(CONCORD, N.H.) — New Hampshire officials are offering $50,000 in reward money to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the killing of a married couple.
Stephen and Djeswende Reid were last seen leaving their home in Concord’s Alton Woods apartment complex on April 18. The couple went on a walk that led them to the area of the Broken Ground Trails off of Portsmouth Street in Concord, New Hampshire.
Their friends and family did not see or hear from them after that, according to the attorney general’s office. Their bodies were found in a wooded area near the Marsh Loop Trail on April 21, according to the attorney general’s office.
Autopsies revealed they both died due to multiple gunshot wounds and the medical examiner ruled their deaths as homicides, according to the attorney general’s office.
The New Hampshire attorney general’s office said two anonymous donors pledged $20,000 and $15,000 for information that comes in the next 60 days. Other anonymous donors pledged $6,000, according to the attorney general’s office.
The Concord Police Patrolmen’s Association, Supervisors Association and Retired New Hampshire State Police Troopers Association all contributed to the amount as well, according to the attorney general’s office.
Investigators are looking for a person of interest seen in the vicinity of the shooting in April. The individual is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, approximately 5’10” tall, medium build, with short brown hair and clean-shaven, according to the attorney general’s office.
He was seen wearing a dark blue jacked, khaki-colored pants and was carrying a black backpack, according to the attorney general’s office. Investigators are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts or his identity to come forward.
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — An 8-year-old boy is paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the chest during a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
The shooting left seven people dead and at least 38 people injured.
Cooper Roberts, who suffered a severed spinal cord, remains in serious condition after undergoing multiple surgeries at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, attorney Anthony Loizzi, who is acting as the family’s spokesperson, told ABC News Friday.
“He has regained consciousness, although he’s very confused about what’s going on,” said Loizzi, adding that doctors at this time do not believe Cooper suffered any brain damage from the shooting. “He’s crying uncontrollably because he just doesn’t understand why can’t move his legs.”
Cooper was attending his town’s July 4th parade with his twin brother Luke and their parents, Jason and Keely Roberts, when the shooting happened, according to Loizzi, who is not representing the family in a legal capacity.
Loizzi said the brothers had loved attending the parade in the past, adding that the Roberts family, which also includes four daughters, ages 18 to 26, moved to Highland Park last year from a nearby town.
This year’s parade in the Chicago suburb ended in tragedy when the shooting suspect, Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, allegedly climbed onto the roof of a business and used a high-powered rifle to unleash more than 70 rounds on marchers and revelers, according to police.
Crimo, 21, was charged Tuesday with seven counts of first-degree murder, and more charges are expected, according to Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Loizzi said that Cooper’s brother Luke was treated for injuries from shrapnel and is now recovering at home, where he is being cared for by his oldest sister.
The boys’ father did not suffer any physical injuries in the shooting, but their mother, Keely Roberts, a local school superintendent, was shot twice in the leg, according to Loizzi. She underwent two surgeries and was discharged at her own request Wednesday so that she could be with Cooper.
“She’s been there 24/7 since being discharged,” Loizzi said of Keely Roberts. “She’s supposed to have another surgery because I believe she’s continued to have bleeding, but she demanded to be discharged and, understandably, they let her go.”
Loizzi said the Roberts family is an extremely close-knit family of eight, and described Cooper and Luke specifically as the “best of friends.”
“Their sister described them as partners in crime,” said Loizzi. “Cooper is just a very outgoing kid, the type of kid that walks into a room and will just walk up and talk to you and get to know you right away.”
Cooper is an athletic child who loves baseball and the Milwaukee Brewers as well as his family’s dog, according to Loizzi.
“His favorite pastime is being with his dog George,” he said, adding that Cooper asked to see his dog and his twin brother upon regaining consciousness. “They’re just inseparable.”
A GoFundMe account started by friends of the Roberts family has so far raised over $620,000 to help the family pay for medical bills, treatments and therapy.
Loizzi said Keely Roberts is focused on her family’s recovery and has asked people to keep them in their “thoughts and prayers.”
“She’s not watching the news. She’s not following social media, so they’re kind of just in a bubble and just want to focus,” said Loizzi. “Every time I’ve asked her, what do you want people to know, what do you need, she just says, ‘Please just keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and at the same time, we’d just like people to respect our privacy while we’re going through this tough time.'”
The school district in Zion, Illinois, where Keely Roberts has worked for the past seven years said active and retired superintendents have stepped up to volunteer their services while she and her family continue to heal.
“For seven years in Zion District 6 and other area school districts for many years prior, Dr. Roberts has done everything she can to support the needs of students and families in our community,” Zion District 6 Board President Ruth Davis said in a statement Thursday. “Now, she and her family need our help and support.”
Loizzi, who is the attorney for the school district’s board, described Keely Roberts as an “unbelievable advocate” for her students.
“I’ve worked with Keely pretty much on a daily basis for seven years,” he said. “The woman works nonstop, 24/7 and does anything she can to support the students and family and community that she serves.”
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Memorial services and funerals have begun for the victims of this week’s mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
Seven people were killed and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire from a rooftop on the crowd attending the celebration in the Chicago suburb.
As the community continues to grapple with the shock and horror of that day, a former synagogue preschool teacher and two beloved grandfathers are among the first victims of the tragedy to be honored.
Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim, 63, was a beloved worker at her synagogue, North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois. She was known by her colleagues for her infectious smile and great hugs, they said.
The congregation gathered at the synagogue Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of Sundheim, who is survived by her husband and daughter.
Rabbi Wendi Geffen opened with pointed remarks.
“We should not have to be here today,” she told the congregation during the service, which was livestreamed. “There is nothing, not one single thing, that makes us being brought together to mourn for Jacki acceptable. We are horrified. We are enraged, sickened, aggrieved, inconsolable for the terror that has befallen us and robbed us of Jacki.”
But Geffen warned against remembering Sundheim “not by how she lived, but by how she died.”
“We cannot allow that to happen, she said. “While Jacki was alive, her life was beautiful and full, and full of love and joy, meaning, significance. Her legacy is one of kindness and devotion. That’s who Jacki was. And who she will remain to us forever.”
Sundheim’s daughter, Leah Sundheim, called on those gathered to channel their grief, pain and anger into “a drive to help heal our world.”
“Do not let this sadness, this fear, rage, turn you indifferent or bitter towards our world,” she said. “Because the world is darker without my mom in it. And it’s up to us now to fill it with a little extra laughter and help replace her life and love.”
A funeral service was held Friday for Stephen Straus, 88, who was the oldest victim to die in the shooting rampage, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The Chicago native had lived in Highland Park for decades and is survived by his wife, two sons and four grandchildren.
Family and friends gathered Friday afternoon at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois, following his burial.
“We connect in a national moment with the mourning of those in Highland Park. And now, it has happened to us — these stories that we saw on the news, these stories that seemed so far away and so disconnected is now our story too,” Rabbi Rachel Weiss said at the start of the service, which was livestreamed. “But most of all, we are mourning the life of Stephen Straus.”
Weiss recited words his brother told her: “If there were more people like Steve in this world, the world would be a much better place.”
Straus’ brother remembered his sibling as being fiercely loyal since they were children.
“He was dedicated, honest — goes without saying. Honest beyond words,” Larry Straus said.
Straus’ son, Jonathan Straus, spoke of his father’s kindness, impeccable joke-telling and “irresistible” charm.” He was an “avid lover of the arts” who continued to work five days a week, he said.
“You know what a special person he was,” he said, calling his father his “best friend.” “He still had a lot of zest for life, and I know he had a few more good years in him.”
Straus’ younger son, Peter Straus, remembered his father as a voracious reader, particularly of poetry, biographies, science, nature and history.
“He schooled my brother and I on James Bond, Captain Kirk and ‘2001,’” he said.
A service is also scheduled for Nicolas Toledo, 78, Friday evening at Iglesia Emanuel in Waukegan. The native of Morelos, Mexico, was remembered by family for his humor. “He’d always joke around and be playful with his grandkids,” his grandson, David Toledo, told ABC News in a statement.
A service for the seventh victim to die from injuries suffered in the mass shooting, 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo, is scheduled for Saturday. Uvaldo was a grandfather of 13 and a great-grandfather of six. Several of his family members were also at the parade; his 13-year-old grandson, Brian, was shot in the arm and his wife, Maria, was hit in the head by shrapnel, his daughters told ABC News. Both are expected to fully recover, officials say.
Those killed in the shooting also included Katherine Goldstein, 64, a mother of two adult daughters; and husband-and-wife Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, who leave behind a 2-year-old son. Details for their services have not been made public.
Robert E. Crimo III, the accused 21-year-old gunman, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors have said they expect to bring attempted murder charges for each of the more than 30 people wounded in the attack.
Prosecutors said that Crimo III confessed to Monday morning’s parade massacre. He did not enter a plea during a bond hearing on Wednesday.
(HOUSTON) — A Houston woman says the secret to her success in losing over 200 pounds was simply walking.
Shenisha Armealine, 27, said she began walking in 2017, while at her heaviest weight of over 400 pounds.
At the time, Armealine said she was not only at her heaviest weight, she had also just survived Hurricane Harvey, which swept through Houston in August 2017, leaving a trail of devastation in its path.
“I lost everything I owned,” Armealine told “Good Morning America.” “My mental health was not really well, and I just I started walking.”
Armealine said she started small by committing to walking 15 minutes every day.
Slowly, Armealine said her daily commitment developed into a habit and then into a lifestyle.
She added jogging into her exercise routine and started to eat better too.
With those incremental changes — in addition to therapy, which she credits with helping her learn new coping skills — Armealine said she lost 218 pounds over five years.
“My life has a new perspective,” she said. “This is not just weight loss or weight gain. This is motivation.”
Armealine, now a college sophomore, shares her weight loss journey on Instagram and TikTok, where she inspires others.
“Once you realize who you are and you can love yourself, once you can believe in yourself and love who God created you to be the, the sky’s like literally the limit,” she said. “There is nothing you can’t do.”
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) — The 13 Turpin siblings, rescued in 2018 from captivity in their parents’ California home, were “failed” by the social services system that was supposed to care for them and help transition them into society, according to a report issued Friday by outside investigators hired by Riverside County.
“Some of the younger Turpin children were placed with caregivers who were later charged with child abuse,” the 630-page report found. “Some of the older siblings experienced periods of housing instability and food insecurity as they transitioned to independence.”
The seven-month probe was the result of an investigation by ABC News as part of the Diane Sawyer 20/20 special, “Escape From A House of Horror,” that aired last November, in which two of the Turpin siblings spoke out for the first time about the challenges and hardships they have faced in the years since sheriff’s deputies rescued them from a life of home imprisonment.
“With respect to the Turpin siblings, we conclude there were many times over the last four years that they received the care they needed from the County,” the report found. “This was not always the case, however, and all too often the social services system failed them.”
The Turpin siblings were rescued in January 2018 from their home in Perris, California, after then-17-year-old Jordan Turpin executed a daring escape in the middle of the night and called 911. Authorities subsequently discovered that their parents had subjected them to brutal violence and deprived them of food, sleep, hygiene, education, and health care.
“In short, while there are many examples of dedicated Riverside County personnel succeeding despite the systemic obstacles in their way, there are too many other examples of falling short or even failing outright,” the report found.
In the response to the report, County Supervisor Karen Spiegel said in a statement, “This is the time to act and I will support all efforts to meet the challenge.”
While many of the specifics in the report were redacted due to privacy concerns, the investigation outlined a number of specific instances where services failed, as well as when they succeeded. It also included a number of recommendations for reform moving forward.
In a statement, County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen, who commissioned the investigation, said the recommendations would “guide our continuing efforts to improve outcomes in the days, weeks and months to come.”
Referring to its investigation of the Riverside social welfare system more broadly, the report found that there were “many examples of dedicated Riverside County personnel succeeding despite the systemic obstacles in their way” — but ultimately that “there are too many other examples of falling short or even failing outright.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(MIAMI) — A Georgia mom is speaking out after she said her 12-year-old daughter, who was traveling solo as an unaccompanied minor, exited an American Airlines flight at a Miami airport by herself after landing — without an adult guide.
The family paid extra for the unaccompanied minors service. According to the airline’s unaccompanied minors travel policy, the service assigns airport escorts to help children deplane, make flight connections, and meet the authorized adult picking them up.
Monica Gilliam told “Good Morning America” that on July 2, her daughter Kimber flew on an American Airlines flight from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Miami, Florida, to visit her father. After Kimber’s flight landed, Gilliam said she received a distressing phone call from American Airlines.
“The manager from American Airlines called and said, ‘Your child is missing.’ I was like, ‘How did you lose my child? How do you lose an unaccompanied minor?'” Gilliam recalled.
Gilliam said her daughter — who had flown unaccompanied before when she was 5 and 6, with different airlines — told her she felt she had to get up and leave the aircraft once it landed, following other passengers who were disembarking, and claimed a flight attendant even waved goodbye to her.
“She was seated in between two people on row eight. And when the person at the window got up, she felt like she was supposed to get up, too, and move into the aisle,” she said. “And then they just waved her on and she said, I didn’t know what to do, so I kept walking.'”
The family had not gone over specifics with Kimber about what to expect in the unaccompanied travel process, or detailed safety instructions on flying alone, but said she was familiar with air travel in general — according to Gilliam, the family flies together frequently, “and so [Kimber] knows that our typical protocol is that we get off the plane and we go to baggage claim together” — and had been told she would be looked after on this flight.
“I told her when she got on at Chattanooga that they would be there with her and they would make sure she stayed safe until she reached her dad,” she said.
“You know, she’s flown unaccompanied before. I have other children that have, too. And it never crossed our minds that this could be a possibility,” she added.
Gilliam said Kimber’s father ultimately used FaceTime to help his daughter navigate the Miami airport by herself after she had disembarked the plane, and eventually was able to guide her to a baggage claim area where he could reunite with her.
“She was nervous and she was scared. But she did exactly what her dad told her to do to get her to safety,” she said.
Gilliam said that airline officials had since refunded the full ticket price and additional unaccompanied minor fees for the trip, and had offered her several free flights with American Airlines, along with a number of other VIP services, which she said she turned down.
“They were very apologetic,” she said. Still, she added, “[Kimber] doesn’t want to fly now. … So I’ll be driving down to get her after her visit is over with her dad.”
American Airlines says children between the ages of 5 and 14 are required to use the company’s unaccompanied minor service when they fly alone. The service includes early boarding and an airport escort is supposed to meet the child and take them to their gate, flight connection, or to an “authorized adult” or guardian who has to pick up the child after a flight lands, according to the airline’s website.
Additionally, the website states that there is a “$150 unaccompanied service fee (plus tax, where applicable) each way” added to the ticket price for those using the service.
In response to the incident, American Airlines told ABC News in a statement that the company “cares deeply” about its young passengers and is “committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for them.” The airline added that it is “looking into what occurred” and is taking the incident “very seriously.”
Emily Kaufman, a travel expert and the CEO and founder of “The Travel Mom,” told “GMA” that parents with children flying solo need to make sure their kids are adequately prepared.
“Inform them about the plan on the plane, getting off the plane and when they’re in need of something that they can ask a flight attendant,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman also recommends parents give their child a list of important contacts and phone numbers and to put the list in their pocket as well as their carry-on luggage. Parents may also want to consider using a tracking tool like the “Find My Friends” feature on an iPhone and they should always monitor a child’s flight in case it arrives early or late.
(WASHINGTON) — Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone appeared on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a closed-door interview with House Jan. 6 committee investigators after negotiations over what he could be questioned about.
His testimony will be videotaped and it’s expected that clips of Cipollone’s deposition will be presented during the committee’s upcoming public hearings, according to sources familiar with the planning.
Cipollone and the committee, according to sources, have agreed he can be asked about what he knows about the actions taken by former top Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark to use the powers of the Justice Department to attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, what Cipollone did during the day of Jan. 6, and interactions he was present for or had with former Trump lawyer John Eastman as well as interactions he was present for or had with members of Congress following the 2020 election.
The questioning on those topics is expected to exclude conversations he had directly with former President Donald Trump.
Sources close to Cipollone told ABC News it is possible he may claim some form of executive privilege, which sources familiar with the negotiations say is not expected to be challenged by committee investigators.
Committee investigators may also ask Cipollone about other topics, sources said.
Cipollone, appearing under subpoena, has been one of the panel’s most sought-after witnesses following last week’s testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s fourth and final White House chief of staff.
Hutchinson told the panel that Cipollone was fearful of the consequences of Trump’s push to march with his supporters on Jan. 6 from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where Congress was working to certify the 2020 Electoral College results.
“Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, ‘Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy, keep in touch with me. We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen,'” Hutchinson testified.
During the attack on the Capitol, Hutchinson also said Cipollone was pushing for Trump to make some kind of statement to help end the violence.
“Mark, something needs to be done or people are going to die and the blood is going to be on your f—— hands,” Cipollone told Meadows, according to Hutchinson’s testimony.
On Wednesday, Trump complained about Cipillone agreeing to an interview on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Why would a future President of the United States want to have candid and important conversations with his White House Counsel if he thought there was even a small chance that this person, essentially acting as a ‘lawyer’ for the Country, may some day be brought before a partisan and openly hostile Committee in Congress, or even a fair and reasonable Committee, to reveal the inner secrets of foreign policy or other important matters,” Trump wrote. “So bad for the USA!”
(WASHINGTON) — Two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion nationwide despite efforts by some states to outlaw or severely restrict it.
Speaking from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Friday, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Biden decried the court’s decision as “extreme” and “totally wrong.”
“This isn’t some imagined horror,” Biden said. “It is already happening. Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim — 10 years old — and she was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to seek to terminate the pregnancy and maybe save her life.”
“Imagine being that little girl,” he continued. “I’m serious, just imagine being that little girl.”
The executive action comes as Biden faces pressure from his fellow Democrats to take more forceful action, especially since the decision handed down by the high court on June 24 was leaked in early May.
His executive order largely finalizes what has already been announced by the administration — including instructions to the Justice Department to make sure women can travel out-of-state for abortion care.
The order addresses the elevated risks for patients, providers and clinics, which includes efforts to protect mobile clinics that have been deployed to state borders to offer care for out-of-state patients.
Biden’s action, the White House said, directs Attorney General Merrick Garland and the White House counsel to convene volunteer lawyers and organizations to “encourage robust legal representation of patients, providers, and third parties lawfully seeking or offering reproductive health care services throughout the country.”
Biden has also said he’ll provide leave for federal workers traveling for medical care, which could set an example for private companies to do the same.
Amazon, Starbucks and other corporations have already announced expanded health benefits to pay for their employees’ travel fees if they are seeking an abortion and the procedure is unavailable near where they live.
Biden is also ordering the Department of Health and Human Services to take “additional action to protect and expand” access to medication abortion, emergency contraception and IUDs.
The agency is instructed to increase outreach and public education efforts regarding access to reproductive health care services — abortion included — to get reliable information to the public.
Patient privacy is another part of Biden’s order, which takes additional measures to address the transfer and sale of sensitive health-related data, combat digital surveillance related to reproductive health care services and protects people from fraudulent and deceptive practices.
Last week, Democratic governors urged Biden to use federal facilities and land for abortion services.
“What am I talking about? Veterans hospitals, military bases and other places where the federal government controls the jurisdiction in some of the states that are hostile to women’s rights, and make sure that those services can be available to other women,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul suggested.
The White House didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the idea, stating it could have “dangerous ramifications.” The suggestion will not be included in Biden’s executive order.
Also not included in Biden’s action are several proposals by advocates, including Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recommendation this week that the administration make clear Americans can legally transport the abortion pill across the U.S.-Canadian border.
Biden says it’s ultimately up to Congress to codify Roe into law, calling it “the fastest way to restore” rights. But any effort by Democrats to do so would likely fail in the Senate, where they would need 10 Republican votes.
Biden suggested a filibuster carveout to enshrine abortion rights in federal law, but two Democratic senators — Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — are opposed to changing the longstanding Senate rule.
The president called on women to turn out in record numbers this November to elect more pro-choice Democrats.
“You, the women of America, you determine the outcome of this issue,” Biden said.
(NEW YORK) — Monkeypox cases around the world have increased 77% in seven days, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
There have been 6,027 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox in 59 countries as of Monday, up 2,614 cases from June 27, the last time the WHO issued its report.
Three deaths have been reported in Africa, where monkeypox is considered an endemic. There have been no deaths from the virus in the U.S and in other parts of the world.
There are 4,920 confirmed cases in Europe, the region with the most cases.
People who identify as gay, bisexual or men who sleep with men make up most of the cases, according to the WHO’s report.
Health experts have warned that despite those groups making up the majority of cases, anyone can test positive for the virus.
Brian Thomas, a 32-year-old Baltimore man who recently tested positive for monkeypox, opened up about his experience with the virus to ABC News, saying he pushes back against people thinking it’s a gay disease.
“Even though this community is the one that’s most affected now, it’s not going to stay like that forever if the numbers increase,” Thomas said.
The incubation period from the time a person is exposed to when symptoms first appear can be anywhere from five to 21 days, according to the WHO.
The disease begins with a fever, headache, fatigue, chills and muscle aches. Monkeypox also causes swollen lymph nodes.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it’s sending nearly 300,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine for prevention of the disease for people who have been exposed.
Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Amazon members are already primed to enjoy perks of speedy delivery and now, that can include food from hundreds of thousands of restaurants.
The food delivery service has teamed up with Amazon to offer Prime members a free, one-year Grubhub+ membership.
The new membership for U.S. customers includes unlimited $0 delivery fees from restaurants that participate on Grubhub nationwide, the companies announced in a press release.
“More than half (53%) of adults and nearly two-thirds (64%) of millennials admit that purchasing takeout and delivery food is ‘essential’ to the way they live, but only one-third (38%) of Americans report using third-party delivery companies like Grubhub at least some of the time,” the food delivery service reported.
Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, explained that the new feature for Prime members “is our way of saying ‘thank you.'”
“The value of a Prime membership continues to grow with this offer, and this year is shaping up to be a great time to enjoy the convenience, savings, fun and deliciousness that membership provides,” Ghani added.
Grubhub+ members will also get access to member-only perks and rewards. Members also enjoy a donation match on Grubhub+ orders through Grubhub’s Donate the Change program, which raised more than $25 million in 2021 alone, benefiting more than 20 charitable organizations.
This offer is available to Prime members all year long.
