LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. —

A search is underway in north Alabama after a man charged with capital murder and a deputy transporting him to court went missing Friday morning.

Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office employee Vicki White, who is the assistant director of corrections, and inmate Casey Cole White have not been seen since 9:30 a.m. Friday when they left for an alleged court appearance. The sheriff's office said the deputy and suspect are not related.

The marked vehicle that the two left the detention center in was located in the parking lot of a shopping center in Florence around 11 a.m. Friday. Their direction of travel is unknown.

Investigators are looking for any video footage that may give more information on the situation.

In a news conference Friday evening, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Officer White, who is an employee of 25 years, told the booking officer at the detention center that she was escorting inmate White to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. After dropping the inmate off with other deputies, Officer White said she was going to seek medical attention for herself because she wasn't feeling well.

Around 3:30 p.m., the booking officer attempted to contact Officer White with no luck and her phone was going straight to voicemail. They also discovered inmate White never returned to the jail. Officials said they began investigating "aggressively."

Officials said the officer and the inmate never showed up to the courthouse and it has since been determined that the inmate did not have any evaluations scheduled. Local urgent care offices also have no record of Officer White visiting on Friday.

The sheriff added that it is a "strict violation of policy" for inmates with those types of charges to be escorted anywhere by one deputy, but they believe Officer White wasn't questioned because she is the head of operations and coordinates all transports.

"Knowing the inmate, I think [Officer White] is in danger whatever the circumstances," Singleton said. "He was in jail for capital murder. He has nothing to lose."

According to court documents, Casey White's capital murder charge stems from the "brutal death" of Connie Ridgeway at her Rogersville home in 2015. The capital murder charge also includes first-degree burglary.

If anyone sees the suspect or deputy, do not approach them and contact 911 immediately.

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. —

Alabama fugitive Casey White and corrections officer Vicky White are in custody, and she is hospitalized after shooting herself, authorities said Monday afternoon.

The pair were taken into custody after a chase in Evansville, Indiana, and their vehicle crashed, officials said.

The U.S. Marshals told CNN that corrections officers Vicky White's injury was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No law enforcement officers fired any shots, according to Lauderdale, Alabama, County Sheriff Rick Singleton.

Earlier Monday, U.S. Marshals released photos of a man they believed to be Casey White caught on surveillance camera at a car wash in the same area.

Investigators were notified on Sunday night that a 2006 Ford F-150 had been discovered at a car wash in Evansville, about 175 miles north of Williamson County, Tennessee, where the 2007 Ford Edge the pair had been traveling in was found abandoned.

The owner provided the images from a security camera, the U.S. Marshals service said in a release.

Surveillance video footage Vicky White taken before the escape shows the level of preparation that went into the escape, Singleton added.

Investigators found footage of her shopping for men's clothes at a department store and at an "adult store," Singleton said, adding she "obviously had a change of clothes" for the inmate.

New charges filed

Vicky White is also facing new charges of identity theft and second-degree forgery for allegedly using an alias to purchase an SUV used as a getaway vehicle.

Investigators earlier released video footage showing Vicky White at a Quality Inn in Florence, Alabama, where she stayed the night before the escape.

Vicky White, who was an assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, took Casey White from the county jail on April 29, saying she was taking him for a mental health evaluation, which authorities learned later had never been scheduled. She then said she was going to get medical care after dropping the inmate off because she wasn't feeling well.

The patrol car the officer and inmate took from the jail was found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot. Vicky White's jail keys, radio and handcuffs were found inside. Authorities believe the pair left the lot in a different vehicle: Vicky White's 2007 Ford SUV she parked in the lot the night before.

The vehicle was then spotted on May 6 at a Tennessee tow lot. The car had been abandoned in the woods without any identifying information on the same day the duo escaped, indicating they drove about two hours north from the jail in Florence, Alabama, to Williamson County, Tennessee.

Authorities believe the vehicle may have had mechanical problems, which prompted the abrupt stop in the area.

Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, who are not related, knew each other since at least 2020 and had developed a romantic relationship, the sheriff told CNN earlier this week.

Prior to their disappearance, Vicky White had announced plans to retire and sold her home for a price well below market value.

She is no longer employed by the sheriff's office, the office said, adding while Friday was her last day of work, her retirement papers were never finalized.

Investigators believe Vicky White had a large amount of money when the pair vanished, Singleton said Friday, adding authorities are working to find out more details.

Vicky White's mother has been "extremely cooperative" with investigators, Singleton said Monday.

"Like us, she's at a total loss. She did not know this side of her daughter, obviously, and she's very distraught," he said.

Some 90,0000 people in the United States are awaiting a kidney donation. One California mother took it into her own hands to try and get a donor, and you've probably already seen her plea for help.

Along northbound Interstate 5 by the Sacramento International Airport stands a billboard.

"I need a kidney transplant," said Cynthia Hall.

Hall hopes that with her billboard she will reach the right person.

"Six years ago, I got a call from my doctor that my kidneys are severely damaged," Hall said.

Her husband Art said they knew they would reach the point where they needed to expand their outreach one day.

"We have been doing a homegrown campaign, if you will," Art said. "Making flyers, putting them up at businesses. We have done social media campaigns. I thought I need to take this to the next level to see what's possible to do and that's where I thought I would try a billboard."

That's when Marquee Media received a call from a friend who heard about the Hall family.

"When we formed our company, we wanted to have business with purpose. This is the highest purpose we can probably do," said Jeff Joaquin with Marquee Media.

There are 11 billboards across the Sacramento, California, region, reaching about 2 million people every week. There are also dozens of billboards across the country.

"We help companies and brands sell products, help their businesses along, but we can have a higher calling to help somebody get a kidney and save a life, it's just something immeasurable," Joaquin said.

The Hall family hopes it raises more awareness about kidney diseases.

"There are millions of people out there with this disease and they do not know they have it," Cynthia said.

"If anything comes of all this, besides her getting a kidney donor, is raising the awareness of kidney disease out there," Art said.

The hope is that on their four-year wedding anniversary, they will get the call that will give Cynthia a second chance at life.

"It means the world to us and my son, he's 14. I want to see him go to college, I want to see him get married, I want to be with him and this will give me a chance to live my life to the fullest," Cynthia said.

If you would like to help you can reach the Hall family at akidneyforcynthia@gmail.com or at 916-276-7603.

Watch the video above for the full story.

HAMILTON — A Hamilton mother continues to search for her daughter and needs more volunteer searchers.

Kara Hyde went missing in December. She was last seen at her mother’s house in Hamilton. Since her disappearance, Kara’s mother, Lisa Hyde, has been organizing searches to look for her daughter.

“We got to keep continuing these searches because she has to be found,” Lisa said.

A group of searchers met outside Jay’s Furniture Sunday Morning and then drove to the search location.

“Gets harder everyday, everyday she’s gone, I miss her more and I need to find her. There’s urgency that I have to find her,” she said.

During a search in January, organized by Kara’s family, searchers found a bag of Kara’s clothes but no sign of Kara.

“She was a force, she was very animated, very outgoing, enthusiastic, sweet, artistic, creative, kind, she had a heart of gold,” Lisa said.

She added to keep the search parties going, she needs more volunteers.

“Been looking everywhere for volunteer searches because with the weather breaking and the case being so old I’m losing quite a bit of searchers,” she said.

Lisa is doing everything she can to find her daughter her such as, creating and hanging flyers, visiting places Kara has been to, talking with people Kara knew, and turning Kara’s car into a mobile billboard. She believes Kara will be found by either investigators or volunteer searchers.

Kara Hyde is 5-foot-6 inches tall, weighing 100 pounds with dirty blond hair.

If you have information about Kara Hyde’s whereabouts, call Hamilton police at 513-868-5811.

WASHINGTON —

Former President Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement Monday that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The circumstances were not immediately clear. Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not return messages seeking comment Monday evening.

“After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said in his statement.

The Justice Department has been investigating the discovery of boxes of records containing classified information that were taken to Mar-a-Lago after Trump's presidency had concluded. It was not clear whether the FBI search was connected to that probe.

A separate investigation related to efforts by Trump allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol has also been intensifying in Washington.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio —

Clermont County officials have issued a statewide Missing Adult Alert for Thomas Mills, a 71-year-old man.

Pierce Township police Chief Paul Broxterman said a neighbor was the last person to see Mills around 8 a.m. on Tuesday in the Amelia Court Apartment's parking lot at 1381 W. Ohio Pike.

Broxterman said when Clermont County County Senior Services arrived to pick up Mills, he was nowhere to be found.

"They checked inside. He wasn't there. So, they called the nephew who called us."
Broxterman said.

Police said Mills is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds, and has grey hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket.

"He only walks around this immediate area. He's lived here for two years, and he has a very distinctive ... he has trouble walking. So, we're hoping someone in the area sees him and gives us a call," Broxterman said.

The apartment complex is next to Kroger on Ohio Pike.

"We're checking the cameras of Kroger. We pinged his phone, and, you know, we got a hit about 300 meters around this area, which is 1,200 feet. We've had the sheriff's department come with the dog to do a search. We had a drone up. We have the search and rescue team coming to help us," Broxterman said.

According to officials, Mills is autistic and suffers from "a delayed mental capacity."

There are two search teams leading the efforts to find Mills, Cincinnati Search and Recovery and Ohio LandSAR Search and Rescue.

"We're worried about the weather cause he's going to have hypothermia. He wasn't dressed to be out in the rain," said Cincinnati Search and Recovery Chief Jeff Shari. "We come out here and all of us are volunteers. We don't get paid. We're in it because of our heart. We want to find him so we're going to stay here until we find him."

Shari said the fact that Mills is autistic changes the dynamic of the search.

"We do a calculation on age, mental capacity and how far of a distance he could have gone since he went missing. They're usually attracted to water, lights, he lives right next to Kroger so obviously we check Kroger first. We have a K9 out checking the retention ponds in the area," Shari said. "We will then hit is common routes."

Search crews ask anyone who lives in the area to check their property and backyards, especially places Mills may have gone to get warm. Anyone who sees Mills is asked to call 911 or 1-888-637-1113.

Police are searching for a suspect in connection with an aggravated robbery in the Westwood area. Police describe the suspect as a Black male in his late teens with a slight build, wearing black, saggy skinny jeans, a white tank top, and a camo facial covering. The suspect was said to be driving a 2007-09 silver Mazda 3. The vehicle is described as having a loud exhaust, dark tinted windows, and low-profile tires with a spoiler on the trunk. The police ask that you contact Detective Joe Coombs at 513-263-8327 if you have any information on this matter.

The Gabby Petito case has highlighted another issue – making sure we give attention to other missing and unidentified people in the United States.

Right now, there is a gaping hole in how police report missing people and track them. 

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System – or NamUs – is a federally funded online database for missing, unidentified or unclaimed people in the U.S.

It's often described by cold-case experts as law enforcement's most effective and accurate missing person databases.

The problem is many people just aren't using it.

Unlike national and state databases law enforcement is currently required to report to, this system lets users post pictures, track DNA and it can be accessed by anyone at any time.

Ten states – including New York and California – have passed laws mandating law enforcement use NamUs.

Additionally, legislation is quickly moving through Texas and Pennsylvania.

Florida remains among the majority of states that make reporting to NamUs voluntary for law enforcement.

With an estimated several thousand people still missing and unidentified in the sunshine state, Hernando County detective George Loydgren agrees it's time Florida makes NamUs a requirement for law enforcement.

"It's a no-lose situation," Loydgren said. "It doesn't take that long to input the data and you reach a wide audience. If it inevitably helps you locate a missing person, that's what you want to do."

Katie LaGrone at Newsy first reported this story.

Video above: Brian Laundrie's father joins the search for his son Thursday

As the search for Brian Laundrie continues in a Florida nature reserve, police said Friday that they have yet to find any physical evidence of Laundrie within the sprawling wilderness area.

Laundrie, whose fiancé Gabby Petito was found dead in Wyoming nearly three weeks ago, has been the focus of an intensive search in the Carlton Reserve near his family home in North Port, after his parents told police he planned to hike there.

North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor told CNN's Randi Kaye that although nothing linked to Laundrie has been found inside the reserve, their efforts will continue there until they have better information.

North Port police did confirm this week that an abandoned vehicle notice was placed on a Ford Mustang belonging to the Laundrie family on Sept. 14 outside a park that serves as an entrance to the reserve.

The parents, Chris and Roberta, went to the park that day looking for their son and saw the citation, according to Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino, a day after they say Laundrie told them he was headed for the reserve. His parents brought the vehicle home on Sept. 15.

The search has been prompted entirely by information from Laundrie's parents, Taylor told CNN, and while the police department has received numerous tips from the public, police say none have panned out so far.

Laundrie has not been charged in Petito's death, but he is the subject of a federal arrest warrant for unauthorized use of another person's debit card in the days after she last spoke with her family.

Police say Laundrie was under surveillance before he disappeared

Petito, whose body was discovered Sept. 19, was reported missing eight days earlier by her family who had not heard from her since late August.

When police, as part of the investigation into Petito's disappearance, went to the Laundrie family home on the night of Sept. 11, he was not seen and there was no opportunity to speak with him, Taylor told CNN.

While Laundrie was not wanted for arrest at the time, he was being surveilled by police — as best authorities could do so legally — before he disappeared, Taylor told CNN, and authorities say they never spoke with Laundrie before he went missing.

On Sept. 17, when police spoke with Laundrie's parents after they reported him missing, they refused to address Petito's disappearance or answer any questions about her, which police described as "odd," Taylor said. Laundrie's parents, who had their lawyer on speakerphone, would only speak about their missing son.

Laundrie and Petito had ventured on a summer road trip to western national parks, yet Petito was last seen in late August in a Wyoming restaurant and Laundrie returned home to Florida alone on Sept. 1.

Nearly a week after Laundrie came back, he and his parents went camping for a brief stay at a site around 75 miles from their home, attorney Bertolino told CNN.

In late September, Laundrie's parents released a statement through their attorney, saying, "Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong."

Father participated in search this week

Chris Laundrie was seen Thursday morning entering the Carlton Reserve, after being asked by law enforcement to accompany them on their search, according to Bertolino.

"Chris was asked to point out any favorite trails or spots that Brian may have used in the preserve," the attorney said. Though the family provided what information they knew earlier, "it is now thought that on-site assistance may be better," he said.

"The preserve has been closed to the public and the Laundries as well but the parents have been cooperating since the search began," Bertolino said.

"There were no discoveries but the effort was helpful to all," he said.

Police on Thursday denied that a campsite had been found in the reserve during earlier search efforts. That confirmation came after a source close to the Laundrie family told CNN they were informed by investigators that police had made a discovery. The source on Thursday insisted that the Laundrie family had been told a campsite had been found.

"Is it possible that they thought that there might be a campsite out there or something they may have seen from the air, but when they got on the ground that's not what it turned out to be? Sure, I think that's a possibility," Taylor, the North Port Police spokesperson, said. "Bottom line is that investigators are telling me that no campsite was found out there."

As the search continues, Laundrie's parents believe he is still in the reserve, Bertolino said, and as a result, any public call they made for him to surrender to authorities would not reach him.

"In short, the parents believe Brian was and still is in the preserve so there was no reason to issue a plea on media that he does not have access to," the attorney said.

A search of a Fairfield Twp. lake came up empty for a resident missing since May, according to the Journal-News.

Fairfield Twp. police Sgt. Brandon McCroskey said officials received information last weekend there might be evidence related to the search for Michael McKenney, 29.

“We talked to a couple of people and we, of course, wanted to verify that was accurate so they had the Butler County dive team come out and check and we didn’t find anything at all,” he said.

McCroskey said they searched Wednesday the water near the Linden Lake Apartments, and the police department will follow every lead they receive “so we can try to get some closure for the family.” However, part of the problem, he said, is some of the people believed to be involved in McKenney’s disappearance are now dead.

A possible male involved died from an overdose, and a woman directly involved died from medical issues, McCroskey said.

“I can’t even say if there was foul play because at this point there’s not enough (evidence) to say that,” he said.

McKenney was last seen on May 22 and was reported missing the next day. His car and personal items, including a cellphone, were found at Hueston Woods. McKenney is 5-8 and has two full sleeves of tattoos. The family has set up a GoFundMe page in order to hire a private investigator.

Anyone with information about McKenney should contact the Fairfield Twp. Police Department at 513-887-4406.

Related video above: The latest in the search for Gabby Petito's fiance Brian Laundrie.

While the FBI is adjusting its sails in the search for Gabby Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie, people across the country are delivering flowers to the Laundrie home in North Port, Florida, in an effort to honor Petito's life.

Those within the community are hand-delivering flowers to the home, but those from afar are paying for flowers to be delivered.

Petito's remains were found in a camping area in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest last week near where the couple had last been seen, and a coroner has ruled her death a homicide. Laundrie's parents told investigators they have not seen their son since Sept. 14, when he left their home with a backpack, saying he was going to a nearby nature reserve.

For days now, Petito has been honored in communities across the country: A memorial was held on Sunday in Holbrook, New York, near Petito's hometown on Long Island and a vigil was held in Salt Lake City last Wednesday.

"I felt compelled to participate because the silent treatment is a profound way to completely invalidate a victim ... essentially denying their existence ... and sending #flowersforgabby to the Laundrie family is a way of saying, we will not let you give Gabby and other victims the silent treatment," Stephanie Harris, one of the people who sent flowers to the Laundrie home told CNN. "She was here."

That's why all the way from Chicago, with no real connection to Petito or Laundrie families, she felt compelled to send flowers in an effort to support Petito and let others know that she will not be forgotten.

The FBI is focusing on intelligence-based leads after officials spent more than 10 days searching through a 25,000-acre nature reserve in North Point, Florida, according to police, and visited Laundrie's family home to request personal items of his to assist with DNA matching, the Laundries' lawyer told multiple news outlets.

"It is well known that the 'silent treatment' is a tactic of emotional abuse," Harris said. "And by refusing to acknowledge her [Petito], on a real and human level, the [Laundrie] family has perpetuated the silent treatment."

It appears the memorial outside of the Laundrie home began Monday, Josh Taylor, North Port public information officer told CNN Tuesday.

A reporter posted a video on Twitter suggesting the police would be removing the flowers outside Laundrie's home, but so far the police department hasn't received any complaints, but if they do, Taylor said they "will document and advise those impacted to contact the flower company and request to cease deliveries."

Like Harris, Stephanie Savage in Houston, Texas, was also motivated to send a flower arrangement on Sunday and it was delivered Monday, marking one of the first deliveries to the Laundrie home.

"I wanted the memorial to Gabby to start in their [Laundries'] front yard because she lived there and then that exploded on Twitter, everybody was like 'I want in,' Savage told CNN. "Initially, I just wanted some recognition for Gabby that she's not going to be forgotten. I understand the focus right now is on the Laundrie family, but she was the ultimate victim here."

Now, Savage wants people to pivot from flower deliveries to monetary donations to foundations "that help women in these situations so they don't end up like Gabby," she said. "I don't want her to be forgotten."

Lilith Cain also arranged for flowers to be delivered from Springville, Indiana, and told CNN she and members of a Facebook group have bonded over being domestic violence survivors themselves, a love for internet sleuthing and true crime in general.

"We all jumped on board, spreading the hashtag across all social media, hoping to fill the entire lawn," she said. "It was a way to keep pressure on the Laundries, but in a beautiful way that memorializes Gabby. Peaceful protest, so to speak."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he has directed all state agencies under his purview to assist in the search for Gabby Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Police in North Port, Florida, said Tuesday morning that investigators had returned to the Carlton Reserve to look for the 23-year-old man. Investigators also searched the 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve over the weekend.

A body matching Petito’s description was discovered near the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Wyoming over the weekend, months after the pair set out on a cross-country road trip.

Tuesday afternoon, the FBI announced that the Teton County Coroner’s Office had confirmed that the remains found were those of Petito. The coroner’s determined the manner of death was a homicide, but the cause of death remains pending.

Anyone with relevant information regarding this case is asked to submit it to the FBI online at tips.FBI.gov, or by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 303-629-7171.

This story was originally published by staff at WTXL.

Florida officials are working on plans to tear down what’s left of a partially collapsed oceanfront condominium building after concerns about the structure’s instability prompted a 15-hour halt to the search for survivors.

After rescue efforts resumed Thursday evening, officials said they had started planning for the likely demolition of the remaining structure even as searchers continue to comb the rubble pile beneath it.

Scott Nacheman, a FEMA structures specialist, said engineers are looking at different methods for the demolition and how to proceed "to make the site safe for ongoing rescue operations."

Nacheman said that if the building comes down, there initially will be a slowdown in the rescue operation. But he said the demolition of the structure would create a safer working environment that could allow more personnel on the site and accelerate the pace of the work.

He said it would likely be weeks before officials schedule the demolition.

On Friday morning, about a dozen workers could be seen digging through the pile that now reached about 20 feet, more than 10 feet less than it was a week ago. Cranes were again lifting heavy objects from the pile and then workers would climb into the pile and begin removing smaller rubble by hand.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the decision about the demolition needs to be made "extremely carefully and methodically," considering the potential impact on the pile of debris and the effect on the search.

The rescue work was halted early Thursday after crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column.

Work resumed shortly before 5 p.m. after the site was evaluated by structural engineers, Cava said, describing firefighters as "really, really excited out there."

"We will continue to search feverishly, as we have done all along in the parts of the collapse that we currently have access to," she said.

The work stoppage had threatened to dim hopes for finding anyone alive in the debris a week after the tower came down. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the halt was worrisome since "minutes and hours matter, lives are at stake."

The temporary halt to rescue operations unfolded on the same day that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the devastated community.

The collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. No one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse.

"This is life and death," Biden said during a briefing. "We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done, makes a difference."

"There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow," he said. "And so, we’re not going anywhere."

Peter Milián is a cousin of Marcus Guara, who died along with his wife, Anaely Rodriguez, and their two children, 10-year-old Lucia Guara and 4-year-old Emma Guara. Milián said he understood why the rescue work had to be temporarily halted.

"I mean, they’ve done everything they can. But we trust the people that are on the ground. And obviously, they’ve got to do what’s best for their people, right? Because it is a dangerous situation," he said.

During a private meeting with family members, Biden drew on his own experiences with grief to try to comfort them. Biden lost his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash and decades later lost an adult son to brain cancer.

"I just wish there was something I could do to ease the pain," he said in a video posted on Instagram by Jacqueline Patoka, a woman who was close to a couple and their daughter who are still missing.

Biden spoke of wanting to switch places with a lost or missing loved one. "The waiting, the waiting is unbearable," he said.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building's ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had "major structural damage" and needed extensive repairs. The report also found "abundant cracking" of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had "gotten significantly worse" and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million. With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.

___

Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale and Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report.

SURFSIDE, Fla. —

Video above: Alabama doctor among the missing in Miami condo collapse

The first victim of the Surfside building collapse was identified Friday.

At least four people are dead and as many as 159 people are unaccounted for following the collapse of a residential building in Surfside, a town near Miami. The incident happened at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

Thirty-five victims were pulled from the structure and two were pulled from the rubble Thursday, including a boy. Eleven patients are being treated for their injuries.

Fire rescue officials said they have to be careful when searching because the part of the building that is still standing is also shifting.

There are more than 80 rescue units on scene, according to fire rescue officials. Rescue dogs are also on the scene searching for people.

[related id='b7f83057-c7ec-4ee2-8686-c0f6ad3b5fe2' align='center'][/related

Stacie Dawn Fang, 54

Stacie Dawn Fang died of blunt force trauma following the building collapse Thursday, according to her death certificate. She was pronounced dead at 3:38 a.m. Thursday at Aventura Hospital & Medical Center.

Fang was the mother of the teen pulled from the rubble Thursday, according to officials.

Her family released the following statement:

“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received. The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie’s son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.”

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. —

The search continued Friday for two boys believed to have been thrown in the Ohio River and just after 8 p.m., a Dearborn County water rescue team came in with a boat after dogs sniffed out a "possible target."

Friday's search was supposed to end around 8 p.m. but after possible detection, lights have been lit in the area as investigators continue their work.

A few dozen volunteers joined North Star Search and Recovery and Ohio LandSAR in Lawrenceburg in search of 3-year-old Nylo Lattimore and 6-year-old James Hutchinson.

"It just felt like the thing to do. I'm a mom, and sitting at home, there was nothing I could do. So, I wanted to come out here and help search," said volunteer, Kelley Workman.

Peter Ehoodin also volunteered his time.

"It's the thing to do. I'm retired. I can't sit at home and watch it, so that's why I'm here," Ehoodin said.

Crews planned on searching 86 acres of land called the Oxbow.

"This was one of the main areas that we wanted to get to, and we absolutely could not get to it. We couldn't even get the water cadaver dogs in there," said North Star spokesperson, Tracey Campbell. "We kept thinking the water was going to subside. It would dry out, but then we'd get another day of rain."

Now, the floodplain near the Carol Cropper bridge is dry.

That's the bridge where Middletown police said James was thrown into the river by his mother and her boyfriend in February. Investigators said the couple tied a concrete block to his body before they threw him in.

Investigators in Hamilton County said Nylo was tossed in about 17 miles upriver by his mother's boyfriend in December.

"We're not going to stop until we succeed in our mission, and it's to bring those boys home," Campbell said.