Texas Department of Public Safety released sketches and video this week of a man throwing a Molotov cocktail into a governor’s mansion in 2008. Investigators said they have studied more than 1,900 hours of video near the home to get to the point they are at today. The alleged suspect in the video may also be the same suspect in another video near the rear gate of the mansion, authorities said. A white Jeep Cherokee was seen at the mansion taking pictures only four days before the planned attack on June 8, 2008 around 2 a.m. The persons inside, specifically the vehicle owner and two other occupants, are official “persons of interest.” Through process of elimination, authorities say they located more than 3,000 vehicles in Texas with the same description and were then able to locate the driver. That man and the persons inside his vehicle are considered persons of interest, but names are not being released.
Authorities said there is a direct link between an anarchist group in Austin and this crime. The same groups allegedly planned to attack the GOP Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September 2008, the same summer the mansion fire occurred.
Tomorrow will mark the six week anniversary since Kyron Horman went missing, and every single day there is a new development. Usually when a child goes missing, within a week or two the case falls out of the spotlight, but this family’s personal and bizarre life has kept this case alive and the public wanting more. Over the last couple of days investigators in Portland have been seen searching on the ground for clues and re-interviewing witnesses at the school from where the 7-year-old went missing. Desiree Young, Kyron’s mother, spoke out and said she thinks her son’s disappearance was planned and executed by his step-mother Terri Moulton-Horman.
The search to find a missing 7-year-old is now considered a criminal investigation. Lt. Mary Lindstrand of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to me that the official search efforts to track Kyron Horman have shifted, and today they are releasing a new flierand form with information to find him. The form is directed specifically to anyone who was at Skyline School the day Kyron went missing and contains a series of questions to answer. The flier shows pictures of Kyron, two close up photos of Kyron’s step-mother Terri Horman, and the Ford F-250 white truck she was driving the day the child went missing.
Lt. Lindstrand said, “Although this has been an investigation since day one, it has progressed into a criminal investigation.” Searchers from her department are available to assist in going out on leads, but the immediate area where Kyron went missing has been covered a dozen times. Teams are still combing the water and land near Sauvie Island. There are reports that this is where cell phone information from Kyron’s step-mother, Terri, was linked to, but Lt. Lindstrand cannot confirm or deny that information.
: Police confirm the body found in Colorado is identified as Kayleah Wilson, and she is the victim of a homicide. Police say they do know the cause of death, but will not release that to the public. The area where her body was found had been searched two previous times before and she was submerged in water. Investigators need your tips to help find her killer.
BACKGROUND: The award to find Kayleah Wilson is up to $20,000. Investigators haven’t given up hope, but there have not been any signs of the missing teen. Dave Joly with the Denver FBI told me two credible witnesses reported seeing Kayleah around 4:15 p.m. on March 28, 2010. That was the last time she was ever seen.
Since then, the FBI has scaled back their efforts and 52 volunteer searchers showed up over the weekend to comb the blocks Kayleah was last seen walking in. Unfortunately, the rain hindered their plans to continue searching.
Montgomery County Police announced a big break in the high school principal murder that rocked the D.C. – Maryland border. Police Chief J. Thomas Manger says Alante Saunders and Sharif Tau Lancaster, both 18, met principal Brian Betts on a phone sex line and targeted him as a victim. The teens are facing murder, robbery and a handgun violation charge. A third teen will most likely face the same charges as well.
Chief Manger says Saunders broke out of custody in D.C. at a youth rehabilitation services home, and the motive in this case appears to be robbery. Physical evidence along with surveillance tape of the teens, and the mother ofone of the teens using Brian’s credit cards, is what gave them enough probable cause to make an arrest and bring down charges. Artura Otey Williams, 42, was charged with credit card theft.
At this point, the weapon used to kill Brian Betts has not been located.
Today marks the start of National Crime Victims’ Rights week. The Office for Victims of Crime is urging the public to honor victims and to help those with unsolved cases across America. There are great resources available to help plan an effective week in your own communities. Log on to check out the resource guide.
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....
