UPDATE: Investigators say remains found 10 miles away are those of missing grandmother Pat O’Hagan. Authorities say bird hunters came across her body over the weekend and they are working this case as a homicide and foul play is suspected.
BACKGROUND: The abduction of an elderly woman has one small Vermont community on edge. The FBI says Pat O’Hagan, 78, may have been abducted nearly a month ago from her home in Sheffield, and sadly there’s been no sign of her. As investigators begin to piece this mystery together, they’ve learned she most likely went missing last Friday. A friend filed a missing persons report on Saturday when she stopped by Pat’s home to pick her up for her weekly rug-hooking meeting only to discover she wasn’t there.
Pat is extremely active. The grandmother of nine was known to kayak, go camping, help out in her community and be active in her church. Police and the FBI have scoured all nearby areas including abandoned buildings. The Vermont National Air Guard has even flown over the area to see if they can spot any sign of the missing woman.
It was a bizarre scene last week at a Bank of America in Miami, Florida. A bank teller walked into his place of employment with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest. He told the manager that suspects broke into his home, held him and his father hostage for hours and then attached a bomb device to his chest. The teller told authorities two suspects drove him to his bank while one suspect stayed back with his father.
The teller, who FBI agents identified as Diego Uscamayta, 25, was released late Friday after agents determined he was in fact a victim and not a part of the elaborate scheme. Over the weekend I spoke with Judy Orihuela, spokesperson with the FBI, over e-mail and she said the suspects were seen fleeing in a red Ford Mustang. That Mustang belonging to Uscamayta has since been located not far from the bank. What I find interesting is that a detailed description of the suspects has yet to be released, but authorities are currently following up on leads.
The abduction of an elderly woman has one small Vermont community on edge. The FBI says Pat O’Hagan, 78, may have been abducted six days ago from her home in Sheffield, and sadly there’s been no sign of her. As investigators begin to piece this mystery together, they’ve learned she most likely went missing last Friday. A friend filed a missing persons report on Saturday when she stopped by Pat’s home to pick her up for her weekly rug-hooking meeting only to discover she wasn’t there.
Pat is extremely active. The grandmother of nine was known to kayak, go camping, help out in her community and be active in her church. Police and the FBI have scoured all nearby areas including abandoned buildings. The Vermont National Air Guard has even flown over the area to see if they can spot any sign of the missing woman.
Authorities aren’t saying what leads them to believe that Pat did not walk off on her own, but they are devoting a lot of resources to tracking leads and information that may find her.
Hard to believe it’s been one year since Kristi Cornwell was abducted in Georgia. Kristi’s mom, Jo Ann Cornwell, told me over the phone on Tuesday, “I am not giving up hope, I have not been given any reason to believe she is not alive… it hurts my heart.”
The last anyone heard from Kristi was one year ago today when she was exercising in Blairsville. Investigators say around 9:00 p.m. Kristi was on the phone with her boyfriend, who was in Atlanta at the time, when a car approached her. There was a struggle, and she was never seen again. A reward of $50,000 is offered for information leading to the safe return of Kristi, or the arrest/conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance.
Kristi’s family is extremely proactive in this case. They started a website, they have frequent, sometimes daily searches of the area where she went missing, and they even auctioned off the family’s lake house property over the weekend to raise money to help find this missing mother. More than 80,000 post cards have been purchased and distributed with Kristi’s face on them. “Somebody out there has got to know something, or someone has seen something and doesn’t think it’s important yet,” said Jo Ann.
Norma Lopez MISSING (photo of the shirt she was wearing the day she vanished)
Norma Lopez vanished in broad daylight four days ago in Moreno Valley, California and now there is an all out search to find this beautiful teen. Police told me Norma left her summer school classes at the Valley View High School and was supposed to meet her sister, but she never made it to the location. Investigators believe she may have taken a short cut from Dracaea Avenue leading out to an area on Cottonwood Avenue, but somewhere in between authorities believe she may have been kidnapped. In fact, some of her personal belongings were found in a field, and there could be signs of a struggle. Investigators believe she was taken against her will and may have been thrown into a newer model green SUV. That vehicle was seen fleeing from the area at a high rate of speed.
I spoke with S.A. Billy Cox with the St. Louis FBI, and he confirms that the Amber Alert to find 4-year-old Alisa Maier is still active. He said the child was playing with her brother in the front yard of her Louisiana, Missouri home when she was snatched around 8 p.m. last night. Right now the FBI has a command post set up to assist the police department with fielding important leads. I spoke with Sally Hunt who lives in the area and is volunteering at the local Elk’s Lodge in Louisiana, Missouri. She said there are 130 volunteers in the field searching and passing out fliers right now. “There is a tremendous outpouring of support,” said Sally. Many of the volunteers are also going door-to-door.
The official autopsy report for 7-year-old Aja Johnson was hand delivered to her biological father J.J. Johnson on Friday. Six months after the little girl went missing, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office lists the child’s official cause of death as “violent death with possible neck injury.” The bodies of Aja Johnson and Lester Hobbs were located in a rural area in Norman, Oklahoma nine weeks after he abducted her. A law enforcement source on the ground told me that because of the decomposition, Hobbs and Aja most likely died about a week after the initial murder of Tonya Hobbs in January. “He got in that area, probably to lay low for a few days, got in there with the storm and maybe got trapped. One thing led to another, couldn’t get the vehicle out, and would have to walk out on foot… he chose to stay.” My source says Aja’s body was found outside the vehicle and Hobbs was found inside the car. The medical examiner’s report indicates Hobbs died from drinking antifreeze, and there were not any signs of antifreeze in Aja Johnson.
A three month old baby, who was allegedly thrown by her father off a parkway bridge, may have been found over the weekend. New Jersey State Police say they are waiting to positively identify the remains, but the body appears to be that of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem. This information is based on the clothing and wrappings found on the child.
Investigators say Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, the baby’s father, allegedly snatched the child from her grandmother’s home on February 16, 2010 and threw her off the bridge. Reports indicate Abdur-Raheem tried to strike the grandmother with a minivan after choking her when she tried to stop the abduction. The child’s mother was working on a temporary restraining order against Abdur-Raheem before the baby was killed.
Abdur-Raheem is currently being held on a $2 million bail, and pleaded not guilty last month.
It’s been 60 days today since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then, investigators in Oklahoma have issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templeton out of the Lawton office again today, and he said there has been no activity on the case. A couple of weeks ago he stated that they have, “not had anything viable on the vehicle, Aja Johnson, or Lester Hobbs,” and sadly that is still the case today. Templteton did mention that he has a meeting with the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations later today, and they have plans to discuss new ideas to keep this case in the spotlight.
When this case originally broke, there was a massive ice storm that swept through most of the state of Oklahoma. The storm paralyzed the region for 8 – 14 days. During that period, many folks were without power, so some have not even heard about the Amber Alert or the murder. That ice storm is long gone, and there are still no signs of this child.
Aja Johnson & Lester Hobbs (police say photo was taken just hours before the murder)
The United States Marshal Service held a press conference in Oklahoma today. Authorities released brand new pictures and information in the Aja Johnson case. It’s been more than a month since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then, investigators in Oklahoma have issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templteton out of the Loughton office earlier, and he said there has been no activity on the case. He stated that they have, “not had anything viable on the vehicle, Aja Johnson, or Lester Hobbs.”
When this case originally broke, there was a massive ice storm that swept through most of the state of Oklahoma. The storm paralyzed the region for 8 – 14 days. During that period, many folks were without power, so some have not even heard about the Amber Alert or the murder.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
