true crime – Cincy Link

Hometown Tragedy Crime Briefs: DNA Technology

cincylink — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 02:27:56 +0000

Mhm. Our second cold case takes us to the small town of Pembroke about 40 minutes south of boston. On *** cold february evening in 1985. Virginia Hannon returns home from dinner with friends. They dropped her off outside her quaint two bedroom home, not knowing that would be the last time she has seen alive. You know. Back in February of 1985, Pembroke police went to mrs Hannan's home and they found her in her bed and they initially thought that she had died as *** result of hemorrhaging. My father had the caretaker go over and then I don't believe she got any kind of answer where the window was broken in the front door. So she came back and they called the police and then the police went over strange with the broken window that they thought it was natural causes. Yeah, right. That's what it is. It's even my father said that if it's natural causes, why is she bed with *** sheet over her head and the sheet covered in blood. The massachusetts State police assigned to the D. ***. S. Office also were notified, went to the scene and upon their arrival they made observations of what they believed to be your marks or pry marks at the door. They noticed that *** pane of glass had been broken and they went into the home and they made *** discovery of different locations of blood throughout the apartment. So what they did then was they get the medical examiner involved and they found out that upon further review of her body, that she had unfortunately been strangled to death then at that point treated as *** homicide. Yeah.

Hometown Tragedy Crime Briefs: DNA Technology

New episode highlights how three cases were solved using advancements in technology

DNA technology brings new hope to families seeking justice for their loved ones, in this episode of "Hometown Tragedy." Explore three brutal cold cases with Kristen and David Mittelman of Othram as they go into detail about the difficulties of following leads on older cold cases and how developments in forensic technology lead investigators to evidence — and, ultimately, answers for grieving families. The first case explores the mystery of the Woodlawn Jane Doe whose lifeless body is found outside of a cemetery in Baltimore. Her killer is on the run and police have very little to work off of early in their investigation. Years later, they team up with Othram in hopes of finally identifying the Woodlawn Jane Doe. Moving on to Pembroke, Massachusetts, where Virginia Hannon is murdered in her home after a night out with friends. The case goes cold for decades until a tip is left with the police and Hannon’s family receives new information. Finally, early one morning in 1996, Terrance Paquette is found murdered in the bathroom of the Lil’ Champ convenience store outside of Orlando. Paquette had only recently moved to Orlando and did not have many friends or family members in the area, giving the investigators very few leads in the case. Despite many unanswered questions, investigators do not give up on finding answers and seek the help of Othram Inc.’s DNA technology to help make an arrest and seek justice for Paquette.Very Local is your best source for shows about local communities, bringing you 24/7 access to news from your trusted local news source, weather updates, and more. Very Local also brings you fresh, untold stories from your very own city and communities like yours, with exclusive original shows and local stories specific to where you live. Get the channel to stream Very Local free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.Follow Very Local on Facebook and @VeryLocal on Instagram for more.

The first case explores the mystery of the Woodlawn Jane Doe whose lifeless body is found outside of a cemetery in Baltimore. Her killer is on the run and police have very little to work off of early in their investigation. Years later, they team up with Othram in hopes of finally identifying the Woodlawn Jane Doe.

Moving on to Pembroke, Massachusetts, where Virginia Hannon is murdered in her home after a night out with friends. The case goes cold for decades until a tip is left with the police and Hannon’s family receives new information.

Finally, early one morning in 1996, Terrance Paquette is found murdered in the bathroom of the Lil’ Champ convenience store outside of Orlando. Paquette had only recently moved to Orlando and did not have many friends or family members in the area, giving the investigators very few leads in the case. Despite many unanswered questions, investigators do not give up on finding answers and seek the help of Othram Inc.’s DNA technology to help make an arrest and seek justice for Paquette.

Very Local is your best source for shows about local communities, bringing you 24/7 access to news from your trusted local news source, weather updates, and more. Very Local also brings you fresh, untold stories from your very own city and communities like yours, with exclusive original shows and local stories specific to where you live. Get the channel to stream Very Local free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

Follow Very Local on Facebook and @VeryLocal on Instagram for more.

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Mummified body found in bathtub of burglarized Arizona home

cincylink — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 04:25:49 +0000

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities are trying to identify a mummified body found by police in the bathtub of a northwestern Arizona home as they investigated a burglary.

Bullhead City police said officers responding to a burglary in progress around 3:30 a.m. Saturday discovered 65-year-old Christine Lee Walters rummaging through items inside the house.

They said there were pry marks on the door, indicating forced entry into the home, and that Walters had been going inside for days and taking clothing, purses and other items she allegedly planned to sell online.

Police said officers searched the house and found the body in the tub in a natural mummified state, which occurs when a corpse is exposed to very dry conditions that slow typical decomposition.

Police said Walters told officers she didn't know the body was in the house.

It's unknown how long the body was in the bathtub. Neighbors told police they believed that the house was vacant and that the homeowner may have moved away because they hadn't been seen for about a year.

The Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office was trying to determine the cause of death.

Detectives found the homeowner's birth certificate, credit cards, driver's license and income tax paperwork during searches of Walters' home and vehicle. She booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of burglary. Police said they are seeking additional charges after methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in her possession.

It was unclear Thursday if Walters has a lawyer who can speak on her behalf.

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The disappearance of Kala Brown and Charlie Carver

cincylink — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 23:35:05 +0000

Stream full episodes of “Hometown Tragedy” now by downloading the Very Local app for free.In August 2016, Kala Brown and her boyfriend, Charlie Carver, went missing in Upstate South Carolina. Weeks passed with no answers as to where the Anderson couple might be.“People were trying to spread the word about the fact that both of them were missing,” said WYFF 4 anchor Nigel Robertson. “Once things just weren't adding up, people, their friends and family really began to worry.”Both Brown and Carver’s families insisted this was out of character for them, while they begged anyone with information to come forward.Then, out of nowhere, suspicious posts began appearing on social media claiming to be from Carver and insisting the pair was fine.“Nobody really knew what was going on,” said former WYFF 4 reporter Mandy Gaither. “But they knew that those posts had not been put there by Kala or Charlie."Even after those chilling posts began popping up, more months would pass before there were any real answers about where they were coming from.“It was one of those stories where — just when you think it wouldn't and couldn't get any worse — it did,” said Robertson. Turns out this case had a connection to a serial killer.Hometown Tragedy is a Very Local original series that investigates true crimes that rocked communities across America and explores the impact on those left to seek justice. What is Very Local?Very Local is a streaming app where you can watch local news, original series and more. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more.

Stream full episodes of “Hometown Tragedy” now by downloading the Very Local app for free.

In August 2016, Kala Brown and her boyfriend, Charlie Carver, went missing in Upstate South Carolina. Weeks passed with no answers as to where the Anderson couple might be.

“People were trying to spread the word about the fact that both of them were missing,” said WYFF 4 anchor Nigel Robertson. “Once things just weren't adding up, people, their friends and family really began to worry.”

Both Brown and Carver’s families insisted this was out of character for them, while they begged anyone with information to come forward.

Then, out of nowhere, suspicious posts began appearing on social media claiming to be from Carver and insisting the pair was fine.

“Nobody really knew what was going on,” said former WYFF 4 reporter Mandy Gaither. “But they knew that those posts had not been put there by Kala or Charlie."

Even after those chilling posts began popping up, more months would pass before there were any real answers about where they were coming from.

“It was one of those stories where — just when you think it wouldn't and couldn't get any worse — it did,” said Robertson. Turns out this case had a connection to a serial killer.

Hometown Tragedy is a Very Local original series that investigates true crimes that rocked communities across America and explores the impact on those left to seek justice.

What is Very Local?

Very Local is a streaming app where you can watch local news, original series and more. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.

Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more.

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Venmo says it will reimburse retired couple who lost everything to hacker

cincylink — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 04:30:27 +0000

Four months after a retired Florida couple learned hackers had drained their bank account using the Venmo app, the company says it will reimburse the entire amount."We’re shocked because Alan, especially was doing an awful lot of work and calling a lot of people but you know, we never really thought that it would really happen – that we would ever get that money back," said a relieved Aviva Strum, holding hands with her husband. It's been a rough four months for the Boynton Beach couple since they learned hackers used the Venmo payment app to drain their Bank of America bank account."We're going around asking people if they've ever heard of Venmo and a lot of people have but we've never heard of it," Aviva said.Apparently, hackers set up a fake Venmo account and transferred $1500 a week from the Sturm's account to themselves during March to June of this year until they'd stolen the Sturm's entire $19,500.Despite a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigation, and repeated calls to Bank of America and Venmo, the Sturms couldn't get their money back, forcing them to move to a one-bedroom apartment in their assisted living facility and cancel their secondary medical insurance."It was just a matter of time until we ended up in the street," Alan said.This week Alan called sister station WPBF's investigative reporter Terri Parker and after Parker began investigating, Venmo said through a spokeswoman they were going to reimburse the whole amount to the Sturms."That's amazing! That is the greatest news!" Alan said when Parker told them the news.Alan said the sense of relief was enormous."Oh, I can get medicine now, we can go shopping and get clothes; we can go to the doctor, I can get my secondary insurance back," said Alan, who noted he has epilepsy and they both have heart problems.A Venmo spokeswoman said they are still investigating how hackers set up the fake account and made it appear the transfers were authorized.Venmo Statement:“The safety and security of our customers and their information is Venmo’s top priority. When we were contacted about the situation, we worked quickly to investigate the matter and assist our customers. We take every instance of potential fraud very seriously, and the company works diligently to support and protect our customers.”A Bank of America spokesman released a statement earlier this week saying they could not reimburse the Sturms because Venmo said the transfers were authorized by the Sturms.Bank of America Statement:"In general, if a transaction is unauthorized, the customer will be reimbursed. We will also work on our customer’s behalf to attempt recovery of the money even if we determine that the transaction was authorized. In this case, the merchant (Venmo) provided documentation that the client had authorized the transactions and we were unable to recover the money for the customer."The Sturms said after months of hearing they could not get any help either from Bank of America or Venmo, they were stunned to learn of this change of events."It was that reacted and followed through — it's incredible, just incredible, and thank you," Aviva said.The Sturms have closed their empty Bank of America bank account and will be keeping a close eye on their new one.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. —

Four months after a retired Florida couple learned hackers had drained their bank account using the Venmo app, the company says it will reimburse the entire amount.

"We’re shocked because Alan, especially was doing an awful lot of work and calling a lot of people but you know, we never really thought that it would really happen – that we would ever get that money back," said a relieved Aviva Strum, holding hands with her husband.

It's been a rough four months for the Boynton Beach couple since they learned hackers used the Venmo payment app to drain their Bank of America bank account.

"We're going around asking people if they've ever heard of Venmo and a lot of people have but we've never heard of it," Aviva said.

Apparently, hackers set up a fake Venmo account and transferred $1500 a week from the Sturm's account to themselves during March to June of this year until they'd stolen the Sturm's entire $19,500.

Despite a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigation, and repeated calls to Bank of America and Venmo, the Sturms couldn't get their money back, forcing them to move to a one-bedroom apartment in their assisted living facility and cancel their secondary medical insurance.

"It was just a matter of time until we ended up in the street," Alan said.

This week Alan called sister station WPBF's investigative reporter Terri Parker and after Parker began investigating, Venmo said through a spokeswoman they were going to reimburse the whole amount to the Sturms.

"That's amazing! That is the greatest news!" Alan said when Parker told them the news.

Alan said the sense of relief was enormous.

"Oh, I can get medicine now, we can go shopping and get clothes; we can go to the doctor, I can get my secondary insurance back," said Alan, who noted he has epilepsy and they both have heart problems.

A Venmo spokeswoman said they are still investigating how hackers set up the fake account and made it appear the transfers were authorized.

Venmo Statement:

“The safety and security of our customers and their information is Venmo’s top priority. When we were contacted about the situation, we worked quickly to investigate the matter and assist our customers. We take every instance of potential fraud very seriously, and the company works diligently to support and protect our customers.”

A Bank of America spokesman released a statement earlier this week saying they could not reimburse the Sturms because Venmo said the transfers were authorized by the Sturms.

Bank of America Statement:

"In general, if a transaction is unauthorized, the customer will be reimbursed. We will also work on our customer’s behalf to attempt recovery of the money even if we determine that the transaction was authorized. In this case, the merchant (Venmo) provided documentation that the client had authorized the transactions and we were unable to recover the money for the customer."

The Sturms said after months of hearing they could not get any help either from Bank of America or Venmo, they were stunned to learn of this change of events.

"It was [WPBF] that reacted and followed through — it's incredible, just incredible, and thank you," Aviva said.

The Sturms have closed their empty Bank of America bank account and will be keeping a close eye on their new one.

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