____________________________________________________________________

Valerie and Michael Miller were found dead inside their Webster Plantation home, investigators said.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

The couple slain in a small Maine town may have been killed because of the husband’s illicit drug and cash transactions, a family member of one of the victims told CNN. “Trust, me I got first hand knowledge of that,” said Rebecca Bickford, a cousin of Valerie Miller, who with her husband, Michael Miller, were found dead in their home in Webster Plantation, a community of a roughly 80 people.

Bickford said Mr. Miller sold drugs from his mobile house. “The number one thing would have to be pain killers,” Bickford said. “My cousin, Valerie, wasn’t into the whole business aspect. She was into the liking the money and material things. She disagreed with it, him being into that business, because it’s really dangerous, especially up in that area.”

Bickford also said Mr. Miller operated as an informal pawn broker and moneylender. “”He was into having his own pawn shop, buying cigarettes from a different state and selling them,” she said. According to Bickford, Mr. Miller would loan cash at a 50 percent interest rate, plus collateral.

Keep reading

____________________________________________________________________

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

One of the smallest communities in the nation has been jolted by a double homicide, police in Maine said.

The victims, a husband and wife, were found dead in their mobile home over the weekend, Stephen McCausland, Public Information Officer for the Maine State Police told CNN. The couple lived in Webster Plantation, a town with a population of less than 100 people. “Basically two roads,” said McCausland. “Frankly, before Sunday, I’ve never heard of it. It’s that remote and that small.”

The slain couple has been identified as Michael and Valerie Miller, both 48. Their bodies were found in their home early Saturday afternoon, authorities said. Initially, investigators believed they might have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the results of autopsy reports confirmed that they were the victims of homicide.

Investigators would not reveal the exact cause of death. “We’re releasing very few details about this case,” McCausland said.

McCausland did say that detectives are looking for a woman who was seen leaving the couple’s home on the day they were found dead. He described her as middle aged with a ponytail and wearing glasses. “We would like to find her and interview her, so far we have appealed to the public for help, so far we’ve had half a dozen calls.”

Webster Plantation is located in the center of Maine. According to the police, this is the first murders in the community in at least 2 decades.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maine State Police at 207-866-2122.

____________________________________________________________________

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

A California couple took their young children along on an early morning armed robbery spree that ended after a high speed chase, police said today. The suspects allegedly staged three Sunday hold-ups within minutes of one another while their 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters were in the getaway car.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” Detective Andrew Purdy of the Los Angeles Police said. “You just really can’t.”

William Farag and Nadia Redoble, both 28, have been charged with three counts of robbery. Detective Purdy said the suspects, who reside in Van Nuys, could face additional charges for two robberies that occurred last week. Investigators will also ask the district attorney to consider charging them with child endangering and felony evading.

Detectives allege the couple began their November 30 crime wave at a Rite Aid pharmacy in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to police the suspects tried to hold up the business at 2:45 a.m. At 3:00 a.m., they allegedly attempted to rob a CVS pharmacy in Encino. Moments later, they are accused of targeting an IHOP restaurant, also in Encino.

“The wife would stay in the car with the two kids and the husband went into the business armed with a revolver and wearing a mask and demanding money,” Purdy told CNN. In a media release, the LAPD allege Farag pointed a handgun at two co-workers. Purdy said Farag obtained about $500 in cash.

Keep reading

____________________________________________________________________

Surveillance images taken of Dr. Martha Richmond before her body was found on Sunday night.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

Kentucky investigators probing the murder of a university professor have released surveillance images they hope lead to an arrest.

The pictures were recorded Sunday night, shortly before Bettina Richmond was killed, authorities said in a news release.

The snapshots, taken from a security camera, show Richmond, 51, leaving the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation building where she had just finished playing racquetball, Officer Barry Pruitt of the Bowling Green Police Department told CNN.

Richmond is wearing a white t-shirt and black track pants on the tape. She is also carrying a gray and white sports duffel bag.

Her body was found in her van just before 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. The van was located in the building's parking lot.

Keep reading

____________________________________________________________________

The body of Dr. Martha Richmond was found on Sunday night.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

The death of a Western Kentucky University professor has been classified as a homicide, authorities said today.

Dr. Martha “Bettina” Richmond was murdered, according to the Bowling Green Police Department. Her body was found inside her van on Sunday night.

“We found her dead in a parking lot outside a Parks and Recreation building," Officer Barry Pruitt of the Bowling Green Police told CNN. He also said an autopsy of the victim was performed yesterday.

Pruitt would not disclose details of the investigation or whether there were any suspects or persons of interest at this point. “I really can’t get into it right now,” he said.

Dr. Richmond, 51, was a professor of mathematics at the university, where she worked for 23 years. Her husband, Thomas Richmond, is also a professor in the department.

Keep reading

Jeffery Story is charged with attempted criminal homicide, resisting arrest, domestic assault and theft.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

A driver accused of dragging a police officer with his car following a routine traffic stop is under arrest, authorities in Tennessee said today. Jeffery Story, 43, was apprehended Sunday night. He is charged with attempted criminal homicide, resisting arrest, domestic assault and theft.

In a media release, the Nashville Police Department credited the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force for capturing the fugitive after locating him walking near a farmer’s market.

According to investigators, Officer Carlos Anderson pulled Story over on Wednesday for having non-working tail lights on his pick-up truck. A criminal background check revealed that Story was wanted on several outstanding warrants for theft, domestic assault and failure to appear on a suspended license.

Keep reading

Antoinette Davis, whose daughter Shaniya was reported missing last week, has been charged with human trafficking.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

About 200 people were searching Monday in North Carolina for the body of a missing 5-year-old girl after "reliable information" indicated that she may be dead, Fayetteville, North Carolina, police said.

The search focused on land near a roadway because "reliable information received that the body of Shaniya Davis may have been dumped there," the Fayetteville Police Department said in a statement.

Investigators have been searching for Shaniya for several days.

Police charged the girl's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, with trafficking and other offenses, authorities said. Davis was "prostituting her child," said Fayetteville police spokeswoman Theresa Chance.

Keep Reading...

____________________________________________________________________

Antoinette Nicole Davis has been charged in connection with her daughter's disappearance.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

The mother of a missing North Carolina girl has been charged in connection with her daughter's disappearance, the Fayetteville Police Department said in a statement released late Saturday night.

The mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, has been charged with human trafficking, felony child abuse, prostitution, and filing a police report.

Authorities did not reveal the details surrounding the arrest, only to say that information they received today led them to file charges against Ms. Davis.

Shaniya Davis, 5, was last seen on Tuesday.

Keep reading

____________________________________________________________________

Mario Andrette McNeill has been charged with first degree kidnapping.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

There has been a new development in the search for a missing North Carolina girl.

The Fayetteville Police Department announced the arrest of a second man in connection with the disappearance of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis.

The suspect, Mario Andrette McNeill, has been charged with first degree kidnapping. At the same time, authorities said kidnapping charges against Clarence Coe, who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly abducting Shaniya, have been dropped. He is expected to be released from custody today.

Keep reading

____________________________________________________________________

Clarence Darriel Coe, is accused of abducting Shaniya Davis.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 5-year-old girl in Fayetteville, North Carolina, authorities said today. The suspect, Clarence Darriel Coe, is accused of abducting Shaniya Davis, who was last seen inside her family’s mobile home on Tuesday.

Coe, 30, who was arrested early this morning, has a criminal record, said Lt. David Sportsman of the Fayetteville Police Department. He will be arraigned on one count of kidnapping this afternoon at the Cumberland County Detention Center.

Shaniya Davis, 5, was last seen by her mother on Tuesday morning.

“During the course of the investigation, detectives were able to link Coe with taking her,” Sportsman told CNN. “Whether others were involved in it is possible. We are looking at everything and following up on multiple leads.” Sportsman added that the Amber Alert remains in effect and that authorities remain hopeful that Shaniya is alive.

Keep reading