sky. But because it’s so big, some people have said that the newly found astronomical object should be described as a “binary” or “double planet.”

Mass Disparity

Though the planet and its moon aren’t that far apart in size, the moon is only about 1.5 percent as massive as Kepler-1625b. “The mass ratio […] defines the difference between a planet and a moon or a binary planet,” said Alex Teachey, head of the team that made the discovery. “I would call that a moon, but to some extent I think this is […] semantics.”

In The Zone

Whatever you’d like to call it, the exomoon and the planet it orbits are both within the star’s habitable zone, sometimes referred to as the “Goldilocks zone.” That means their orbit is close enough to the star to keep the planet from being frigid, but not so close that it is blazing — just right for liquid water to exist.

Sparking Imagination

Liquid water is a necessity for all life as we know it so its presence on an extraterrestrial body suggests the possibility of life. Even though no evidence has been found that there’s water on the exomoon yet, the idea that there might be has reminded some of the life-bearing alien moons in science fiction.

Cameron’s Moon

The most popular example in recent years has been Pandora, the home of the tall blue aliens from the 2009 film “Avatar.” The fictional moon, which shares a name with one of the real life moons of Saturn, orbited a gas giant and supported a lush, sylvan ecosystem teeming with strange plant and animal life.

Not My Fav

But Pandora isn’t Teachey’s favorite fictional exomoon. “I’m partial to Endor myself,” he said. “I’m more of a ‘Star Wars’ fan.” Endor was another forest moon, inhabited by the Ewoks, a race of adorable and surprisingly fierce teddy-bear people.

Unlikely

But in all actuality, the odds of there being life as we understand it on Kepler-1625b or its giant moon are effectively nil. Based on the observations they’ve made so far Teachey and his co-author David Kipping believe that both the planet and moon are gas giants with a solid core capable of sustaining life.

Not A Concern

“To be honest, we were never really worried much about habitability, just because they’re both gas giants, so it really wasn’t something we spent any effort or time worrying about,” said Kipping during a press teleconference.

Old Star

But there’s another interesting wrinkle to the possibility of the moon’s potential habitability. Kepler-1625 is a sun-like star but is about 10 billion years old, roughly twice the age of our sun, and nearing the end of its life. That means the star has heated up a lot over the recent millennia, which means the moon may have also grown a lot hotter.

Not Quite As It Seems

That increase in the moon’s temperature may have caused its atmosphere to expand, making it appear to be a gas giant like Jupiter from a distance when in reality, it could be a rocky planet like Earth. That leaves the door open to the slimmest of chances that there is, or was in the past, life on the exomoon.

Future’s History

Whatever the case, the exomoon still needs to be confirmed by follow-up observations. If Teachey and Kipping are correct in their findings, it will be a discovery that will cement their names in the history books of astronomy. Perhaps a few thousand years from now, “the first exomoon” will be a roadside attraction of sorts along some interstellar “route 66.”

Astronomers Discover New Distant Moon That May Have The Ability to Support Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Golf isn’t as accessible a sport as something like soccer or basketball. But it’s undeniable that golfers are incredibly passionate about their game. You’ve never seen someone truly happy about good weather on their day off until you’ve known a golfer.

Part of that is because in addition to being a game that demands otherworldly skill from its players, it also offers them a great excuse to be outside among exquisitely maintained natural beauty. But as some people would learn, not every day out on a golf course is a walk in the park…

Beautiful Day

Celia Arozamena Story — shutterstock.com

It was a warm and cloudy Monday in September in Ames, Iowa, the home of Iowa State University – the kind of day that leaves golf enthusiasts itching to hit the links. Of course, most of them would be stuck at their day jobs, hoping the weather would be as nice once the weekend came around.

Privilege of Age

But one of the benefits of being an older person is that you’re through with being tied to a desk. Harley Thornton and three of his friends of similarly advanced years took the opportunity to hit the Coldwater Golf Links for a morning round.

Playing Through

Around 8:45 a.m. a woman who seemed to be in her early 20s caught up behind their foursome. “This very nice young lady came up with her push card and we all agreed that she should go in front of us,” Harley would later tell KCCI news. “We knew she would be a lot faster than a bunch of old men.”

Strange Sight

The young woman played through the group, then moved beyond their sight fairly quickly. About an hour later, when Harley and his friends arrived on the ninth tee, they could immediately tell that something was amiss.

All Her Things

The young woman’s push cart was there and several of her tees were there, strewn across the ground beside her cell phone and the hat that she’d been wearing. “This was very strange and not right,” Harley said. “There is no reason to abandon your clubs in the middle of the fairway.”

Getting Help

Harley immediately called the pro shop to see if they knew anything and when they didn’t he feared the worst and called 911 right away. “Timing is very important on something like this,” he said. “So we were just trying to help.”

Intense Search

The police quickly arrived on the scene and began to canvass the area in search of the missing woman or any clues about what happened to her. When one of the investigators spotted something in the pond that ran alongside the ninth hole, their worst suspicions were confirmed. It was the body of the young woman, who had been stabbed several times in the upper torso, neck, and head.

Shocked

The discovery was stunning for Harley, who held back tears during his interview with KCCI. He was shocked that such a thing could have happened at “9:30, 10 o’clock in the morning and with full view of anyone that wanted to look. That is a very brazen act,” he said. “It could have been my daughter.”

‘What Did He Do’

Police intensified their search of the area, looking for clues. By 1:35 p.m., they came upon a person of interest, later identified as D.B. in the criminal report, as he was leaving the course on a walking trail. When the officers approached him, he asked them a question that took them aback: “What did he do to her?”

Dark Urge

D.B. said that he’d been living in the same nearby encampment as a man who would later become the primary suspect in the woman’s death. As he led the officers to the camp, he related to them something chilling the alleged perpetrator had said just days earlier. They had been walking somewhere when the man talked to D.B. about his “urge to rape and kill a woman.”

Red Handed

As they were investigating the supposed killer’s tent, the man himself approached. His name was Collin Richards and officers noticed that his face was freshly scratched. He also had a “deep laceration” on his left hand which he tried to hide from the officers.

Cooperative Friends

When they questioned Richards, he said he just came from the home of a friend named C. J. When police tracked down C.J., he told police that Richards had shown up “disheveled and covered in blood, sand, and water.” He’d cleaned himself off and put his bloody clothing in a black backpack – the same backpack that Richards had on him when he talked to police. Richards had given a knife to two other friends who’d given him a ride back to his tent, which the friends turned over to police.

Criminal History

The alleged killer was immediately taken into custody. Upon further investigation, police found that Richards had been kicked out of his grandparents house after they were fed up with his use of prescription drugs and methamphetamine and his string of petty crimes, such as a domestic abuse assault and robbing a convenience store of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and beer.

Future Golf Star

The victim in the crime was eventually identified as the 22-year-old Celia Barquin Arozamena, a top amateur golfer and former member of the Iowa State women’s golfing team who had recently graduated from the school. Originally from Spain, Celia was on her way to becoming a golf pro after becoming arguably the best player in Iowa State history.

Proven Talent

Celia had earned all-Big 12 honors three times and won the Big 12 Championship in April, a highlight of her career which led Iowa State to name her the school’s female athlete of the year. She had recently won the European Amateur Championship at Slovakia’s Penati Golf Resort and had also advanced to the second round of the LPGA tour’s qualifying school.

Cut Short

But what could have been a great career in professional golf was shut down before it even started by Celia’s senseless death. Word of her demise spread quickly through Ames and none were struck harder by the news than her former teammates.

Broken Team

When the members of Iowa State’s golf team learned of her death, the school sent an airplane to pick them up from the East & West Match Play Tournament. Her friends had a hard time accepting what had happened. “It must be wrong,” said Christie Martens, Celia’s former coach. “It must be a mistake.”

Dreadful Phone Call

Christie was the one charged with the heart-wrenching task of calling Celia’s parents back in Spain and giving them the terrible news. “Cel was happy every day that she was there,” Celia’s mother said to Christie.”

No Regrets

“If we had this to decide all over again, we would still send her to Iowa State,” she continued. “That really meant a lot,” said Christie. On the trip back to Iowa, she and the rest of the team shared some of the memories they had of the good times with Celia. They watched videos of her playing golf, cooking, and just hanging out with them over the years.

Impactful Loss

Celia’s home town of Puente San Miguel held a moment of silence and lowered its flags to half-mast. Tributes came in from across the golf world from both amateurs and pros who were familiar with the rising star. Celia had been scheduled to come onto the field at halftime of the Iowa State – Akron football game to be honored as the athlete of the year. Instead, the school would show a video tribute to her and observe a moment of silence.

Iowa State Amateur Golf Star’s Body Discovered After Clubs And Tees Found Abandoned On Fairway is an article from: LifeDaily

There is a grief that is all consuming, deep in your very core, when an unexpected tragedy occurs, especially when it happens to someone you love. When unexpected tragedy strikes, it can produce an array of painful emotions. We are deeply saddened, and even angered, by senseless loss. But, what happens if tragedy strikes twice? Is life worth carrying on when grief and the fear of it happening yet again evokes an endless sorrow?

Caitlin had her entire life ahead of her, full of promise and potential, inspired by her father’s premature death to give back to those in need. However, Caitlin’s dreams would abruptly come to a similar end, by an unimaginable and unlikely source.

A Hero Father

Caitlin, at 5 years old, barely started kindergarten when her dad, a Port Authority hero cop, died from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Caitlin’s father James was one of 37 officers from the bi-state agency killed on that tragic day. Like many first responders that day, James was helping to evacuate people.

Life Is A Blessing

James was on the 27th floor of one of the towers when the building collapsed. But, his legacy lived on through his daughter’s dedication to encourage others to help those in need. In the 16 years Caitlin grew up without her father, she learned at a young age that every moment alive is nothing short of a blessing.

A Grieving Widow

Growing up in a quaint town in Connecticut, Caitlin’s happy life had quickly changed into tragedy the day her father died from the attacks. The loss caused irreparable damage for her mother Rosanne who could not come to terms with her husband’s sudden death. However, her mother knew she had to build up the courage and strength to learn to live with his absence no matter how impossible it seemed at the time.

A Life Worth Living

Caitlin’s infectious smile and bright personality worked as a natural healing force in her mother’s life. Experiencing each moment in life with Caitlin had shown her mother that life was worth living again. But, sadly, it would be in her mother’s destiny for tragedy to strike again…

Following Her Dad’s Footsteps

Caitlin, a junior at Sacred Heart University had been studying social work as a sorority member of Kappa Delta. Although she had been only a small child when she lost her beloved father, Caitlin was inspired to continue in his footsteps by showing and endless show of love and compassion. She felt that it was her calling to spend it volunteering and aiding those who were also coping with trauma and loss in their lives.

Love Of Volunteering

The compassionate 20 year old was a certified youth mental health counselor and volunteered at the Resiliency Center of Newtown, Conn. This nonprofit organization was developed to help those affected by the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Witnessing the detrimental effects of loss herself, Caitlin put her heart and soul into working with kids impacted by the shooting.

A Shining Star

“She was a shining star,” says Caitlin’s best friend, Cinque. “It was a different tragedy, but Caitlin was able to relate and help others heal. “There wasn’t anyone more selfless than her. She always had a smile, always there for the kids no matter what you asked of her she would do it and she did it with such grace and such love.”

Sorority Life

Active in sorority life, Caitlin Nelson enjoyed participating in the endless fun activities centered around Greek life. On a weekly basis, the sorority sisters planned and organized various events on and off campus. The Pancake Eating Contest is a far cry from the current hysteria around college hazing parties and seemed like innocent fun, however, it would prove to be just as dangerous.

Greek Week Celebration

All the members of the Kappa Delta sorority had been waiting months for the upcoming Sacred Heart University’s Greek Week celebration. On March 30th, an on-campus, school sanctioned pancake eating contest for charity was taking place. Members were expected to stuff their faces with as many pancakes as they could in a short period of time.

Pancake Eating Contest

When the time had come for the contest to begin, the scene was hilarious as the crowd cheered on. And as the contestants forcefully and rapidly shoved the pancakes down their throats, something went terribly wrong. After consuming four to five pancakes, Caitlin started to shake uncontrollably and then she fell onto the ground.

The Struggle

Two nursing students who were in attendance, saw from a few feet away that Caitlin was clearly struggling to breathe with the pancakes that had piled up in her throat. Both nurses ran over to Caitlin and attempted lifesaving measures. Caitlin’s body lay on the ground trembling, as the nurses attempted to help her from choking. Within a few minutes, Fairfield Police and paramedics arrived.

A Lieutenant Arrives

“There was a lieutenant there in two minutes,” a police source said. “He ran across campus to try to help her. They couldn’t get the airway open.” The lieutenant, Robert Kalamaras, 42, happened to be working as a rotating officer assigned to campus duty during a 12-hour tour that night.

A Failed Attempt

Kalamaras, along with Sgt. Mike Paris, 34, and Officer Paul Medvegy, 46, tried the Heimlich maneuver on the unconscious and unresponsive Caitlin. “We did what we could until paramedics arrived,” Kalamaras said. “It’s difficult, it’s intense and it’s tragic for the family, and of course for the entire Sacred Heart community. It’s difficult to go and face the parent and tell them what happened.”

Tragedy Strikes

Responding officers described finding a mass of pancake paste ‘like concrete’ in Caitlin’s airway, which was impossible to dislodge. Caitlin was rushed to a local hospital then transferred to New York’s Columbia University Medical Center. “The lack of oxygen for that extended period of time caused irreversible damage, making it not survivable,” according to Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara. After a few days in intensive care, Caitlin lost her battle to live, dying surrounded by her family.

Her Final Act Of Kindness

Even when she was no longer alive, Caitlin’s natural eagerness to better humanity in some way would live on in her final good deed. As an organ donor, Caitlin gave life to others when hers could not be saved. “That’s exactly what Caitlin would have wanted, that’s just the type of selfless person she was,” said close friend Stephanie Cinque. “She was a beautiful human being.”

Candlelight Vigil

Thousands of students and faculty attended the candlelight vigil for Caitlin was held on the Sacred Heart campus on April 2, 2017. One heartfelt post described the wonderful person she was: “Caitlyn Nelson and I were childhood friends growing up … she was the absolute sweetest girl I knew, who didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Growing up she always had a smile on her face and was always so happy. She will now always be in my prayers and I will miss her greatly … rest in peace Caitlyn,” wrote one poster.

The Lawsuit

Caitlin’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university. The lawsuit seeks an undisclosed amount of money and accuses the school of approving the contest despite the dangers. And lastly, for the school’s failing to provide adequate medical personnel on site.

Preventing Anymore Senseless Deaths

According to lawyers, Caitlin’s family is bringing this case to expose the dangers associated with amateur eating contests and to help prevent other families from having to endure this type of preventable tragedy. “These contests are significantly more dangerous than people realize and it’s critically important for the public, especially educational institutions to understand that certain foods are safer than others and a modicum of forethought can literally save lives.”

What Happened To The Lawsuit?

The lawsuit claims that Sacred Heart not only approved the contest and the use of pancakes, which the complaint says is a particularly dangerous food to eat quickly, but it also failed to have medical personnel onsite in the event a student started choking. The lawsuit still is being litigated. However, Caitlin’s fatal situation has sadly influenced other Greek organizations across the country to reevaluate their creation of contests that may ultimately cause injury or death.

Caitlin’s Legacy Lives On

Caitlin’s Kappa Delta sorority sisters have created a custom charity bracelet for sale in her honor, although the group has not commented on the tragic event. The bracelet, designed in conjunction with Caitlin’s family, features emerald green beads with the words “Caitlin Gives.” Caitlin was the vice president of community service for the sorority and 50 percent of the proceeds will go towards the sorority’s ShamROCK the Runway charity fundraiser, helping her legacy live on..

Family Experiences Second Life-Changing Tragedy After Pancake Eating Contest Goes Wrong is an article from: LifeDaily

Part of the appeal of living in a small town is the sense of community it brings. It’s nice to raise a family among neighbors you know and trust, which is something a crowded city seldom offers.

Over the past few months, mysterious and lethal fires started popping up all over a small town in northern California. As if that wasn’t scary enough, the residents were left terrified when they realized that someone they knew and trusted was responsible for the chaos.

The First Fire

According to authorities in Cottonwood, California, a series of fires have been tormenting resident of the community since the first fire broke out on July 27. That fire broke out in the early morning and ended up being a shed on a family’s property. At that point, firefighters didn’t believe anything sinister was going on in the town.

A Few Hours Later

Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard ### FREE Community Edition ### on 2014-02-24 05:14:58Z | http://piczard.com | http://codecarvings.com cottonwoodfd.com

However, within a few hours, the fire department started noticing a worrying trend. Just a few hours after that first fire, responders were notified about another vegetation fire near the train tracks running through the area. When they arrived, they found three separate vegetation fires close to each other.

A Red Flag

The three separate fires hadn’t started naturally and signaled to firefighters that someone had intentionally set them. Over the next few weeks, vegetation fires started popping up all over the small town, and firefighters feared an arsonist may be setting fires around the community.

Notifying The Police

By the end of August, firefighters had no choice but to notify the sheriff’s major crimes unit in Cottonwood as there seemed to be no sign of the fires stopping. Thankfully, the fire department didn’t wait any longer. On September 1, the fires began to reach homes in the community.

A Close Call

According to authorities, the first home targeted belonged to 98-year-old Pete Lambert. Lambert, a World War II veteran bomber pilot, is a well-known member of the community. Sadly, his home was completely destroyed in the fire. Thankfully, however, the 98-year-old managed to survive after a neighbor entered the home and rescued him.

An Unexpected Turn

In the days that followed, authorities were still investigating the suspicious fires when they received calls about another fire. Two days later, another fire broke out and authorities officially ruled it as arson. Then, the fires suddenly and unexpectedly stopped.

A Month With No Fires

According to the police, there were no reported fires in Cottonwood from September 10 to October 6, which confused but relieved both investigators and residents from the town. Sadly, a fire that broke out on October 7 was worse than any of the other fires prior.

Overwhelmed With Calls

That Sunday, after almost a month without any fires, first responders were overwhelmed when they received calls about three separate fires in the town. One of those fires targeted a home on Willow Street that belonged to 86-year-old Barcie Miller.

The Fires Turn Deadly

Miller’s home was completely destroyed in the fire and, tragically, the 86-year-old didn’t make it out alive. Authorities ruled the fire as arson and announced that they were considering Miller’s death a homicide. Understandably, residents were devastated and terrified by the news.

12 Fires In One Day

Up until that point, the fires had only caused damage to structures and people’s belongings. No one had been seriously hurt because of the fires until Miller’s death. Just a week later, more grass fires were reported. On October 20, a total of 12 fires broke out all throughout the town.

A Serial Case

According to the Sheriff’s Office, there have been more than 40 fires in Cottonwood and the surrounding areas since July. At first, investigators didn’t want to cause panic and link the fires to a single, serial arsonist. “They don’t want to call it a serial pattern or a serial case,” Joseph Giacalone, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former New York Police Department sergeant, told the Redding Record Spotlight. “But it’s exactly what it is.”

Profiling The Arsonist

According to Giacalone, a serial arsonist would be difficult to catch because the person likely blends in with the rest of the residents. Giacalone also speculated that the arsonist likely wasn’t someone with a mental illness as they wouldn’t have been able to go unnoticed for so long.

Experts Weigh In

“I can’t believe that they haven’t found the person after three months,” Dian Williams, the chief executive officer of the Center for Arson Research, told the Redding Record Spotlight. “This is amazing to me that … they have so many resources and ways to find out different things, and they haven’t found anybody.”

‘On The Inside’

Both Williams and Giacalone both believed the suspect lived in the town and that Willow Street, where several fires have been started, is his comfort zone. “Even if somebody did see him, they wouldn’t think anything of it because, ‘Oh, that’s the kid that lives around the corner,'” Giacalone said. “I’m telling you, this is a guy on the inside.”

Frustration Grows

Residents quickly became frustrated that the arsonist hadn’t been caught yet and felt particularly scared when they realized the person was most likely someone living in the town that they knew. “It’s scary, but then you’re also angry, because why can’t they catch them,” Sandy Cappello.

Refusing to Wait

“You feel so violated. Someone was in your yard, and you were in the house sleeping and they lit your house on fire,” Cappello said. While the police assured residents they were doing everything in their power to find the person or people responsible for the fires, many throughout the community refused to wait any longer for police to solve the case.

The Community Bands Together

In order to help, several residents came together to start patrolling the town overnight when most of the fires broke out. “Whoever they are, they’re able to strike fast and disappear,” Earl Boek, a resident and Vietnam veteran, told KRCR. “Whoever did this declared war on the Community of Cottonwood. You’re going to know who these people are. You probably know who they are because they live here. They probably could not be setting these fires and getting away so quick if they didn’t know the area.”

The Prime Suspect

In late October, authorities finally managed to track down their prime suspect, 18-year-old Samuel Villa Scholfield. During the months where he tormented the town with fires, police managed to collect a variety of evidence including DNA on an oil can used to start a fire, shoe prints, surveillance footage of a short male walking toward Miller’s home on Willow street at 4:30 a.m., and surveillance footage of Scholfield’s red 2000 Nissan Sentra.

The Arrest

On October 26, authorities followed Scholfield and made a traffic stop to ask him questions. As he got out of the car, police saw a lighter on the front seat and a propane canister with a torch attached on the floor of the passenger seat. They also later found a video on his cell phone of one of the first fires. While Scholfield denied having anything to do with the fires, he was arrested on the spot and charged with 52 counts of arson, first-degree murder, and attempted murder.

‘The Kid Went Sour’

After Scholfield’s arrest, there have been no more fires reported in Cottonwood. “I am confident we have the guy,” Shasta County sheriff’s Capt. Pat Krophaller said in a statement. According to Rodney Madeiros, a resident and family friend of Scholfield’s step-parents, he wasn’t entirely surprised when he heard the news. “He’s always been in trouble,” Madeiros said. He also explained that the 18-year-old’s step parents are great people who are now receiving death threats for what their son did. The couple tried to get Scholfield help over the years, but nothing seemed to help him. “The kid went sour,” Madeiros said.

String Of Fires Leaves Small Town In Fear Until Police Find Local Man Behind The Carnage is an article from: LifeDaily

In the last days of the Vietnam war, thousands of children were ripped away from their families and sent to other countries. They made up the Vietnam War adoptees and many of them haven’t reconnected with their families since 1975.

While many of them, unfortunately, will never get to see their biological families again, the woman in the following story was one of the lucky few. Along her journey, she was thrown several curve-balls that were meant to break her spirit, but they never did. Here’s what happened.

Operation Babylift

When My Huong was just a child, she was taken away from her family in Vietnam. It was April 1975 when Mu Huong and her brother were among the 3,000 children evacuated from Vietnam in a rescue effort known as Operation Babylift. The “orphans” were adopted out to families in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

Torn Away From Her Family

My Huong was five at the time and her brother was only three when they were airlifted to Sydney with the Australian man who was adopting them. ABC News captured the footage of the children as they boarded the plane.

A New Life In Australia

“When I got to Sydney, all I wanted was to be back in Vietnam with my mother. When you’re five, of course, that’s all you want,” My Huong told ABC News Australia. “I used to cry myself to sleep every night until I was eight or nine years old.” Her home life with her adopted family was less than ideal and she described them as dysfunctional.

Longing For Her Mother

My Huong asked them about her birth mother often and they told her she was dead so that she’d stop. Then, when she was 15, her adoptive mother died. “After that, I was going through my adoptive father’s filing cabinet and I found some letters from my Vietnamese mother to him,” she says.

Reaching Out

“So I decided to write her a letter and I got a simple fax back, saying, ‘Mother still alive very happy to hear from you.’” My Huong was elated and she began exchanging letters with her family but the correspondence became overwhelming to her since she was only a teenager. A few years passed until My Huong felt ready to use the address again.

Paying A Visit

It was March 2004 when My Huong went to her village in Can Tho and waited for her mother, hoping she’d recognize her after nearly 30 years. As soon as she saw her mother again, she burst into tears and her mother took her to see the rest of her relatives in the village. My Huong had finally felt like everything came full circle.

Moving to Vietnam

That day My Huong began a new life in Vietnam with her family. She moved to Can Tho, purchased a home, and she began supporting many of her relatives and spending time getting to know them. “I never questioned that this was my family,” said My Huong. “I had no reason to ever doubt it.”

Starting A New Life

After living in Vietnam for the next 14 years, it was February 2018 when My Huong’s phone rang halfway through her workout at a gym in Vung Tau. Her mother called her three times but she didn’t answer because by then their relationship deteriorated and they weren’t on speaking terms. Right after that, four calls came through from unknown numbers.

The Text Message

Then, My Huong got a bizarre yet simple text message saying, “Ho Thi Ich is your mother.” It made no sense to My Huong and she ignored the message and continued her workout. In her heart, however, she knew something wasn’t right. When she got home, she received another call and she handed the phone to her cousin and got in the shower.

Hit With A Bombshell

When her cousin put down the phone, she was at a loss for words. “She didn’t know what to say to me. Then she just says ‘you’re not my cousin anymore,’ and then… ‘she is not your mother.’” My Huong cried for three days because of the lies and deception she had experienced for 14 years. But once the dust settled, she felt a sense of relief.

Documentary

What happened was that a few months prior, Ho Thi Ich’s granddaughter watched a documentary about My Huong finding her supposed mother. But Ich never gave her daughter away, she was taken from her. In fact, after she almost died giving birth, Ich asked her friend to take care of My Huong until she recovered.

Her Real Mother

Ich was a widow with two other children to support and she felt like she had no other choice. But when My Huong was three months old, the friend took her to a new neighborhood and cut ties with Ich. “Once I woke up I started to ask around where was my child, but nobody was telling me,” Ich told ABC News.

Ho Thi Ich

My Huong lived her whole life up until now thinking that the friend was her birth mother, while Ich was kept in the dark about the location of her daughter. Ich only learned about the location of her daughter when a relative told her that she had been taken to Australia. “The only thing I could do was just accept it,” Ich said.

Life During The War

“Life during the war was incredibly hard. It was just a matter of enduring and hoping that my daughter has a good life.” But when Ich’s granddaughter showed her My Huong’s documentary, she was outraged. “I felt many things. Betrayal, disbelief, confusion, a lot of pain.” She went to confront her former friend, who was very blunt with her.

Betrayed By Her Friend

Her friend said: “‘We are not friends … you gave that child to me, that child does not belong to you anymore.’” Eventually, Ich was able to get a hold of My Huong’s phone number and one day later she traveled all the way from the Mekong Delta to Vung Tau to visit her daughter. When My Huong finally saw her real mother for the first time, she was in shock.

The Reunion

“I sat next to her, this little frail woman, like ‘Oh my God, she’s so tiny and she looks so sick,’” My Huong said. But Ich feared that My Huong wouldn’t accept her after everything that happened. “I was so overwhelmed at that time, my relatives were asking me to keep calm but I felt like I might faint,” Ich said.

Biological Mother

Even before My Huong took a DNA test, she knew Ich was her real mother. Finally, after so many years and letdowns, My Huong was in the arms of Ich, her biological mother. Her journey inspired her to help other children who were separated from their families in Vietnam all those years ago.

What She Learned

Her experience taught her that the main barrier is the lack of information available. Records were lost during the war and others were fabricated in the rush of evacuation. At that time, paperwork wasn’t important, since all mothers cared about was rushing to save their children’s lives. Some babies were thrown onto rescue plans as gunshots fired and live footage was captured from this heart-wrenching time.

Helping Others

In January 2017, My Huong was contracted by ISS Australia’s Intercountry Adoption Tracing and Reunification Service to carry out birth family searches for Australian intercountry adoptees from Vietnam. She’s also been involved in a number of documentaries involving intercountry adoption and she is currently the Vice-Director of the Center for Social Protection of Children Long Hai. My Huong even started her own organization, Vietnam Family Search.

My Huong’s Advice

Without My Huong’s dedication and commitment, these services wouldn’t be possible. But she encourages those people looking for their families to act fast because time is running out. “The window of opportunity is getting smaller everyday, because the mothers are getting older,” My Huong says. My Huong’s team reaches out to the Vietnamese community using grassroots tactics, from handing out flyers to investing in documentaries for Vietnamese television. She says it’s a matter of trying everything possible.

Mother And Daughter Reunite After Vietnam War’s ‘Operation Babylift’ Forced Them Apart Decades Ago is an article from: LifeDaily

Cases go cold when there’s not enough evidence, leads, or suspects for police to continue to investigate. Sometimes, however, seemingly impossible to solve cases are solved with the help of new technology, time, and a fresh pair of eyes.

Recently, a Pennsylvania cold case was finally closed and the victim’s family finally got answers after 34 years. Tragically, however, the person police arrested for the crime had been right under their nose the entire time.

A Loving Wife And Mother

Carl Rogers Story — Pennsylvania Attorney General

In 1983, Debra Rodgers was already a loving and devoted mother and wife at just 23 years old. On top of her responsibilities raising her 5-year-old daughter and taking care of the trailer that she lived in with her husband, Carl Rodgers, on his family’s farm, Debra was also a dedicated employee.

Debra’s Day Job

During the day, Debra worked at Little Buffalo State Forest, which wasn’t far from her home in Perry County, Pennsylvania. Not only did she like what she did for work, but she wanted to progress in her career. For that reason, Debra applied for a job with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

The New Job

Debra applied for a position as an administrative aid. If she got the job, she would have gotten a pay increase. Sadly, she never got to prove herself after being chosen for the new job opportunity because she disappeared on the night of April 22, 1983.

A Late Night

According to Rodgers, his wife came home late on the night of the 22nd after working at the Little Buffalo State Forest. That was the last time he saw her alive. Rodgers later explained that Debra left and never came back at some point that night.

The Search Party

When she didn’t return home the next day, he called Debra’s family members and told them that the 23-year-old was missing. That next day, Rodgers also suggested that the family start a search party and look for her at all the places and areas that she frequented.

A Bad Sign

On April 23, Rodgers led Debra’s worried family to the state forest where she spent so much time. They hoped she would turn up and that it was all a false alarm. However, the family became even more worried by what they found as they walked through the woods.

The Abandoned Car

Rodgers had led the family to a part of the forest that was pretty remote and heavily wooded. No one saw any sign of Debra the entire time they had been searching the woods, but as they headed deeper into the forest, they discovered Debra’s car.

The Search Is Called Off

Unfortunately, the car was abandoned in the woods and there was still no sign of Debra in the area despite the family calling out for her and looking for any trace of her. After they failed to find her, the search party was called off for the night and scheduled to start back up the next morning.

The Car Goes Home

However, before heading home, Rodgers insisted on driving Debra’s car home that night. Debra’s family pleaded with him to leave it. They feared that if Debra was somewhere in the woods, she would be stranded and left in the cold if they took the car from the spot where she left it.

The Next Morning

Yet Rodgers refused to listen to them and drove the car home that night. The next morning, the search party returned to the woods where they hoped to find Debra safe and uninjured. Once in the forest, Rodgers suggested that he and Debra’s brother search a ridge-line.

A Tragic Discovery

While the two men were searching the ridge-line, the rest of Debra’s family members continued to look through the forest. At one point that day, the search finally came to an end when Debra’s mother discovered her daughter’s body in an area of the woods Rodgers suggested she look. According to authorities, Debra’s body had been found just a few hundred yards from where the family had seen her car the day before. The police also noted that “her shirt was pulled halfway up her torso as if she was dragged to the location.”

An Investigation Begins

Authorities immediately started an investigation into Debra’s death. While searching the crime scene, police also noted that a knife had been discovered not far from the 23-year-old’s body. In addition, the knife’s sheath, which had the name “Carl” written on it, was found not far from the knife.

Questioning The Husband

At the time of the investigation, Rodgers was brought in for questions by police. One of their main objectives was figuring out what had happened to Debra on the last day she was known to be alive. Considering Rodgers was the last known person to see Debra alive, he seemed like a good place to start their questioning.

A Changing Story

Rodgers told police that Debra had been depressed because of her job at the state forest and claimed she had been suicidal. However, Rodger’s story wasn’t consistent. At another time, Rodgers told the police that he and Debra had gotten into an argument that night and that he grabbed her by the arm.

Conflicting Accounts

Not only was his own story inconsistent, but Rodger’s story didn’t seem to match other accounts about Debra from other people who knew her. According to everyone else, Debra was genuinely happy with her life as a mother and enjoyed her job. “That was completely at odds with how her family and coworkers saw her and knew her at that time,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

The Coroner’s Report

“His story never quite checked out,” Shapiro said of Carl Rogers. “It changed repeatedly.” However, that wasn’t the only thing that tipped police off to the fact that Debra hadn’t killed herself in the woods. When Debra’s body was found, both of her wrists had been slashed and it appeared to support the theory that the young mother had committed suicide. Yet when her body was sent off the be examined by a coroner, they discovered that Debra hadn’t died from the cuts in her wrists.

A Homicide Investigation

Instead, the coroner’s report announced that Debra had been killed by blunt force trauma to the head and torso. The cuts to the wrist were only there to make it appear as though she had killed herself. In fact, the coroner’s report explained that it also wasn’t likely that she even slit her own wrists. Since several tendons in both wrists had been cut, the coroner doubted Debra could have done that to herself. As a result of the coroner’s report, Debra’s death was ruled a homicide. However, no arrests were made and the case quickly went cold.

34 Years Later

34 years later, a grand jury in Pennsylvania reopened the case and looked at the evidence from the case. After speaking to experts and witnesses from the case, the grand jury recommended that Carl Rodgers be charged with the murder of his wife. In late 2017, the 62-year-old was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police after they showed up at his job and handcuffed him.

Justice Is Finally Served

“For more than three decades, the family and friends of Debra Jane Rodgers have sought justice, and wondered if this day would ever come,” Attorney General Shapiro said at a news conference. “Thanks to a strong collaboration between the Pennsylvania State Police and our office, and the effective use of a statewide investigating grand jury, Carl Rodgers stands charged with murder.”

Awaiting Trial

“These cases never go away, much like the pain of the family members who lost a loved one,” Shapiro told reporters. “Our investigation, it is important to note, did not hinge on any one piece of new evidence or any bombshell revelation,” Shapiro added. “Instead, a closer examination of the facts and collaborative use of law enforcement resources led us to this day.” Rodgers is currently awaiting trial and if convicted of murdering his first wife, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. “We know you lived for decades with unspeakable pain, and we hope today that healing process can begin,” Shapiro told the family.

Hard-Working 23-Year-Old Mother’s Cold Case File Finally Nears Close After 34 Years is an article from: LifeDaily

When 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi from Vatican City went missing without a trace in 1983, numerous police searches failed to find her. The young flute player showed so much potential and her parents had high hopes for her future.

When human remains were uncovered recently, one Italian journalist went to the Vatican to see if they could belong to Orlandi. But, as with so many things in Vatican City, there seems to have been some kind of cover-up here, and people now want to know the truth.

Simple Life

Orlandi had four siblings, while her father Ercole was employed at the Institute for the Works of Religion. The family lived inside Vatican City itself, and at the time when she went missing, Orlandi was in her second year at a liceo scientifico (a scientific high school) in Rome. The family was simple types living a simple life, and Orlandi was a budding flute player who was passionate about music.

Church Choir

Even though the school year had come to a close, Orlandi continued to take flute lessons three times a week. She traveled to the Tommaso Ludovico Da Victoria School regularly by bus and was also a member of the choir of the church of Sant’Anna dei Palafrenieri in the Vatican. She would take the bus close to her destination and then walk a few hundred meters. But on June 22, Orlandi was late for class.

Job Offer

Orlandi later explained why she was late to that class to her sister. She told her that she had received an exciting job offer from Avon Cosmetics and wanted to take the job. Her sister recommended that she talk it over with her parents first. At the end of another flute lesson, Orlandi also spoke about the job offer with a friend who was the last person to see her alive. That night, Orlandi got into a dark BMW and was never seen again.

Reported Missing

When Orlandi failed to make it home from class on June 23rd, her parents made a call to the director of the music school to ask where she was. But no one knew, and no one had any information about the missing girl. Over the next few days, announcements of Orlandi’s disappearance were plastered all over the Italian media, including in the newspapers Il Tempo, Paese Sera and Il Messaggero.

Running Away

No one thought Orlandi had issues at home, but apparently she did. On June 25, a boy called Pierluigi told police that he had met the missing girl in the Piazza Navona in the afternoon that day. He said that Orlandi just had a haircut, said her name was Barabella and claimed that she had just run away from home and was now selling Avon products to make ends meet.

More Sightings

Just a few days later, on June 28, a man calling himself Mario who owned a bar near Ponte Vittorio called the Orlandi family. He said that a girl calling herself Barbara, a new customer, had confided in him about leaving home. She also told him that she planned to return for her sister’s wedding and that fact made his story legitimate. But Orlandi never showed up, and thousands of posters with her photograph were then plastered around Rome.

Pope Appeals

On July 3, Pope John Paul II made a plea for the safe return of Orlandi. Just two days later and the Orlandi family received an anonymous phone call from a man who claimed to have Orlandi. He said he was part of a terrorist group in Turkey and that he was holding Orlandi ransom. But that call was a red herring, and nothing ever came of it. Other calls came in too, but no solid leads to the missing girl were ever found.

Different Theories

Over the years, some different theories have been raised about what happened to Orlandi. One theory was that she was kidnapped by Bulgarian agents called the Grey Wolves as a bargaining tool to free terrorists from prison. In the mid-2000s, a Judge in Italy claimed that Orlandi was likely living as an adult in Muslim community in Paris, but he had no conclusive proof of that.

De Pedis Theory

Another theory which surfaced in 2011 was made by former Banda della Magliana member Antonio Mancini. He claimed that the kidnapping of Orlandi was one of a few strikes directed against the Vatican to force the restitution of large amounts of money they had lent to the Vatican Bank through Roberto Calvi’s Banco Ambrosiano. This theory also went nowhere, and no one found Orlandi either dead or alive.

Remains Found

Fast forward a few years until the present day and renovations inside the walls of the Vatican would reveal something that would revive this cold case. When human bones were discovered inside the walls of the holy city, the Vatican had no choice but to admit it to the press, while many asked if the remains could be those of the missing girl, Emanuela Orlandi.

Dark Secrets

As talk of Orlandi resurfaced, the Vatican’s chief exorcist, Gabriele Amorth claimed that she had been kept inside Vatican City as a sex slave, although he never brought proof of this. When the bones were found, everyone knew it could be those of Orlandi but no one was sure. “This was a crime with a sexual motive,” Amorth told La Stampa newspaper in 2012. Amorth claimed there was a foreign connection, too.

Vatican Parties

According to the allegations made by Amorth, “Parties were organized with a member of the Vatican gendarmerie acting as the recruiter of the girls. The network involved diplomatic personnel from a foreign embassy to the Holy See. I believe Emanuela ended up a victim of this circle,” he said. But that didn’t explain all the anonymous calls from people claiming to have kidnapped Orlandi for ransom.

Mobster Exhumed

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI ordered that the tomb of local mobster Enrico “Renatino” De Pedis be exhumed. Having been buried in the prominent Sant’Apollinare church near where Orlandi was last seen, his cask was opened, and bones not belonging to him were found inside. However, after DNA testers got involved, the bones turned out not to be those of Orlandi.

Still Alive

Orlandi’s brother Pietro is convinced that his sister is still alive to this day. He has even written books and a regular blog online about the subject. He has mounted pressure on the Vatican for years to work harder to locate his missing sister, but so far his efforts have been in vain. Pietro spoke to the Daily Beast last year about his missing sister.

Popes Know

In the interview with The Daily Beast in 2017, Pietro Orlandi said, “I am sure she is alive somewhere and that the last three popes know the truth,” he said. Referring to an expense report which was uncovered from secret archives, Pietro claimed that it suggested his sister could have been buried inside the walls of Vatican City.

Right to Know

In a letter to the Pope, Pietro implored him: “We have the right to know the truth contained in those documents and if the Pontifical Secret was placed on the disappearance of Emanuela. … Please take off the seals that are creating barriers in obtaining Truth and Justice.”

Chief Prosecutor

For their part, the Vatican is taking the discovery of the bones seriously, and the investigation has been handed over to Rome’s chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone. He is treating the case as a homicide for now, as experts carry out DNA tests on the remains to ascertain who they belong to.

Police Source

The testing of the bones which were found in the Vatican is so far shrouded in mystery. One anonymous police source told Italian reporters recently that the find consists of a skull and some teeth but that further excavations are required at the site to see if more bones are there. For now, no one is speculating too much as those remains could belong to almost anyone.

Long Wait

When the Vatican was contacted by The Daily Beast for clarity on the bones which were found in the city, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke responded. He said that DNA testing on the remains is taking place and that the results should come back soon. “We have to wait for the forensics,” he said. But so many people want answers to this cold case, even after all these years that the Vatican finds itself under some pressure.

Wanting Closure

The main thing for the Orlandi family at this stage is closure. Their daughter has been missing for so many years that the family has all but given up hope of ever finding Emanuela alive. However, they do understandably want to know what happened to this poor 15-year-old girl all those decades ago and will stop at nothing until they have some clarity on the matter.

Remains Found In Italy Revive Talk Of 15-Year-Old Girl’s Decades-Old Cold Case is an article from: LifeDaily

Most people oppose terrorist groups, religious extremists, and fascism. However, very few people would actually leave everything behind and risk their lives to fight those forces.

For years, a Scottish young man spent his free time protesting fascism and far-right extremists. While it was more than most did to fight radical ideologies, he felt compelled to do more. So in 2016, the then 27-year-old left everything behind to fight on the frontline against ISIS.

Struggling to Get By

After being born and growing up in Dundee, Scotland, Callum Ross struggled to find work in his hometown, which has the highest unemployment rate in all of the United Kingdom. He worked as much as he could as a part-time laborer when jobs were available.

Living On Welfare

Yet, Ross struggled to find full-time employment and was forced to get by on welfare. “People are ruined out here,” Ross told Esquire about his hometown. “You have to shoplift to … live.” According to Ross, he was living on £300 a month in 2016.

No Future

At the time, Ross didn’t have anything to work toward and didn’t think he had anything in his future to be excited about. According to Ross, he wasted years of his life smoking too much weed and letting his friends cover his body with tattoos.

The Plane Ticket

Then in the spring of 2016, Ross decided to upend his life and bought a plane ticket to Iraq. His plan was to join the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia that had been fighting to create a state for itself, Rojava, in Northern Syria since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

The Last Night of His Old Life

“The night before I left,” Ross explained, “I was with all my mates. We ate food, had some beers, got stoned, had a laugh.” Before he boarded a plane to head to Syria, Ross gave a key to his apartment to a friend and asked her to keep just a few sentimental things safe.

No Plans to Return

“I asked her to take some sentimental stuff out of my house that I wanted to keep for if I made it home,” Ross said. “That was my mindset: ‘I’m never coming back here’ … I was scared, but I was so focused on Rojava, in my mind, it was like I was already there.”

The Training Camp

For his journey, Ross took just two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and one book. When he landed in Iraq, Ross was picked up from the airport and driven hours through the mountains. Eventually, he reached a training camp on the outskirts of northern Iraq.

Meeting Other New Volunteers

“That was amazing. Amazing man!” Ross said about the moment he stepped foot into the training camp with fighters from all over the world. “It was such a beautiful place. I remember looking out over everything, drinking chai and just chatting to people from all over the world who were just coming and leaving [Syria].”

Traces of War

According to Ross, he witnessed experienced fighters marching back into the camp. The looks on their faces made Ross fully understand what he was getting himself into. “I remember thinking ‘wow you guys look [bad]’ you know? You could just see the war in them.”

Sneaking Into Syria

“I thought ‘that’s going to be me’. It scared me a little bit. But then I thought ‘oh well, we’re here now,'” Ross said. The very next night, Ross crossed the Tigris River with other YPG fighters to sneak into Syria passed armed patrol boats.

A Crash Course

Over the next four weeks, Ross was put through a crash course to learn the Kurdish Kurmanji language. He was also taught how to shoot a rifle and throw grenades. “[In training] you do a very small amount of shooting guns,” Ross explained.

Basic Training

“I fired nine rounds with a Kalashnikov, three rounds with a Bixi [a BKC gun], three rounds with a Dragunov [a Soviet sniper rifle], and we threw stones instead of grenades to learn. That’s the basic Rojava military education,” Ross said.

Ready For Battle

After his training, Ross was given an AK-47 as well as a new Kurdish name, Rizgar Dêrik. Not long after that, Ross was assigned to fight on the frontline against ISIS with a small unit under the YPG called the International Freedom Battalion, which was made up of mostly foreign volunteers from all over the world.

One Common Enemy

Much of the group of foreigners in the unit were Communists and anarchists. Ross didn’t necessarily agree with all of the ideologies within the unit, but they all had one thing in common. They all hated ISIS and were willing to risk their lives fighting them.

The Reason to Fight

For Ross, his entire reason for traveling thousands of miles and putting his life in danger was to fight ISIS. “I … hate the ISIS ideology, to me it’s the same as Nazism,” Ross said. “One hundred percent that was my motivation for going to Syria—to fight fascism.”

Formative Stories

According to Ross, his dad used to tell him stories when he was a little boy about how his grandfather’s friends and other men from around Europe traveled to Spain to help fight in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War against Francisco Franco, a military dictator.

Childhood Heroes

As a kid, those fighters were Ross’ heroes. “There’s a long history of Scots going over to fight against Franco,” Callum said. “Even in my city, there’s a [commemorative] plaque with the names of the volunteers who went. To me, growing up, I always heard a lot of stories about them. They’re unsung heroes.”

The Propaganda Videos

When he was older, Ross fought members of the far-right on the streets of Scotland. “[There was] plenty of fist fighting,” Ross said. “Bottles, knives … I’m Scottish.” However, at one point, Ross started seeing YPG propaganda videos being spread on Facebook. Ross couldn’t help but compare the fight against ISIS with the stories of the brave Scottish men traveling to Spain to fight a violent dictator. “I likened the two struggles,” Ross explained. “They’re different wars, but fighting the same ideas.”

Protesting Wasn’t Enough

For three years, Ross researched the YPG and Kurdistan. For the first time in a long time, he felt passionate about something and identified with YPG’s fight as they have become one of the most successful forces against ISIS. And the more he learned about the situation in Syria, the more the protests in Europe seemed meaningless.

Ross’s First Close Call

“I always wanted to go to war, but I’m not gonna go fight for some Queen or fight for the … Tories. I fought for something that makes sense to me,” Ross said. Since joining the fight, Ross has had his share of close calls. One night shortly after being sent to the front line, Ross was nearly killed in ‘the famous night war’ when he was caught in friendly fire after the unit mistakenly thought another YPG unit was ISIS fighters.

The Worst Night

In the months that followed, Ross would regularly sneak behind ISIS lines to lay bombs on the roads. If he had been caught, he would have been captured and likely horrifically executed, yet Ross never hesitated when he was assigned to a mission. According to Ross, the scariest night of war was when jihadists snuck into a deserted village guarded by Ross’ unit. That fight only ended when an American A-10 Warthog fighter jet arrived.

A Reason to Pray

“I just started shooting at ISIS from there,” Ross said. “It was the most intense battle I was involved in. When the sunrise came … the A10 arrived. When that … comes, it’s like a demon. The noise it makes … it’s like Satan has just flown past spitting out death. That was scary,” he added. “I prayed a lot. Just in those moments, I was like ‘god will you … sort me out?'”

Returning Home

After 12 months at war, Ross returned to Scotland. His reason to leave wasn’t the horrors of war, but the new foreign volunteers.”Toward the end I was having to deal with a lot of the other volunteer’s problems,” Ross said. “That got me tired. I hated being with a lot of the other internationals. I’ve got no time for someone who comes to join the sixth year of the Syrian war to complain that things aren’t good. What … were you expecting?”

Returning to Civilian Life

After arriving back in Scotland, Ross was questioned by the police for hours but eventually let go. “I’m now back in the flat I was in the night before I left,” Ross said. “It feels weird. It feels strange … [Fighting in Syria] changed my life. I found purpose, a reason to live … Nothing’s changed here, you know? You can just come back here and slot directly back into what you were doing, which I don’t want to do. I wanna … do something with myself.”

Scottish Citizen Finds Purpose After Leaving Home to Aid Rebels In Struggle For Freedom is an article from: LifeDaily