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(KERRVILLE, Texas) — Hundreds of 911 calls during the July 4 Texas flood that devastated the Hill Country have been released from hard-hit Kerr County.

The Kerrville Police Department released the calls late Thursday following Freedom of Information Act requests from eight media outlets.

“We want to caution the public that what you will hear on these calls is distressing. Some callers did not survive,” Kerrville Police Chief Chris McCall said in a video message on Thursday ahead of the release.

ABC News is currently reviewing the 911 calls.

The first call related to flooding in western Kerr County came in to the police department’s 911 center at 2:52 a.m. on July 4, according to McCall.

Over the next six hours, the center, which receives all 911 calls for Kerr County, answered 435 calls, he said.

Two people were working at the time, the police chief said while commending the operators for their handling of “extraordinary call volumes.”

“I’m immensely proud of our telecommunications operators,” he said. “These public safety team members showed incredible perseverance as they faced high call volumes and did their best to provide assistance and comfort to every caller.”

Some calls were transferred to neighboring dispatch centers based on the protocols regarding high volume, he said. Once they obtained critical information from callers, the operators “were faced with the difficult decision to disconnect and move on to the next call,” McCall said.

The 911 calls are being released in their entirety, without redaction.

“The recordings contain disturbing content, which our community, employees, and family and friends of loved ones lost may find highly distressing,” the police department said in a statement. “Listener and audience discretion is advised.”

Over 130 people were killed in flash flooding across the Hill Country region, including at least 117 in Kerr County, officials said. At Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls sleepaway camp located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, 28 people — including 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s director — died as rapidly rising floodwaters inundated the camp.

Thursday’s release follows the release of 911 from other counties in the Hill Country, including Gillespie and Kendall counties.

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

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione returns to court Friday for a fourth day of an evidence suppression hearing in the state case charging him with murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk last year.

Testimony is expected to include two Altoona, Pennsylvania, patrolmen who were among more than a dozen officers at the McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested following the shooting. 

One of them, Christy Wasser, is seen on body camera footage searching Mangione’s backpack and, later, is heard saying, “there’s a weapon.”

The defense is trying to exclude the contents of the backpack from Mangione’s trial, arguing police had no warrant and no reason to even touch it.

“He never acted belligerent, did he?” defense attorney Jacob Kaplan asked Patrolman Tyler Frye during Thursday’s proceedings. “No,” Frye answered. 

“He never attempted to open is backpack at the McDonald’s, did he?” Kaplan asked.  “No,” the patrolman responded.

The bag contained what prosecutors have described as the means and the motive for the alleged crime.  Prosecutor says police retrieved a 3D-printed pistol used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which Mangione allegedly wrote, “The target is insurance. It checks every box.”

The hearing is expected to continue well into next week, though the judge on Thursday told both sides they were being “duplicative” and said that’s “not helping your case.”

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(NEW YORK) — The coldest air of the season is invading the Midwest and Northeast as the Mid-Atlantic sees its first snow of the season.

Record low temperatures were recorded across the Midwest and Northeast on Friday morning, including: 6 degrees in Scranton, Pennsylvania; minus 4 degrees in Plattsburgh, New York, zero degrees in Springfield, Illinois; and 3 degrees in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Wind chills — what temperature it feels like — will also be a factor across the Midwest and Northeast. In Boston and Buffalo, New York, the temperature feels below zero Friday morning, while New York City woke up to wind chills in the teens.

The temperature will barely improve in the afternoon. Wind chills will only reach the mid-teens in Chicago and mid-20s in New York City/

This weekend, a blast of cold air will bring a renewed chill to Minneapolis, and then next week, another shot of arctic air will keep the Midwest and Northeast well below zero for wind chills.

Meanwhile, most of Virginia is waking up to snow on Friday, with Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., residents getting their first snowfall of the season. Richmond is forecast to get 1 to 3 inches while D.C. could see 1 inch of snow and slippery roads.

And on Saturday, a quick snowstorm will move through the Dakotas and Nebraska, dropping a few inches.

By Saturday evening, the snow will reach Iowa. Three to 7 inches of snow is possible and a winter storm watch is in place there.

Chicago could see a small amount of snow on Sunday morning.

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(TAMPA, Fla) — Years after the bodies of a woman and her 2-year-old daughter were found on Long Island — once associated with the Gilgo Beach serial murders — the woman’s suspected killer appeared before a Florida judge on Thursday facing murder charges.

Andrew Dykes, 66, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder Wednesday near Tampa on a warrant out of Nassau County, New York, in connection with the 1997 death of Tanya Jackson, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Dykes did not enter a plea but is due back in a Florida court next week as Nassau County seeks his extradition to New York.

The Nassau County district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Jackson was 26 when she was found dismembered in Lakeview in June 1997. The body of her 2-year-old year old daughter, Tatiana, was found 14 years later near Gilgo Beach.

For years, Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran, was known only as “Peaches” because of a distinctive tattoo, and her daughter as “Baby Doe.”

In April, authorities in New York announced they had finally identified Jackson and her daughter and offered a $25,000 reward for information in the cold case.

The girl’s remains were found in 2011 close to where the remains of other women were found along the southern shore of Long Island leading to speculation the deaths were the work of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.

Long Island architect and father Rex Heuermann was arrested in 2023 in connection with several of the Gilgo Beach slayings and later charged with killing seven women.

Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty, was never charged with the killings of Jackson or her daughter.

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(SONOMA COUNTY, Calif.) — An animal rights activist who stole four chickens from a Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse in California will have to serve jail time.

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, was sentenced to 90 days in jail Wednesday, where she will serve 30 days before becoming eligible for alternatives for the last 60 days, per a press release from the Sonoma County District Attorney.

Rosenberg was convicted in November of felony conspiracy and three misdemeanors arising from a “coordinated” incursion at the poultry facility in 2023 during which she and other members of the animal rights organization Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) “unlawfully” entered the facility, removed live chickens, stole business records and interfered with commercial operations, according to prosecutors.

“Evidence at trial established that Rosenberg and individuals associated with her coordinated a series of unlawful entries into Petaluma Poultry over the course of two months in 2023,” the DA’s statement read.

“They involved disguises, nighttime breaches through a cut fence, covert movement through secured areas, photographing and stealing internal business records, and placing tracking devices on all twelve Petaluma Poultry transport trailers,” the press release added.

Zoe Rosenberg told ABC News that she was worried about getting appropriate medical care while incarcerated.

“I’m scared that in jail I won’t have access to the specific medical equipment and care I need, but even the possibility of dying in custody is less scary than the thought of ever giving up on the animals who desperately need help. I will never stop fighting for their rights and safety,” she said in a statement from DxE.

After her sentencing, Rosenberg also lamented the animals she could not save from such facilities, per a press release from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project.

“I am filled with remorse for every animal I have failed to save,” Rosenberg said.

In a social media video, Rosenberg said she had to turn herself into authorities Dec. 10 and may have to pay a restitution fee.

“The judge is also ordering that I pay over 100,000 dollars in restitution, but we will have a hearing to debate that further,” she said on a TikTok video.

Andrea Staub, a spokesperson for Petaluma Poultry, told ABC News that the judge’s ruling affirms the rule of law.

“This decision underscores the seriousness of Direct Action Everywhere’s actions and upholds the rule of law. It affirms a basic truth: when you break the law, you’ll be held responsible,” Staub said.

“Dxe’s actions show a reckless disregard for employee safety, animal welfare, and food security. At Petaluma Poultry, we are committed to responsible farming, rigorous animal care and biosecurity standards, and delivering the safe, healthy food our consumers and customers rely on,” she added.

According to her X account, Rosenberg has participated in many protests for animal rights that include chaining herself to an NBA basketball hoop at a playoff game in 2022, dressing up as a Chick-fil-A employee to warn customers about animal rights at one location, and leading a satire “dog BBQ” at the University of California, Berkeley, where she pretended to make dog meat and threatened to cook a chihuahua.

In an archival TEDx Talk, Rosenberg said that social causes must be progressed with public acts of protest.

“Whatever cause is important to you, isn’t going to progress or win without non-violent, consistent, and bold acts of protest,” she said.

Rosenberg named the stolen chickens Poppy, Ivy, Aster and Azalea, according to her social media.

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(APPALACHIA, Va.) — The wife of a Virginia high school football coach who went missing days before being wanted on charges involving child sexual abuse material and solicitation of a minor is pleading with him to “face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law,” as he remains missing for two weeks.

Travis Turner, 46, of Appalachia, Virginia, was last seen on Nov. 20, according to the Virginia State Police. He is wanted on multiple felony charges, including five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, according to Virginia State Police. The Union High School football coach is considered a fugitive, police said.

Turner was last seen by some family members walking into the woods with a gun, according to the coach’s family.

“While the family’s last contact with Travis causes them to have great concern for his well being, they cling to the hope he will be found and afforded the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law,” his family said in a statement released Wednesday through his wife’s attorney.

The family said they continue to cooperate with law enforcement, including having their home and properties searched “multiple times,” amid efforts to locate Turner.

Turner’s car, keys and wallet were left at home, as well as daily medications and his contact lens and glasses, according to his family.

When he did not return that evening, his wife contacted law enforcement and filed a missing person report the following day “as directed” with the Virginia State Police, his family said.

“Criminal charges were not obtained against Travis until days after he failed to return home,” the statement from his family said. “He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him.”

His wife and children are “in distress” and urged him to come home.

“Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you,” the statement said. “They love and miss you. They want you to know they are your support.”

The U.S. Marshals Service this week announced a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Turner’s capture.

The U.S. Marshals warned that Turner “may be armed” and to “use caution” in a wanted poster released on Monday.

Turner is a physical education teacher and head football coach at Union High School, in the Wise County public school district, according to the school’s website. Amid his disappearance, the football team has advanced to the Virginia state semifinals, scheduled for this Saturday, during a 13-0 season.

In response to a request for comment on Turner, Wise County Public Schools said Tuesday it is “aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave.”

“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” the statement continued. “The division will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward.”

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(NEW YORK) — A year to the day after Luigi Mangione allegedly stalked and gunned down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, the 27-year-old alleged killer was identified in court by one of the police officers who first encountered him in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following the shooting.

“He’s the gentleman right there sitting between the female and the male.  Looks like he’s wearing a suit,” patrolman Tyler Frye said, pointing with his left hand.

Mangione’s lawyers are attempting to convince the judge overseeing his case to prohibit prosecutors from using critical evidence, including the alleged murder weapon and Mangione’s journal. They argue the evidence was unlawfully seized from his backpack without a warrant during his arrest. 

Mangione — in court for the third day of a pretrial hearing in his state murder case — flipped a pen in his right hand and then began writing on a white lined legal pad, largely ignoring body camera footage of his arrest that played on screens around the courtroom.

Frye, 26, was still a probationary officer, on the job less than a year, when he responded to a McDonalds on E. Plank Road after the dispatcher told them a manager had called 911 to report someone who looked like the person wanted in the shooting. 

On the body camera footage played in court, someone is heard directing the officers, “He’s back there.”

Frye is seen in the footage standing a few feet from Mangione while Mangione nibbled a hash brown as the officers stalled for time by engaging in small talk about the Steak McMuffin. 

Another officer is heard asking Mangione, “Do you know what all this nonsense is about?” Mangione is heard replying, “We’re going to find out I guess.”

Mangione gave the officers a fake New Jersey ID for a Mark Rosario. 

Officers subsequently informed Mangione he was under “official police investigation” and asked him his real name. Frye, on the video, is seen writing the name “Luigi Mangione” in a small notebook and providing his date of birth. At that point, Mangione is read is Miranda rights.

Defense attorneys are trying to exclude statements Mangione made and the contents of his backpack, including a 3D-printed gun and a red notebook. 

“Where were you standing in relation to the backpack?” prosecutor Joel Seidemann asked.  “Right near it,” Frye replied.

“Were you aware of that backpack?” Seidemann asked. “I was,” Frye said.

“When did you become aware of it?” asked Seidemann.

“About the time I walked in,” Frye replied.

The hearing has the potential to sideline what prosecutors say is some of the strongest evidence of Mangione’s guilt, and has provided the most detailed preview to date of their case against the alleged killer.

The proceedings could last into next week.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — The mysterious death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera has been ruled a suicide, police said, noting a suicide note found on her phone and reported previous comments about self-harm.

The investigation began at 12:46 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to an Austin apartment complex and found Aguilera on the ground with trauma from an apparent fall from a high floor, Austin Police Detective Robert Marshall said.

Cameras showed Aguilera arriving at the apartment complex just after 11 p.m. Friday and going to an apartment on the 17^th floor, Marshall said at a news conference on Thursday. The video showed “a large group of friends left that same apartment at 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 29, leaving just Brianna and three other girls in the apartment,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, Aguilera was at a tailgate for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game, and she “became intoxicated to a point where she was asked to leave,” Marshall said.

Aguilera told her friends that she lost her phone, and when they arrived at the apartment Friday night, she borrowed a phone to call her boyfriend, he said.

Witnesses heard her argue on the phone with her boyfriend, Marshall said. That phone call took place from 12:43 a.m. to 12:44 am — two minutes before a 911 call, he said.

When police later found Aguilera’s lost phone, they recovered a “deleted digital suicide note dated Tuesday, Nov. 25 of this year, which was written to specific people in her life,” Marshall said.

“Brianna had made suicidal comments previously to friends, back in October of this year,” he said. “This continued through the evening of her death, with some self-harming actions early in the evening and a text message to another friend indicating the thought of suicide.”

No evidence in the investigation ever pointed to a crime, Marshall stressed, adding, “Every friend and witness during this investigation has been nothing but forthcoming and open.”

Aguilera’s family told local media earlier this week the beloved college student was not suicidal and was planning to pursue a career in law.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at the news conference, “I understand how grief and the need for answers can raise intense emotions and many questions. But sometimes the truth doesn’t provide the answers we are hoping for, and that is this case.”

Davis said her “heart aches” for Aguilera’s parents.

“I have three daughters and a son, and I cannot begin to imagine the pain,” Davis said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide — free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.

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(NEW YORK) — The nationwide fight over the Trump Administration’s top prosecutors moves to an Albany courtroom this morning, when a federal judge hears arguments about whether Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone has the authority to act as Northern New York’s chief law enforcement officer.

New York Attorney General Letitia James began the legal fight against Sarcone after the Federal Bureau of Investigation served two grand jury subpoenas to her office for documents related to the civil cases against the Trump Organization and National Rifle Association.

The oral arguments over the legitimacy of the subpoenas and criminal investigation comes one week after a judge in Virginia dismissed a criminal mortgage fraud case against James over issues with the appointment of Trump’s handpicked prosecutor.

Lawyers for the attorney general’s office argue that the subpoenas and ongoing criminal investigations are a “flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system” to punish James’ office for bringing cases against the president, his business and his allies.

“The Executive Branch seeks to transform a personal grievance, which failed as civil claims, into a federal criminal prosecution—a plain and calculated campaign to harass a law enforcement agency that held Mr. Trump and his organization to account,” attorneys wrote in a motion to quash the subpoenas.

Last year, James won a half-billion-dollar penalty against Trump for inflating his net worth to secure better business deals, but a state appeals court vacated the financial penalty when it upheld the ruling earlier this year. According to court filings, a grand jury in Albany issued two subpoenas in August to the office to turn over any documents or records related to both cases to the Justice Department.

James’s office moved to quash both the subpoenas in August by arguing the subpoenas were issued in bad faith, lacked a legitimate legal basis, violated state sovereignty, infringed on First Amendment protections and were issued by an unlawfully appointed federal prosecutor.

“The U.S. Department of Justice asks this Court to treat this as an ordinary case. It portrays the subpoenas as routine. And it recites the usual standards governing grand jury investigations — while trying to ignore and trying to convince this Court to ignore the extraordinary reality before it, that these subpoenas are a flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system, even by this President’s standards,” lawyers for the office wrote.

Prosecutors with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York have defended the subpoenas by arguing that the grand jury has vast power to investigate James because she allegedly “repeatedly promised to investigate, prosecute and sue the NRA and President Trump.”

“The challenged subpoenas … were issued by a validly empaneled grand jury in the Northern District of New York, which is entitled to investigate whether Attorney General Letitia James — alone or in concert with others — violated federal law by selectively pursuing the NYOAG Lawsuits against the NRA and President Trump when other similarly situated entities and individuals went unpursued,” prosecutors wrote.

The legal fight took on an added significance in recent months as the Trump administration’s policy of circumventing the Senate confirmation process for many of its U.S. attorneys has been scrutinized and rejected by federal judges.

A federal judge recently dismissed criminal cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey because the president’s handpicked prosecutor lacked the authority to bring the cases, and a federal appeals court unanimously upheld a decision on Monday disqualifying Alina Habba as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield — a judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the case after Northern District judges recused themselves — narrowed the purpose of today’s hearing to the sole question of whether Sarcone’s allegedly unlawful appointment invalidates the subpoenas.

Sarcone has functioned as the Acting U.S. attorney in Northern New York, but a panel of judges in July refused to permanently appoint him to lead the office following his controversial interim tenure. In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi named him as a “special attorney to the attorney general” who can indefinitely serve as northern New York’s top federal prosecutor.

Similar legal standoffs have sprouted across the country over the last few months, as federal courts have disqualified the U.S. attorneys in Nevada, California, and New Jersey. In each case, the Trump administration’s original picks to lead the office have remained in charge, bucking the long-standing practice of having the Senate confirm the president’s picks for the positions.

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