In 2016, a math instructor came forward with her story of how a prominent California surgeon had tried to rape her. It was only after she started screaming while on a date at his home that authorities opened an investigation.

They soon discovered incriminating evidence lending credibility to the woman’s story. Here’s her story and what police are now alleging.

Meeting On Tinder

Lauren Hayden, a 24-year-old math and physics instructor, told the DailyMailTV that she met a California orthopedic surgeon on Tinder in October 2016. Initially, Lauren thought that the handsome doctor was too good to be true, once they began flirting online.

California Surgeon

Lauren received text messages from Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 38, inviting her over for dinner at his Newport Beach House in Palm Springs. While she was hesitant, the allure of attending a wealthy surgeon’s home, was hard to turn down. To sweeten the date, Robicheaux even offered to cook the meal.

Newport Beach House

In text messages, Robicheaux gave Lauren directions to his apartment and explained that his brother-in-law would be joining them for dinner. Robicheaux even boasted that his cooking was popular. Lauren, who lives in Laguna Beach, said she was excited to meet him.

Getting Ready For The Date

“I got my hair done, I brought a bottle of wine, I wore a nice dress, I looked cute,” she recalled. “He said he wanted to cook dinner, I didn’t think much of it, I was a little concerned about going to a guy’s house on the first date, but I had checked him out online and he seemed okay- he was a surgeon after all,” Lauren told the DailyMail.

Luxury Home

“When I got there, he had a really nice black Mercedes parked in his garage and his place was beautiful. He had a big TV, a nice kitchen, a wine distiller, a Jacuzzi,” Lauren said. “He was dressed casually in board shorts, which was annoying as I was wearing a dress, but he told me these cool stories about his travels and told me he had created a jetpack and was using it out in Newport Beach,” she added.

Super Creepy

But as soon as Robicheaux’s brother-in-law left, Lauren said her date turned super creepy. “He didn’t seem interested in anything I had to say. I even asked him what he liked in a woman and he replied, ‘face, t*ts and a**,’ which I thought was creepy,” Lauren said. “He had this forced confidence and was coming on strong, and aggressive.”

Coming On Strong

“He tried to get me to massage him, give him a back massage. I rubbed his shoulders a little but I tried to avoid anything sexual,” Lauren recalled. “I thought we were going to get dinner and wine and walk around the peninsula, I didn’t expect overt sexuality.” But the encounter turned sinister when Robicheaux began to make unwanted sexual advances towards Lauren.

Alarmingly Aggressive

After asking Lauren to go in the jacuzzi, Robicheaux reportedly kept trying to rip off Lauren’s bathing suit, even after she told him to stop. “He was controlling and aggressive and started to scare me,” she said. “He then took me into the bedroom and tried to take my clothes off again.”

Screaming For Help

“I told him he was coming off aggressive and wasn’t being a gentleman and I needed to leave,” Lauren said. “I put my skirt on but he lifted it up and grabbed at my a** and at that point I left.” Two hours after Lauren was at the house, Robicheaux’s neighbor, Coranne Gibson, 81, was woken by screams and a woman yelling, ‘Help me! Help me!’

Calling 911

She immediately called the police and officers later informed her that the incident was a “private sexual matter.” Gibson’s daughter, Renee Gibson-Milch, 58, said her mother was very disturbed by what she heard. “The screams were so loud, they woke my mom. She was terrified. She woke my dad and they called 911,” Renee told the DailyMail.

Neighbors

“They heard a woman screaming. It must have been in the early hours. They were really, really worried and upset by it. My mom remembers going out into the street in her nightclothes with my dad. Other neighbors came out then, too, and waited for the police to arrive,” Renee said.

Charges

Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 31, were arrested and charged with rape by use of drugs, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, and other crimes, according to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. Lauren said that Robicheaux told her his sister lived with him at his home, although it’s believed he lived with Riley.

Rape

After narrowly escaping rape, Lauren says “There’s plenty of guys who want to get straight down to the action but he was more aggressive than the average guy.” “Grant was very handsome and so smart, he could have any woman he wanted but he (allegedly) chose to rape them, that’s about power.”

Investigation

“Everyone keeps saying I should feel lucky I wasn’t rape, but what the hell? That’s our standard?” Lauren added. Only after Lauren became conscious in the apartment and started screaming, did authorities start investigating the couple. Prosecutors soon found 1,000 or more videos and pictures on their devices.

Teaming Up

Robicheaux and Riley were accused of teaming up to prey on women by meeting them at bars, drugging them, or coercing them with copious amounts of alcohol, and bringing them back to their home to sexually assault or rape them. Rackauckas said there is even video of the sex acts on one of the two victims who have come forward.

Evidence

Prosecutors believe that based on the pictures and videos found on the pair’s phones, there may be upwards of 1,000 other victims, according to ABC News. Rackauckas added that Robicheaux and Riley are two “clean-cut, good-looking people” who used their looks and charm to “prey” on their victims.

Well-Known Surgeon

Robicheaux is a well-known surgeon in Orange County and he’s even treated numerous sponsored athletes. He was once featured on the Bravo show “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male.” The couple also traveled together to festivals like Burning Man in 215. They allegedly worked together to bring victims to Robicheaux’s apartment, through supplying them with drugs and alcohol.

Maintaining Their Innocence

Despite the evidence against them, both Robicheaux and Riley maintain their innocence. In a statement issued by the couple, they said that they “unequivocally deny all allegations of non-consensual sex and absolutely deny any allegations that we have ever secretly drugged anyone for the purpose of having sex with them.”

Released On Bail

Robicheaux and Riley were released on bail and they’re scheduled for arraignment on October 24, 2018. Robicheaux faces 82 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, while Riley faces 63 years to life in prison. Police are putting this out there now because they believe there are more victims and they want them to feel comfortable coming forward.

More Victims

The DA’s office officials said they’ve received more than 50 credible leads about potential victims and more than a dozen women and one man have come forward with allegations against the couple, according to KTLA. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim or has information about Robicheaux and Riley can call OCDA Supervising Investigator Eric Wiseman at 714-347-8794.

Tinder Date Gone Bad Spurs Investigation Of California Surgeon is an article from: LifeDaily

Members of the church, and especially the leaders of the church, should be beacons of fellowship, patience, peace, and forgiveness. Unfortunately, even members of the church are human beings, and therefore prone to display flawed behavior…

One Missouri pastor would show that no matter how highly regarded members of the church can be, they’re also sometimes capable of committing unspeakable crimes.

Righteous Man

When police questioned David Fitzgerald, a pastor at Calvary Chapel in Maryland Heights, Missouri, he told them that Bruce had previously been a pastor at Calvary Chapel of Cape Girardeau. Both churches are affiliated under the same ministry, and Fitzgerald knew Bruce personally. According to The Missouri Secretary of State’s office, Bruce was also the head of another nonprofit church formed in 2003, but then dissolved four years later.

Deviant Acts

Having entered the religious supplies store in Ballwin, a southwestern suburb of St. Louis, Bruce pulled out a gun and forced Jamie Schmidt and two other women who haven’t been named into a back room. Once there, he ordered all three women to undress, but what happened next was even more shocking. This ex-pastor had clearly lost his senses and a terrible crime was about to happen.

Sordid Details

At this stage of the investigation, even the police were bashful to provide full details of what Bruce is alleged to have done to his three victims. Beyond saying that he forced them to “continue performing deviant sexual acts on him,” at least one charge of sodomy has been brought against him. One of the women who refused the sex acts was shot and killed by Bruce according to a St. Louis Post Dispatch report.

Extensive Manhunt

A two-day manhunt then took place as police desperately tried to find the perpetrator of the crimes as quickly as possible. After a tip from a member of the public, police arrested the suspect at his trailer as he sat drinking coffee. Many people were shocked by the alleged actions of this ex-pastor; a man who was highly respected by the community for many years.

Out of Character

Pastor Fitzgerald told reporters that while Bruce had only spoken occasionally in public since his church folded, he thought the crime was totally out of character for this man. “It was completely out of character for the Tom Bruce that I knew, completely surprising,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the amount of evidence against him I would think they’ve got the wrong guy.”

Gun-Free Zones

Just days before the shooting at the store, Bruce had been on Facebook again, touting his views on gun-free zones. He wrote that he wanted to “end gun-free zones and put the criminals on notice that they will be stopped,” on a British forum discussing gun rights. Bruce appeared eloquent in his back and forth exchange in the forum, making his views abundantly clear.

Warning Criminals

In one post on the forum, Bruce wrote: “In England today you cannot carry any type of weapon for self-defense, and you cannot use a firearm to defend your home, family, or property,” he wrote. “The gun and weapon laws have made crime safe for criminals and the other violent thugs.” But that post didn’t seem to be in line with his actions on that day in the supply store.

Higher Standard

Fitzgerald explained that he had never had occasion to talk to Bruce about things like gun ownership, politics or social issues and hadn’t seen him or spoken to him for around three years. “There’s just nothing in my relationship with Tom in the past that would indicate this type of behavior in the least,” he said. “People are people, but I tend to hold people in the ministry to a higher standard.”

Trump-Lover

Bruce didn’t hide his views, and online forums and social media were the perfect places for him to discuss them openly. An avid supporter of President Donald Trump, he frequently slammed Democrats and others who criticized the president. Bruce was all over social media, and some were not surprised when he turned out to be a violent man and ultimately a murderer.

Switching Jobs

One thing that is clear from Bruce’s social media activity is the fact that he was not very stable in his life or with his employment. Bruce often moved from place to place, living in trailers and other such accommodations, and he also switched jobs every few years to make ends meet. Bruce was also recently divorced from his wife Diane and was in some substantial debt.

Trailer Search

When police searched Bruce’s trailer, they found an American flag and a Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” flag on a pole outside the trailer. Cops found paperwork showing he was in debt due to his divorce and a lack of income. They also found several firearms and boxes of ammunition at the location, all belonging to Bruce. They included an AR-15 Bushmaster and three handguns, one of them a Glock 43.

Military Stipend

Having served in the military, Bruce was unemployed at the time of the shooting at the store but was receiving an annual military stipend of about $1,600. Police know that Bruce describes himself as a Navy veteran but are unclear as to whether he saw any real combat and if he may have suffered from PTSD in the past.

No Show

According to one neighbor in the trailer park who lives across from Bruce, “I never saw him outside much at all, and I lived here long before he did,” said Joseph R. Blumer. But Bruce had taken a job a year ago as a staffer working for an American Family Insurance agent in Maryland Heights. Ken Muth from the company told police that Bruce hadn’t shown up for work for an extended period and hadn’t called in sick.

Previous Jobs

According to Bruce’s LinkedIn profile, as well as working at the Calvary Chapel, he also claims to have worked at the Jewish Community Center of Greater St. Louis, as well as doing volunteer work at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. But it’s unclear if these claims are even true, especially the one listing him as a life member of VFW Post 4105 in Florissant.

Not Familiar

While Bruce’s profile claims he’s a “World traveled leader with the ability to turn the extraordinary into the ordinary,” Barb Johnson, a bartender at the VFW post, said there are no records of Bruce ever even being a member. “He doesn’t look familiar to any of us,” Johnson said.

Heartbreaking Crime

Following Bruce’s arrest, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch dubbed the crime as “heartbreaking,” at a press conference. That sentiment was echoed by the county’s police chief, Jon Belmar who said the crime “shocked the senses.” While two of the women complied with Bruce’s sexual demands when the third woman refused, he shot her in the head in cold blood.

Opportunist Crime

According to a CBS News report, McCulloch said there was no indication the store was targeted due to religious affiliation. “It seems to me a guy like this saw an opportunity — three women in the store alone,” McCulloch said. But Bruce had no criminal record to speak of, other than a traffic ticket issued back in 2001.

Aggravating Circumstances

McCulloch also told reporters that the “aggravating circumstances” surrounding the crimes could make Bruce eligible for the death penalty. However, that decision needs to be taken by the incoming country prosecutor, Wesley Bell, who defeated McCulloch in the recent election. Many feel that the death penalty is warranted in this case and prosecutors will almost certainly be suggesting it.

Criminal Counts

According to the most recent reports, Bruce has been charged with a total of 17 criminal counts including murder, kidnapping, multiple counts of sodomy, armed criminal action, burglary and tampering with evidence. For his part, Bruce is yet to enter a plea and is being held without bail.

Our Angel

The Schmidt family are grieving for their loss and have paid tribute to their loved one whose life was tragically ended by Thomas Bruce. At a memorial honoring her, her husband described her as an “angel.” “She was my angel, my partner, my best friend and the love of my life,” wrote Gregg Schmidt on Facebook. “I’m sorry if you never got to hear her sing recently because it gave me chills.”

Three Missouri Women Assaulted, One Killed In Religious Supplies Store Attack is an article from: LifeDaily

One woman’s private life was made very public in a trial several years ago. With nothing left to hide, she’s even released a book on what she’s learned to inspire others.

In the following story, Diane Reeve talks about having a four-year-long relationship with a man and thinking that they were exclusive. She later learned there were other women and she tracked them down to let them know he’d infected them with HIV. Here’s how she helped prosecutors build their case.

Online Dating

In a story she shared with BBC, Diane Reeve explained that she had nearly given up on love after her 18-year-long marriage fell apart. But in 2002, when she was 50-years-old, her friends suggested she should get back out on the market, so Diane tried online dating.

Martial Arts Date

“It was pretty brutal and I was just about to give up when I got an inquiry from Philippe,” Diane said. While the conversation was brief, they decided to meet at a martial arts school, where Diane worked, and after that, they grabbed dinner and drinks.

Blossoming Romance

Philippe was a breath of fresh air for Diane, a woman who was used to doing all the talking on a date. She could tell she was interested in him early on, and they began dating regularly. Philippe worked as a security analyst for a large company but was laid off after one year when they started dating.

The Happy Couple

While he searched for another job, Diane asked him to help her out at the school. As the relationship progressed, they discussed being exclusive, as it was something both of them wanted. “I was happy, he was happy, it was good, and we were together for four-and-a-half years,” she said.

Daughter’s Wedding

In 2006, Philippe accompanied Diane to her daughter’s wedding ceremony, but when it was time for dinner afterward, Philippe was nowhere to be found. He called Diane from his cell phone and said, “I can’t go, I’m not feeling well.” But Diane was suspicious when she didn’t recognize the number he was calling her from.

Philippe’s Home

After going to the dinner herself, Diane drove by Philippe’s home to check on him. But when she arrived, the door was locked and his car wasn’t there. Since Diane had been paying for his cell phone, she was able to get into his voicemail and was shocked at what she found.

Voicemails From Other Women

Two women had left him messages and it was obvious from the voicemails that they were women he had plans with. After waiting for Philippe to arrive home for over an hour, Diane finally saw him pulling around the corner. But when he saw Diane’s car, he sped away.

Highway Chase

She followed him up and down the streets until he finally got on the highway. By then, he must have been driving 90 mph and Diane was right behind him. “I thought, ‘I can chase you all night, I got a full tank of gas,’” Diane recalled. But eventually, he pulled over and she yelled and screamed, accusing him of cheating.

Confrontation

Philippe was furious that she got into his voicemail and he became aggressive beating on her car. By that point, Diane was through with him. That following Monday, she was scheduled for a well-woman examination and when the results came back, she learned there were anomalies in her cervical cells. The doctor said it was human papilloma virus (HPV).

Philippe’s Cell Phone Records

Diane never hat of it before so she knew Philippe gave it to her. She was shocked and afraid and knew she’d have to have surgery to remove the abnormal cells, and she didn’t know if it would progress into cancer or not. Diane debated warning the other two women, so she went back through months of Philippe’s cell phone records to find their numbers.

Calling The Women

As she went down the list, she found more women who had dated Philippe and some of them were angry, some hung up on her, and others were appreciative for the call. Diane got all different types of responses. After meeting with one of the women at a jazz bar, and learning she too had a long relationship with Philippe, Diane received an unsettling phone call.

Health Department

She got a call from the health department, informing her she needed to come in for testing. She still had the phone number from the woman at the jazz bar, so she called her and asked if she knew anything about this. The woman responded, “We need to talk.”

HIV And AIDS

Soon, Diane’s doctor called her to tell her she had HIV. She dropped the phone and fell to her knees, thinking she was going to die. After going for further testing, Diane learned she had AIDS. This meant that her immune system was damaged to the point that she was very vulnerable to illness. Diane was petrified, after learning her health insurance didn’t cover HIV.

Support Group

Diane suspected Philippe have given HIV to her and other women, and after doing some research, she decided to file a police report. Out of the 13 women they found who were diagnosed with HIV, only five agreed to testify in court. Those five women formed a support group and they met at Diane’s house on a regular basis, to get through their diagnosis together.

Motive

One of their motives for going through with the prosecution was that Texas would pay for medical care that is needed as the result of a crime, and they were prosecuting Philippe for “assault with a deadly weapon.” Despite Diane battling AIDS and being exhausted, she was determined to stop him from giving the disease to anyone else.

Trial

In 2009, three years after Diane broke up with Philippe, the trial finally began. Diane was prepared for any dirty laundry Philippe had on her or the other women could be aired to the public. But she was prepared for it because what he did to them was the worst dirty laundry of all.

Taking The Stand

She remembers being on the stand for about an hour, and after the sentencing, they rejoiced, praying for a happy ending to this nightmare. Philippe never even took responsibility and he claimed it was Diane who gave everybody HIV.

Conviction

Philippe Padieu was convicted of six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon- his bodily fluid and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Dianne still struggles with forgiveness and the hardest part for her is that her ability to trust was destroyed. “I’m really lucky that I have a good relationship now with somebody who understands and loves and accepts me,” Diane told BBC.

Rebuilding Her Life

“We first started seeing each other in 2008 and I disclosed to him on the second date. I started crying and he held me and said, ‘It’s OK, my brother died of AIDS,’ and that was a very healing experience for me,” she added. Since her diagnosis, Diane has been on one pill a day and she has an undetectable viral load which means the virus is not detectable in her blood.

Living With HIV

Diane and the other women learned that it’s been shown that if you are living with HIV and you have an undetectable viral load consistently over six months, there is zero transmission risk. “That was a game changer for all of us,” she said. Dianne is still in contact with the other women and in fact, she vacationed in the Grand Canyon with one of them in 2017. She believes that if she did not meet her many years ago, that she would have never even got tested for the disease.

Man Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison After Giving 13 Women HIV is an article from: LifeDaily

Gun violence is a hot topic these days… for good reason. It’s also one that this writer hesitates to weight in on. After all, there is a great deal of emotion tied to the recent school shootings. Some people are afraid of losing their lives and some are afraid of losing their rights: but both are important.

This story is about a man who attempted, albeit misguidedly, to help alleviate the fears of violence in his school and the consequences of doing his so.

School Shooting

It had happened again. Another person had brought a loaded gun into an American high school.
The situation was not as cut and dry as some of the others in recent months however, because this time, rather than being a student who carried the gun inside the halls of learning, it was a teacher.

Public Spirited

Dennis was, by any metric, the definition of public-spiritedness. A math teacher, a reserve police officer for the Sand City Police Department, and even a Councilman for the town of Seaside, he had many different responsibilities on his plate. But he always managed to make time for everything, including his family…

Administration of Justice

As if that weren’t all enough, Dennis also taught an administration of justice course for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. As a pro tem mayor and sometime police officer, Dennis was the perfect candidate to reach out to high school students on the rising issues of gun safety in the country.

Gun Safety

Dennis was in front of the class and talking about the tragedy that had befallen the high school in Parkland, Florida a few weeks prior. He had brought in one of his own guns, to demonstrate gun safety and show the students that firearms can be wielded by educators in emergency situations. It would have been a standard lesson, if not for one fact…

Gone Off

Despite the fact that it made no sense at the time of his demonstration, Dennis had kept his gun loaded when he brought it into the high school that day. He held the gun up to his class to show them all facets of the weapon. Suddenly, fate decided to pull a cruel joke on the armed educator and the gun accidentally went off in the middle of the classroom.

Fragments

Dennis only barely managed to turn the gun up and towards the ceiling in the nick of time. The bullet struck against a metal place in the ceiling and sent not only debris, but bullet fragments raining down on a number of students. One 17-year-old student was hit by the bullet fragment, though it appeared his wounds might have been superficial…

Other Wounds

Two other teens attending the class were hurt by the debris as well, but thankfully, none of the wounds were fatal. Of course, the incident brought up several facets of gun safety that, prior to the gun discharging in a full classroom, were probably discussed during Dennis Alexander’s lecture.

Lots of Questions

Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh has of course weighed in on the incident itself and has spoken out in regards to the egregious error in judgement on Mr. Alexander’s part. “I think a lot of questions on parents’ minds are, why a teacher would be pointing a loaded firearm at the ceiling in front of students. Clearly, in this incident, protocols were not followed.” he explained. But why was it done in the first place?

Unclear Reasons

It was unclear at first, especially to parents of the students within that particular lesson, why the teacher was displaying the firearm at all. Turns out it wasn’t gun safety at all. Alexander was going to teach the class how to disarm someone. He was checking to see if the weapon was loaded when it went off.

On Leave

Breaking it down for you: this meant he had brought a loaded gun to school in order to have students try and wrest it from him. It was not the man’s most “well-thought-out” lesson for a fact. The school district, citing safety concern of their students, has placed Mr. Alexander on administrative leave, and that’s not the only consequence he faces…

Accidents Happen

Guns in schools are illegal in California of course. This would have prevented such a lesson from being taught at all if it weren’t for the fact that Dennis Alexander was technically a peace officer and could therefore have been granted special permission: he had not been granted that permission.

Leave it Alone

In addition to his uncertain fate at the school, Dennis Alexander has also been placed on administrative leave by the Sand City Police Department. It is also possible that criminal charges will be filed against him if the courts deem it necessary. The situation also brings back the recent discussion about arming teachers…

Arming Teachers

In the wake of the Parkland shooting, democratic lawmakers have of course called for stricter gun control. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have come up with a different plan. Their idea is to allow certain school personnel to have guns and carry guns with them while they work during the school day. Speaking impartially, both ideas do have merit.

Someone Could Have Died

The injured student’s father, Fermin Gonzales, has come out as saying the the incident was essentially an accident. Still, as he puts it, “Somebody could have died…t’s just so crazy, I can’t believe it.” Mr. Gonzales was once a staunch supporter of President Trump’s plan to arm teachers but has since changed his tune…

Proper Training

The White House has more to go with it’s plan and has proposed funding firearms training and bolstering background checks on those who would wield the weapons. They believe that arming teachers “can be done right.” It very well could, but then again, Dennis Alexander was a trained police officer who came into school with a loaded gun to teach gun safety.

Not a Solid Plan

Gonzales has come out and said that the incident has greatly impacted his views on arming teachers. “I was kinda leaning toward having armed people in school in case something happened. After today, I get why people say there should be no guns in schools,” he explained, adding, “If there’s an accident — people could die. If it’s just one, that’s more than enough…”

Day Before Walkouts

The accidental shooting also fell, ironically, a day before students and teachers across the country had arranged to participate in a series of school walkouts. This nationwide walkout was contrived as a way to honor the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The walkout was also a way to indicate how much students and teachers across the United States wanted stricter gun control laws. The subject has been a hot topic for years now and members of gun enthusiast groups like the NRA have fought against such actions for years. In other countries though, some strides have been made…

Other Nations

In March of 1996, a school shooting occurred at the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland. A man shot and killed 16 children and one teacher before killing himself. The incident forced many in the UK to take a side on the issue of greater gun control. A similar incident had happened the same year in Australia as well. The 1996 Port Arthur massacre was a shooting spree that ended up changing Australian gun control entirely. It, like the Dunblane massacre, became a catalyst for new and effective changes in legislation that made the protection of life the highest priority…

Proof in the Pudding

Over time, the new gun laws put in place in the UK helped lower gun-related deaths significantly. Indeed in the 30 years following Dunblane, there was only one mass shooting. In Australia, gun violence went down an incredible amount and even gun-related suicides dropped 74%. The numbers don’t lie and the lives saved in those decades since cannot be ignored.

Change is Needed

Of course, the idea that guns alone are responsible for these deaths is a fallacy. It is the people who wield these weapons in such a deadly way that need to be policed as well. There are many on both sides of the debate, but I think it’s clear that Mr. Alexander is in the wrong in this instance, despite his best intentions.

School Teacher Accidentally Fires Round In Class While Teaching Gun Safety is an article from: LifeDaily

No one really knows what their neighbors do in the privacy of their own homes: and that’s OK. People’s secrets are their own. We show enough to the world through social media these days that it’s understandable to want to keep some parts of our lives to ourselves.

It happened in a small suburban community and was a discovery that shocked a neighborhood and baffled police. It all began when 911 got a call from a little girl in dire need of some assistance.

Help Us!

It was a sleepy Sunday morning, the kind of gray winter day that despite happening in Texas, was indicative of the season. 911 operators working in Riverside County had received a disquieting call from a frantic 17-year-old girl who said that she had escaped captivity with her parent’s cell phone and needed their help.

Big House

The girl, who despite being 17 looked no older than 10, led the police to a large, four-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Perris, Texas. She told officers that her family had moved into the 2,388-square-foot home from California, several years ago and that she and her 12 siblings lived there with her parents…

Happy Family

To everyone else in the neighborhood, and indeed to all of the girl’s extended family, the home looked like your typical, if very large, family home. The Turpins were undoubtedly a large family. With 13 kids, one could make the argument that they were a chaotic one, but all of their family photos and even a video of the parent’s renewing their vows, showed a harmonious and happy family.

Home-Schooled

The large house in Perris was equal parts family home and something called, at least on paper anyway, The Sandcastle Day School. It was named as such because the Turpins believed in home-schooling their 13 kids. Although, if you ask their neighbors, that wasn’t the case when they first moved in…

This Old House

It was a strange old house. Large but seemingly unkempt in the middle of the pleasant suburban neighborhood. The people who lived in side never really came or went, except to work and any glimpse that their neighbors had of them was mysterious and almost, unsettling. As it happened, there were reasons for that.

Odd Rules

When David and Louise Turpin first moved to Texas with their 13 children, they were active members of the community. The family was friendly and their children played with other children in the neighborhood. There was something odd about them though. The kids weren’t allowed to tell people their names outright. A few weeks after they moved in and the kids stopped coming out to play entirely.

Down on Their Luck

Many of their neighbors believed that this was simply a result of the fact that soon after they moved in, David Turpin ended up filing for bankruptcy. He had worked as an engineer at Northrop Grumman before that and his wife was a homemaker, but eventually it seemed, their bills overwhelmed them. Having thirteen kids will do that. So what were the parents to do?

A Whole Brood

As it happens, the Turpins found a way to make ends meet. Though their methods would have to be considered, less than savory considering the state their 17-year-old daughter was in when she fled the house for her life that Sunday morning. The Turpins were starving their children and apparently had been for years: long before they even moved to Perris…

Chained and Padlocked

At the desperate girl’s behest, when officers from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene. What they found inside the foul-smelling house was worth than they could have ever believed. All of the girl’s 12 siblings were trapped inside, some of them had been chained or padlocked to their beds. Even more incredible was the children’s ages…

Not All Children

All 13 of the victims appeared dirty and extremely thin. They were malnourished, emaciated and every single one of them looked like children even though their ages ranged from 2 to 29. Thankfully, there seemed to be no indication of sexual abuse, though whatever happened to them was bad enough without having to add that to the mix.

How Long

Police took the children into custody and arrested the parents. Once all of the children were stable, the officers began the interviews. It wasn’t clear how long the children were kept in that condition, but the tone of the discussion seemed to reveal that it had been years. Yet, why had no one known what was going on in that house for so long?

No Clue

You would think that certainly the home’s status as a Private School did nothing to encourage officials to visit and check up on things: but you’d be wrong. In order to even apply as a private school, or even a home school, the state has to observe now and again to make sure things are at least running smoothly. Yet no official at the Dept. of Education had any idea what was going on…

No Answer

Then of course there is social services. At first, the police received no answer at Child Protective Services’ main offices. Eventually though, Susan von Zabern from the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services reached out to comment. She explained that the incident that occurred as a result of the girl’s call: “was the first opportunity we had to intervene.” Which of course is no excuse.

The Issue

Part of the problem with that is that no one ever had cause to call them in to help. Indeed it wasn’t until the 17-year-old daughter escaped to warn the police and beg for help that anyone had any indication of what her sinister parents were up to. The children suffered in silence, communally starving to death and accepting, for whatever reason, their parents’ cruelty.

No Reason

The Turpins, for their part, were unwilling to immediately provide any reason why their children were to be restrained. Though really, what would be a satisfactory reason for such abuse? The officers surmise that it has something to do with either discipline or some sort of religion-based punishment. Whatever the reason, what they were doing was illegal.

Bad Dream

But what about the family? Surely there was someone, an aunt or an uncle, who knew what Dan and Louise were doing. As a matter of fact, there was not. When Louises’s sister Theresa found out what they had been doing and the conditions which her nieces and nephews were living in, she was heartbroken. “I can’t even say the words to you that I would like to say to her. I’m so angry inside…Our life wasn’t perfect growing up but she didn’t live like that. And neither did David…”

Dozens Turn Out

The Turpin’s neighbors were similarly shocked by what happened. They knew the Turpins were weird but they never expected them to be abusing their kids. Some of them didn’t even realize they had 13 kids. “I had no idea this was going on,” said neighbor Andrew Santillan. He didn’t even know they had kids in the house at all.

No One Knew

Neighbors Zinzi and Ricardo Ross had lived next to the couple for two years and couldn’t believe what had happened. One of the neighbors likened the whole situation to the Cullen family from the Twilight novels.“They only came out at night…they were really, really pale.” she explained….

Yardwork

Jonte McLaurin, who used to mow lawns in the neighborhood remembered knocking on the Turpin’s door several years back to offer his services. The family declined and were, as he put it, “all weird about it.” Eventually he saw the grass die and watched as the family put hay bales in the front yard. Obviously the troubles had started with the move itself.

Unattainable

Today, 57-year-old David Allen Turpin and his wife, 49-year-old Louise Anna Turpin, are being held on nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment. Their bail was set at a completely unattainable $9 million each. Though neither of them has a criminal record, it would appear that is about to change.

Married Couple Kept Their 13 Children Starved, Shackled In House For Years is an article from: LifeDaily

Making sure kids are safe and protected is a challenging full-time job for parents. But as kids get older, parents have the even more difficult task of letting go.

When two Indiana teenagers told their families they wanted to go on a hike on a trail they had been countless times before, they assumed it would be alright if they went unsupervised. They had no idea, however, that when the girls were dropped off, they would never be seen alive again…

Inseparable Friends

Like most best friends, Abigail Williams and Liberty German spent as much time together as possible. When together, they would do arts and crafts, practice softball with their matching bat and gloves, and both loved photographing their adventures.

Softball Practice

“She and Libby were dead set on taking over the world by softball,” Abigai’s mom, Anna, said about the inseperable girls. On a mid-February Sunday afternoon in 2017, Abigail and Liberty spent all day hitting softballs in the yard so they would be ready for the upcoming softball season that spring…

A Sleepover

Later that Sunday night, the girls found out that school had been cancelled the following day so their parents aggreed to let them have a sleepover. Abigail brought over her crafts supplies and they spent the whole night painting nature scenes on canvas.

The Last Day

When they woke up the next monring, it was unusually warm outside for a February morning, so the girls decided it would be a perfect day to go exploring outside. They had no idea at the time, but it was a decision that would cost them both their lives…

The Plan

After having breakfast on the morning of Monday, February 13, 13-year-old Abigail and 14-year-old Liberty decided to spend the day exploring and taking photographs at The Monon High Bridge, an abandoned railroad bridge over Deer Creek in Delphi, Indiana.

The Hike

At around 1 in the afternoon, a family member dropped the 2 girls off at the hiking trail that led to the bridge. Before the girls went off to explore, they agreed to meet back at the same location to be picked up a few hour later. Tragically, that would never happen…

The Meeting Spot

Over the next few hours, the girl’s families assumed Abigail and Liberty were having fun taking photos and spending time outdoors. But when the girls never showed up at the meeting point like they had agreed, their families instantly knew something wasn’t right.

Nowhere To Be Found

By 5:30 p.m., there was still no sign of the girls and they couldn’t get in touch with them. Fearing something terrible had happened, the Williams family and the German family contacted the police to report them both missing. While the families worried that the girls had been kidnapped or harmed, the police didn’t believe Abigail and Liberty were in any immediate danger…

Exposed To The Elements

The police assumed Abigail and Liberty might have just gotten lost. At that time, the biggest concern was that the temperature was dropping and the girls didn’t have any heavy clothing since the temperature that day had been unseasonably high.

A Search Party

That evening, volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies came together to form a large search party and worked tirelessly to find Abigail and Liberty. But as the sun set, it became too dark to continue the search and it was called off until the next morning…

The Search Continues

On the morning of Tuesday Febrarary 14, the search for the missing girls started again. This time, however, the police K-9 units and dive teams came along to help the search party. By 12 p.m., searchers discovered 2 bodies about a half-mile from the bridge.

Tragic News

The bodies were imediately sent to a lab for autopsies, but it wasn’t until the following day that the police confirmed that the bodies belonged to Abigail and Liberty. The Williams and the German family were understandably devastated and couldn’t understand who would want to hurt the sweet girls..

Total Shock

“There weren’t many people she wasn’t the joy of. She smiled all the time,” Abigail’s mom said. “Libby was a person who made it a point to make people feel good,” Liberty’s grandparents added. But they finally got an idea of what happened when police searched the girls’ phones.

A Major Clue

While the police are not entirely sure what happened that Febraury afternoon, investigators discovered pictures of a man in jeans with a blue coat on Liberty’s phone. And when they found a 3-second audio clip, they got an idea of what happened…

The Prime Suspect

In the short clip, the man in the photos, who has since become the prime suspect of the murders, can be heard ordering Abigail and Liberty to go “down the hill.” After discovering the first major clues, police have hailed Liberty a hero for bravely taking her camer out and capturing as much of the terrifying moment as possible.

Final Moments

Despite the pain Abigail and Liberty’s death has had on their families, they have found some comfort in the fact that the girls were together in their final moments. “They did not leave each other’s side. I don’t know what happened out there that day—there’s a chance, an opportunity for one to break off or split or make a break for it, or whatever,” said Liberty’s grandfather, Mike. “I look at it you, know two young soldiers that stuck together, covered each other’s back, two best friends, you know. I wouldn’t leave my best friend side. Neither did they…”

The Investigation Begins

In the months that followed Abigail and Liberty’s murders, police received thousands of tips and have even offered a $230,000 reward for any information leeding to an arrest in the case. And with the footage bravely captured by Liberty, police were able to release a composite sketch of the murderer.

A Suspect Is Apprehended

In mid-October 2017, authorities in Colorado arrested Daniel Nations, an Indiana native and a convicted sex offender, for threatening people on hiking trail with a hatchet. Investigators noticed similarites in the cases and similarities between Nations and the sketch, but have not found any definitive evidence linking him to the murders…

An Unsolved Case

Almost a year, after Abigail and Liberty were killed, police still have not made any arrests in connection to the case but are still working tirelessly to find the person responsible for the murders. “We are confident someone knows who was responsible for these murders and we encourage them to come forward with their tip information,” the state police said.

The Future

While the Williams and German families are desperate to get justice for the girls, they started raising money to build a sports complex and dedicate a park in memory of Abigail and Liberty so that they are never forgotten. “They’ll remember them. Their legacy will be there,” said Liberty’s Grandmother, Becky. “The rest of the girls in this community, growing up, can always go there and read on a plaque ‘this field was built in remembrance of (Libby and Abby),’ added Mike. “A kid 25 years from now can look at it and go: ‘That’s why I get to play here today.’”

Indiana Girls Found Dead One Day After Going Missing is an article from: LifeDaily

Sometimes there are things that not even the medical community can explain. The only way to make sense of miraculous events is to attribute it to a higher power or some form of faith.

Faith is exactly what one mother relied on when her doctor gave her devastating news about her unborn son. She thought he was doomed from the start but he proved everybody wrong…

The Lewis’

Lovebirds Michelle and Darryl Lewis from Tunbridge, London were thrilled when they discovered they were having a baby boy. Their biggest decision became choosing a name for their son and they happily agreed upon Riley.

21-Weeks

Both expectant parents were relatively healthy, neither doing drugs or drinking alcohol, so they assumed their child would be healthy as well. However, when Michelle, 32, was 21-weeks pregnant, doctors gave her some alarming news…

Heart Defects

Medics told Michelle and Darryl that Riley was suffering from a number of heart defects. The nurse failed to hear his heartbeat and further tests done at the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London revealed the real picture.

Scary Odds

Doctors determined that Riley was suffering from not one but six heart defects. The odds of this were pretty rare being that having heart defect was unlucky, but six was unheard of. Medical staff advised Michelle and Darryl to terminate their pregnancy…

Small Chance Of Surviving

Aborting Riley was never something they ever imagined, but doctors were urging them to consider it. Riley would have a very small chance of surviving if he was even able to make it to term and Michelle and Darryl were faced with a difficult decision.

Heartbroken

Michelle remembers the moment the doctor gave her this news like it was yesterday and she burst into tears before the doctor was even able to explain what was causing Riley’s heart defects. She describes it as the worst feeling she’s ever experienced in her life…

Numerous Heart Problems

Doctors told Michelle and Darryl that Riley’s heart was struggling to pump blood around his body and he had so many complications that he wouldn’t live. Medical staff said they’d never seen anything like it, and they took the family into a little room and again urged them to terminate the pregnancy.

A Final Decision

Despite doctors pushing termination on the family, there was no way they could go through with it. Their parental instincts kicked in and Michelle and Darryl were determined to do whatever they could to protect their child. After Michelle informed medical staff of their decision, doctors continued to tell her that her baby probably wouldn’t make it through the pregnancy and even if he did, he wouldn’t survive long after birth…

Never Giving Up

Michelle and Darryl were devastated and they turned to each other and knew straight away there was no way either of them was going to give up on their baby. Her doctors agreed to monitor Michelle closely during her pregnancy but she was always concerned something bad was about to happen.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve 2010 Michelle went into labor, but it was even more difficult than she had imagined. When she went into labor, baby Riley’s heart stopped every time she had a contraction. Her labor was so bad that is lasted 15 hours before doctors decided to perform an emergency C-section…

Little Fighter

They nearly lost Riley so many times but Michelle heard a scream and Riley was out of her body. Nurses held him up for Michelle to see, but seconds later he was pulled away. It’s completely normal for nurses to take a newborn away after delivery but in Michelle’s case, she had every reason to worry.

Emergency Surgery

All she remembers is seeing Riley’s big beautiful eyes as she prayed that he would keep fighting. Eight hours later, Riley was rushed into surgery. Michelle knew doctors told her delivery wouldn’t be easy, but it was finally becoming her reality…

A Tiny Miracle

During surgery, they inserted a balloon into Riley’s body to allow his heart to pump blood into his arteries. After his operation, the surgeon came out and told Michelle and Darryl that he had no idea how Riley was still here. They spent every minute by his side and prayed he wouldn’t suffer any complications.

His Journey Wasn’t Over Yet

Even though Riley’s surgery went as well as it could have, four days later, he needed to have another one. At just five days old, Riley underwent another surgery to insert a shunt into his arteries…

New Years Eve

It was New Years Eve and all the fireworks were going off outside the London Eye, which was right across the river from the hospital. The nurses kept asking Michelle and Darryl if they wanted to go outside and watch, but they just wanted to stay with Riley. It was the best New Years they ever had, as the three of them were together.

MRI Scare

While Riley recovered from his second surgery, Michelle and Darryl had another scare four months later. They feared they would lose him during an MRI scare when Riley reacted violently to the anesthesia used to put him to sleep. His heart rate shot up so high that it reached 260!

Ringbearer

Thankfully, after five months in the hospital, Riley was finally able to go home, and he was even well enough to be the ringbearer at his parents wedding in July 2011. Michelle and Darryl were over the moon, but Riley’s journey wasn’t over yet.

An Uncertain Future

Doctors told the family they would need to monitor Riley very closely as he may need more operations. During this time, Michelle relied heavily on the doctors and nurses at St. Evelina’s hospital to care for her son. His life was in their hands…

Three More Operations

Over the next 12 months Riley went on to have three more operations and he was doing surprisingly well. Doctors told the happy parents that they were sure that Riley would be able to live a normal life, although he may still need more surgeries.

Riley Is Doing Great

Despite all of Riley’s complications, he is doing so much better than expected. Today, Michelle thinks about that moment that she was forced to make a decision to end her son’s life before it even began. Had she agreed with the doctors, Riley wouldn’t be here today. Furthermore, he wouldn’t be thriving as his setbacks have made him an even stronger little boy. He is doing great and is Michelle and Darryl’s little superstar!

Baby Boy Defies Odds, Survives Multiple Surgeries Following Birth is an article from: LifeDaily

When Dr. Stephanie Martin heard the urgent “Code Blue” message over the hospital intercom, she rushed to the aid of 34-year-old Tracy Hermanstorfer, who was in labor, but not in a good way. Martin knew that a Code Blue message meant it was something serious, and it just happened to be Christmas Eve.

It was lunchtime when the Code Blue came through. Dr. Martin rushed to the room of Hermanstorfer at the Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs where she was on shift. She was lucky to have arrived just in the nick of time, but quickly realized it may have been too late…

Lunchtime

Most of the hospital staff were winding down as it was Christmas time, with a skeleton crew of staff on hand for emergencies. It was lunchtime on Christmas Eve when Martin was conferring with a patient in her office when suddenly the Code Blue came through on the intercom.

Ballroom Dancer

At the age of 42, Martin looks more like a ballerina in scrubs than the head of high-risk obstetrics at the hospital. In her spare time, Martin is a competitive ballroom dancer, and her physique and energy levels make her an ace doctor to boot. When the Code Blue came in, Martin arrived at the emergency within two minutes.

Code Blue

A Code Blue is an emergency announced in a hospital or medical facility whereby a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest requires the immediate assistance of a team of providers, often called a “Code Team,” who rush to the specific location of the patient to begin immediate resuscitative efforts. When Martin heard the person needing the help was in labor, she feared for the worst.

East Tower

The patient in danger, Hermanstorfer, was located in a room in the East Tower of the hospital. When the call over the intercom came: “Code blue, East Tower, labor and delivery rooms,” Martin ran down the hall to the room. “I can’t lose anyone on Christmas Eve,” she said to herself. But the situation was desperate, and both mother and baby were in dire straits.

Good Health

When Hermanstorfer arrived at her hospital with her husband Mike, a long-haul truck driver, earlier in the day she was in good health and expecting a normal delivery for her baby. She had given birth twice before and knew more or less what to expect once at the hospital. The mother-to-be and Mike were excited to be having a Christmas baby and knowing he was a boy they had already decided on a name.

Contractions Begin

When Hermanstorfer began to realize she was having contractions, she made her way to the hospital, arriving at around 12:30 in the afternoon. After a few hours of contractions, the pregnant woman was growing tired and decided to accept an epidural injection to ease the pain of labor and delivery. The baby’s heart rate was slow, but no major issues were noted at the time.

Long Day

Mike was playing the role of the perfect husband on that day as he attended to his wife’s every need and doted on her. Mike knew his wife was facing a long day ahead and wanted to offer her some words of comfort. “Rest, close your eyes,” Mike told her. “It looks like you’re going to have a long day.” But nobody could have predicted what happened next.

Previous Experience

As she raced to the Code Blue emergency, Martin recalled the Fourth of July 1997, which was the first time she worked as a physician on a maternity ward. On that day, Martin encountered a normal birth involving a 21-year-old woman, but things went wrong on that occasion. Amniotic fluid had escaped the placenta and entered the mother’s bloodstream, causing an allergic reaction. Both the mother and the baby died during that incident, and it left a deep and lasting impression on Martin.

Emotional Tailspin

Being that she was new at the job despite all her years of training, the incident sent Martin into an emotional tailspin. She found herself depressed and bedridden for days at a time, and no one could talk her out of her mood. It took Martin weeks to recover from that, and she said to herself, “I can’t give up. I have to find a solution,” according to a Gazette report.

Expert Skills

Having worked with maternal cardiac arrests for twelve years since the fateful July fourth incident, Martin became an expert in her field and just the person one would want around in such a situation. When Hermanstorfer closed her eyes and began to doze off, her husband felt that her hands were unusually cold and noticed her lips were turning blue. “What’s going on?” he asked a nurse in the room.

Saving Life

The nurse realized something was very wrong, and that’s when she pulled the Code Blue cord in the room. Mike was ushered into a corridor where two chaplains were waiting for him. He rushed back into the room where his wife was, noticing she wasn’t breathing and was in cardiac arrest. Mike prayed, hoping that his wife and son weren’t dead.

Many Causes

Hermanstorfer’s condition could have been caused by any number of factors. It could have been an amniotic embolism, an allergic reaction to the epidural. For that matter, it could have been down to a spontaneous irregular heartbeat, or the placenta separating from the uterus. In such situations protocol calls for the baby to be delivered before the mother is resuscitated.

Improving Chances

Through her years of experience, Martin knew that if there was any chance of saving the distressed mother, the fetus and placenta needed to be removed as soon as possible in order to take the strain off the mother’s heart. As two teams worked to save the patients – one team working on Hermanstorfer and the other standing ready to revive the baby – the atmosphere in the room was tangible.

Fading Heartbeat

When Martin noticed from the monitor that the baby’s heartbeat was fading fast, she instructed medical staff to intubate the mother, forcing air into her lungs with a manual pump so that the baby could get enough oxygen. Martin then planned to perform a C-section then and there and without hesitation.

C-Section Time

Martin had done them numerous times before, but when she poured a bottle of surgical soap over Tracy’s abdomen and made the first six-inch horizontal incision, she noted there was no blood as Tracy’s heart had stopped beating. The second cut was also horizontal and opened the uterus as intended. Martin pulled the baby from the amniotic fluid, lifted out the limp body and cut the umbilical cord.

Vital Functions

Martin immediately noticed that the baby’s vital functions were depressed. The boy was pale and not moving, so the doctor handed him to the neonatologist, who took the baby to the warming table. The baby’s nose and mouth were suctioned, and artificial respiration was applied. The baby had been delivered inside just five minutes, but things weren’t looking good.

Tiny Heartbeat

Martin was almost sure that the mother wouldn’t make it but was nicely surprised when she placed her finger on Hermanstorfer’s aorta and felt a tiny heartbeat. “Let’s get her to the operating room. Now!” she shouted. As Hermanstorfer was rushed on a gurney to the OR, she passed by her husband, Mike. Martin instructed him to “give her a kiss,” knowing it may be the last one he ever gave her.

Breathing Machine

Tracy Hermanstorfer was still very much alive, and her heartbeat was improving nicely. She was put on an automatic breathing machine to assist her as Martin removed the placenta and stitched the patient up. Hermanstorfer had survived and was taken to the ICU to recovery. Suddenly she awoke exclaiming, “My baby’s name is Coltyn.” Then Mike was summoned into a room by a nurse.

Feeling Proud

As soon as Mike had entered the room his baby son was thrust into his arms by the nurse. The baby seemed lifeless to Mike, but he was simply exhausted from the ordeal he had just been through. “He came alive in my arms,” Mike said. He was then taken to the ICU with the baby to be reunited with his wife.

Appreciating Life

Having made a full recovery, Tracy Hermanstorfer loves her son and is thrilled that he was saved. She told reporters that the near-death experience had taught her a lesson in appreciating life to the full and enjoying her three children. To Mike’s mind, the whole thing was a miracle, especially as doctors still have no idea what caused the emergency medical situation in the first place.

Mother And Baby Cling To Life During ‘Code Blue’ Delivery is an article from: LifeDaily

Standing at just 4 feet, 10 inches tall, Barbara Barkley designed her Chesapeake, Virginia, home with just herself in mind. She arranged for all the counters and handles to be lowered for convenience, despite being told it could affect the resale value of her property.

“I planned to live there until I died,” said the 68 year old. And until recently, everything was going according to that plan…

Mortgage Modifications

The scam all began under the Obama administration when a program was set up to stem the fallout from the housing crisis at the time. A man called Sammy Araya from Santa Ana, along with a group of friends, started sending out mailers and internet adverts claiming to be able to help with “mortgage modifications.” The program itself was real, but Araya’s ads were not.

Trial Payments

The scam involved trying to get homeowners to send cash “reinstatement” fees and then “trial payments” on a monthly basis for new mortgages under preferential terms. They were told that their money would go to the lender but instead, they pocketed it. The group of scammers extracted in the order of $11 million in total from their unwitting victims; most of whom were elderly and already drawing a pension.

Lost Everything

While the ringleader of the gang already faced a federal court in Alexandria, Barkley and thousands of other victims have suffered life-changing losses. “I literally lost everything because of these people, and it’s breaking my heart,” said Barkley, according to a Los Angeles Times report. “I paid for it all myself, didn’t have a man to pay for it for me, and then some stranger gets to destroy it.”

Ignoring Calls

Barkley recalls how she frantically tried to get Araya on the phone when she realized something was going on with her payments. The poor woman only found out she was in trouble when a man on a motorbike came to paste a notice from her mortgage lender on her door to warn her of foreclosure. The company claimed they had forwarded her monthly checks as promised but that was a complete lie.

Sending Proof

Barkley was desperate to prove to her lender that she had made payments via the company and hadn’t even missed one. “I sent them the proof, and they said, ‘That’s not us,'” she recalled. “I called the [Federal Trade Commission], and they said, ‘Honey, you’ve been scammed.'” Those four words from the Commission sent Barkley into a downward spiral, and she was unsure how to get out of it.

No Recourse

Representatives from government agencies informed Barkley that she had no meaningful recourse and that her lender would no longer work with her. That custom-fit home she had plunged her life savings into was gone, and she had no way of getting it back. The group specially targeted vulnerable people and Barkley simply got caught up in the web of deceit without her knowledge.

Staggering Scam

When it came time for the trial, Assistant US Attorney Ryan Faulconer said to the court about Araya: “He was targeting people who were first off incredibly vulnerable, and second, incredibly trusting,” adding that the number of victims “wouldn’t fit in this courtroom or probably all of the courtrooms in this building … it’s staggering.” People from across America were targeted and defrauded out of millions of dollars.

Many Victims

As well as Barkley, many other people lost their homes and life savings, and ended up in terrible situations they couldn’t get out of. One couple who were scammed ended up getting divorced from the stress of losing their home. Another victim was made homeless and had to put her daughter in a pediatric psychiatric unit to deal with what she had just been through.

Reducing Payments

Another victim of the scam, Aaron Davis, was looking at the time to reduce repayments on his Woodbridge home. He was already behind on the mortgage, and his basement had been flooded, so he needed cash. At the age of 64, Davis had no choice but to invest all his money into the repairs. His house was unceremoniously repossessed with his belongings inside.

Needing Money

Davis and his ex-wife were shocked that they lost their home. The fact that they jointly care for their 28-year-old daughter who has brain cancer made their circumstance even worse. “I could’ve used that money,” Davis said. He noted that if he ever got paid back, “I’ll probably be senile. I’ll think I won the lottery.” Meanwhile, the scammers were living the high life on the money they had stolen.

Fast Lane

For his part, Araya was living life in the fast lane according to testimony. He frequented strip clubs and threw massive parties at his leased mansion in Orange County. He even took to YouTube to launch an online reality show he called “MakeItRain TV.” In one video, Araya is seen showing off stacks of cash in his refrigerator as well as a fleet of luxury cars and an extensive sneaker collection.`

Make it Rain

The whole premise of the TV show involved throwing handfuls of cash into crowds of people. In one episode, Araya performs a parody of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” called “Fly Day.” The series never took off in any real way, but it was used as evidence against Araya and his cohorts when they faced trial for their crimes.

Offering Incentives

Araya set the scam up properly and even incentivized his colleagues with fancy dinners and Los Angeles Lakers tickets when they successfully scammed large amounts of money from people. He told them all to use aliases regularly and to change their accents when necessary. Araya himself is a master of accents and went by numerous different names.

Moving In

As soon as Araya sensed that law enforcement was closing in on him and his team he moved offices and even changed his business name. His team destroyed hard drives and computers, and it was reported that Araya used a federal complaint paper he had received to roll a joint. Now it was time for search warrants to be executed.

Winding Down

At one point after searches had been carried out, the operation ground to a halt. Araya wasn’t even arrested at that time and went on to start spearheading a fresh scam, involving taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Texas businessmen toting a fake oil investment opportunity. Before long though, Araya was arrested and that scam never took off.

Pleading Guilty

When it came to trial, Araya and nine co-conspirators pleaded guilty to the mortgage scam they had been involved in. Prosecutors wanted Araya to serve a life sentence for his crimes, but on the day his trial was supposed to start, Araya set up a GoFundMe page asking for money to start a church. The slogan he chose was apt though as it read, “Give ’til it hurts.”

Most Vulnerable

Pensioners and those over 65 are considered to be the fastest growing demographic in the United States, as well as the most vulnerable to financial schemes. While the scammers present themselves as financial advisors, their scams often have devastating and life-changing effects on their victims. Many of these people suffer from health issues like dementia, making scamming them all the easier.

Elder Abuse

In the United States, a staggering $6.2 billion is lost every year due to what’s called “elder abuse.” While more than 90 percent of these incidents occur within the victim’s home, the most common scams for the elderly are done on the phone or by mail. But the scams aren’t limited to mortgage fraud and often include claims of winning foreign lotteries or sweepstakes.

Staying Safe

The main way these scammer work, as in the case of Barbara Barkley, is to establish trust with the victim, usually during a phone call. The best way to protect oneself is to never reveal your bank account details to anyone. For that matter, it’s important not to let strangers into the home or to allow them to gather any information on you or your assets.

Jail Time

While Araya and his team thought they would get away with their crimes scot-free, nothing could be further from the truth. The prosecutor’s target of a life sentence for Araya wasn’t realistic, and he ended up being sentenced by a federal court in Alexandria to 20 years in prison. His colleagues received prison sentences too, ranging from five to 18 years.

Scammers Target Pensioner Who’s Lived In Custom Home For 30 Years is an article from: LifeDaily

When a couple gets married, they vow to love and cherish each other in both sickness and health from the moment they say ‘I do.’

Unfortunately, a couple from Wisconsin ended up having to put that vow to the test much sooner than they ever expected they would need to. During their dream honeymoon just days after getting married, the 30-year-old groom caught a cold, which has left him fighting for his life.

The Dream Wedding

On July 21, 2018, Adam and Bridget Spoerri got married surrounded by all of their friends and family members. The ceremony was hosted at the South Shore Pavilion at a park on the edge of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the couple both live and work.

Starting Their Life Together

For the couple, their wedding day was everything they had dreamed of. They managed to celebrate the love they shared for each other and made vows to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. A few days later, the couple set off on their honeymoon.

The Honeymoon

“Adam is probably the nicest person I have ever met. He makes me a better person,” Bridget, an English teacher, told Fox 6. For their honeymoon, Adam and Bridget had planned to go on a road trip together to Lake Superior. However, while at a bed and breakfast in Minnesota, Bridget ended up catching a cold.

Coming Down With A Cold

Not long after, Adam caught the same cold and started experiencing flu-like symptoms. Bridget’s cold started to go away on its own. But 30-year-old Adam wasn’t so lucky. His symptoms were more extreme and continued to get worse as the days passed.

A Worried Wife

Thinking Adam had a bad case of the flu, Bridget asked him if they should go to the hospital. “Adam first had symptoms of kind of a general chest infection, cold, cough,” Bridget said. Adam, a home renovator, didn’t want to spend their honeymoon at the hospital so told his concerned wife that he’d be fine.

The Symptoms Get Worse

He figured he just needed to rest and that he’d start getting better. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened as the days passed. On August 5, just two weeks after their dream wedding, Bridget insisted on taking her new husband to the hospital.

Time To Go To The Hospital

He was incredibly weak and showed no signs of improvement. That day, Bridget took Adam to the emergency room at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center. While at the hospital, Adam was so weak he could barely hold his head up as his neck wobbled.

A Mystery Illness

He could barely even swallow the pills doctors were trying to give him even when they crushed them up. In order to break, Adam had to brace himself with his arms. Doctors weren’t sure what was causing the strange symptoms, but it was clear he was going to need more intense care.

The Paralysis Begins

As a result, he was admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital. Within a couple of days at the hospital, Adam lost control of his muscles in his left arm, right shoulder, right arm, and neck. Then the muscles in the 30-year-old’s face started drooping.

Puzzling Symptoms

He could no longer swallow at all and he was seriously struggling to breathe on his own. “His head became very weak. He could not swallow and then his breathing was very labored,” Bridget said. The symptoms puzzled the doctors, who became frustrated since they couldn’t figure out what was causing Adam’s illness.

Searching For Answers

Because he was gradually becoming paralyzed, doctors wondered if he had polio. Yet tests for the virus came back negative. Meanwhile, doctors intubated Adam and put him on a ventilator to keep him alive while they continued running tests.

A Terrifying Experience

“It was awful. He was scraping the cardboard because he couldn’t breathe,” Bridget told the Journal Sentinel about those horrifying moments Adam was fighting to stay alive. “I thought he was dying every day those first two weeks. I had no hope.”

Stuck In The ICU

Adam and Bridget should have been living in newly married bliss in their new home, which Adam had planned on completely renovating himself before he got sick. Instead, Adam was stuck in the intensive care unit. Bridget refused to leave his side the entire time.

Four Weeks Later

She spent her nights trying to sleep in a reclining chair next to Adam’s hospital bed. Then in September, after about four weeks in the hospital and almost 100 different tests, doctors finally figured out what was wrong with Adam. Unfortunately, the prognosis wasn’t good.

The Diagnosis

According to Adam’s team of doctors, he was suffering from Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a serious disease that affects the spinal cord and the pathway that carries messages to and from the brain. The disease is incredibly rare and is more often seen in children than adults.

Not A Subtle Disease

“AFM is not subtle,” Rodney Willoughby, program director for antibiotic stewardship at Children’s Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, told the Journal Sentinel. According to Willoughby, the symptoms include “sudden weakness in an arm, or a leg, or the face – it doesn’t hurt, but is paralyzed – trouble with saliva, or swallowing, sometimes trouble breathing normally or deeply.” He also explained that AFM usually presents itself as a cold at first.

The Prognosis

Unfortunately, there is no cure for AFM and Adam’s case is particularly complicated because he has asthma and Crohn’s disease. Some patients with AFM have been able to regain movement with physical therapy and some have even fully recovered, so Bridget and their family have remained hopeful in the more than three months since Adam fell ill.  

Signs Of Improvement

During that time, Adam has had terrifying experiences where he believed he was going to die from not being able to breathe. However, he has shown promising signs of improvement. At one point, he was almost entirely paralyzed. Now, he is starting to walk again and is regaining strength in his torso, back, shoulders, and arms. His doctors are even starting to slowly wean him off the ventilator hoping he will eventually be able to breathe entirely on his own.

An Unbreakable Bond

Adam still has a long road ahead of him, but amazingly, the experience has brought him and Bridget closer than they ever imagined. “I don’t know how he is so calm through all of this, but sometimes he’s had to calm me down,” said Bridget. “Adam and his wife have shown such strength through this entire illness,” Dr. Taylor Finseth, Adam’s neurologist at Aurora St Luke’s told the Journal Sentinel. “They really amaze me. The love that his wife shows for him is incredible.”

Determined To Recover

In the wake of Adam’s illness, the couples’ friends and family have supported them by starting a GoFundMe account and even offered to begin renovating their home. According to Bridget, Adam is still determined to renovate the home, which they only got to spend one day in together. “I’ll do one tile a day if I have to,” he said.

Doctors Fight To Save Newlywed Who Caught Rare Sickness On Honeymoon is an article from: LifeDaily

Many people who suffer from multiple sclerosis would classify it as an invisible illness. Some have few (if any) visible signs of the disease, while others show obvious symptoms like being unable to walk on their own.

The man in the following story suffered more serious symptoms of MS and he gave up the idea of ever being able to walk again. That was until a documentary changed his entire life…

No Control Of His Legs

For a decade, Roy Palmer had no control of his legs. The 49-year-old from Gloucester, England, had multiple sclerosis (MS), which results in the body’s immune system eating away at the protective covering of the nerves.

Collapsing Out Of Bed

Palmer first noticed something was wrong when he developed a fizzing sensation in his legs, which gradually got worse. One day when he was getting out of bed, the he collapsed as his legs were unable to support him.

Getting A Wheelchair

This eventually caused Palmer to get a wheelchair and his wife, Helen took on the role of caretaker. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is an unpredictable, disabling disease of the central nervous system.

Genetic Predisposition

MS disrupts communication between the brain and the body, and caused Palmer to have no feeling in his legs, forcing him to use a wheelchair. While its cause is still unknown, scientists believe the disease is triggered by an as-yet-unidentified environmental factor in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond.

Life-Changing Documentary

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed. Palmer suffered for 10 years before watching a BBC documentary with his wife in 2016.

BBC’s Panorama

In the documentary called Panorama, the couple saw how two MS sufferers’ lives were transformed after having hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). They watched as the patients were wheeled into the hospital, only to be walking when they got out.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

“We sat on the sofa and we both cried, and we thought well if they can do it,” Helen told BBC. After being moved to tears by the program, Palmer asked his general practitioner if he was able to try to the treatment.

Inquiring About HSCT

Palmer learned that HSCT attempts to “reboot” the immune system, which is responsible for damaging the brain and spinal cord in MS. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in HSCT for MS, blood cell-producing stem cells, which are derived from a person’s own bone marrow or blood, are collected and stored, and the rest of the individual’s immune cells are depleted by chemotherapy.

The Process

The stored stem cells are reintroduced into the body, then migrate with the bone marrow and over time produce new white blood cells. Eventually, they repopulate the body with immune cells. HSCT basically involves taking stem cells from a patient, who then undergoes chemotherapy.

The Goal Of HSCT

The chemo is given with the aim of destroying the immune system, before the stem cells are reintroduced to build a new, healthy immune system. The goal of HSCT is to reset the immune system and stop the inflammation that contributes to active relapsing MS.

Experimental Therapy

The entire process takes anywhere from three to six months and although HSCT has been shown to be effective at treating certain cancers and MS, it is still considered an experimental therapy. It has also been linked to severe kidney, liver, and lung complications.

Risks

While there are a number of known risks and toxicities associated with HSCT, the most serious is the risk of death. The main risk comes from the chemotherapy regimen used to reduce or deplete the immune system. This makes the patient vulnerable to many infections. But despite its risks, Palmer wanted to try to the treatment.

Effectiveness

He discovered that he was the perfect candidate for HSCT since he had highly inflammatory relapsing-remitting MS and has had it for ten years. Still, the effectiveness of the treatment would vary according to Palmer’s individual characteristics and the intensity of his treatment.

Beginning The Treatment

“If [the patients on the documentary] can have that done, on a trial, why can’t I have it done?” Palmer said. So, in 2017, Palmer started the grueling treatment. “Let’s hope it works,” Palmer said in a home video taken just before the treatment.

A Success

Thankfully, for Palmer, the treatment worked. After HSCT, he regained feeling in his left leg within two days. “I haven’t felt that in 10 years,” Palmer told BBC. “It’s a miracle.” He eventually regained feeling in both of his legs and began to walk.

Given A Second Chance

He said that the support from the nurses was “absolutely fantastic” and attributed to his recovery. “I’ve been given a second chance at life,” Palmer said. Since recovering from the surgery, Palmer started volunteering at his local police station.

Trip To Turkey

Thanks to his life changing surgery, Palmer has enjoyed his first stroll on the beach during a holiday trip to Turkey. “Little things like that, people don’t realize what it means to me,” he told BBC. Besides traveling, he’s enjoying the little things in life that most people take for granted, like dancing.

Dancing

Videos of Palmer participating in the “Kiki Challenge,” and “flossing” have gone viral. While most people take part in these trends without thinking too much about it, Palmer is rejoicing in being able to dance, as he wasn’t able to before MS.

Promising Treatment

The MS Society says “HSCT is a hugely promising treatment that has had amazing results for some people.” But since it requires patients to undergo chemotherapy, it can do more harm than good if a patient has a lot of nerve damage.

Favorable Odds

The society added that “its risk is decreasing as more people have the treatment.” Despite being favorable odds, one in 100 patients who use HSCT will still die as a result. But for patients like Palmer, it can prove to be hugely successful.

Man Suffering From Multiple Sclerosis Regains Hope After Watching Stem-Cell Documentary is an article from: LifeDaily

In the summer of 2013, a little girl went swimming at an Arkansas water park and the next day she was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed her with a fatal condition.

She was one of only three people in the United States to be diagnosed with this rare infection she contracted from the water park. Today, many people are still unaware of this deadly parasite known to thrive in water…

Willow Springs Water Park

On a warm summer day, Kali Hardig, 12, and two of her friends hopped into the car to go to Willow Springs Water Park. She loved the water and spent most of her time swimming at the water park near her house in Arkansas.

Swimming

It was a day that Kali remembers vividly, as she came home from swimming and told her mother, Traci, she had a bad headache. Her mother assumed it was from too much time in the sun or dehydration, being unaware of what was really going on.

Headache

By later that day, Kali couldn’t get rid of her headache and she didn’t even want to get out of bed. “Mama,” she said, “just let me sleep,” Kali recalled to BuzzFeed. Even with the Motrin and Tylenol, her temperature was still over 103 F and Kali’s eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Doctor’s Appointment

She had a doctor’s appointment at 3 pm, but at 12 pm, Traci called her husband Joseph saying “I got her in, but I don’t know if she’s going to make it that long.” Traci’s mother, Linda, drove over to the house and the two put Kali on a bed of wet towels in the back of the car.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Linda drove as fast as she could to the emergency room at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. At the ER, Traci told doctors that this couldn’t be an ordinary flu. When the doctors ask to do a spinal tap to rule out meningitis, Traci told them Kali was terrified of needles. But thankfully Traci willingly let them stick an IV in her arm.

Excruciating Pain

She was in so much pain at that point that a needle wasn’t going to affect her much. A doctor then extracted a sample of cerebrospinal fluid from the horsetail of nerves that extend from the brain down to the spine. The sample went to Tameka Reed, a technician at the hospital’s microbiology lab, and she was amazed at what she saw.

Naegleria Fowleri

What she saw was not bacteria or fungi, but instead, a pinkish scrum of white blood cells clustered around a white blob. The head of the department said it looked like Naegleria fowleri, although it was something she had never seen before.

Spreading

The hospital had only diagnosed two previous cases, both which ended in deaths. A call immediately went out to Dr. Matt Linam, one of the hospital’s infectious disease specialists, and the story soon spread. When Linam notified the family that Kali had Naegleria fowleri, they were speechless, not having a clue what this meant.

Diagnosis

Then, the head doctor took Traci and Joseph into a room and explained it to them. “He told us what she had, and he said, ‘she won’t make it through the weekend,’” Joseph recalled. This was another piece of terrible news for the family as Traci was fighting her sixth recurrence of breast cancer and Joseph had just returned from serving in Kuwait to take care of her.

Chance Of Survival

Now, they faced losing their daughter. “It’s hard to wrap your head around,” Joseph said. “They gave her a one percent chance of survival.” The family learned that Naegleria fowleri thrive in freshwater and when it’s warm, they crawl through mud and sediment to fest on bacteria. The organism’s form resembles a dragon fruit covered in mouth-shaped suction cups, and swallowing one or even more can be harmless since gastric acid inferno burns them to a crisp.

Deadly Parasite

But, if the organism gets flushed up your nose, there’s a chance it can attach to the nasal mucosa and dissolve the barrier and wander into the brain. “It’s like it’s on a highway direct to the brain,” says Nicole Iovine, an infectious disease doctor, and director of Antimicrobial Management Program at the University of Florida.

Brain-Eating Amoeba

Once it works its way up to to the brain cells, it multiplies and scientists call it a free-living amoeba. The organism exploits a weakness in the body’s defense and by the time the immune system responds to the inflammation, the brain begins to swell. The brain-eating amoeba is 99 percent fatal, with only a one percent survival rate.

Devastated Parents

Upon hearing the news, the family started to cry but Traci said, “I can’t plan a funeral.” Joseph replied, “We’re not. We’re going to go in there and tell her to fight.” No one explained this diagnosis to Kali, although she wondered about the bags of fluid hanging over her head. “Why are they giving me Mountain Dew?” Kali recalled to BuzzFeed.

Drug

The same week that Kali fell ill, the CDC’s Free-Living Ameba Laboratory in Atlanta received a drug called miltefosine that is made in Germany but not distributed in America. Before 2013, hospitals would not be able to get the drug in fast enough from Europe and patients would die before it would arrive. But the day after Kali’s hospitalization, the first shipment left Atlanta for Little Rock.

Airport

“First they said, ‘It’s on its way,’” says Traci. “Then they came back in and said, ‘We’ve got bad news. Delta lost it.’ It was lost in baggage control, so the head doctor, he went out to the airport instead of having it delivered. He didn’t want it to get lost again.” That next day, on Sunday, doctors added miltefosine to Kali’s regimen of antibiotic drugs.

In The Water

As Kali fought for her life in the hospital, that Tuesday, Traci taped a segment for the 9 o’clock news. “If your child has been swimming anywhere and they start complaining – their head hurting and running a fever or just not acting normal – go to the doctor.” She didn’t mention the beach or the water park, but the amoeba lived in water and as far as the public knew, it could be anywhere.

Spike In ER Visits

That weekend, the hospital saw a spike in emergency room visits, about 20 more than average for the month. By Thursday, six days after Kali had arrived at the hospital, she was still in an induced coma. Traci was receiving Facebook messages from people who heard her story on the news and had unfortunately lost their child to the deadly parasite.

Miracle

After one month in the ICU, Kali was wheeled out and had to learn to use her tongue again. Kali’s parents still didn’t explain to her how she ended up with tubes down her nose as there was no sense in scaring her. She’d lost 25 pounds and had to wear braces to walk and the fact she survived is a miracle.

Kali’s Survival

Dr. Matt Linam at Arkansas Children’s Hospital found it hard to attribute a single factor to Kali’s survival. Some suspect the amoeba was not as virulent or perhaps Kali had been exposed to the organism previously and somehow built up an immunity to it. “If they hadn’t identified it until the next day,” Dr. Linam says, “we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Against All Odds

But Kali is a fighter and against all odds, she made it through. “It’s awesome to be home,” Kali told CNN. After 55 days, Kali walked away from the hospital as one of the world’s few survivors of the rare and deadly brain-eating amoeba. She has been undergoing rehab and plans to head back to school part-time. In the meantime, she’ll be at class in the morning and in physical and speech therapy in the afternoons.

Arkansas Teen Who Survived Brain-Eating Amoeba Swims Again is an article from: LifeDaily

The life of a successful career criminal can be, despite the risks, something to be envied at times. For decades we’ve seen and read stories of successful mobsters surrounded by drugs, money, women, and fine living. Of course, the reality is much less grand.

Greg Scarpa was a charming mafioso with a loving family, an unbelievable amount of money, and connections all across New York City. Of course, even criminals have secrets, and Greg Scarpa’s was potentially the most dangerous thing about him…

Immigrant Life

Greg Scarpa was born in Brooklyn to first-generation immigrants, Salvatore and Mary, who both hailed from the impoverished village of Lorenzaga of Motta di Livenza near Venice, Italy. Greg was the second of five children and by the age of seven, had been forced into working with his father as a coal deliveryman to make ends meet.

Famous Brother

The hard labor that Greg experienced would stick with him for the rest of his life. As he walked around the neighborhood, looking at the local mobsters living the easy life, Greg decided that a life of hard work was not for him. In fact, when Salvatore Scarpa, Greg’s younger brother, started working for the Colombo crime family, Greg saw his way into the life and at age 17, he found his way in…

Criminal Career

Greg was strong and street-smart, and his skills were soon noticed by local Profaci crime family mafioso, Charlie LoCicero. Before long, Greg Scarpa was invited to take part in a number of mob rackets such as: loansharking, bookmaking, and extortion. He soon earned a reputation for being brutally vicious when enforcing unpaid debts.

Made Man

By the time Scarpa had reached his early 20s, he took the final step to become a made man. Greg “made his bones,” as it were, by killing an anonymous mark on a Brooklyn street. He was finally in. He formed a crew under himself and together they got into illegal gambling, narcotics, counterfeit credit cards, and of course, murder…

Family Man

In the 1950s, just as his own criminal career was taking off, Greg met and married Connie Forrest. Together, the happy couple had one daughter and three sons, including Gregory Scarpa Jr., who would follow his father into the business when he finally came of age. The family was happy and Greg’s illicit businesses afforded them a comfortable life.

Stylish Gangster

Greg not only lived the good life as a gangster, he made sure that he looked the part as well. He was a stylish dresser who routinely carried upwards of $5,000 cash as “pocket money” for purchases and bribes. He owned homes in Singer Island, Florida, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Las Vegas. He also had a secret apartment on Manhattan’s Sutton Place that his wife didn’t know about…

Secret Romance

Greg Scarpa and Connie separated in 1973, in part because his wife could no longer take the stress that her husband’s criminal career put upon the family, but also because Scarpa had apparently been seeing a mistress on the side. He maintained a 30-year relationship with girlfriend Linda Schiro that resulted in two children.

The Grim Reaper

Scarpa’s guile and brutality earned him the nickname “The Grim Reaper,” and his ability to outflank authorities allowed him to escape prosecution for many years. Nevertheless, 30 years of luck soon began to run out. In 1962, the feds finally caught up with Greg Scarpa, and they had a proposition for him…

Arrested Development

In March of 1962, Greg Scarpa was arrested for armed robbery. While in custody, the FBI approached him and asked if he’d like to work as an undercover informant for them. In that way, Scarpa could continue to live the way he was and avoid any and all jail time for his illicit activities. All he had to do was report on the activities of his contemporaries and come when they called.

A Good Deal

Greg had been in business long enough to recognize an ‘offer you can’t refuse,’ so he took the deal. Thus began Scarpa’s 30-year relationship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was a dangerous game of course, after all, if the mob found out, his whole family would be in danger. Luckily, Greg was good at keeping secrets…

Civil Rights

Two years later, the FBI came calling. FBI field agents in Mississippi recruited Scarpa to come to Mississippi to help them with an unusual task. Scarpa had to help the agents find missing civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner. The three agents had disappeared and were believed dead.

Missing-Sippi

The FBI was convinced that the three men had been murdered, but could not locate their bodies. They assumed that Scarpa, with his penchant for making men “sing” under interrogation, was the perfect man to help weed out the truth. Scarpa arrived in Mississippi and was given a gun and money to pay for information: he wouldn’t need the money…

Rough Methods

Scarpa, accompanied by an undercover FBI agent, pistol-whipped and kidnapped Lawrence Byrd and stored him at Camp Shelby, a local Army base. Byrd was a TV salesman and secret member of the Ku Klux Klan and Scarpa proceeded to beat him severely while sticking a gun barrel down his throat. Choking on the gun and his own tears, he admitted the location of the three bodies.

Good Cop, Bad Mafioso

Using illegal interrogation techniques not available to agents, Scarpa was able to gain information from suspects that the FBI would never have been able to gain. He was brutal to watch and hard to control at times, but he was effective; and there was no way that the FBI could argue that point. Still, they would never admit it…

Refused to Corroborate

The FBI however, has never officially confirmed these events publicly. The official story and evidence indicates that Mississippi highway patrolman Maynard King provided the grave locations of the three civil rights workers to FBI agent Joseph Sullivan. Apparently Sullivan had obtained the information from an anonymous “third party.”

Second Mission

In January 1966, Scarpa was sent on a second mission to Mississippi. He was called in on the murder case of Vernon Dahmer, who had been killed in a fire set by the Klan. The second trip resulted in a sharp disagreement between the FBI and Scarpa about a reward for his services to the government. After that, the FBI dropped Scarpa as a confidential informant…

Charmed Life

Despite this, Scarpa was still living the charmed life. He still had a loving family at home (Connie had not yet found out about his girlfriend), and his mob business was booming. But as the 70s turned to the 80s and his personal life began to fall apart, he began to develop an addiction to aspirin and developed an ulcer as a result.

Ulcer Surgery

After having emergency ulcer surgery at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn in 1986, Scarpa needed a blood transfusion. He refused to take any blood from the hospital blood because he was afraid it might come from African-Americans, who ironically, he hated. Instead he took donations from family members and some of his mob associates…

HIV

Some of this blood was from fellow mobster Paul Mele, a bodybuilder who was abusing steroids. Unfortunately, Mele had contracted HIV from a dirty needle and the disease was subsequently transmitted to Scarpa during the blood transfusion. Afraid of what he would have to tell his crew and the connotation AIDS had back in the 80’s, Scarpa and his relatives told everyone he was suffering from cancer.

Final Years

Eventually, even Scarpa’s FBI connections couldn’t help him avoid prosecution. He was caught again and charged with multiple counts of murder. In May of 1993, Greg Scarpa decided he’d had enough and pleaded guilty to his crimes. He was weak from the AIDS virus and therefore given a lenient sentence. He died in a medical prison on June 4, 1994 at age 66.

Notorious Mafioso’s Shocking Double Life Exposed Years After His Death is an article from: LifeDaily

When the Smith family waved goodbye to six of their sons who went off to fight in WWI, they feared they’d never see them again. For five of their sons, that was the harsh reality.

These events closely resemble those of Steven Spielberg’s WWII epic, “Saving Private Ryan,” though they happened 70 years before the film, during WWI.

The Smith Family

Margaret and John Smith’s two years of hell began in September 1916 when their 22-year-old son Robert was killed in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, on the Somme. Robert died just 11 weeks after arriving in France and he had been among 100 men who had wrongly been told the Germans were retreating from their position.

WWI

Margaret, a mill worker, and her husband John, a chimney sweep, had 11 children, with six being sent away to fight in WWI. She feared that they would never return, saying to a news station, “Don’t have boys, they’ll only end up as cannon fodder,” as reported by The Sun.

Robert Smith

Robert lost his life on the morning of September 16, 1916, when he was hit by enemy machine gun fire. He was then taken to a casualty station, where at first, he and his older brother George, 26, who was in the same battalion, joked together. But three days later, Robert died from his wounds.

Four Brothers

After his death, four brothers – George, John, Frederick and Alfred – came home on leave and posted for a photo, which wound up being their last one together. The sixth son, Wilfred, was not in the photo, because he wasn’t called up at the time.

George Smith

On Bonfire Night 1916, George lost his life when he was shot through the head by a sniper as he walked down waist-deep mud. He body disappeared under the surface, only to be lost forever. Then, Frederick, 21, was wounded on Christmas Eve 1916 and was sent home to recover where he remained until February 1917.

Third Battle Of Ypres

The following week, Wilfred joined his brothers, and five months later, on the opening day of the third battle of Ypres, Frederick was killed. Frederick has no grave but his name is shown on the Menin Gate in Ypres. Then, there was the fourth brother, John Stout, 37, who was married with two daughters.

The Nightmare Continues

He was killed in the war on October 9, 1917, and his body was never found. The nightmare only continued the following summer, when their fifth son, Alfred, 30, was wounded in a battle on the Ardre river. He died of his wounds at a military hospital on July 22, 1918.

Margaret’s Heartache

Just three weeks later, Queen Mary received a letter begging her to end Margaret Smith’s heartache, and bring her last son, Wilfred, home. By that time, Wilfred was 20-years-old, and he had fought the Germans in the trenches of Ypres.

Black-Edged Telegrams

Margaret couldn’t handle receiving one more telegram, after receiving five black-edged telegrams from the War Office, each one confirming that one of their boys had died. Three of her sons were never found and to this day, their bodies still lie under the fields of Northern France and Flanders.

Queen Mary

Then, in August of 1917, Queen Mary, the wife of King George V, read Margaret’s horrible story in a letter sent to Buckingham Palace. She vowed in the moment that Wilfred would be returned home safe to his mother from the front line of war.

Wilfred Smith

To Margaret’s surprise, a few days later, the Queen’s private secretary, Edward Wallington, wrote back to her saying Her Majesty had contacted the War Office to find Private Smith in the trenches and order him home. During his time at war, Wilfred survived mustard gas attacks and was training for the final round of combat with enemy soldiers.

Returning Home

It was then that a messenger arrived to the French-Belgian border of Terdeghem, with orders from Army headquarters for Wilfred to pack his bag and go home. Military historian John Sheen, an expert on the Durham Light Infantry, said “Mrs. Smith’s story must have touched the Queen’s heart because taking a man from the line for personal reasons is extremely rare,” as reported by The Sun.

Suffering After The War

After Queen Mary sent Wilfred home to Barnard Castle, he became a stonemason and chimney sweep, like his father John, who died in 1918. Throughout the remainder of his life, Wilfred suffered chronic chest problems from the mustard gas attack, and he lived until he was 69-years-old, having raised five children with his wife Hannah.

Barnard Castle

Wilfred’s granddaughter Amanda, 52, said, “As children we knew a little bit about Wilfred’s amazing story. My mom would tell us some of it but Grandad did not really talk about it. I think it was probably hard for him in some ways, as he was lucky to leave the war behind – though the people in Barnard Castle didn’t see it that way.”

Memorial

“Few people can imagine what it must have been like to him to lose five brothers,” Amanda added. On a Sunday in November 2018, Wilfred’s daughter, Diane, 74, along with Amanda and her daughter Charlene 30, son Craig, 28, and grandson Tommy, 2, planted poppy crosses at Barnard Castle’s war memorial.

Mary Bircham

It is there that the names of the five brothers are remembered. Anna recalls that Wilfred was brought home in the first place thanks to a woman named Mary Bircham, who befriended Margaret at the time of the war. It was Bircham who took the brave step of writing Queen Mary and begging her to save Margaret from any further sadness by bringing Wilfred home.

Saving Private Smith

Anna said, “We owe a lot to Mrs. Bircham, because without her, none of us would be here. Wilfred was sent home to keep the family name alive, and he was able to live a long life because of that.” With the help of historians, The Sun has pieced together this story of Saving Private Smith.

Saving Private Ryan

While much of the 1998 movie “Saving Private Ryan” was inspired by fiction, the premise behind Captain Miller’s mission is based on a true story. It covers the story of the Niland brothers – Preston, Edward, Robert, and Frederick – from Tonawanda, New York serving in WWII.

Similar Stories

When the War Department learned that three of the four brothers had perished, they decided the remaining brother needed to be brought home, just like it was portrayed in the film and for the Smith family. The only difference is the Smith brothers served in WWI.

Niland Family

The fourth Niland brother, Frederick, was ordered home to the U.S. in 1944. But, something unexpected happened in May 1945, when the Nilands received news that Edward was found alive in camp when it was liberated by British forces. The two other Niland brothers, Preston and Robert, were buried side-by-side in the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

Granddaughter Thankful Grandfather Was Brought Home From War After Losing 5 Siblings is an article from: LifeDaily

When 26-year-old Hofstra graduate Joseph Comunale from Stamford, Connecticut, went out one weekend in Manhattan, he ended up going to a jewelry dealer’s apartment downtown. The after-party at the Manhattan Tower block was uneventful for the most part.

But when Comunale was never seen leaving the apartment, suspicions were aroused. When no one heard from Comunale for days after, his worried father filed a missing person report with the NYPD…

Good Life

Having graduated from Hofstra, Comunale was a successful sales associate at Tri-Ed Ltd. He enjoyed his job at Tri-Ed, a security firm, where he sold CCTV, IP video, connectivity, access control, and home automation products with great success. As an avid New York Giants fan, Comunale also played Baseball and Hockey and enjoyed a rich life full of success and many friends.

Grand Sutton Tower

It was one weekend in November when Comunale attended a party located at The Grand Sutton Tower on East 59th Street near First Avenue. He attended that party with at least three women and two men but failed to return home that night. When he failed to show for work the following Monday, it raised some serious alarm bells. Comunale had met the group at a bar in the Village and immediately connected with them that night.

Strange Relationship

Having attended a bar and another party in Manhattan, the group went to 25-year-old James Rackover’s luxury apartment during the early hours. Rackover had a shady relationship with an older man and successful jeweler called Jeffry Rackover. He had been given the apartment as a gift while the elder Rackover allowed James to change his last name so that he and Jeffry could pretend to be father and son even though they were not.

After Party

The group partied at Rackover’s into the early hours of Sunday morning where alcohol and drugs were consumed. At 7:30 am, a CCTV inside the tower captured three women leaving the building. Comunale was also spotted by the camera leaving the building and returning alone. The story got hazy for investigators at that point, but the luggage cart ordered from the front desk raised some suspicions.

Leaving town

At around 10 am, Rackover and another friend called Dilione were spotted carrying a large duffel bag down to a black Mercedez in the parking garage with the luggage cart they had ordered from the front desk. The bag was loaded awkwardly into the car, and that car was seen by CCTV leaving town towards New Jersey. It was also captured on its return to the tower some hours later.

Conflicting Accounts

When police aggressively questioned Dilione, he waved his rights and started to talk, but he didn’t offer a whole lot of information. His friend Rackover kept quiet and said he was shocked that Comunale was missing. He said he had been home all night watching a boxing match and that his friend Dilione woke him at 2 am to ask if some friends could party in his apartment. He claimed he agreed to the partying but didn’t take part in it.

Petit Argument

As police applied pressure to Dilione, he began to fess up and painted a dark picture for the police of the events that night. He admitted that sometime after the women had left he got into an argument with the victim over a packet of cigarettes. He admitted to the cops that he beat Comunale till he was bloody and unconscious that night. As he laid on the floor bleeding, Dilione claims that Rackover got involved and told him he’d have to kill Comunale if he wanted to avoid arrest.

Wasn’t Me

Dilione went on to tell the police that Rackover stabbed the victim numerous times in the head and neck until he died in the apartment. After his death, the two friends tried to dismember Comunale in the bathtub but to no avail. They then decided to transport his body to Oceanside to bury it there in the hopes of getting away with murder. Dilione led police to the shallow grave, claiming he had only punched the victim and not killed him.

Who Dunnit?

The complex case was hampered due to various factors to the point where the police were unable to officially charge anyone with the murder of Joseph Comunale at the time. Allegations of police misconduct relating to Dilione’s confession made things even more complicated. Critics claim the police pushed the investigation too quickly and were unable to secure a proper confession from the alleged murderer. More recently, police were able to charge the two men with second-degree murder, but the whole case is shrouded in mystery.

Bizarre Motive

While it’s unclear to this day why Comunale was killed, with the fight over cigarettes being a tad unbelievable, some sources have claimed that he was killed for refusing the sexual advances of both Dilione and Rackover. While this hasn’t been proved, many in the NYPD believe this was the reason for the unprecedented and sudden attack on Comunale. His family was understandably devastated, and they spoke to reporters about the case.

Just Horrific

Comunale’s father, Patsy Comunale, spoke to NBC News following the murder, discussing his outrage at the event. “It’s horrific that another person can do this to an individual, and take a guy who was the most charismatic, funny guy – always the life of the party – never did steroids or anything else. And his friends can all attest to the type of individual he was,” he said. Even Rackover’s attorney admitted that his client had some “serious problems.”

Brutal Murder

The attorney also told reporters that while he knew something had happened, his client was innocent of murder and the other charges against him. “I can’t downplay the brutal nature of what happened to that body in New Jersey,” he admitted. “These charges are a placeholder. I look forward to conducting our own investigation. I intend to vigorously contest these charges.”

Lawsuit Time

Years after the gruesome murder, the father of the victim is now suing the parents of the killer’s two accomplices claiming they played a role in covering up his son’s murder. Comunale senior recently filed an official complaint against the parents of Max Gemma and Larry Dilione. Gordon Gemma was one of the friends at the apartment that night, and he was also implicated in the murder.

Cover Up

While Rackover was found guilty of second-degree murder in the case, Dilione and Gemma are still awaiting trial. But Comunale claims that the parents of the two men conspired with their kids to conceal the murder by “concocting a false narrative,” according to a Daily Mail report. Comunale claims that they interfered with the case to get their kids out of serving jail time.

Preventing Recovery

The Lawsuit states: “With the knowledge that Joey had been murdered and that his body was buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey, defendants Gemma and Dilione intentionally lied to the police and instructed Max and Larry to lie to the police to prevent the recovery of Joey’s remains.” Comunale is now seeking damages for “extreme emotional distress, humiliation, mental and physical anguish, emotional injuries, and economic losses.”

Admitting Guilt

The son of Good Day New York anchor Rosanna Scott, Louis Ruggiero, testified in court that Rackover had admitted the murder to him personally, even bragging about it. “I slit his throat, and I stabbed him, and we wrapped the body up in a comforter and threw it out the window so the cameras wouldn’t see,” he recalled Rackover saying. “James looked at me and said, ‘I did something really bad,'” he added.

Out of Hand

In court, Dilione admitted to punching Comunale but claimed that he watched Rackover stab him as soon as the fight got out of hand. “I turned around and that’s when I saw the knife being pulled out of Joey’s head,” Dilione said. But there were different versions of what the motive was for the brutal and sudden attack.

Different Versions

It’s still unclear to this day what the actual motive was for murdering Comunale. For his part, Dilione claims the fight started when he accused Comunale of “not paying his way” when it came to the alcohol and drugs on that night. “James is bringing cocaine; I’ve got cigarettes, what the f*** are you bringing to the table,” he allegedly said to the victim. But other reports allege that the fight sparked when Comunale rejected sexual advances from the two friends as previously mentioned.

One of a Kind

In paying tribute to the victim, the father said about his son, “He touched everybody who came in contact with him, loved him,” according to a Fox 61 report. “He was one of a kind. He didn’t deserve this; he didn’t go looking for trouble,” he said. The victim’s friends also described him as a wonderful person and a “joy to be around.”

Wonderful Person

One close friend of Comunale took to social media after his murder to speak about him. Sarah Thomas posted to Facebook: “My heart goes out to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing a nice guy like you. Justice will be served, but it will never make up for the world losing a wonderful person like you.” Another friend, Josh Westie, spoke to Heavy about the deceased: “How anyone could even dislike Joey is beyond me. They took someone everyone loved and adored, at this point we just want #justiceforjoey.”

Father Files Lawsuit While Awaiting Justice For Murdered Son is an article from: LifeDaily

It was Sajean Geer’s 71st birthday, but she wasn’t celebrating it. No, Sajean had a rather mournful task to complete: she had to scatter her husband’s ashes in Olympic National Park, Washington.

She knew that she had to keep the promise she’d made to her husband, but when she pulled her Ford Explorer to the side of the road that day, she had no idea of the great adventure that awaited her…

Jack

Sajean and her husband Jack Geer had been married for 34 years before Jack succumbed to a heart attack in December of 2016. For months, the widow mourned her loss in a state of shock. She couldn’t believe he was really gone. Finally though, after months of grieving, she decided that it was time to honor Jack’s last wish and move on with her own life.

Spread the Ashes

Before he’d died, Sajean had promised that she would scatter Jack’s ashes at his two favorite places in the world: The Kona coast on the Big Island of Hawaii and near Obstruction Point, inside Olympic National Park. So she carried his urn with her that day and together with their dog Yoda, drove to the national park…

Uh-Oh…

She pulled her car over to the side of the road and wandered into the woods with Yoda in tow. Yet, no sooner had she scattered his ashes, than she found herself completely turned around in the seemingly endless maze of trees. To make matters worse, dusk was beginning to settle in: the sun was setting, and fast.

Tumbling Down

In an effort to see if she could catch sight of the road from a higher point, Sajean climbed a hill, still clutching the urn. She slipped on her way up and the impact sent the urn tumbling below. Overcome with emotion and more exhausted than she thought possible, Sajean stopped to collect herself…

No Provisions

When she got out of her car that day, all she had on her was a pair of sunglasses, a half-dead cell phone, her car keys, little Yoda, and the clothes on her back. It was certainly not an ideal situation for someone her age, or for anyone for that matter. Still, she got to her feet and walked on.

No Orientation

Unfortunately for Sajean, all of her outdoor experience had been on hiking trails, you know, the kind with signs and arrows pointing to the path. She’d never in her life experienced isolated wilderness. All she could see before her were trees and she had no way to orient herself in the darkening wood…

Walking

Sajean and Yoda slept in the open that first night, but spent the entire next day walking. She knew she was in a dire situation from the start. All she had on was a Hawaiian shirt, no jacket, no water bottle, no knife, nothing she could use to start a fire. Even her shoes were so flat and worn that they provided barely any traction.

Helpful Hints

Aching feet and rumbling belly aside, Sajean managed to remain calm. She was always an avid reader and had, by a strange twist of fate, become very interested in books on foraging and survival in recent years. She knew she had four things she needed to do now: find water, avoid being seriously injured, find shelter, and find a visible spot so that she could be rescued…

Keeping Positive

She knew that a positive attitude might be the thing that kept her alive. She wanted to keep motivated, to keep moving and stay alive. So Sajean thought of her family, her friends, her life back home. She remembered her decision to live even if Jack was gone and it kept her moving. It didn’t hurt that she had Yoda with her either.

Hunker Down

Three days in and Sajean decided it was too much to keep walking around aimlessly. She hunkered down and waited for a rescuer. There was just one problem: she hadn’t told anyone about her plans to spread Jack’s ashes that day. It could take days, possibly weeks for help to arrive…

A Shelter

She decided to build her shelter where two logs converged on the banks of a creek that wove its way through a steep, narrow valley. She built walls and a ceiling out of tree branches, and even used moss and bark to plug holes in the wall. It was safe and it was dry. At night, when the temperature dropped to the mid-40’s, she and Yoda would cuddle together.

Scavenge

Every morning, she and Yoda would make several trips up the creek to find water. Hunger hardly bothered her in the first few days, but by the fourth day, she was starving. What she really wanted was fresh cherries, but what she found were currents and young pine needles, which she knew could stave off some hunger. Still, she would need more…

Ant Bites

Sitting by the creek one day, Sajean felt an ant bite her hand. Rather than crush it or flick it away she realized “Well, I’ve got a bigger mouth than you,” and then ate it. She searched for the nest and began to scoop out ants as a source of protein. In the same vein, her previously spoiled and domesticated chihuahua mix had to learn to be wild as well.

Different Side

She saw a different side of Yoda during their ordeal. Her furry little friend would sit on her lap and jump into the air to catch passing flies or else he would help her dig up grubs for food. He learned to be a real dog during that ordeal. She couldn’t keep it up forever though, eventually someone had to find her…

Searching

Luckily for Sajean, even though she hadn’t told anyone her plans specifically, she had received a phone call the day she left. Her brother, Jack S. Eng, had called to wish her a happy birthday. Jack became very worried when he received a phone call from one of his sister’s friends in Hawaii who said she hadn’t answered messages in a few days, as it seemed very out of character.

No Trace

Jack Eng lived in Seattle, which wasn’t close to where his sister lived, so he asked police to check on her. The officers on the scene found no sign of her in her Port Angeles home, but they also didn’t find any sign of foul play. After that, Eng came down to Port Angeles to search for himself. Soon after, a local park ranger spotted her car on the side of the road…

Found Her

The park rangers sent out helicopters to search Olympic National Park. Meanwhile, Jack Eng stayed behind at the visitor’s center, listening intently to the radio for any sign of Sajean. As soon as she heard the helicopters, Sajean climbed up a log and found a spot where she could be seen. She waved at the circling copters and to her delight, they saw her.

Alive and Well

When they got her to a nearby hospital to check on her condition, the paramedics found that Sajean was a bit dehydrated, a bit scraped up and bruised, and covered in mosquito bites, but nothing too serious. She went home that very night, but stopped at the food store to buy a bag of cherries for herself and some dog food for her brave little Yoda. It had been the experience of a lifetime…

Learning About Herself

When Sajean reflects upon her adventure, she talks of how much she learned during the ordeal. “When you’re by yourself up in the wilderness with nobody to talk to except your dog, you learn a lot about yourself,” she explained. “I forced myself to look at … decisions I made that put me in my situation. I made a lot of mistakes.”

Yoda’s Fate

As for little 6-year-old Yoda, he’s doing quite well after spending six nights in the Washington wilderness.“Yoda’s doing good. He’s just tired,” said Sajean. “All he does is sleep these days.”

Widow Gets Lost In Woods Fulfilling Late Husband’s Last Wish is an article from: LifeDaily

Many people decide to get their DNA tested as a fun way to get to learn about themselves and their family histories. What many people don’t realize, however, is that the pursuit can turn up family secrets that have been kept for decades.

In 2016, a New York woman and her partner decided to take DNA tests for fun. However, when the results came back, the woman’s life was turned upside down as she learned the truth about a secret her mother had kept her entire life.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/18/your-fathers-not-your-father-when-dna-tests-reveal-more-than-you-bargained-for

An Ancestry Fascination

After tracing her father’s family tree back to the 1600s, one New York woman always dreamed of taking her research into her ancestry to the next level. To do that, however, she would have to get her DNA tested through a DNA database like Ancestry.com or 23andMe.

Focusing On The Future

Yet for a long time, she and her now-husband didn’t have the extra money to get the tests done. At the time, it had been 2016 and the couple had recently moved from Florida back to New York. They had also been saving up for a fertility treatment hoping to start a family together. Michèle and her then-boyfriend couldn’t justify the cost of the DNA tests. Instead of their interests in the past, the couple knew they needed to be focusing on their future together and spending their money to make that future a reality.

Justifying The Cost

However, getting a DNA test started to seem like an investment for Michèle after she started thinking about going back to school. She recalled that she had been told that she had some Native American ancestry from her father’s side of the family. Native Americans and people with a certain percentage of Native American ancestry can be eligible for education scholarships. Michèle thought that if she got a DNA test done, she could see what percentage of her ancestry was Native American.

An Early Christmas Gift

If it was high enough, she hoped she could apply for some scholarships to ultimately help save her money if she decided to go back to school at any point. So in May 2016, she and her partner decided to order DNA tests for themselves as early Christmas presents.

An Unexpected Challenge

Michèle and her partner decided to get their DNA tested through Ancestry.com. When the test kits arrived, they excitedly got to work. Yet, filling up the vials with their saliva turned out the be harder than they imagined. “It was daunting,” Michèle told The Guardian.

Six Weeks Later

“It took us, like, 20 minutes. And the more we laughed, the harder it was to do,” she explained. “We joked about sending them sweetener samples, to see if it still works.” Eventually, the couple managed to fill up the vials. The next day, they sent their test kits back to Ancestry.com, who would then have the samples tested in their lab. According to Michèle, she and her now-husband were contacted just six weeks later by Ancestry.com that their results were in.

Expected Results

The couple both logged onto their accounts on a laptop. First, they looked at Michèle’s husband’s results. According to Michèle, her husband’s DNA results pretty much reflected what he had always been told about his ancestry and the family’s history. Then it was Michèle’s turn.

A Complete Shock

Michèle logged into her account and looked at her results. Unlike her husband, however, the results didn’t make any sense and didn’t seem to reflect any of the information she had been told about her family. “The first thing that popped up is a pie chart, and one whole half was red and said ‘Italy’,” Michèle said.

In Denial

In fact, Michèle was so shocked by the results that her first thought was that Ancestry.com must have made a mistake. “I was dumbfounded. Like: ‘Well, that’s a huge mistake. They must have mixed mine up with someone else’s.’,” Michèle explained.

Reality Sets In

“My husband looks through it, then he says: ‘Honey, they didn’t make a mistake. This is you.’,” Michèle said. After realizing that there was no mistake with her results, Michèle started to panic. According to Michèle, she had her first ever anxiety attack that night.

A Lifelong Secret

“I just got very quiet. All these things from my past suddenly started going through my head: questions, feelings, things that couldn’t be explained, things that my mother would get angry or defensive about if I brought them up,” Michèle said. “I started to realize: ‘I think I’ve discovered a secret.’”

Breaking The Silence

Michèle and her mother were estranged and, at that point, she hadn’t spoken to her mother in two years. Desperate to get some answers, Michèle called her mother that same night. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the answers she hoped she would get. When Michèle brought up the Italian ancestry, her mother claimed there must be a mistake. Michèle’s mom denied having any knowledge of the alleged Italian ancestry and claimed the results were impossible.

The Relatives

While looking through the DNA results, Michèle also noticed her Ancestry account linked her with several people from Syracuse, New York, where she had grown up. The names she read were the names of strangers, but the website claimed they were first cousins.

Searching For Answers

The next morning, Michèle decided to call her mom’s sister. She hoped her aunt would be more open with her about her mother’s past even though she was only 10 years old when her mom got pregnant at 18 years old. After calling her aunt, Michèle asked if her mother ever dated an Italian boy.

The Prom Date

“I’m looking at the last name: 100% match, first cousin. And my aunt says: ‘The only guy I remember who comes to mind is her prom date.’ And she says that same surname,” Michèle said. “I stood up, my laptop went to the floor, I dropped my phone and I ran to the bathroom and started vomiting.”

A Cruel Reaction

Michèle contacted her mother, who denied that her prom date could have possibly been her father. Her mom then went on to say it wouldn’t even matter if he was since the man died the year before in a motorcycle accident. “That’s how I found that out. It was very cruel,” said Michèle, who then found her biological father’s obituary. “It was literally the male version of me.”

The Aftermath

To be sure, Michèle got a paternity test done with the man her mother always claimed was her real father. The pair were devastated when the results proved what Michèle had suspected. According to Michèle, however, the pair became even closer after the paternity test. On the other hand, Michèle completely cut her mother out of her life as she continued to insist that three separate DNA tests are wrong.

Meeting The Relatives

After the shocking discovery, Michèle got in touch with her biological family in Upstate New York. She explained her story, and they knew just by looking at her photos that she was her father’s child. In August of 2016, Michèle traveled to Syracuse and met her relatives for the first time.

A Touching Reunion

According to Michèle, her grandmother was thrilled to find out she had a granddaughter since she only had grandsons up until that point. Michèle’s uncle also took her to visit her father’s grave. “It took me at least a couple of weeks to recover,” Michèle said. “But they welcomed me with open arms.”

Moving Forward

While Michèle was happy to get to know her long-lost family, it wasn’t easy to deal with.“There have been times when I’m just kind of breaking down, and so angry and sad, that I say I wish I had never opened Pandora’s box,” she said. After a lot of work and therapy, however, she has been able to move on with her life and accept what happened.

New York Woman Discovers Her Entire Life Was A Lie Thanks To DNA Test Results is an article from: LifeDaily

Prior to September 11, 2001, American airports were relatively lax with their security. It wasn’t uncommon to walk a loved one all the way to their gate, watch them board and even stay until the flight took off.

But since then, American airport security has clamped down hard, and those days of walking to the gate are long gone. As one man would learn, breaching airport security is no petty matter…

Shut Down

It was a breach of security that shut down one of the largest airports in New Jersey. Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the biggest airports in the United States and one cold January, it was shut down entirely for the better part of six hours. Around 1,600 people were stuck in the airport for the duration and dozens of flights were delayed.

Breach Of Security

The delayed flights and rampant customer dissatisfaction caused an incalculable loss of money for the airlines and disrupted the system tremendously. The breach, which was unknown at first to many of the stranded passengers, seemed to have stemmed from a single individual, finding their way under the security’s radar…

Search For The Man

The incident also prompted an intensive manhunt for the culprit, who made his way out of the airport in the chaos. New Jersey detectives patrolled the streets of Piscataway, New Jersey looking for the man. They only had a grainy surveillance image to go off of, but they were confident they’d find him.

At The Gym

They eventually tracked down the man and figured out who he was. The 28-year-old was a Rutgers University graduate student and had been born in China. Yet, when they arrived at his home, he wasn’t there. He’d apparently gone to the local gym to workout for the afternoon…

Under Arrest

Haisong Jiang was doing well in life, he had a girlfriend, was nearly done with grad school, and was coming back from a great workout when he noticed that there were a bunch of police cars outside his house. He came inside to find officers standing by, waiting to arrest him.

I Need A Lawyer?

They put Haisong in cuffs and read hims his rights, but at first didn’t deign to tell him why they were arresting him. Indeed, when questioned about their friend, most of Jiang’s roommates described him as a good guy, gentle, even rather romantic. But, the most important thing to Haisong Jiang wasn’t his personality, it was the fact that he needed a lawyer…

Goodbye Kiss

When Haisong finally found out the reason that he’d been arrested, he couldn’t believe it. Apparently, he had slipped past a security guard into a secured section of Newark’s C Terminal to kiss and hug his girlfriend goodbye before she flew out. It was that kiss which had stopped the entire airport.

Away From His Post

Mr. Jiang had managed to slide through most of security in his attempt to bid farewell to his lady love, including getting past law enforcement official Ruben Hernandez, who had left his post. Ruben faces severe disciplinary action for his dereliction of duty, but Haisong may face much worse…

Lock It Down

With Ruben Hernandez away from his post, Jiang sprang into action, catching up to his lady love in the puffy winter coat and kissing her passionately. A few moments later, security officials were alerted that someone had breached a secure area. Without missing a beat, the entire security team took steps to lock down the terminal.

Not Just A Romantic Gesture

To Jiang, this was a romantic gesture, one the likes of which he’d only seen in movies. Yet this was no innocuous, romantic act, instead, the incident simply proved once again how a single lapse in airport security can create bedlam. And in the wake of a failed plane bombing around Christmas of that year, someone had to be held accountable….

His Girlfriend

Ning Huang, 33, is a former Rutgers graduate student and a friend of Jiang. When asked about the woman in the video, she explained that the woman in the puffy coat was indeed his girlfriend, though she didn’t want to provide her name. She too is a former Rutgers student who lives in LA.

Just Saying Goodbye

“He loves her very much,” explained Huang, while standing outside the two-story house that he and Jiang share with five roommates. He tried to plead with police, telling them that his friend was just saying goodbye to his girlfriend, and that it was a very emotional moment, he didn’t realize the consequences of his actions…

Defiant Trespass

But his actions, however romantic, did have consequences. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have said that Jiang will be charged with defiant trespass. He was released on his own recognizance but now has to appear in Newark Municipal Court.

No Reason

Many New Jersey government officials believe that the idea of defiant trespass, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail, is what they’d call a “petty disorderly persons offense.” They also added that they don’t believe the case should be prosecuted in federal court, with the exception of one incensed New Jersey lawmaker…

Make An Example

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, of New Jersey, has said publicly that he wants the United States attorney’s office to consider bringing federal charges against Jiang. In his mind, the penalty “is hardly noteworthy and would not discourage people who want to break through the perimeter.”

Ruining His Future

Jiang, who comes from the Jiangxi province of China, has plans to find a job in Los Angeles once he finishes his postdoctoral thesis in Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine. That way he can be closer to the woman he loves. But sadly, all this could affect his future in unforeseen ways…

Lots Of Trouble

The senator went on to add that all the trouble that resulted from the security breach, from the grounded planes, to the stymied passengers, the countless man hours trying to fix schedules, and the police trying to track Jiang down, far outweighs the potential punishment. Thankfully for Jiang, the senator’s plea for greater punishment was ultimately ignored.

Punishment

In the end, whatever else that kiss may have sealed, it certainly sealed Haisong Jiang’s fate. He had to work off 100 hours of community service for his crime by helping to ladle out food for the less fortunate in a soup kitchen near his home. A reasonable price for all the trouble he had caused, however inadvertently….

Released

Though Jiang has not spoken publicly since his arrest, he has since gone on to finish his thesis and move to LA. It’s been a bumpy road, but he finally was able to put the whole unpleasantness behind him.

Tale To Tell

Despite all they’d been through, Jiang is glad he did what he did, though he admits he never meant to cause so much disruption with his simple goodbye kiss. He’s glad because now he and his girlfriend have one heck of a story to tell their grandchildren one day.

Man Punished After Breaching Airport Security To Kiss Girlfriend Goodbye is an article from: LifeDaily

Regardless of how progressive society becomes, accepting the lifestyles of others is something some people just can’t, or won’t, do.

When one Buffalo Wild Wings waitress served a family of five, she learned first hand that while most people respect the differences of others, some refuse to accept them.

Who Is Sarah Heaton?

Sarah was a 20-year-old gay woman living in Illinois. She worked as a waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings, where she took pride in her work and treated all of her customers with respect.

Growing Up Gay

For Sarah, growing up gay wasn’t easy, just as it’s not for many gay and lesbian individuals. Even if she was lucky enough to have a few supportive people in her life, there were always those that would hate on her…

Buffalo Wild Wings

One night, Sarah went into work and waited tables at Buffalo Wild Wings like she normally did. But, this night was different, and as Sarah would soon learn, people can be really cruel.

Family Of Five

Sarah was given a family of five to serve and they seemed nice and pleasant. She cordially interacted with them throughout the night, just as she did with all her tables. Sarah refilled their drinks as she was trained to do and provided them with top-notch service. Despite Sarah’s efforts, however, the family was not satisfied.

End Of The Night

As the night came to an end, Sarah wrapped up food for her remaining tables and gave the family of five their bill. Knowing the level of service she provided them with, Sarah expected a generous tip.

The Tip

When Sarah went to look at the bill, however, her tip was less than generous. In fact, there was no tip at all. The family actually wrote “0 –” next to the tip. Needless to say, Sarah was shocked.

Less Than She Expected

Sarah never received a tip for $0 in her life, so naturally, she assumed it had to be a mistake. Being that the bill came to $60.55, $10 would have translated to a 17 percent tip, which was about average. Despite her optimistic outlook, however, when Sarah took a closer look at the bill, she noticed a shocking message.

How Did They Know?

The family wrote a note to Sarah which explained why they left her no tip and they reasoned it was because she was gay. But, how would the family know Sarah’s sexual orientation if she never discussed it with them?

The Tattoo

Well, Sarah’s tattoo explained it all. On her forearm, Sarah had an LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer) tattoo. LGBTQ-friendly tattoos are represented by vibrant colors, and Sarah’s tattoo must have given her sexuality away.

Meaning Behind It

The only reason Sarah got this tattoo in the first place was because she is proud of who she is. Sarah also wanted to show her solidarity with other LGBTQ individuals. To put it very simply: this tattoo meant something to Sarah, and to have a family not tip her because of it was cruel. Not to mention, the words they wrote Sarah broke her heart…

The Note

Sarah read the note: “Can’t tip someone who doesn’t love Jesus. Bad tatoo [sic].” After reading these untrue-words, and taking note of the family’s poor spelling, Sarah stepped away from the table to collect herself. She was in tears…

Homophobic

“How could this family do and write such hurtful things when they know nothing about me?” Sarah wondered. “I do believe in Jesus and God. I myself am a Christian.” After she collected herself, Sarah wondered if there was anything she could do to make herself feel better and that’s when she thought of a genius plan…

Social Media

Sarah took a photo of the bill and a photo of her tattoo and posted them side by side on Facebook. As you can imagine, Sarah’s friends and others were outraged.

Repost

One of Sarah’s friends, Emily Sotakoun, decided to share the image on her Twitter to show her support. She wrote: “Just a reminder, customers/people like this REALLY exist.” Twitter users became livid after seeing how Sarah was discriminated because of her tattoo. “Am I next?” many of them wondered…

Twitter

In true social media form, Twitter users began sharing the post with their friends, who shared it with their friends, and soon, Sarah had an army of support around her. This turned out to be the only thing that made Sarah feel better after she experienced such unimaginable cruelty.

Showing Their Support

One Twitter user commented on Emily’s post saying: “Jesus would have tipped 25%!” Another user offered to give Sarah a tip out of their own pocket to make up for her loss. Jefferson Bethke wrote: “Hi Emily. Does your friend Sam have a PayPal or anything? Would love to counteract that terrible/shameful display with some generosity.”

Solidarity

Others started taking photos of their LGBTQ tattoos and sharing them on Twitter, saying: “I stand with you!” This outpour of support was incredible for Sarah to see. Despite the hate she experienced, there were thousands of good people out there trying to make her feel better!

Kind-Hearted People

“I’m personally so sorry,” another user wrote. “I hate that Christianity is portrayed as a thing of exclusion and hate. It’s the polar opposite of what it should be. I’ll send you a tip when I get paid on Friday. Sorry you had to experience hate. No one should. For any reason. Ever.”

No Regrets

Sarah said that this unfortunate experience has only made her prouder to have the tattoo. “Someone asked me the other day if I would go back in time and get the same tattoo. And I said, ‘No. I would get it bigger.’”

Ignorance

What Sarah experienced is unfortunately what a lot of LGBTQ individuals go through on a daily basis. People being ignorant and not accepting toward others who aren’t the same as they are should be a thing of the past by now. Sadly, it may never be.

Customers Leave Lousy Tip After Seeing Waitress’s ‘Bad’ Tattoo is an article from: LifeDaily

Life has a funny way of showing us that no matter how bad things get, they can always get much worse. While at the same time, those much worse times can lead to new opportunities that work out for the best.

For the doctor in the following story, a string of unfortunate events made her feel like her life was ruined, but she wouldn’t let that be the end of her story…

Who is Mary-Claire King

Mary worked as a teacher at Berkeley College and was in the middle of her spring semester. She was married to her husband, John, and together they had a 5-year-old daughter named Emily. At the time, Emily was in kindergarten and she was attached at the hip to the family’s Australian Shepherd, Aussie. 

She Had It All

As a family of three (four if you counted Aussie), Mary seemed to have her life on just the right track. She had a fulfilling job, a beautiful daughter, and a loving husband, or so she thought… 

Cruel April Fool’s Joke?

On Sunday night, the night before April Fools Day of 1981, John sat Mary down to have an important conversation with her. He told her he was leaving her because he fell in love with one of his graduate students and they were headed to the tropics the next day. Surely, Mary thought, this had to be an unkind April Fool’s joke… 

Harsh Reality

There was no way John could be serious because Mary thought they were in a happy marriage. But, it turns out, the following day, John walked out of the house and headed to the tropics with his young student. Mary’s world was slowly caving in …

No Time To Process

Having no time at all to process what happened, Mary had to take Emily to school and then she had to go to work. Either she taught her morning class as usual, or she had to explain why not. So she decided it was far easier to teach. 

Unexpected News

Mary dropped off Emily and headed down to school to teach her class. When she was leaving, her department chairman caught up with her and said, “Come into my office.” Having no idea what this was about, Mary followed…

Tenure

Mary expected more devastating news because that was the theme that day. That was, until, the elderly man said, “I wanted to tell you, I’ve just learned you’ve been awarded tenure.” Overcome with emotion, Mary burst into tears. 

Happy And Sad At The Same Time

This department chair who gave Mary the news was an older man, at least a full generation older than her and he had three grown sons and no daughters. Noticing that Mary was very emotional, he put his hand on her shoulder and said, “No one’s ever reacted like that before. Sit down, sit down. What’s the matter?”

Opening Up

Mary told him: “It’s not the tenure. It’s that my husband told me last night he was leaving me.” The chairman looked at Mary and opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a huge bottle of Jack Daniels. He poured Mary a glass and said, “Drink this.”

Feeling Better

Despite it being 9:30 am on Monday morning, Mary accepted the drink and the chairman said, “You’ll feel better.” Mary then made it through her last class, sobered up, and at 3:30 pm she headed to pick up Emily from school. Emily, by the way, still had no idea that her father had left the family for another woman…

What Happened?

When Mary and Emily were both in the car, they headed home and walked up the stairs of their porch. Once they walked in the door, they saw that the house was in complete chaos.

They Were Robbed

Mary quickly dismissed that John could have had anything to do with this because it was very clear that it was a robbery. Mary had just been burglarized the day after her husband told her he was leaving her. What terrible luck… 

Heartbroken

She quickly called 911 and a police officer arrived and went through the house. Mary didn’t know what was taken because she didn’t know what John took when he left. So Officer Rodriguez said, “As you figure it out, make a list.”

No Time To Waste

As Mary sat there trying to process everything that happened to her, her thoughts were quickly cut short when she realized she was scheduled to give a presentation in Washington, D.C. later that week. She couldn’t miss the presentation because it was her opportunity to apply for a large grant. 

Mary’s Mother

Knowing how important this was to Mary, her mom offered to fly from Chicago to watch Emily for her. The next day, Mary picked her mom up from the airport and in the car she explained that John left her for one of his students. Upon hearing the news, her mom reacted very poorly and said, “I can’t believe you’ve let this family come apart. I can’t believe this child will grow up without a father.” 

Blaming Mary

“How could you do this? How could you not put your family first,” her mother continued. Mary was in disbelief and realized at that moment that her mother would not be able to care for Emily. Her goal of getting a grant would have to be put on hold. What was even worse was that her mother was making it seem like this was all her fault… 

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Mary called her mentor, who was already in Washington, D.C. at the time and she told him she wasn’t going to be able to come. She explained what happened and then he said, “Look, come. Bring Emily. Emily and I know each other. I’ll sit with her while you’re giving your presentation.” When Mary said Emily didn’t have a ticket, he even offered to get her one too. He was the voice of reason Mary needed at that moment. 

The Airport

Mary arranged for her mother to go back to Chicago around the same time her and Emily’s flights to D.C. were. They got stuck in traffic on the way to the airport and when they finally arrived, Mary’s mom’s flight was leaving in 15 minutes. Being that her mom was very frail, Mary offered to walk her to her plane, but where would she leave Emily?

Joe DiMaggio

Mary didn’t know what to do with Emily while she walked her mom to the plane, and that’s when she heard a stranger say: “Emily and I will be fine.” Mary turned around to find the stranger was actually Joe DiMaggio. Mary said to her mom, “Mom, if you can’t trust Joe DiMaggio, who can you trust?” So Mary walked her mom to her plane and thanked Joe when she got back. 

Dr. Mary-Claire King Today

Mary and Emily headed off to D.C. where her interview went great and she received the grant. Mary’s mom was diagnosed with epilepsy shortly after her visit, so her irrational reaction made more sense then it did to Mary at the time. 

Doctor Turns String Of Misfortune Into Triumphant Career is an article from: LifeDaily