(EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill.) — Five relatives were killed and two relatives were hurt in “evil” targeted shootings against a family in Illinois, authorities said.
The seven family members were shot at three locations — a park and two homes — in the East St. Louis area this weekend, with five victims dying from their injuries, Illinois State Police said.
The two suspects, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were taken into custody on Sunday, with charges expected, police said.
“This is alleged acts of horrific violence, taking this number of lives here in this community,” state police Director Brendan Kelly said at a news conference. “It’s terrible, it’s evil, but it will not keep this city down.”
At least one of the suspects is related to at least one of the victims, Kelly said. While the motive remains under investigation, Kelly said, “I think that’ll become apparent over time.”
The five victims killed were identified by police as 49-year-old Cherie May, 24-year-old Devin May, 74-year-old Patricia May, 21-year-old Quentin Thompson and 25-year-old Shania Thompson.
There’s no known threat to the public, police added.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — More than 125 million Americans are on alert for sweltering heat from coast-to-coast, as heat alerts are in place from Southern California to the intermountain West and northern Plains, upper Midwest and across to the Northeast.
Daily record highs may be broken in Rapid City, Fargo, Grand Forks in the northern Plains on Tuesday.
In the Northeast, record daily highs could be broken at Plattsburgh and Syracuse, New York. Other parts of New England may get with a degree or two of a daily record today.
Those daily record highs would follow several broken on Monday, including in Bismarck, North Dakota, with 105 degrees F; International Falls, Minnesota, at 97; and Hibbing, Minnesota, at 93. Rapid City, South Dakota, and Dickinson, North Dakota, tied records with 102 and 103, respectively.
On Wednesday, daily record highs are possible around Grand Rapids, MI and Wilmington, Delaware. An extreme heat warning is in place through Thursday for Minneapolis, Minneapolis, with daily high heat index up to 100 possible.
Other extreme heat warnings are in place from Utah to the upper peninsula of Michigan.
In Utah, Salt Lake City is expected to reach near 100 on Tuesday. Fargo is under an extreme heat warnings for a heat index as high as 105.
The heat index for places like Calumet, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota, could reach near 100.
Detroit, Michigan, is under a heat advisory for a heat index near 105.
The rest of the week will remain hot and humid across the upper Midwest with highs in the 90s and heat indices feeling even warmer.
In the Northeast, a heat wave begins today, with 3 or more days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees for New York City, Philadelphia and D.C. Those high temperatures could last five days, through Saturday.
A heat advisory is in place for at least Tuesday and Wednesday across much of the Northeast due to heat indices around 100 expected. The upper Northeast will be hottest today with a heat index of 100 to 104 from Rochester and Albany, New York, to Boston, Massachusetts.
The area between New York City and D.C. will likely be the hottest on Wednesday, with heat indices near 100 in NYC and near 105 in D.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey, are under an extreme heat warning for heat indices up to 107 on Wednesday.
Out West, southern California is under heat alerts through Thursday.
Temps will reach 85 to 90 across the coastal valleys and up to 105 for the interior valleys through Tuesday.
A heat advisory stretches up to San Jose, California, where temps will reach the mid to upper 90s on Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday will be hotter, with temps in downtown Los Angeles reaching the middle to upper 90s and interior valleys reaching up to 110.
Next week, temperatures look less extreme across America.
Significant flood threat in Texas
For the next three days, there is a level 3 of 4 flood threat in place in South-Central Texas.
That warning came amid a very rare and dangerous setup. Everyone in the region should be on alert, especially those near rivers and low water crossings. But even areas that don’t normally flood must be alert.
The greatest threat will lie across the Edwards Plateau into Hill Country and along the Rio Grande Valley between the Big Bend down toward Eagle Pass.
Rainfall rates each day could exceed 2″ per hour.
Each day on Tuesday through Thursday could see 3″ to more than 7″ of rainfall over this area.
Three-day totals over that region could top 15″ in some places.
Severe weather threat in northern New England
Fueled by the extreme heat and humidity and a sinking cold front from Canada, severe storms capable of destructive winds of more than 70 mph, large hail large than ping pong balls, and a strong tornado or two will move over northern New England today.
A level 3 of 5 risk is in place from northeast New York through northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and northern Maine on Tuesday afternoon and evening. It includes Burlington, Vermont; Plattsburgh, New York; Caribou, Maine; Colchester, Vermont; and Massena, New York.
Storms are most likely after 4 p.m. ET and continuing into the night as the cold front sinks south.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(BIDDLEFORD, Maine) — Federal immigration authorities were involved in a fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, according to the local elected leaders and multiple sources.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said he was briefed on the incident by Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. He said he was informed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were involved in the deadly shooting.
King said the man was fatally shot after federal agents tried to stop the vehicle he was driving.
“He was in a vehicle — pulled out in the vehicle, and the term the secretary used was ‘weaponized’ the vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent,” King told reporters Monday morning.
King said the man who was shot was the target of the operation and that ICE agents had been given a final order for the man to be removed from the country.
“Body cameras were not on the agents. So we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case,” King said. “State and local officials, of course, are attending to it. The FBI will be leading the investigation because it was a federal operation.”
The Maine Attorney General’s Office also released a statement, confirming that the ICE operation on Monday morning was targeting a man related to a final order to remove him from the country. The Attorney General’s Office alleged, “the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot.”
“The male subject is not being named until positive identification is made and family members are notified,” according to the statement from the state Attorney General’s Office.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills said she was also briefed on the shooting and was informed that federal law enforcement was involved.
“I know situations like these are alarming and frightening,” Mills said in a statement. “The Maine State Police are at the scene supporting and working cooperatively with the Attorney General’s Office, Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner, and Federal officials to determine the facts of what occurred this morning.”
Two Maine immigration advocacy groups — Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) and the Presente! — issued a joint statement, saying the individual who was killed was a 26-year-old Colombian man, who they claimed was authorized to work in the United States and had a Social Security number.
The groups called for a “prompt, independent, and transparent investigation.” The groups also called for a full accounting of every agency and officer involved as well as the preservation of all body-camera footage, surveillance footage, and communications between the federal officials involved.
“ICE must not be allowed to investigate itself or control the public narrative surrounding a death in which its personnel or operations were involved,” the groups said.
The FBI said the agency “responded to assist on-scene immediately following this morning’s shooting incident in Biddeford, Maine. We have no additional comment at this time.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
She added, “My team and I are working to get more information and will share more as we learn it.”
Em Akerley, who lives near the shooting scene, told ABC affiliate station WMTW, that she was inside her home having her morning coffee when she heard the gunshots.
“I thought it was a backfire, and then I kept hearing them,” Akerley said. “I thought it was a drive-by shooting.”
She said she looked out her window and saw a small white car being corralled by two men, who appeared to be trying to stop the vehicle from losing control in the intersection.
“All of a sudden, all of these plain-clothes vested men started running down the street, abandoning their cars,” Akerley said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
An FBI logo on a podium seen during a press conference at Los Angeles FBI Office on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
(DETROIT) — The FBI announced it is joining an investigation into the death of an infant who was found dead in a toilet at the Electric Forest music festival last month. The agency is offering a $15,000 reward for new information on the case.
The FBI’s Detroit Field Office, alongside Michigan State Police, is seeking information regarding the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death.
The newborn was found in a portable restroom on the campgrounds of the festival on the morning of Sunday, June 28, the final day of the four-day festival, according to Michigan State Police. The festival took place in Rothbury, Michigan, in the western part of the state near Lake Michigan.
Preliminary autopsy findings indicate the infant was viable and born alive, Michigan police reported.
The child was identified by police as a “neonate,” an infant in the first 28 days after birth.
An employee of the restroom vending company found the deceased infant when conducting routine maintenance on the restrooms, ABC News’ Grand Rapids affiliate WZZM 13 reported.
“Investigators believe there are individuals with important information relevant to this case who may be reluctant to come forward,” Michigan State Police wrote on X. “The MSP continues to seek the public’s assistance and encourages anyone with information to report it.”
Information regarding the incident can be reported at Michigan.gov/MichTip or by calling 1-855-MICH-TIP (1-855-642-4847).
In a Facebook post, Electric Forest urged the public to share new information with police, writing it is “heartbroken” by the tragic event.
Michigan State Police requested the public not speculate on social media as investigators work to determine what happened.
“We are confident that continued investigative efforts, combined with forensic science, will ultimately lead to the identification of the person responsible,” Michigan State Police said.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on July 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Florida has referred President Donald Trump’s attorneys for potential disciplinary action over their filing of the $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that resulted in the creation of the now-defunct “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ scathing order criticized the president and his lawyers for using the court “to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers.”
“In reaching this conclusion, the Court determines that Plaintiffs improperly employed this lawsuit to justify a particular award in this matter — access to taxpayer funds and exemption from audits and other investigations — which was accomplished by leveraging control over Defendants,” Judge Williams wrote.
Trump in May announced the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate those who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration, in exchange for Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion suit against the IRS over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax information during his first term, for which a former IRS contractor pleaded guilty in 2023.
The arrangement sparked accusations of self-dealing and a bipartisan uproar over the possible use of taxpayer money to pay rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Judge Williams, in her order, said that Trump’s personal lawyers and the Department of Justice attempted to “use the Court to provide some legitimacy … to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law.”
“The Parties used the existence of federal litigation as a means of conferring legitimacy upon a course of action that they were unwilling to subject to judicial review,” Williams wrote. “The context of the ‘settlement,’ the relationships of the people involved in negotiating and approving it, the ethical implications of their conduct, and the Parties’ swift efforts to dismiss this case after the Court raised fundamental jurisdictional questions all support this conclusion. Accordingly, the Court expressly finds that Plaintiffs acted in bad faith.”
Williams also directly called out acting Attorney General Todd Blanche throughout her order, and suggested he provided “misleading” testimony before Congress when probed over the Justice Department’s now-defunct “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
“The Court is extremely troubled by the testimony given by Acting Attorney General Blanche on May 19, 2026,” Williams wrote. “In response to why the ‘settlement agreement’ had not been submitted to this Court for review, he stated that ‘there is no judge’ because the case had been dismissed and, therefore, there was “no mechanism” for reviewing the agreement.”
“While temporally accurate, this answer is, at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous,” the judge wrote. “The Court was available to review any pleading by any Party at any time during this lawsuit. And if Acting Attorney General Blanche had thought the dismissal was improvidently granted or thought Plaintiffs misspoke when they said, ‘no judicial analysis is appropriate,’ he only had to file an appearance and ask for relief.”
The scathing assessment comes just two days before Blanche is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to take the attorney general position on a permanent basis. Republican senators have already said they would push for further details from Blanche on the portion of the settlement that related to Trump and his family being immune from IRS investigations of their past tax returns.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement, “The IRS wrongly allowed a rogue, politically-motivated employee to leak private and confidential information about President Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization to the New York Times, ProPublica and other left-wing news outlets, which was then illegally released to millions of people. President Trump continues to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable.”
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Judge Williams’ ruling.
Brandon DeBot, policy director of New York University’s Tax Law Center, said in a statement regarding Williams’ ruling, “The court confirmed this sweetheart deal is an abuse of the tax and legal system and ‘directly contravenes’ the tax system’s protections against political interference. This decision confirms that the IRS should not follow through to implement the Acting AG’s unprecedented and unauthorized exemption from the normal tax audit rules for the President and his affiliates.”
“The court’s decision is important, but does not remove the need for Congressional action to nullify the entire deal and to prevent any similar attempts at presidential self-dealing in the future,” DeBot said.
“This lawsuit was not brought to vindicate rights; it was brought to manipulate the judicial process to pursue benefits unavailable in litigation because the Parties were not adverse,” Judge Williams wrote.
Blanche last month told a House subcommittee that the Trump administration is backing down from establishing the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” A federal judge has directed Justice Department to formally address whether fund is dead, as the agency has claimed.
In addition to referring the lawyers in the case for disciplinary action, Judge Williams said that Trump and the federal government are “prohibited from referring to the purported ‘settlement agreement'” or using it “in any judicial, administrative, regulatory, arbitration, or any other official proceeding.”
“The Court determines that Plaintiffs improperly employed this lawsuit to justify a particular award in this matter — access to taxpayer funds and exemption from audits and other investigations — which was accomplished by leveraging control over Defendants,” she wrote.
Williams also directed the court’s clerk to mail a copy of her order to the state bars of New York and Washington D.C., where disciplinary referrals had already previously been sent for Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
It’s unclear how Williams’ ruling will impact the broad audit protections that were purportedly granted to Trump, his family, and his businesses. The Department of Justice had argued that those protections were part of a private settlement that did not require any judicial oversight, and Judge Williams did not explicitly lay out the next steps in her order.
Separate from the Florida case, federal judges this week had scheduled court hearings as part of lawsuits challenging the settlement — providing a potential venue where the issue may be litigated.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(BIDDLEFORD, Maine) — Federal immigration authorities were involved in a shooting in Biddeford, Maine, multiple sources told ABC News.
Local elected leaders, including Maine Speaker Ryan Fecteau, said in social media posts that at least one person was killed in the incident.
“A person was killed. ICE was involved,” Fecteau alleged in a post on his Facebook account. “State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details and would expect the FBI to investigate as well.”
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.
“My team and I are working to get more information and will share more as we learn it,” Pingree said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast on Monday, July 13, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Dangerous heat from Los Angeles to Boston is expected to impact more than 100 million Americans this week.
Multiple cities in the West, from Utah to Montana, experienced their hottest temperatures on record Sunday afternoon, shattering previous heat records.
The preliminary high temperature in Salt Lake City was 109 degrees F, breaking the previous all-time record high of 107 degrees, previously set in 1960, 2002, 2021, and twice in 2022. Temperature records for the city go back to 1874.
Billings, Montana reached a preliminary high temperature of 111 degrees on Sunday afternoon, shattering the previous all-time high of 108 degrees set on July 14, 2002.
In Miles City, Montana, the temperature rose to a preliminary high of 115 degrees on Sunday afternoon, also shattering its previous all-time high of 111 degrees set on June 26, 2012.
For reference, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state of Montana is 117 degrees, observed in the town of Medicine Lake on July 5, 1937, and in Glendive on July 20, 1893.
A heat dome has set up over the Northern Plains, with extreme heat and humidity over America’s northern tier.
An extreme heat warning is in place through Thursday for Minneapolis, Minnesota, with daily high heat index up to 100 possible.
Other extreme heat warnings are in place from Utah to the upper peninsula of Michigan.
In Utah, places like Zion Canyon could feel like 110 today, while Salt Lake City and Billings reach above 100.
Fargo, North Dakota, is under an extreme heat warning for a heat index as high as 110 today and Tuesday.
The heat index for places like Calumet, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota, could reach near 100.
On Tuesday, Detroit, Michigan, is under an extreme heat watch for a heat index near 107.
In the Northeast, a heat wave is set to begin on Tuesday, with three or more days of temperatures over 90 degrees for New York City, Philadelphia and D.C.
A heat advisory is in place for at least Tuesday and Wednesday across much of the Northeast due to heat indices around 100 expected.
The upper Northeast will be hottest on Tuesday with a heat index of 100 to 104 from Rochester to Albany to Boston.
New York City to D.C. is likely the hottest on Wednesday with heat indices near 100 in NYC and near 105 in D.C.
Out West, Southern California is under heat alerts through Thursday.
Temps will reach 85 to 90 across the coastal valleys and up to 105 for the interior valleys through Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday will be hotter, with temps in downtown LA reaching the middle to upper 90s and interior valleys reaching up to 105.
Tuesday severe weather threat for northern New England
Fueled by the extreme heat and humidity and a sinking cold front from Canada, severe storms capable of destructive winds over 70 mph, large hail large than ping pong balls and a strong tornado or two will move over northern New England.
A level 3 of 5 risk is in place from northeast New York through northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and northern Maine on Tuesday afternoon and evening. It includes Burlington, Vermont; Plattsburgh, New York; Caribou, Maine; Colchester, Vermont; and Massena, New York.
Storms are most likely after 5 p.m. ET and continuing into the night as the cold front sinks south.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department released this photo during the search for Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, in Mississippi. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Department)
(NEW YORK) — A viral video depicting a Fourth of July party at a barrier island off the coast of Mississippi does not depict an argument involving Nolan Wells, a childhood friend of the late teen, said to ABC News Sunday in a broadcast exclusive.
Wells, an 18-year-old Mississippi football player, died last weekend following an all-day party on Horn Island, off the coast of Ocean Springs, his hometown. Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Wells’ parents, said Friday that Wells is among a group of people standing on the island and is heard on the video, shot from a boat on the water, demanding his phone back. However, Tracestin Shepherd, a long-time Wells friend, said the voice heard on the video was his own. Wells is not in the video, he said.
“That’s me yelling. … there was no talk about a phone in that video,” but instead, Shepherd said, he was telling both friend Jayvon Williams, and a family member, who were both restraining him, to let him off the boat so he could continue the fight. “Nolan wasn’t on the island” at that time, he claimed.
Shepherd said the altercation was between him and another man, a stranger, who allegedly started a fight with him. He said that he and his group of friends, which included Wells, had been drinking alcohol since the late morning after multiple boats, all containing his friends, arrived on the island for an outing that had been planned to be “one last hurrah” before returning to either school or work after the holiday break. About 300 people, many of them former high school classmates, were concentrated on their portion of the island.
Later in the day, after being told the boat needed to return to shore due to an electrical issue, Wells said he wanted to stay behind because he met a girl and would return on another friend’s boat, Shepherd said.
Wells’ body was recovered on Monday in water off the island shore. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News he suspects Wells drowned, but is still investigating. An autopsy is being conducted by the state medical examiner. The results are pending, said Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr.
Shepherd said he and Wells were among a tight circle of friends who had known each other since their freshman year at Ocean Springs High School. Shepherd, 20, said Wells “was just somebody that you automatically just felt so comfortable to talk to” and they bonded through athletics. Their friend group was “very diverse” in race and ethnicity, and he said they all had one thing in common: Admiration for Wells.
“Nobody would ever hurt Nolan in our friend group. We would die for him. We would do everything in our power for that guy. If he needed anything, we would do it,” he said. “Nolan brought us all together.”
Shepherd declined to be interviewed on camera out of fear for his safety. He said he and other friends have been besieged by death threats since Wells’ body was found last Monday from people accusing them of playing a role in his death.
He said he wanted to speak publicly because he wanted to set the record straight due to what he said was misinformation and speculation swirling online. Crump told “Good Morning America” Thursday that a key piece of evidence was Wells’ phone, which he said was retrieved from his friends — something he said was suspicious.
Shepherd said it was very common for everyone to leave their phones in boats. He said few videos or photos exist from that day because “everybody was in the water” and not on their phones.
“All our friends are out there. Who are we communicating with? And we’re in salt water. We’re not in fresh water,” he said.
Wells, he said, placed his phone in the boat of one of their friends. “When Nolan got in the water, he put his phone on the [boat] dash also with probably 15 other phones.” Shepherd’s uncle, who asked not to be named and was piloting one of the boats that day, said it is normal for people in the boating community to ignore their phones while on the water.
“That’s not uncommon. I’ve even gotten home and had phones on my deck; I didn’t know whose they were. They come and get the phones later. Out there, they can give a care less about their phone. They get up in the boat, take a picture, set it down, get back in the water,” he said.
Ledbetter told ABC News that Crump has not yet turned over Wells’ phone to his investigators. Crump said Friday that the family planned to turn over the phone after they conducted their own independent investigation.
Shepherd also said that a photo that Crump shared on his Instagram, which supposedly shows Wells at a pool party, was not from July 5, as the caption claims. He said the party took place on June 27 in nearby Pass Christian, Mississippi.
Investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department talked to Shepherd and his group of friends on Monday and on Friday he gave an official statement.
He said he is upset by the suggestion from Crump that race may have played a role in Wells’ death. As a result, he said, he and his friends have become targets. “They’re trying to spin a narrative that’s not there,” he said. “He’s wrong.”
“I understand [Wells’] parents are grieving and I really think he’s taken a little bit of advantage of that. And I don’t like that. I really don’t because they’re vulnerable,” he said.
Shepherd said he wants “everybody just to relax and let everybody mourn the loss of Nolan. And let us remember him as the sweet guy he was and not something we’re scared of because of the trauma we’ve had,” he said. “If Ben Crump is doing his own investigation, let him do it. And then let the sheriff’s office conclude with their investigation and figure out what the facts are on their end. Let us all just know the truth instead of jumping to two conclusions about things.”
“We all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted his life taken so short,” he said. “He had everything going for him.”
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe waits for U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s arrival at Kansas City International Airport May 18, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri. Vance will be in Kansas City, where he will deliver remarks on the Trump administration’s efforts to support American manufacturing during a visit to a facility. (Photo by Eric Lee-Pool/Getty Images)
(MISSOURI) — Emergency responders are at the scene of a campground in Missouri where a building reportedly collapsed into floodwaters amid flash flooding on Friday.
Initial reports indicate 10 to 17 individuals may have entered the water as a result of the collapse, according to the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Office.
Five campers who were previously reported missing from Bearcat Getaway Campground have been located and accounted for while the search for those who may have been in the building that collapsed continues.
Over 90 water rescues have been conducted involving residents, campers and motorists affected by rapidly rising floodwaters, the sheriff’s office said.
The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency on Friday in response to flash flooding.
“Over the past 24 hours, intense storms have created dangerous flash flooding across several regions of Missouri, resulting in multiple swift-water rescues. Activating the State Emergency Operations Plan allows our agencies to move quickly, coordinate resources, and support local response efforts,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a statement Friday.
“With additional heavy rain expected through the weekend, the threat is not over. If you’re camping, floating, or spending time near rivers and streams, move to higher ground and stay alert of weather conditions,” Kehoe said. “Missourians should continue to monitor local forecasts and follow the guidance of local authorities.”
Rescue operations began around 2:30 a.m. on Friday after emergency calls reported numerous campers trapped by rising water, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A flash flood emergency has been declared for several locations in Missouri and additional thunderstorms with heavy rain are expected to continue throughout the evening.
Water rescues were reported amid catastrophic flooding.
In parts of Iron and Reynolds counties, 7 to 12 inches of rain have fallen. The Black River at Lesterville rose 8 feet in an hour, with that water working its way toward Annapolis, where river levels quickly rose.
This emergency includes recreational places such as Johnson’s Shut-Ins and Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. Towns in the emergency include Viburnum, Annapolis, Glover, Oates, Bixby, Lesterville, Black, Hogan, Chloride, and Sabula.
Additional rounds of heavy rain and storms will continue from the central Plains east to the Ohio Valley and interior parts of the Northeast through this weekend.
There is a level 3 of 4 (moderate risk) for excessive rainfall over already hard-hit southeastern Missouri on Friday. Also, a level 2 of 4 (slight risk) for excessive rainfall from parts of the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Central Appalachians.
A Flood Watch is in effect for over 21 million Americans, from Pennsylvania to Tennessee and west to Missouri.
Officials are warning Missourians not to attempt to drive through floodwaters even if the water appears shallow.
Just six inches of floodwater can sweep a person off their feet, and as little as one foot of water can move most cars off the road.
“More than half of flood deaths in Missouri are victims in vehicles. Nighttime severe weather is particularly dangerous because visibility is severely reduced. If you find yourself stranded by floodwaters, immediately call for help and seek higher ground,” the governor’s office warned Friday.
An undated photo of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was believed to be recovered after going missing on July 4, 2026. (Courtesy of the Wells Family)
(NEW YORK) — The parents of Nolan Xavier Wells, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, broke their silence on their son’s mysterious death in an interview with “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan on Friday morning.
“We just want honesty and transparency. We want a thorough investigation,” Christine Wonsley said. “We want that same respect that would be given to anybody else, and that’s it. We just want answers.”
The Wonsleys, who were joined by their attorney Ben Crump, called for a “thorough” and independent investigation.
They also expressed the need to shed more light on unanswered questions, including what they allege are deleted messages from their son’s phone, that have led them to become “suspicious” about his death following a July 4 boating trip.
“Nolan was just like this bright light … his smile, his energy was just, just so infectious,” Christine Wonsley said. “He was just a genuinely a good person. Like I always say, all the best parts of me are with him.”
Elmore Wonsley said Wells “was very loving.”
“There was not a friend that he couldn’t make … he’s gonna be really missed,” he said.
Wells, who played football at Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing during a Fourth of July celebration with high school friends on Horn Island, a popular undeveloped island just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, officials said.
The 18-year-old’s body was recovered on Monday. Authorities said they suspect Wells drowned, but are still investigating. An autopsy was conducted but results could take weeks, officials said.
The disappearance
According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, a friend of Wells contacted the Coast Guard around 11 p.m. last Saturday, July 4. Separately, Wells’ mother contacted the sheriff’s office about her son around midnight leading into Sunday, July 5.
The Wonsleys cast doubt on claims by friends that Wells decided to stay behind on the island, while his friends left.
“That we cannot answer,” Christine Wonsley said when asked why Wells would stay behind. “I just, I can’t — I can’t fathom why he would.”
Elmore Wonsley said that would have gone against the advice they gave Wells.
“We always told him, if you go with a group, you stay with a group,” he said.
Ledbetter told ABC News in an interview that aired on “GMA” on Friday that nothing “yet” from the evidence they collected indicates that foul play was involved in Wells’ death, but the investigation will take time and is ongoing, he added.
“We’re working towards the same goal as the family. We want a thorough investigation. We’re trying to find out everything ,” he said. “We are providing a thorough, professional, and accurate investigation. That’s what we’re going to continue to do, until we arrive at the answers that the family deserves.”
Crump, the attorney representing the Wonsleys, told ABC News Live in an interview on Wednesday that Wells could swim, his family is “not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally.”
Unanswered questions
Christine Wonsley told “GMA” that his family tracked his phone, but when she went to pick it up from Wells’ friends, she said it appears that some texts and SnapChat messages had been deleted. It is unclear which friends Wells’ phone was retrieved from and who could have been in possession of it prior to that.
“When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing,” Christine Wonsley said. “It wasn’t even 24 hours, which is how long videos and pictures stay in Snapchat … even my sister was like ‘Yeah, that’s suspicious.'”
Crump, who joined the Wonsleys on “GMA” Friday, said that the family has questions about a cell phone video of an “argument” that was posted online.
“You can hear an argument going where Nolan is saying, ‘Give me my freaking phone! What are you freaking doing?’ And so then his phone ends up missing,” Crump said.
“No young person leaves their cell phone,” he added. “It’s not adding up, and that is the problem when you think about the history of Mississippi. Yeah, so there are so many questions that need to be answered.”
Ledbetter told GMA on Thursday night that Wells’ phone has not been turned over to investigators yet.
“It may be important, may be a piece that we haven’t got yet,” he said.
Ledbetter noted that the “argument” video will be part of the investigation.
As the family searches for answers, the investigation will continue in Washington, D.C., Crump said, where “we are having an independent autopsy done at behest of his family.”
He noted that former NFL football star Colin Kaepernick helped pay for it.
“We flew his body up from Mississippi to D.C. because they wanted an autopsy done by a person with no interaction with the Mississippi law enforcement because there’s an issue of trust here that is really important,” Crump said.
Ledbetter told “GMA” that the sheriff’s office welcomes the independent investigation.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he said.
Ledbetter asked the public for “patience” as investigators look into a “substantial amount” of tips, in addition to reviewing photo and video evidence.
The sheriff’s department stressed Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone who was on or near the northwest tip of Horn Island to come forward with photos or videos, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenick, Kirk Cohall and Mark Guarino contributed to this report.
