Crime – Headline Smart

Mother of Four Found Hanging From Tree

Police said Jarques Ratliff faces a murder charge in Tasia Fortune’s death, while investigators expect additional arrests in the case. JACKSON, Miss. — Police arrested a 51-year-old man Friday in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four who was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant Jackson home last month, after the state medical examiner classified her death as a homicide. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney identified the man …

Missing Mom Found Dead Atop Train Car

Brittany Ritter, 37, was discovered in an Elkhart rail yard after disappearing from the Holland, Ohio, area days earlier. ELKHART, Ind. — A 37-year-old Ohio woman reported missing from the Toledo area has been identified as the person found dead on top of a stopped train car in northern Indiana, authorities said, leaving investigators working to determine how she died and how she reached the train. Brittany Ritter of Holland, Ohio, was found Sept. 3 …

Police Kill Man During Confrontation Outside Busy Mall

Independent investigators are reviewing the shooting after police said the man pointed a weapon at officers responding to reports of an armed person. FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Federal Way police fatally shot a man outside The Commons mall Thursday evening after officers said he pointed a weapon at them as they responded to several reports of an armed man threatening people in the shopping center’s parking lot. The confrontation began around 6:40 p.m. Sept. 10, …

Student Found Dead Before Classes, Prompting Closure

Classes resumed Wednesday with crisis-response support as police continued investigating the student’s early-morning entry and death. MARANA, Ariz. — Marana High School reopened Wednesday, one day after a student was found dead on campus before classes began, prompting administrators to cancel school while police investigated the circumstances surrounding the death. Marana police responded to the high school at about 6:47 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, after staff members discovered the student. Police said preliminary information indicated …

Mother and Son Killed in Horrific Birthday Party Explosion

Investigators say a propane leak caused the accidental Granville blast, which also injured three adults, one critically. GRANVILLE, Vt. — A mother and her 20-year-old son were killed and three other adults were injured when a home exploded during a family birthday gathering in rural Vermont, authorities said. State investigators determined that a propane leak inside the house caused the accidental blast. The explosion was reported at about 7:45 p.m. Sept. 5 at a residence …

Mother Found Dead in Duffel Bag as Son Slept Nearby

Arman Alexander Malik also faces an evidence-tampering charge after deputies discovered his 73-year-old mother during a welfare check. HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 34-year-old Texas man has been charged with murder after sheriff’s deputies found his mother dead inside a duffel bag during a welfare check at her west Harris County home, according to authorities and court records. Arman Alexander Malik is accused in the death of his mother, 73-year-old Dyna Guadalupe Sorto De Malik. …

Fairgoer Savagely Beaten in Teen Mob Attack

Sammy Kimbrough underwent emergency reconstructive surgery after the Sept. 5 attack, while police say no suspects have been arrested. FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — A 45-year-old Oakdale man is recovering from serious facial injuries after he was knocked unconscious and attacked by several people during the Minnesota State Fair, according to his fiancée and police, who are still investigating the Sept. 5 assault. Sammy Kimbrough suffered multiple fractures to his jaw and damage to several teeth …

Missing Teen Rescued From Sea After Days Adrift

A Coast Guard aircraft spotted the 15-year-old near St. Lawrence Island before the Northwest Explorer brought him aboard. SAVOONGA, Alaska — A 15-year-old boy survived for days on an overturned fishing skiff in the cold Bering Sea before rescuers reached him near St. Lawrence Island, while his older brother and a cousin who had been traveling with him died. The three left Savoonga in an 18-foot fishing boat Friday, Sept. 4, for a halibut trip …

Uncle Fled After 3-Year-Old Fatally Shoots Himself

Police say Tyrone Thompson Jr. left a gun unattended with his young nephew, then fled after the child was critically wounded. COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 21-year-old South Carolina man is facing a weapons charge after police said his 3-year-old nephew found an unattended gun and accidentally shot himself inside a Columbia apartment, then later died at a hospital. Columbia police identified the uncle as Tyrone Thompson Jr. and charged him with possession of a weapon …

2-Year-Old Mauled to Death by Family Dog

Prosecutors say the parents failed to protect 2-year-old Locklynn McGuire after an earlier incident raised concerns about the same family dog. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — An Oklahoma couple is facing murder charges in the death of their 2-year-old daughter, who authorities say was fatally attacked by a family dog after being left in a bedroom equipped with locks that prevented the toddler from getting out. Darci Lambert, 25, and Jorden McGuire, 35, are each accused …