The parents of a young woman whose body was found in a water tank on the roof of a downtown Los Angeles hotel in February are suing the establishment’s owners.

David and Yinna Lam, father and mother of Elisa Lam, filed the wrongful death suit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Cecil Hotel Management Inc. They are seeking unspecified damages as well as compensation for the burial costs of their daughter.

The Cecil Hotel operators had an obligation to make the premises safe for Lam and “inspect and seek out hazards in the hotel that presented an unreasonable risk of danger to (Lam) and other hotel guests,” the suit states.

The hotel staff did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The 21-year-old's body was discovered in one of four 4-foot-by-8-foot tanks on the roof Feb. 19 during an inspection after reports of water pressure problems at the 15-story hotel (map).

Lam's death was was ruled accidental due to drowning, according to the Los Angeles County coroner. The report also listed "bipolar disorder" under other significant conditions.

Lam, of Vancouver, was staying at the hotel on Main Street on LA's Skid Row when she was reported missing. Her parents called police after they had not heard from her for a few days.

NBCLA Wire Services contributed to this story.

More Southern California Stories:

• Officers Shoot Person at Station Parking Lot
• New Push to Repeal Transgender Law
• 2 Dead in Long Beach Shooting
• Reward in Mother's Slaying
• Transgender Homecoming Queen
• 7 Shootings Raise Concerns in LASD
• Transients Fight After Being Denied New iPhone: Police
• Arrest Ends Lockdown at 3 Schools

A 3-year-old boy who was shot in the head during Thursday’s mass Chicago shooting is “doing better,” a family spokesman said Saturday.

Deonta Howard -- known as "Tay-man" -- was shot in the jaw and listed in critical condition after witnesses said several gunmen opened fire at a group gathered at Cornell Square Park, on the 1800 block of W. 51st Street, shortly before 10:15 p.m. Thursday.

The victims included 10 males and three females, including Howard, who was with his mother at the time of the shooting.

The family's pastor, Rev. Corey Brooks, a spokesman for the family, said the toddler is “doing OK” after two surgeries but is not able to eat or watch TV yet.

"They shot my baby in the face with a gun that stands taller than him," Howard’s mother, Shamarah Leggett, said Friday. "For my baby's sake, turn themselves in."

The crime statistics hit close to home for the family of the youngest victim of the city's latest high-profile shooting. Howard's grandmother, Semehca Nunn, said she lost her son to gun violence earlier this month.

"It needs to stop," Nunn said as she broke into tears. 'Y'all are out here killing these innocent people: kids, parents, grandparents, mothers, fathers. It's got to stop. Y'all need to stop."

Thursday's shooting happened nearly three weeks after a deadly Labor Day weekend left dozens injured and at least seven people were killed, including Howard's uncle, the family said.

"I just buried my son, and now I'm going through something else," Nunn said.

Leggett asked that anyone who knows of anything that can help with investigation calls police.

"I just want a person, anybody that knows anything, to help," she said.
 

Two of the major players in the passage of California's now-defunct same-sex marriage ban are backing a campaign to overturn a new law allowing transgender students to choose which school restrooms they use and whether to play boys' or girls' sports.

The National Organization for Marriage announced Friday that it was working with another group that is trying to repeal the law at the ballot box. NOM provided early funding and organizing for the 2008 ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriages, known as Proposition 8.

Opponents of the transgender student law have until Nov. 8 to gather the 504,760 signatures needed to get a referendum that would nullify the statute on the November 2014 ballot.

The political strategist who ran the successful Proposition 8 campaign, Frank Schubert, has signed on to manage the effort.

More Southern California Stories:

• 2 Dead in Long Beach Shooting
• Reward in Mother's Slaying
• Transgender Homecoming Queen
• 7 Shootings Raise Concerns in LASD
• Transients Fight After Being Denied New iPhone: Police
• Arrest Ends Lockdown at 3 Schools
• Comet Hunt Ends for Deep Impact Spacecraft
• Charges Against Saudi Princess Dropped

What began Saturday night as a rave concert with a sea of young people in attendance ended with what police are calling a "mass casualty event" at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Conn.

About 1,200 young people showed up at the amusement park Saturday for the electronic dance concert.

Police said the concert began around 6 p.m. and that at 10:30, "it was like a light switch went off" as four people dropped to the ground from drug overdoses.

"Something terrible was going on," said Jeffrey Montville of Middlebury, who lives just a half mile from the park.

Three officers working the park attended to the concert-goers.

Police said they suspect that the drug in question was 2CP, a powerful hallucinogenic similar to LSD. The drug overheats the body and takes effect about three to five hours after it's ingested.

One of those people was male, either 17 or 18 years old. He was not breathing and lacked a pulse. Officers performed CPR and used a defibrillator.

Ambulances rushed to the scene. Crews from Waterbury, Naugatuck, Woodbury and Watertown responded to the amusement park, along with and State police from Troops A and L.

K-9 units also canvassed the park to make sure that no victims were overlooked.

The situation was secured a little after midnight, according to police.

A total of seven people were taken to the hospital for treatment. Four are still in the hospital: two at Saint Mary’s and two at Waterbury Hospital.

Authorities also arrested 30-year-old Kyle Stoddard of New Milford for interfering with police while they were treating the overdose patients.

Montville said he wondered if the wide age range of the concert-goers might have contributed to the problem.

"That's matches and dynamite, when you're taking 16-year-olds and 21-year-olds," Montville said.

The concert was hosted by a New England-based event production team called Tight Crew, which, acccording to its website, specializes in "large scale electronic dance music in safe, friendly and unique environments."

In a Facebook message posted after the incident, Tight Crew wrote:

"We are sorry fo that is going on... Unfortunately the actions of a few individuals led to the unforeseen ending of the night… Our goal is and has always been to find fun and safe venues to throw these events. Tight Crew will do a free event to make this up to everyone in attendance.”

An event organizer says he and his family received death threats after trying to schedule an autograph signing for Eagles QB Michael Vick at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Springettsbury Township, Pa. 

WATCH: Dying Boy Watches First Eagles Game

Vick continues to receive public criticism four years after serving a 19-month stint in federal prison for running a dog fighting operation. Joe Bartolo, the owner of JJ Cards-N-Toys, told the York Daily Record that he tried to organize an autograph signing with the 33-year-old quarterback at the Buffalo Wild Wings for October 31. When word of the signing spread, Bartolo claims threats were made against him and his family.

Bartolo told the York Daily Record that he and his wife received nearly 1500 death threats. Buffalo Wild Wings also received angry comments on their Facebook page.

A spokesperson for the restaurant confirmed the event was canceled but did not mention any death threats. Instead, the spokesperson told the Huffington Post that the event was “arranged through a third party and did not follow the proper process or go through appropriate approvals.”

Vick's agent later claimed his client was never even booked for the event in the first place, according to the 700level.

Bartolo told the Daily Record however that he plans on rescheduling the event.

Last March, Vick was forced to cancel book signing appearances at Barnes and Noble stores in Atlanta, New Jersey and Exton due to threats of violence against him and his family.

In the midst of the alleged death threats against the event organizer, an ex-MMA fighter is continuing his challenge to Vick.

Last year, 44-year-old Gordon Shell, a retired MMA fighter and advocate for animal rights, challenged Vick to a charity fight, claiming the proceeds would go towards animal rights organizations. Shell says a spokesperson for Vick told him the Eagles QB wanted “no part of it.”

After news of the canceled Buffalo Wild Wings appearance spread, Shell told the Huffington Post that his offer for Vick still stands. According to Shell, Vick’s prison sentence wasn't punishment enough.

"If you truly want redemption, if you truly want to be free, people want to see you bleed," Shell told the Huffington Post. "At the end of the fight, I'm going to grab the microphone, and just announce to all the animal advocates, OK, this man has actually stepped up. We're both bleeding. He's bleeding. He's felt like what it's like to be a dog. Except he's still alive, we haven't electrocuted him. But he's stepped up. Now we have to let him finally be free."

Shell is also currently selling T-shirts with the words “Fight Me Mike Vick” on the front.
 

Dallas police confirm a 7-year-old boy was shot during a possible drive-by shooting.

It happened Saturday around 7:52 p.m. at a home in the 10300 block of Chelmsford Drive.

The child was struck in the leg and transported to Children's Medical Center Dallas. A police spokesperson said the injuries are not life threatening.

The suspect vehicle is a white SUV, possible a Tahoe, but investigators were still working to confirm that information. There was no information available about the suspect or suspects.

A man who said he is the boy's uncle, but who would not give his name, said whoever was responsible shot up the car.

Police say it's not clear if there were words exchanged prior to the shooting or if gunfire was exchanged involving more than one person.

The boy's uncle says he didn't even cry after the shooting. He says the gunman had to see have seen the children as one of them was still getting in the car.

Police have not identified a motive, but the uncle indicated the family might have known who was responsible. The home in question did appear to have security cameras on it.

Milford Police are investigating after two separate complaints involving phone scams.

Police began investigating on Sept. 16 after a victim told them that she received a phone call from a male who called himself “Marshall.”

“Marshall” said that he was from the IRS and that the victim owed them $4,000.

“Marshall” told the victim that she had 30 minutes to pay the money or she would be arrested.

“Marshall” instructed her to purchase a Green Dot Money Pack cards, load the due amount onto the cards and provide him with the transaction numbers off the back of the cards.

The victim followed these instructions, providing “Marshall” with $2,000. Afterwards, the victim felt suspicious and called police.

On Sept. 20, police received another compliant involving the use of Green Dot Money Pack cards.

This time, a local business owner received a call from a male who called himself “Mike Lopez” from the United Illuminating Company.

“Mike” told the business owner that the utility company was changing over their electrical meters and the business needed to zero out their outstanding balance due prior to this taking place or their electrical service would be terminated.

The male instructed the business owner to purchase two Green Dot Money Pack cards, load the money on them and call him back to provide the transaction numbers of the rear of the card over the phone for payment.

The business owner provided “Mike” with the transaction numbers off the back of the card and gave the scammer access to $800.

Police want to warn residents that legitimate government and business agencies do not conduct business in this manner. They do not instruct their victims to purchase Green Dot Money Pack cards.

Once the scammer gets the transaction numbers off the back of the Green Dot Money Pack cards, they can use them to reload funds onto a prepaid Visa or Mastercard, add money to a PayPal account without using a bank account or make a same-day payment to major companies.

Always verify any unsolicited business transaction requests by contacting the company yourself with a number or email that you obtain.

I f you do receive a suspicious call of this nature, immediately contact local police and the business or agency the scammer claims to be a representative from.

Green Dot also has a fraud reporting number that you can contact. Call 1-800-GREEN –DOT or visit www.greendot.com.

Torrington police are looking for the woman who they say is responsible for an armed robbery at a local diner early Sunday morning.

Police responded to AC Eatery at 601 South Main Street at approximately 5:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an armed robbery.

When police arrived, witnesses told them that the robber walked into the restaurant, pointed a dark colored, semiautomatic handgun at employees and demanded money, police said.

An employee handed over money from the cash register. The female suspect then walked from the restaurant to the corner of Palmer Bridge Street and Park Avenue, where she got into the passenger side of a dark-colored pickup truck and drove off, heading north, according to police.

The suspect is a described as a white woman standing approximately 5’6” tall, wearing dark-colored gloves, a bulky black jacket and a dark-colored hood over her head. She covered her face with a red bandana, witnesses told police.

Witnesses described the getaway car as as being an older model midsized pickup truck with an extended cab. The truck bed was covered with a dark-colored cap, police said.

Police said no shots were fired and no one was injured. At the time of the robbery, no customer were inside the diner.

Investigators are following up on leads, reviewing surveillance video and canvassing the area in an effort to identify a suspect.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Torrington Police Det. James Crean at 860-489-2061or call the anonymous tip line at 860-489-2065.

Police are investigating the armed robbery of a Naugatuck convenience store on Saturday morning.

According to police, the male suspect walked into the Stop and Save at 168 Spencer Street around 9:15 a.m. Saturday and threatened the clerk with a knife.

He stole an unidentified amount of money and got away in a black car with a primer-colored trunk parked on nearby Lewis Street, according to police.

The suspect is described as a white man standing between 5’7” and 5’10” tall. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, dark pants sunglasses and black knit hat with a logo on the front.

The driver of the getaway car is described as a white man with dark, curly hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Naugatuck Police Department at 203-729-5222.

The United Nations’ mission is for countries to unite “for a better world,” but the annual General Assembly has often served as a reminder of the struggle that can arise when leaders of 193 nations come together.

Held at the U.N. headquarters in New York, the General Assembly is “the main deliberative, policy making and representative organ of the United Nations,” according to the U.N. website. This year's Assembly started on Sept. 17, though high-level meetings kick off Monday. General Debate, where leaders address can fellow delegates, begins Tuesday.

Historic decisions like the 1945 creation of Israel have occurred during the annual U.N. meeting of the world’s leaders. But in the 68 years of the Assembly, there have been plenty of theatrical moments on the world's stage, too.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s infamous (if inconclusive) shoe-banging incident made headlines in 1960. In 2006, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez got attention for comments likening George W. Bush to the devil. Three years later, Libya's Moammar Khaddafy had a tough time finding a property owner willing to let him pitch his giant tent while in town. Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a cartoon drawing of a bomb and drew a red line indicating when to act against Iran's suspected nuclear program.

This year promises to be no different, according to NYU Professor Shinasi Rama, who focuses on international relations and comparative politics. Although past-headline makers Khaddafy and Chavez have died and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is out of power, Rama said that, undoubtedly, someone else will make waves at this year's meeting.

“I expect that there will be some erratic kind of behavior, eccentric and out of the norm,” Rama said. “Every time the General Assembly of the United Nations meets, there will always be states and leaders that push their political agenda and appeal to their constituents back home by doing things that seem extreme or erratic to U.S. public sensibilities.”

Rama did not predict who that would be, but said it is unavoidable that in such a large meeting of the minds at least one delegate would do something in an effort to be remembered.

• Read on NBCNews.com: Five Burning Questions About High-Stakes UN General Assembly

One of the main reasons for contention at the annual meeting is that the mission of the U.N. often does not align with the political ambitions of the world’s leaders, Rama said.

“The United Nations was built on great hope of building peace and stability for the world,” he said. “Countries are pushing for their agendas which are not always in line with the human rights ideas or support for the mission of the United Nations, but are based on cold-hearted calculations of their interest.”

This year, the Assembly is poised to focus on the Syria conflict and the creation of a “pivotal” new post-2015 global plan for development, according to the U.N. website.

There are also rumors of the possibility of a historic meeting between President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sparked by recent written correspondence between the leaders.

If the two did meet, it would mark the first time that a U.S. and Iranian president have spoken directly since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

"Even something as seemingly small as a handshake would mean that a taboo has been broken," Hussein Banai, co-author of the book "Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War," told NBC News.

Such an ice-breaking move could set the stage for a future meeting, P.J. Crowley, a former assistant secretary of state and National Security Council adviser, told NBC News.

The General Assembly of the United Nations is scheduled to conclude on October 8. A list of speakers for the General Debate will be announced at 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 24.

All General Debate proceedings will be streamed on the U.N. website.

For full U.S. and world news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

A Columbia professor who wrote a New York Times op-ed last year about hate crimes against American Sikhs was attacked by a group of teens over the weekend, law enforcement officials tell NBC 4 New York.

Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh and an assistant professor at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, said he was walking on 110th Street and Lenox Avenue at around 8 p.m. Saturday when he was confronted by more than a dozen teens on bicycles who shouted slurs before attacking him.

"I heard 'Get Osama' and then 'terrorists,' and then the next thing I felt was someone moving past me, ripping at my beard and then hitting me in the chin," Singh told NBC 4 New York.

Singh said he started running and was punched in the face and in his sides. His attackers continued to kick and punch him after he fell to the ground, he said.

Singh was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital Saturday and had surgery on his jaw, which was fractured.

Singh believes he could have died if passersby hadn't helped get the teens off him.

"There's no doubt in my mind it was a bias-related event," he said.

The attack, he says, makes him worry that his 1-year-old son, "who will certainly resemble a Sikh man," will face similar hatred as he gets older.

"My fear is that they'll disappear into the neighborhood," he said of the assailants, adding that he hopes the community mobilizes to prevent similar attacks.

More New York-Area Stories:

• Beau to Be Sentenced in Designer's SoHo Bathtub Strangling
• Woman Tried to Bring Loaded Gun Into 9/11 Memorial: Cops
• Former NY Teacher Among 68 Killed in Kenya Mall Attack
• Woman Raped by Livery Cab Driver in Brooklyn
   

Microsoft Corp. is expected to announce new Surface tablet computers, including a version with a smaller screen to compete with Google's Nexus 7 and Apple's iPad Mini.

The company has an announcement event scheduled in New York on Monday.

It comes about a month before Microsoft releases an update to its Windows 8 operating system on Oct. 17. Among other things, Windows 8.1 will be usable on smaller touch screens, which have become popular because they are cheaper and easier to carry. The previous version of Windows 8 was limited to tablets with 10-inch to 12-inch screens.

The new Surface tablets could also get lighter and thinner thanks to a processing chip that uses less energy and doesn't require a fan. Known as Haswell, the chip is already used in laptops from Apple, Samsung, Dell and other companies. Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air with Haswell gets up to 12 hours of use, compared with seven hours before.

Microsoft began selling Surface tablets last October, but sales have been slow. The company shipped about a million tablets in the first three months of 2013, according to research firm IDC. That includes about 260,000 of the slimmed-down RT version of Surface and 750,000 of the Pro version, which is compatible with older Windows programs. The shipments gave Microsoft a meager 2 percent share of the tablet market in the first quarter. By the second quarter, Microsoft tablets dropped out of IDC's Top 5.

Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash., absorbed a $900 million charge in the April-June period to account for its expected losses from the Surface RT after it slashed prices to stimulate demand. The $150 cut brought the price of the Surface RT with 32 gigabytes of memory to $349. The Surface has a 10.1-inch screen measured diagonally. The RT version is 1.5 pounds. The Pro version is 2 pounds and starts at $799, $100 less than it was at launch.

Microsoft has manufactured devices before, such as its Xbox gaming console. In selling the Surface, the company became a competitor to its many manufacturing partners, which rely on its Windows operating system to power their machines. Microsoft is trying hard to succeed in tablets because personal computer sales are falling.
 

U.S. State Department officials responsible for the launch of the Affordable Care Act's new state-based insurance exchanges say they have access to funds in case of a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Even in a U.S. government shutdown, Obamacare exchanges could function (Reuters)

• Independent experts believe the effects of a government shutdown on the implementation of the new health care law could be very minimal.
• It is still unclear whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can operate a federal data "hub" that supports the state-run online exchanges. The "hub" collects personal information to determine whether someone would be eligible for federal subsidies for health insurance.

Meanwhile, insurers in many states are driving down the cost of health insurance by offering a restricted number of providers who will treat patients in their new health plans.

Lower Health Insurance Premiums to Come at Cost of Fewer Choices (NY Times)

• Insurers said they have created smaller networks of doctors and hospitals than are typically found in commercial insurance. Those health care providers will most likely be paid less than what they have been receiving from commercial insurers.
• A new study from consulting company Health Research Institute of PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that insurers passed over major medical centers when selecting providers to keep costs low.
• Under the Affordable Care Act, federal officials have said that consumers in many states will be able to buy health insurance for less than $300 a month – with federal subsidies, it could cost less than $100 a month per person.

The NYPD has heightened security at key locations around the city in response to the ongoing attack on a mall in Kenya that killed dozens, though officials say there are no specific threats to the city.

Counterterror units have been deployed throughout the city and extra officers were on the streets Sunday, especially in heavily trafficked areas like Times Square and Penn Station.

"We keep track of events across the globe as they unfold and we adjust our counter terrorism efforts accordingly," NYPD spokesman John McCarthy said in a statement. "We have redeployed our critical response and Hercules teams as a precaution. There is no specific threat."

Gunmen with heavy artillery stormed a crowded shopping mall frequented by Westerners in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi Saturday, killing at least 68 people, wounding 175 and taking hostages.

The mall remained under siege Sunday and gunfire could still be heard from the scene, according to NBC News. The U.S. State Department said four American citizens were among the injured.

The Somali militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened additional strikes, saying it was in retaliation "for the lives of innocent Muslims" killed by Kenyan forces leading an African Union offensive in Somalia.

In nearby Jersey City, local Kenyans attending a church service said Sunday that their thoughts and prayers were with those still held hostage in the mall.

"We will pray for them and ask for patience," said Rev. Haron Orutwa during his sermon at Tumaini Kristo Lutheran Church.

--Jonathan Vigliotti contributed reporting

A Superior Court judge has upheld the firing of a state employee accused of lying to get federal food stamp benefits in 2011.

Court documents say Ida Johnson, an employee of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, understated her income, failed to disclose her husband's income and counted her son as a member of her household even though he was in prison.

Judge Jane Scholl agreed this week with a state arbiter's decision.

The Journal Inquirer reports that Johnson's lawyer says he will not appeal.

Johnson was among 185 state employees investigated after they applied in September 2011 for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after Tropical Storm Irene.

The state says 170 employees were disciplined with 97 fired and 53 suspended.

Police have cancel led an Amber Alert for five-year-old Francis Lupo, who was reportedly abducted by his father, Paul Lupo, from a home in Ridgefield, but have issued a Silver Alert for his Paul, who is still missing.

According to Ridgefield police, Francis Lupo was found Sunday night with a family member in the Bronx, New York. He is safe. Police said Francis Lupo's mother headed to the city tonight to be with the boy.

Authorities are still looking for Francis' father, Paul Lupo, who dropped his son off in the Bronx and left the area. Police said they have no information as to where he might be.

Police said they believe Paul Lupo was intoxicated when he left this house Sunday evening. He was last seen driving a blue 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck with the Connecticut license plate 655-8CR.

Paul and Francis Lupo left their Ridgefield home around 7:30 p.m. after a domestic dispute between Paul and his wife, according to police.

Paul Lupo is described as a 49-year-old white man weighing 210 pounds and standing about six feet tall, according to police. He was last seen at his home in Ridgefield.

Francis Lupo was wearing Spiderman pajamas at the time of his abduction. The Amber Alert for Francis Lupo was canceled Sunday about an hour after it was issued.

Police said the Lupos live in Ridgefield.

Anyone with information regarding Paul Lupo's whereabouts should contact Ridgefield police at 203-438-6531.

A burglar climbed in through a rooftop vent to break into a Dunkin' Donuts in Bloomfield over the weekend.

Employees arriving at the Dunkin' Donuts at 903 Blue Hills Avenue around 4:45 a.m. on Sunday found two cash registers had been forced open. They called police who reviewed video from the store's surveillance cameras.

The video showed a masked burglar come into the store through a vent in the ceiling around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday. The person tried unsuccessfully to open the store's safe, but then was able to cut open the two cash registers, police said. The burglar then left through the same vent with an undetermined amount of money.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Sgt. James Salvatore, of the Bloomfield Police Department, at 860-242-5501 ext. 5231.

The sound of "Taps" filled the air at Arlington National Cemetery Monday as the families of two missing Air Force pilots who died together during the Vietnam War finally laid their loved ones to rest.

James Sizemore and Howard Andre were friends at Georgia Tech University and later reunited as the crew of a Douglas A-26 invader. The two died in July 1969 when their bomber crashed over Laos.

Their caskets were interred as they stood during the war - side by side.

"It's very meaningful. They flew together, they died together and they ought to be buried together," James Sizemore's brother Gene Sizemore said.

Seizemore was the pilot and Andre, the navigator during that fateful nighttime flight over the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhouang Province, according to pownetwork.org. The A26 invaders were deployed to perform "hunter-killer missions against truck convoys" in Laos.

Their plane was shot down by hostile fire, and military officials were told they couldn't have survived the crash. The two were classified as "Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered."

Three years ago, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic team recovered human remains, personal effects and military equipment at the site of crash; and in April, scientists with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command task force identified the remains as those of Sizemore and Andre.

Sizemore's nephew said Monday's burial will bring an end to an ordeal his family has had to deal with for decades.

"This is something they don't go a day thinking about and finally [he] is coming home, so it will being closure to our family," James' Sizemore's nephew Bill Sizemore told News4. 

Sequestration forced the men's families to pay for the traditional flyover -- a final tribune to the fallen airmen. The families utilized the help of Warrier Aviation to help the flyover become a reality.

Both men will be buried with full military honors.

A 3-year-old girl died after she was caught inside a sofa bed where she and another child were sleeping in their Harlem home Sunday, police said.

Police responding to a 911 call at the home on West 140th Street around 6 p.m. found Aissante Diallo unconscious. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said she and a 10-year-old child were on the bed and a 5-year-old child was outside the bed.

The sofa bed somehow folded up, trapping the younger girl while the 10-year-old was able to escape.

The children were in the care of their mother's boyfriend, who flagged down a police officer on the street for help after the child was caught.