Iowa cold case cracked more than 40 years after young man was killed following DNA breakthrough

SummaryA 6-year-old boy, Ra’myl Pierre, was found dead in his Fort Pierce, Florida home, leading to the arrest of his mother, Rhonda Paulynice, who is charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. Authorities report that Paulynice believed she was instructed by God to exorcise demons from her son, and she last communicated with him on May 18, the day investigators suspect the homicide occurred. An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death, while...

Elijah Heacock, a cheerful teenager, tragically died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scam involving an A.I.-generated nude image and a $3,000 demand from scammers. His parents, John Burnett and Shannon Heacock, were unaware of the situation until discovering the messages on his phone, highlighting the increasing prevalence of such scams that have led to at least 20 youth suicides since 2021. In response, they advocate for the "Take It Down" Act, which...

Alaska Man Survives Boulder IncidentAn Alaska man, Kell Morris, survived being pinned by a 700-pound boulder in an icy creek for three hours, thanks to his wife, Jo Roop, who held his head above water while waiting for help. After Roop managed to call 911, a sled dog tourism company provided a helicopter to assist rescuers who used inflatable air bags and brute force to free Morris. Remarkably, he sustained only minor injuries, prompting him...

Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer known for his extensive work on “The Simpsons,” has passed away at 84 after a decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. His daughter confirmed that he died at home in Los Angeles, leaving behind a legacy of nearly 600 scores for the show, where he served from 1990 to 2017 and earned 30 Emmy nominations, winning twice. Clausen, who also worked on series like “Moonlighting,” is remembered for his ability to...

The remains of 19 Black Americans, taken to Germany for "racial pseudoscience" experiments in the 1880s, were repatriated to New Orleans for memorialization. A jazz funeral is set for Saturday, organized by Dillard University and local institutions, honoring the individuals as people with histories. The Cultural Repatriation Committee, formed in 2024, identified their names and backgrounds, with many arriving in New Orleans post-Civil War, though no descendants have been traced. Full Article

As the Atlantic hurricane season approaches, the National Weather Service (NWS) is grappling with significant staffing shortages, having lost over 10% of its workforce due to cuts initiated by the Trump administration to reduce government spending. This depletion, affecting approximately 550 employees within the NWS, raises concerns about the agency's ability to effectively forecast and respond to an anticipated "above-normal" hurricane season, which may yield up to 19 named storms. Lawmakers and former agency leaders...