Quantcast
Channel: NBC Connecticut
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live

Teen Shot in Head Expected to Survive: Police

$
0
0

A Norwalk teen is recovering from surgery in the hospital after he was shot in the head at a Stamford apartment complex on Friday night, according to police.

Stamford police are investigating reports that a man fired shots at a group of men "loitering" outside the Rippowam Park  apartment complex at about 11:45 p.m. on Friday near 127 Myano Lane, shooting a 19-year-old in the head, police said.

The bullet fractured the victim's skull, but "did not enter any vital areas of the head," Lt. Diedrich Hohn said in an email to the media. He underwent surgery Saturday morning and doctors removed the bullet and turned it over to police.

The teen, who has not been publicly identified, is recovering in the ICU at Stamford HX and is expected to survive, according to police.

The suspect was wearing dark clothing and was last seen running south on Myano Lane, police said.

No arrests have been made at this time. Stamford police continue to investigate the shooting.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.



Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Bloomfield Teen Found

$
0
0

A 17-year-old Bloomfield girl who was reported missing has been found and is OK.

Jazmin Morales, of Jackson Road in Bloomfield, disappeared late Friday or early Saturday and was found around 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to Bloomfield Police.

 



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bloomfield Police Department

Two Crashes Cleared on Route 2

$
0
0

Two crashes on Route 2 in both directions in East Hartford have been cleared Monday morning.

Emergency crews have removed a car that veered off the righthand portion of Route 2  West and both crashes between Exits 5A and 5B in both directions have been cleared.

The right lane was closed on the eastbound and westbound sides earlier in the morning.

There is no word on injuries.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

 

 



Photo Credit: DOT

State to Unveil New CTfastrak Bus

$
0
0

State officials will unveil one of the new 40-foot CTfastrak buses on Monday as part of a bus system in development that promises a traffic-free commute between New Britain and Hartford.

The bus is a hybrid with LED lighting and wireless internet.

Construction is underway for the project that's been years in the making. Ten stations will be built along the Interstate 84 corridor between the two cities.

The state Department of Transportation estimates that about 16,000 people will use CTfastrak instead of driving to avoid traffic.

The "rapid transit system" will span 9.4 miles between Hartford and New Britain, according to the CTfastrak website, and is scheduled to be completed in early 2015.

The state will showcase the new bus at the Capitol building in Hartford at 12:30 p.m. State officials will tour the New Britain portion of the track afterward.

Gas Leak Like a “Geyser” Prompted Evacuations

$
0
0

Some homes in Windsor were evacuated for a short time on Monday morning because of a gas leak.

Firefighters responded to Fox Meadow Lane and Prospect Hill Road Call at 7:45 a.m. and crews said the gas leak was “like a geyser.”

Connecticut Natural Gas also responded and shut the gas off.

Some homes were evacuated for a matter of a few minutes. 

Road work was being done in the area and an officer at the scene said construction is likely done for the day since CNG has to repair the line.

 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

"Straight-A" Student Killed in Chicago Drive-By Shooting

$
0
0

Among the seven people shot and killed over the last weekend was a 16-year-old girl described by family members as a straight-A student who dreamed of becoming a forensic scientist.

"She was a good baby," said Shaquise Buckner's mother, Katrina Goodwin. "I don't understand this."

Buckner was standing outside on the 7200 block of South Laflin Street, in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday when shots were fired from a passing car. Buckner took a bullet to the head. A 20-year-old man with her was hit in the back and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition.

Buckner was killed just days ahead of the start of her sophomore year of high school. She was on her way to also becoming the first member of her family to attend college.

"She was a good student, strong amongst her peers, outgoing, and she was on her way to AP classes to help her be successful," Julie Puzon, the principal at Perspectives IIT/Math & Science Academy, said Sunday night at a vigil outside the school.

No one was in custody in connection with the shooting as of early Monday. Police said the man wounded with Buckner may have gang affiliations and may have been the intended target.

Weekend shootings killed seven other people and wounded more than 25 others.

Police Seek Armed Robbery Suspects

$
0
0

Two men robbed a convenience store in Bridgeport at gunpoint on Sunday and police are looking for the public's help in identifying suspects caught on the security cameras, police said.

Police said that the men robbed Mike's Grocery Store at 375 Capitol Avenue at gunpoint just before 10 p.m., minutes before the store closed.

Video surveillance shows two hooded men enter a store with guns in hand. One of the uspects pushes a man, who appears to be a customer trying to leave, further into the store and restrains him near the counter as he points a gun at the clerk. The other suspect, stations himself on the other side of the counter, demands money from the clerk and hops over the counter with his gun aimed at the store employee. The clerk opens the drawer and the suspect grabs the dollar bills, looks under the tray and flees with his partner.

Police did not release information on how much money was stolen.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Det. A.J. Calvao at 203-581-5240.



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Brideport Police Department

Motorcyclist Killed in Bethel Crash

$
0
0

A motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Bethel on Sunday evening.

The crash happened at Mansfield Street and Fleetwood Avenue at 5:19 p.m. on Sunday, according to police. The driver was the only person on the bike and was in the roadway when emergency crews arrived.

The motorcyclist had been heading eastbound on Mansfield Street when he went off the road, into a traffic island and fell off the bike, according to the news release from police. 

An ambulance transported the man to Danbury Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.

Police have not yet released the motorcyclist’s name.

Witnesses to the crash are asked to call 203-744-7900.  


 



Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Fire Reported in Manchester Apartment

$
0
0

Firefighters are responding to a fire at an apartment in a multi-family house on Spruce Street in Manchester.

No additional information was immediately available.

An NBC Connecticut crew is heading to the scene.
 



Photo Credit: Monica Garske

Mother Stabs Man Fighting With Her Son: PD

$
0
0

A mother stabbed a man fighting with her son in Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon and now she and her son are facing charges, according to police.

Bridgeport police responded to Madison Avenue at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday to a reported assault  that followed a dispute and physical fight, police said.

Janel Moore, 36, intervened in an altercation between her son and another man, stabbing the other person multiple times, according to police.

The man's injuries were non-life threatening, police said. Several others were also injured, but police did not specify how many.

Moore is facing several counts of assault and police have also charged her son as a juvenile, but did not say what his charges were.

Police did not identify Moore's son by name and have not released the name of the other person involved in the fight.

Police also charged a third person with damaging a vehicle during the incident, police said, but the department did not specify who.

The case remains under investigation.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

 

 

 



Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police

Thieves Steal Flag Flying at Half-Staff

$
0
0

A flag was stolen from the Liberty Pole in Downtown Mystic over the weekend and it’s an especially egregious crime because it was flying low to honor a member of the National Guard who was recently killed in an accident, according to local officials.

Staff Sgt. Ronald Patterson Jr., 43, of Bridgeport, was killed when the military vehicle he was traveling in was involved in a crash in New York earlier this month and the flag was at half-staff in his memory.
It was stolen late on Saturday. 

“It’s just senseless, and shame on whoever is doing this, “Rich Dussault, the flag captain, said.
Officials think the person behind the flag thefts is taking them to sell them and no one has been caught.

“This has happened five times totally over the last 15 to 20 years, “John Kennedy, the flag committee president, said.

When a flag was last stolen in May, a local car dealership donated a new flag, which costs about $250, but members of the flag committee do not expect donors to continue to provide flags.

So, they will be working with local police to investigate and plan to meet this week to determine what they can do to keep the flag from being stolen again.
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Man Drove Drunk With 2 Juveniles in Car: PD

$
0
0

Middletown police arrested a Glastonbury man who they say drove while intoxicated with two juveniles in the car on Saturday.

Police smelled alcohol in the car when they stopped Paul Shea, 48, of Glastonbury, near 100 Middlesex Plaza just after 6 p.m. and they noticed two youths in the car, police said. An anonymous witness had reported the erratic operation of the vehicle, according to police.

A breathalyzer test revealed that Shea's blood alcohol content was .2362, nearly three times the legal limit of .08. When the test was administered a second time about 20 minutes later, his blood alcohol content was .2286.

Police did not release the ages of the juveniles in the car and have not confirmed at this time whether they are related to Shea.

Shea faces charges of two counts of risk of injury to a minor, operating under the influence of alcohol, failure to obey a traffic control signal, traveling unreasonably fast and failure to drive right.

Police released Shea on a $10,000 bond to the care of his wife.

Shea was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in July of 2004 and operating under suspension in May of 2008.

He is scheduled to appear in court in Middletown on Aug. 18.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Former Vt. U.S. Sen. Jeffords Dead at 80

$
0
0

Former Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., died Monday at Knollwood, a military retirement home in Washington, D.C., a former aide said. He was 80.

A navy veteran, Jeffords made a name in politics as a state senator and attorney general before he was elected to seven terms in the U.S. House, once splitting with his fellow Republicans in opposing a President Reagan tax cut plan. Vermonters voted him into the Senate in 1988, where he was a champion for environmental causes.

The moderate, even liberal, Republican shocked Washington in 2001 when he said the GOP had drifted too far to the right for him. He quit the party, became an independent, and caucused with democrats.

“I am confident it is the right decision,” Jeffords said upon making his famous “jump.” “I hope that the people of Vermont will understand it.”

Jeffords announced in 2005 he would not seek re-election the next year, citing declining health.

"I think we have to bring back people like Jim Jeffords, who say running for office is really a form of public service," former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin said Monday.

Kunin remembered Jeffords as a good-hearted guy who just wanted to do what he thought was right; not tow some party line. "The comparison is rather painful, where we now have a Congress that prides itself on doing nothing, where in those days, people really went there to get things done and to improve the lives of the public," Kunin said.

"He's going to be very sorely missed," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was in the U.S. House when Jeffords was in the Senate. "He was a guy who, I think, much preferred to be around Vermonters here in Vermont than among the big shots in Washington. It wasn't who he was."

Tom Vogelmann, the University of Vermont's agriculture and life sciences dean, told New England Cable News he thinks of Jeffords as "one of the giants." The University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is housed in the building that bears Jeffords' name.

"He was a very strong supporter of education, a very strong supporter of environmental legislation, and that's the curriculum that's basically taught in this building," Vogelmann told NECN. "So we have thousands of young people who are training here and that's all adding to his legacy."

Reflections on the life and legacy of Jim Jeffords poured in Monday. Here are several of those:

President Barack Obama:

Michelle and I send our deepest sympathies to the family of Senator James M. Jeffords on his passing. Jim devoted his life to service - as a Naval officer, a local leader in his hometown of Shrewsbury, and eventually as a U.S. Senator representing his beloved Vermont. During his more than 30 years in Washington, Jim never lost the fiercely independent spirit that made Vermonters, and people across America, trust and respect him. Whatever the issue - whether it was protecting the environment, supporting Americans with disabilities, or whether to authorize the war in Iraq - Jim voted his principles, even if it sometimes meant taking a lonely or unpopular stance. Vermonters sent him to Washington to follow his conscience, and he did them proud.

Our prayers are with the Jeffords family, including his son Leonard and daughter Laura. And we're grateful to Jim for his legacy of service to Vermont and the United States of America.

Vice President Joe Biden:

Jim Jeffords was a personal friend, a great senator, and a good man. He was not only beloved by the people of Vermont, but by anyone who ever worked with him. For the nearly four decades I served in the United States Senate, nearly half were spent with Jim as a colleague. Jim knew that with a country as diverse as ours, there is a need for consensus to move the country forward. He was a man who dealt with his colleagues without pretext and with complete honesty. And he always knew what he was talking about—and his colleagues and constituents always knew where he stood on an issue. Jim was a reflection of Vermont—independent and non-ideological and always about solving problems. Jill and I are saddened by his passing and join his family, friends, and his former staff in remembering all that he stood for: basic fairness and principled independence.

Former President Bill Clinton:


Hillary and I are saddened by the passing of our friend Senator Jim Jeffords, who served the people of Vermont and the United States for more than 30 years. Jim was one of our strongest advocates for better health and education, a cleaner environment, and increased opportunities for people with disabilities. I will always be especially grateful for his support of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Brady Bill, and our 1993 health care reform effort. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his many friends across the country.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.:


He was a partner in our work for Vermont, and he was a friend. He was a Vermonter through and through, drawn to political life to make a difference for our state and nation. Part of his legacy will also stand as an enduring chapter of the Senate's history.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.:

I know I share the view of all Vermonters today in expressing condolences to the family of Senator Jim Jeffords on his passing, and our gratitude to him for his life of service.

While Jim would certainly wave away the notion, he was indeed a legend in Vermont and the nation. With characteristic decency, humility and civility, and a dogged persistence, he made his mark in Congress. Millions of children with disabilities are better off today because he lead the charge for their equal access to education. Americans are breathing cleaner air and drinking cleaner water because of his fierce advocacy for the environment and clean energy. And budding artists across the nation receive the boost of his encouragement every year thanks to his legacy as the founder of the annual Congressional Arts Competition.

And, in 2001, the world saw what his fellow Vermonters already knew: Jim Jeffords, above all, had the courage of his convictions.

Jim and his wife, Liz Daley Jeffords, were mentors to me in my early days in the House of Representatives. I am deeply grateful to them both for their friendship, their support and their contributions to Vermont and our country.

Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vt.:

I join Vermonters and citizens nationwide today in celebrating the life of Jim Jeffords, a true gentleman and an independent-minded maverick in the best tradition of our state. Jim followed in the footsteps of Senators Bob Stafford and George Aiken, always putting the interests of Vermonters and the nation ahead of partisan politics. He followed his sense of right in all that he did, and was never afraid to seek compromise by reaching across the aisle for the good of our country. Jim’s contribution to Vermont spanned his service in the Vermont House, as Attorney General, and as Vermont’s Representative in the U.S. House, where he developed his passion for high quality public education that forged his policy work on behalf of our kids and continued throughout his career. The passing of Senator Jim Jeffords will be felt throughout Vermont and our country. We need more like Senator Jeffords. My heart goes out to his children and extended family.

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vt.:

The story of Vermont politics cannot be told without Jim Jeffords. He served in the most honorable way a person can serve: Selflessly, and always with the best interests of others at heart. He did what he felt was right, not what he felt would make him popular. Whether it was during his time in the Vermont Senate, or as Attorney General, or in the United States House of Representatives, or in the United States Senate, Jim valued the voices of Vermonters and leaves a legacy we can all learn from: Respect over rhetoric, pragmatism over pandering, and love for Vermonters overall.

In our large, and largely faceless, system of government, he demonstrated the power that one person speaking for their constituents can have. His example of moderation and independence is what I’ve tried to model my own career off of. My sincere condolences go out to Laura, Leonard, and the entire Jeffords family.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Man Accused of Hate Crime During Attempted Armed Robbery: PD

$
0
0

Stamford police are investigating a reported armed robbery attempt that happened early Sunday morning and have arrested three suspects

Police responded to West Broad Street at the Schulyer Avenue intersection at about 2:30 a.m.

A 26-year-old Hispanic man told police that several black men and a white man approached him and  his two friends and that one of the black males took out a black .22 caliber revolver, held it to his head and demanded money from the group.

Police identified the man as Joseph Baker, 19, as the man with the gun and later took him and two others into police custody.

Robert Anderson, 22, the white male the victim described, told the victim that he didn't like Hispanic people and that "they need to be kicked out of the neighborhood" before telling Baker, "Give me the gun so I can shoot him."

Danny Turkvan Jr., 21, who was with Baker and Anderson, stood there and watched, but did not "actively participate" in the attempted robbery," according to police.

When the victim told police that he and his friends didn't have any money, his attackers walked away in the westbound direction on Schuyler Avenue and he called police to report the incident, police said.

Police found Baker, Anderson and Turkvan on Schuyler Avenue near Smith Street, who each matched the victim's description of his attackers, and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint. Baker took off running toward Stillwater Avenue on Smith Avenue and an officers chased after him on foot.

One of the officers saw the cylinder of a black revolver and bullets drop on the ground during the pursuit near 70 Stillwater Avenue, according to police. The other officer tackled Baker into the bushes in front of 65 Stillwater Avenue after observing him reach into his pants waistband, police said. Police found a black H&R 922 revolver missing a cylinder underneath him and located a .22 caliber cylinder with three casings inside, as well as four rounds and one bullet scattered nearby, police said.

After the victim positively identified all three men as his attackers, police took them into custody. Investigators photographed the area and seized evidence.

Police charged Baker and Anderson with criminal attempt to commit first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit the crime and interfering with a police officer. Police also charged Baker with possession of a pistol without a permit and criminal use of a firearm and Anderson with intimidation based on bigotry and bias.  Turkvan Jr. faces a charge of interfering with a police officer.

Naugatuck Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Child

$
0
0

Naugatuck police arrested a 43-year-old local man accused of sexually assaulting a juvenile.

Julio Ramos, of Naugatuck, is accused of performing oral sex on a juvenile acquaintance. The crime was reported on March 2 and he was arrested at 11:19 a.m. on Friday and charged with second-degree sexual assault, two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. 

Ramos was held on a $100,000 bond and is due in Waterbury Superior Court on Monday.



Photo Credit: Naugatuck Police

Janitor Accused of Sex Assault at Rehab Facility

$
0
0

A 40-year-old Bridgeport man is accused of sexually assaulting three women at a residential treatment facility for people with substance dependence and psychiatric disorders where he worked as a janitor.

In June, police responded to the New Prospects – Recovery Network of Programs, at 392 Prospect St., to investigate reports that the janitor had sexually assaulted several female clients.

The allegations were reported to police by staff at the facility.

Police interviewed three victims, who said Rafael Cartagena, of Bridgeport, had sexually assaulted them while they were clients at the facility, police said.

One victim said Cartagena started blowing kisses and making inappropriate comments, then sexually assaulted her in her room, police said.

Another victim said  Cartagena assaulted her in her room and threatened that he would come back if she said anything and that it would be “10 times worse,” according to police.

When police spoke with Cartagena on Aug. 4, he denied having any sexual encounters with any women, declined to submit to a DNA test and said he’d never entered clients’ rooms when they were present.

When police said there was video security to the contrary, Cartagena told police he had a “lust problem” and “fell” to “temptation.”

He was charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.



Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police

Boy Hits New Haven Library Worker in Face

$
0
0

A young man has been suspended from the New Haven Public Free Library after hitting a library worker across the face at the checkout counter last Wednesday, according to library Deputy Executive Director Cathleen DeNigris.

According to DeNigris, the boy, who is believed to be between the ages of 10 and 13, was trying to check out books or DVDs the evening of Aug. 13 shortly before the library closed.

He arrived at the checkout counter with two cards and a library assistant confronted him about it, taking his lanyard. The New Haven Independent reports that one of the cards belonged to a 19-year-old.

The boy grew frustrated and walked behind the counter in an attempt to retrieve the lanyard. While he was trying to take it back, he hit the library worker's left cheek, DeNigris said.

A library guard rushed to her side and intervened. Library workers called police, who are investigating the incident. DeNigris said the worker received medical treatment for a facial contusion and went back to work the next day.

The boy has been suspended from the library. A second person was suspended today for picking up a chair to throw it across the room, according to DeNigris.

She said it isn’t unusual to have incidents like this at a city library. The library has half a million visits each year, and staff underwent training in June to prepare for “volatile” situations. Still, DeNigris calls them a “relatively rare occurrence.”

"We have a long established policy for handling situations. The staff is well aware of the policies. The staff has had training in volatile situations. The library is a safe place, we have security in place all the hours we are open but unfortunately that sometimes isn't enough to prevent these things from happening," DeNigris said.

According to the New Haven Independent, the boy fled the library and has not been identified.

CT Pour Tour Completed

$
0
0

A Massachusetts man who set out to drink a beer in all 169 towns in Connecticut to raise money for cancer research and treatment has completed his mission and is hoping to take his pour tour nationwide.

Todd Ruggere, of Grafton, Massachusetts, finished his CT Pour Tour over the weekend, raising $50,000 for Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. He announced that he hopes to do another pour tour next year in each of the 50 states and will be launching a Kickstarter campaign in a month to raise money to fund it.

The Connecticut initiative was Ruggere's second pour tour. He drank a beer in 351 Massachusetts towns in 2013, raising $40,000 to help combat children's cancer.

"The people in CT raised more money for me than I raised in Massachusetts," Ruggere wrote in an email. "It’s shows how generous they are since there are less than half the towns than in Massachusetts."

Both pour tours were success, but Ruggere said it was different this time outside of his home state.

"It was a little different because I didn’t really know anything about CT before I started this," he said. "I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life so I was familiar with some of the towns."

One of the most memorable parts of the pour tour was when a Ridgefield man donated $10,000 to his cause during a stop in town. Another special moment was when a 7-year-old girl came up to him with her dad and offered him the money she made at her lemonade stand "to give to the kids."

He's thankful for everyone's generosity who donated and supported the pour tour.

"It’s makes me so happy. I couldn’t have done this without the help and generosity of so many people in CT," Ruggere said. " I have met people along the way that I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life."

How does the Connecticut beer scene compare to Massachusetts?

"I think the beer scene in CT is much bigger than it is in Massachusetts," he said. "People are so passionate about it. There are new breweries popping up all over the place. Some of my favorite breweries were Two Roads, Beer’d, Broad Brook and Back East."

Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford sponsored the CT Pour Tour.

Now Ruggere hopes his pour tour tradition will catch on nationwide.

"I am hoping it gets popular enough that the bars and breweries reach out to me," he said. "I was a little spoiled in Connecticut because a lot of people helped me and reached out to me, which made it a little easier for me."

You can find more information on the CT Pour Tour website at CTpourtour.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @CTpourtour and like his CT Pour Tour Facebook page.



Photo Credit: Todd Ruggere

Arrest Made in New Haven Murder

$
0
0

New Haven police have arrested a suspect in a Feb 10 murder on Kossuth Street.

Kyle Brown-Edwards, 22, was found shot in the head in the hallway of a home at 31 Kossuth Street just after 8:30 p.m., according to police. He was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they found the gun used. They have arrested Jaquawn Burton, 19, of New Haven, and charged him with murder.  

 

 


View Larger Map



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com and New Haven Police

SoCal Marine Wife's Body Found

$
0
0

The body of a Marine wife missing for nearly two months has been discovered at the bottom of a mine shaft, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced Monday.

The victim's former neighbor and alleged lover Christopher Lee, 24, has been arrested in Alaska on a warrant connected to the case, Sheriff John McMahon said. The district attorney will determine which charges Lee will face within the next 48 hours.

Erin Corwin, 20, went missing without a trace from her Twentynine Palms home on June 28. Her husband, a Marine corporal, reported her missing the next day when she did not return home from a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Corwin was reportedly three months pregnant.

Corwin's body was discovered Saturday 140 feet down a mine shaft, according to officials. The mine is located in a remote area several miles southeast of Twentynine Palms on property owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

“At approximately 4:30 p.m., one of our mining teams sent a camera down a particular mine shaft. As the sheriff mentioned, it was approximately 140 feet down. We were able to locate what we believed at the time was a female corpse,” said Sgt. Trevis Newport with the homicide unit.

A skilled rescue team from Fontana took two hours Sunday to retrieve the body and additional evidence, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said.

One firefighter was injured by a rock on his way down the mine shaft. The firefighter was pleased he could play some small role in bringing Corwin’s killer to justice, Hartwig said.

The search for Corwin spanned 300 square miles of the Mojave Desert. Hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers searched in helicopters and on the ground, often in sweltering heat. Dive teams searched bodies of water in the area.

“There are over 100 mine shafts in the 300 square mile area they were searching,” McMahon said.

Forensic exams of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices led detectives to a mine shaft outside Joshua Tree National Park.

Newport did not know if the mine is currently active or what is mined there.

An autopsy determined that Corwin's death was a homicide, but officials did not reveal exactly how she died.

“We are attempting to confirm that Erin Corwin was in fact pregnant,” Newport added.

The Anchorage Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Lee on Sunday night, officials said. He will be extradited back to Southern California.

The sheriff said there could be more arrests in the case.

Court documents obtained by The Desert Sun indicated that Corwin may have been having an affair with Lee. Evidence showed their relationship could have started as early as February 2014, Newport said Monday.

Corwin's friend from Tennessee confirmed to authorities that the two were romantically involved and that Lee was afraid his wife would find out, according to the court documents. The friend said they were planning a hunting trip for June 28 -- the day Corwin disappeared -- to celebrate the pregnancy.

Back on July 4, Lee was arrested on suspicion of possession of a destructive device, according to the sheriff’s department. Authorities would not say if the arrest and the missing person case were connected. He was released on bail two days later.

Lee initially told investigators that Corwin was just an acquaintance but later admitted they had kissed and were growing closer.

Corwin's family released a statement Monday night, expressing their gratitude to everyone who helped search for the missing woman: 

"The countless hours that have been spent by volunteer search crews and multiple branches of law enforcement, especially the Specialized Investigations Division Homicide Detail, are more than we could have asked for and are ultimately what have led to finding her. While we are relieved to have closure, we ask that our privacy be respected over the next few weeks so that we can properly grieve and mourn the loss of our sweet girl. Please continue to pray for our family and for justice for Erin."

Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live


Latest Images