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(FLORIDA) — Another giant reptile is clawing its way toward disrupting the South Florida ecosystem as an invasive species.

The Nile monitor — a semi-aquatic lizard equipped with razor claws that can grow up to 6 feet — has been establishing populations in the area since the 1980s, according to ecology experts.

Endemic to the Nile river delta in Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent’s largest lizards arrived in Florida via the pet trade, through both intentional and unintentional release, Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told ABC News.

“They’re very wild, they’re very active,” Mazzotti said. “They don’t make good pets at all. They don’t calm down.”

The temperament of the giant lizards also makes them difficult to catch. Mazzotti described Nile monitors as “very strong” and “very aggressive.”

The reptiles will put up a fight and even bite humans who attempt to make contact with them, Mazzotti said.

“They’re crazy,” he said. “They’re very hard to handle, and you have to take great care that they don’t escape and that you don’t get bit.”

Monitor lizards are one of the high priority nonnative species for removal due to their potential impacts on native wildlife, Lisa Thompson, a communications specialist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, told ABC News via email.

Current management approaches focus on containing established populations and preventing the establishment of new populations, as well as recurring surveys and removals, Thompson noted.

Nile monitors are now established in Lee and Palm Beach Counties, with multiple sightings in Broward County as well. The FWC is also monitoring observations of the species in Miami-Dade County, according to Thompson.

The state’s humidity allows the Nile monitors to thrive, Mazzotti said.

“Their habitat requirements are met,” he said. “The climate’s a match.”

In addition, their diverse diet and ability to travel over land and in fresh and saltwater allows for potential establishment throughout Florida, especially in coastal areas with mangroves and salt marshes.

South Florida’s extensive canal system can provide ample corridor, and they have a high reproduction rate, according to the FWC.

The giant lizards are “generalist” feeders, meaning they aren’t picky about what they eat, Mazzotti said.

They have been observed to eat crabs, crayfish, mussels, snails, slugs, termites, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers and crickets, fish, frogs, toads, lizards, turtles, snakes, young crocodiles and other reptiles, birds and their eggs and small mammals, according to the FWC. They can hunt for prey on the surface, below ground and in trees.

Some researchers have even observed them eating iguana eggs, Mazzotti noted.

“They don’t care what they eat,” he said.

Due to their generalist diet, the invasive reptile could impact state and federally listed threatened species, including sea turtles, wading birds, gopher tortoises and the American crocodile, according to the FWC.

Biologists and ecologists are also concerned about burrowing owls, as their largest population also occurs where the largest known Nile monitor population also occurs.

Nile monitors are not protected in Florida, except by anti-cruelty laws, and can be humanely killed on private property with the landowner’s permission, according to the FWC.

It was added to Florida’s Prohibited Nonnative Species List in April 2021, which limits possession of Nile monitors for the purposes of research, educational exhibition, control or eradication.

Nile monitors are often olive green to black in color and have stripes on their jaw and head. They also have yellow-ish V-shaped stripes that begin at the base of its skull and neck and transform into “bands” along their back, according to the FWC.

They are often seen in or close to water and basking on rocks and branches, wildlife experts say.

The reptiles are usually active during the day and sleep on branches or submerged in water at night.

When temperatures drop, Nile monitors will retreat to burrows to keep warm, the FWC noted.

While they have not yet had demonstrated impacts on the ecosystem, it’s important to keep populations of Nile monitors under control before they disrupt an already delicate environment, Mazzotti said.

“You cannot wait until an invasive species has demonstrated its impact upon the ecosystem,” he said. “Because if you do, then it’s too late.”

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(PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla.) — Christy Luna disappeared without a trace over 40 years ago at the age of 8. Now, authorities in Florida say they have identified a new person of interest in the cold case.

Christy went missing on May 27, 1984, while going to a general store less than two blocks from her home in Greenacres to buy cat food, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. No one knows what happened to her after she bought the food for her two cats, and a massive search at the time didn’t turn up anything. 

The sheriff’s office has followed multiple leads over the decades since and has named several persons of interest in the case, but no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.

On Wednesday, authorities announced they are looking for information on a new person of interest — Warren Gilbert Williams Jr., a convicted child sex offender who died in 2016.

Sgt. Chris Karpinski, with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s cold case unit, said they received an anonymous tip last year that Williams was remodeling a home near the general store the day Christy went missing.

“He left that home and his remodeling efforts to go buy cigarettes at Belks General Store and he never returned,” Karpinski said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

“That alone, interesting information, but we have a lot of that information through the years where somebody was seen in the area, and this and that,” he continued. 

But Williams, he said, has a “peculiar past of sexual activity with children.” He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious molestation and was imprisoned in Florida from 2007 to 2013, according to Karpinski. After finishing that sentence, he went to prison in Alabama, where he was wanted for sexual abuse of a child, Karpinski said.

“The suspicion existed through this circle of people that Mr. Williams knew through the years, and they had discussed the possibility of him being involved with Christy’s disappearance,” Karpinski said.

Detectives also learned through the anonymous tip that Williams, who lived in what is now known as Lake Worth Beach at the time, installed a concrete pad in his backyard a week after Christy went missing.

Authorities got permission from the current homeowners to search the property and last month excavated the yard, Karpinski said.

“Unfortunately, we found nothing,” Karpinski said, saying there were “mixed emotions” on the development.

“We wanted to find something, but yet, finding something meant that, you know, we had bad news, at least it was for me,” he said. “So there is still hope that Christy either is out there or somebody is out there that knows where she is, whether she is still with us on Earth or has passed.”

Karpinski said there currently is no physical or testimonial evidence that links Williams to Christy’s disappearance.

“We want to learn more about him,” Karpinski said. “I know it’s a long time ago. People, friends, neighbors, witnesses that day who think maybe they saw him, please come forward.”

Williams, who was 46 years old at the time Christy disappeared, died in prison in 2016, according to Karpinski.

Authorities haven’t ruled out any other persons of interest named in the case, according to investigator Bill Springer, who has been investigating Christy’s disappearance since the sheriff’s office assumed the case in 1984.

Springer also urged anyone with information to come forward, even after all this time.

“I want people to come forward. I’m not going to question why you didn’t come forward, because I don’t care,” he said. “My job is to find Christy, not to judge people because they didn’t come forward.”

“So if you’ve got information and you’ve been sitting on it for 30 years, 40 years, I don’t care,” he said. “Bring it out and we’ll look at it, see what we can do with it.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.

“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” according to the alert distributed at the end of February. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”

The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.

A spokeswoman for the FBI office in LA declined to comment.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. intelligence officials have also grown concerned in recent months about the expanding use of drones by Mexican drug cartels and the chance the technology could be used to attack American forces and personnel near the Mexican border.

“An uncorroborated report suggested that unidentified Mexican cartel leaders had authorized attacks using UAS (drones) carrying explosives against US law enforcement and US military personnel along the US-Mexico border,” according to a September 2025 bulletin reviewed by ABC News. “This type of attack against US personnel or interests inside the United States would be unprecedented but exemplifies a plausible scenario, although (cartels) typically avoid actions that would result in unwanted attention or responses from US authorities.”

ABC News contributor John Cohen, the former head of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security, said he is concerned about the possibility of drone warfare coming from both the Pacific and Mexico.

“We know Iran has an extensive presence in Mexico and South America, they have relationships, they have the drones and now they have the incentive to conduct attacks,” Cohen said. “The FBI is smart for putting this warning out so that state and locals can be better able to prepare and respond to these types of threats. Information like this is critically important for law enforcement.”

While the FBI’s warning did not specify how or when vessels carrying attack drones could get close enough to the U.S. mainland, intelligence officials have long been concerned about equipment being pre-positioned – either on land or on ships at sea — in the event Israel or the U.S. struck Iran.

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(WASHINGTON) — Authorities on Monday began searching a sprawling ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, renewing questions about the steps taken by the U.S. Department of Justice nearly a decade ago.

While the New Mexico Department of Justice has released few details about the new investigation, here is what we know about the ranch and what prompted the renewed scrutiny:

Did the Department of Justice ever search the ranch?

When Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, the investigation into his alleged illicit activity swept across many of his opulent properties. However, investigators apparently never searched his New Mexico ranch, formerly known as “Zorro Ranch,” according to emails released by the U.S. DOJ earlier this year.

When Epstein was found dead by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, investigators’ scope broadened, but authorities appear to have never returned to raid the property for potential evidence.

While New Mexico initiated its own investigation into the property, the probe was paused in 2019 at the request of the U.S. DOJ, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.

What prompted state authorities to re-open their investigation?

In a statement issued last month, the New Mexico DOJ said the investigation was re-opened because “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”

The statement did not provide further details about the “revelations,” and state Attorney General Torrez has not publicly commented on which files prompted the investigation. The New Mexico DOJ has not responded to inquiries from ABC News about the scope of the investigation.

However, approximately a week before the New Mexico DOJ opened their investigation, the office received a request from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands to investigate an unsubstantiated allegation included in files released by the U.S. DOJ that two bodies were buried in the hills around the ranch.

“On behalf of the New Mexico State Land Office, I am requesting that both the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Mexico Department of Justice thoroughly investigate this disturbing allegation,” New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard said on Feb. 10 in a letter obtained by ABC News.

According to documents released by the U.S. DOJ, a local radio host received an email in November 2019 from an anonymous individual who claimed to have worked at the ranch and alleged that two “foreign girls” were buried on the grounds of the ranch after being strangulated.

The radio host told the FBI that he originally received a demand for one bitcoin in exchange for the location of the bodies and seven videos of sexual abuse.

According to an FBI report memorializing the tip, the host promptly shared the information with the FBI. The report suggested that the tip was received by the FBI and that the radio host spoke with investigators, though it does not appear the claim was investigated further, in part because the email account that sent the tip was deactivated. 

The report and materials released by the U.S. DOJ did not include any evidence to corroborate the claims beyond the initial email. The documents and concern from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands appear to be part of the reason investigators have re-opened the investigation.

Who owns the ranch now?

Zorro Ranch was sold in 2023 to Texas businessman and politician Don Huffines, who is currently the Republican nominee for Texas’s state comptroller. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump in an upset victory against the incumbent.

In a post on social media, Huffines explained that he was aware of the history of the property when he purchased it in 2023 and that “at the time of the sale, it was marketed that the proceeds would go to the victims.”

He said in the post that he has renamed the ranch “San Rafael” and intends to “to remake it as a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus.”

The New Mexico DOJ this week said it “appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism.”

It is unclear if the New Mexico DOJ obtained a search warrant for the property or is just operating with the consent of the property owner.

What is the goal of the investigation?

The investigation comes as New Mexico lawmakers are seeking to better understand how Epstein was able to avoid legal scrutiny for years. Last month, the New Mexico House voted unanimously to create an Epstein “Truth Commission” to better understand Epstein’s activities in the state. The commission has subpoena power and a budget of $2 million to carry out its investigation.

In a column last week, Attorney General Torres acknowledged that the state’s investigation faces obstacles but vowed to issue a public report about his findings.

“Epstein has been dead for years. Zorro Ranch has changed ownership. Physical evidence may no longer exist, and the statute of limitations has likely run on many potential offenses. These are real obstacles, and survivors deserve to hear them stated plainly. But we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored,” Torres said.

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(NEW YORK) — The International Energy Agency on Wednesday said it would release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve, marking the largest oil release in the group’s history as the global economy grapples with fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Oil prices soared after the outbreak of war as traders feared a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global oil supply.

Before the war, roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait each day, but tanker traffic has now “all but stopped,” Faithe Birol, executive director of the IEA, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“The conflict in the Middle East is having significant impacts on global oil and gas markets with major implications for energy security, energy affordability and the global economy,” added Birol, whose organization counts 32 member nations, including the U.S.
The release from the IEA’s oil reserve on Wednesday would make up for the lost oil flow for roughly 20 days. Taken together, IEA member countries retained about 1.2 billion barrels of reserve oil prior to the latest release, the group previously said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — At least two people are dead and multiple others suffered injuries in Indiana due to severe weather overnight that is expected to continue into Wednesday, according to the Lake Township Fire Department.

More than 65 million people are in the path of more severe weather sweeping across parts of the U.S. Wednesday, from Houston to Philadelphia.

The system was forecast to spawn strong tornadoes, destructive winds and hail the size of baseballs.

At least 10 tornadoes were reported from Texas to Indiana. The National Weather Service issued at least 45 tornado warnings across seven states.

The most damage was potentially in Kankakee County, Illinois, and Starke County, Indiana. Hail larger than grapefruit in size fell in Illinois — up to 5.2 inches in diameter.

There were reports of houses that collapsed in Indiana and people stuck in homes but as of Wednesday morning there are no reports of missing people, according to the fire department.

Thunderstorm winds of 60 to 80 mph were recorded from Texas to Indiana.

Wednesday morning, thunderstorms continued to surge east, now forming a line more than 1,600 miles long across America from Canada to Mexico and from New York to Texas.

A level 2 out of 5 slight risk threat is in place Wednesday for more than 65 million Americans from Houston to Philadelphia and includes other cities such as Pittsburgh; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Shreveport, Louisiana; and New Orleans.

The main risks are for tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.

Flash flooding is possible especially from East Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Arkansas, where training, or consecutive, thunderstorms could dump multiple inches of rain over localized areas within hours.

Storms will reach Cleveland around 9 am and Pittsburgh around 11 am. Memphis will see storms in the morning and Nashville in the afternoon.

There were numerous reports of damage in Kankakee County, Illinois, where a large and extremely dangerous tornado was on the ground earlier Tuesday evening.

The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office said “extensive damage” was reported in Aroma Park. There were no immediate reports of injuries, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

A tornado watch was issued for North Central Illinois, along with small portions of Missouri, Iowa and Indiana until 11 p.m. local time.

The severe weather is expected to move offshore on Thursday morning, followed by a cold front that is expected to cause temperatures to quickly drop.

There’s a chance that lingering moisture behind the severe weather system may turn to snow for some areas, including Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday.

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(BALTIMORE) — An officer responding to a report of a burglary at a residence in Baltimore was injured when a suspect opened fire on authorities from inside the home, according to police.

The shooting suspect is dead, according to the Baltimore Police Department.

The incident occurred shortly before noon Tuesday at a residence on the 6200 block of Park Heights Avenue, according to police.

“When officers arrived, they were immediately met with gunfire from the suspect firing from inside of a house,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said during a press briefing.

A 36-year-old officer was shot in the leg and transported to an area hospital, where he is in stable condition, officials said.

Responding SWAT officers “neutralized” the shooting suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Worley said.

A firearm was recovered from the home, he said.

During the incident, a woman jumped out of the window of the residence, Worley said. The suspect also held a gun to the head of a second woman at the window before he was shot, Worley said, referring to it as a “hostage” situation that was quickly resolved.

“He was firing on our officers. As soon as our SWAT team got there, was able to take cover and our SWAT sniper was able to take the shot, he took the shot,” Worley said.

The suspect was related to the people in the house, Worley said. Both women have been transported to a hospital, he said.

The police department’s special investigations response team is investigating, the commissioner said.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Washington, D.C., Bar initiated disciplinary proceedings against Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin over allegations he improperly threatened to withhold federal funding from Georgetown University’s law school and then attempted to sideline an investigation into his conduct while serving as D.C.’s top federal prosecutor last year, according to a disciplinary petition.

In a two-count petition filed last week with the D.C. Court of Appeals Board of Professional Responsibility, attorneys with the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel alleged that Martin engaged in “conduct that seriously interferes with the administration of justice,” including by allegedly demanding that a judge suspend the attorney investigating his actions.

“Mr. Martin knew or should have known that, as a government official, his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States,” the disciplinary petition said.

According to the complaint, Martin – while serving as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia last year – threatened to withhold federal funding and freeze hirings from Georgetown University Law Center over allegations that the school was promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures.

After sending letters to the dean of Georgetown’s law school about DEI programming last year, Martin allegedly told the school’s interim president that their answers about DEI would “bear directly on Georgetown University’s status as a 501(c) nonprofit and its receipt of nearly $1 billion of federal tax money.”

“He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to continue to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students,” the petition said. “His demand did not provide Georgetown Law fair notice of what is allegedly prohibited because he did not define ‘DEI,’ cited no authority for his demand, and did not describe what actions, and what timetable, might satisfy his demand.”

After a retired judge reported Martin’s conduct to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Martin allegedly attempted to sideline the investigation by sending a letter directly to the chief judge and senior judges on the D.C. Court of Appeals, according to the complaint.

“In that letter, he stated that he would not be responding to Disciplinary Counsel’s inquiry, complained about Disciplinary Counsel’s ‘uneven behavior,’ and requested a ‘face-to-face meeting with all of you to discuss this matter and find a way forward.’ He copied the White House Counsel ‘for informational purposes because of the importance of getting this issue addressed,'” the complaint said.

The complaint alleges that Martin – after being told to not directly communicate with judges – sent another letter to the chief judge demanding that the court suspend the investigator probing his conduct and dismiss the case against him.

With the charges filed, D.C.’s Board on Professional Responsibility is expected to refer the petition to a hearing committee.

Martin’s interactions are just one among a series of controversies from his brief tenure as Washington’s top federal prosecutor from January to May 2025 before his temporary appointment to the position lapsed and he failed to gain enough support from Republican senators for his confirmation to the post.

He was then appointed to four separate senior positions in the Justice Department before sources said he was effectively demoted earlier this year after multiple other incidents where he faced admonishment from leadership for his conduct.

Martin remains in his role as pardon attorney, according to the DOJ, and has used the post to float controversial clemency recommendations to the White House while frequently citing the phrase, “No MAGA left behind.”

The ethics complaint was filed the same week that the DOJ proposed new regulations that would seek to give Attorney General Pam Bondi the authority to suspend state bar investigations, arguing the policy is necessary to combat the “weaponization” of the complaint process. It’s not immediately clear what legal basis the department would have to intervene in state-level proceedings, however.

Martin and a DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.

Georgetown Law’s then-Dean William Treanor previously responded to Martin’s letter, affirming the school’s speech protections under the First Amendment. He accused Martin of mounting “an attack on the University’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic institution.”

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(BALTIMORE) — A police officer was shot in an “active shooter incident” in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to police.

A suspect has also been shot, according to the Baltimore Police Department.

The shooting occurred on the 6200 block of Park Heights Avenue, according to police, who urged people to avoid the area.

The officer has been transported to an area hospital, according to police.

Authorities have not released any information on the condition of the officer or the suspect.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — The FBI is now offering $1 million for information leading to the arrest of one of its “Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.”

Omar Alexander Cardenas is wanted by local and federal authorities for a 2019 murder in Los Angeles.

Cardenas is accused of firing several rounds at the victim, Jabali Dumas, at a barber shop on Aug. 15, 2019, according to the FBI. Dumas was struck in the head and died, authorities said.

Cardenas has “known gang affiliations,” and the shooting is believed to have been gang-related, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. 

A local arrest warrant was issued for Cardenas in April 2020 after he was charged with murder, the FBI said. He is believed to have possibly fled to Mexico and has also been federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to the FBI.

The FBI initially offered a $100,000 reward for information on Cardenas’ whereabouts when he was added to its “Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list in 2022. The reward, which subsequently increased to $250,000, has now surged to $1 million, the FBI announced on Tuesday.

McDonnell called the new reward a “critical step forward” in the case.

“We believe that someone knows Omar Cardenas’ whereabouts, and we’re urging anyone with information to please come forward,” the chief said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “Our mission is clear — to locate and apprehend Cardenas and bring justice for the Dumas family.”

Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Los Angeles field office, said the U.S.’ relationship with the government of Mexico “has never been stronger,” pointing to the recent apprehension in Mexico of another “Most Wanted” fugitive — former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding.

Davis shared a message directed at Cardenas.

“Mexico is not safe for you. Mr. Cardenas, if that’s where you’re hiding,” Davis said during the briefing. “I have full faith in this task force that they will bring you to justice.”

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