Man, 24, identified in fatal house fire in Portage, Indiana
Around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, The Portage Fire Department responded to a single-story home in the 300 block of Camelot Estates for a fire with possible entrapment.
Flames and heavy smoke were seen coming from the north end of the residence. Firefighters immediately performed suppression and search-and-rescue operations.
Crews found a man unresponsive inside a bedroom on the south end of the home. He was removed, and lifesaving measures were performed at the scene.
The victim was taken to St. Mary Medical Center, where he later died. The office identified him as 24-year-old Inikko Irizarry.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
No further information was immediately available.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
5 minutes ago
- CNN
A car accident in small-town Tennessee leads to US charges against a major Mexican drug operation
The investigation began years ago after two drug dealers got into a car accident in a small Tennessee town. What followed was a series of secret wiretaps, a shootout with police and the discovery of drugs hidden in a tractor trailer that would eventually lead federal investigators back to cartel leaders in Mexico. The investigation culminated with Justice Department indictments unsealed Thursday against three leaders and two high-ranking enforcers of the United Cartels, a leading rival of Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The US government is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of United Cartels' top leader, Juan José Farías Álvarez — 'El Abuelo,' or the grandfather — along with multimillion-dollar rewards for the four others. All five are believed to be in Mexico. The cases, as outlined in court documents, provide a glimpse into how drugs produced by violent cartels in large labs in Mexico flow across the US border and reach American streets. They also highlight the violent fallout that drug trafficking leaves in its path from the mountains of Mexico to small US towns. 'These cases in particular serve as a powerful reminder of the insidious impacts that global cartels can have on our local American communities,' Matthew Galeotti, acting assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's criminal division said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'The chain started with a violent cartel in Mexico and it ended with law enforcement being shot at in a small town.' United Cartels is an umbrella organization made up of smaller cartels that have worked for different groups over time. It holds a fierce grip over the western state of Michoacan, Mexico. United Cartels is not as widely known as Jalisco New Generation, but given its role as a prolific methamphetamine producer, it has become a top tier target for U.S. law enforcement. It was one of eight groups recently named foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration. The case goes back to 2019, when two dealers got into a car accident in a small town outside Knoxville, Tennessee, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in court. While fleeing the scene of the crash, they threw a hardened protective case filled with meth behind a building before being caught by police, according to court documents. Authorities began investigating, using wiretaps, search warrants and surveillance to identify a man believed to be leading a major drug ring in the Atlanta area: Eladio Mendoza. The investigation into Mendoza's suspected drug operation led law enforcement in early 2020 to a hotel near Atlanta. During their surveillance, authorities spotted a man leaving with a large Doritos bag. Troopers tried to stop the man after he drove from Georgia into Tennessee but he fled and fired an AK-style rifle at officers, hitting one in the leg before another trooper shot him. Inside the bag, police found meth and heroin, and identified him as a low-level dealer for Mendoza's drug ring, court records say. Weeks later, authorities searched properties linked to Mendoza and seized phones. They discovered messages between Mendoza and a close associate of 'El Abuelo,' the leader of United Cartels, that showed the drugs were coming from Mexico, according to the court records. On one of Mendoza's properties, investigators found a tractor trailer that had crossed from Mexico days earlier. When they searched it, authorities seized 850 kilograms of meth hidden in the floor of the truck and discovered more drugs inside a bus and a home on the property, court papers say. Mendoza fled the US a short time later and returned to Mexico, where he was killed by cartels leaders angry that U.S. authorities had seized their cash and drugs, according to prosecutors. The case represents the latest effort by the Republican administration to turn up the pressure on cartels through not only indictments of the groups' leaders but sanctions. The Treasury Department is also bringing economic sanctions against the five defendants as well as the United Cartels as a group and another cartel, Los Viagras. 'We have to pursue these criminals up and down the chain to make sure that the end result doesn't result in violence and narcotics distribution on our streets,' Galeotti said. In addition to 'El Abuelo,' those facing US indictments are Alfonso Fernández Magallón, or Poncho, and Nicolás Sierra Santana or 'El Gordo,' who authorities say lead smaller cartels under the United Cartels organization. The two other defendants are Edgar Orozco Cabadas or 'El Kamoni,' who was communicating with Mendoza, and Luis Enrique Barragán Chavaz, or 'Wicho,' who serves as Magallón second-in-command, according to authorities. The Trump administration has seen major cooperation from Mexico in recent months in turning over cartel leaders wanted by US authorities. In February, Mexico sent the US 29 drug cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the U.S. And on Tuesday, the Mexican government transferred to American custody 26 additional cartel leaders and other high-ranking members, including a man charged in connection to the killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. 'We're working with the Mexican authorities to pursue these individuals,' Galeotti said. 'We continue to work proactively with them, and we expect that they'll be helpful with us in securing the presence of these individuals in United States courtrooms.'
The Verge
7 minutes ago
- The Verge
ICE does Signalgate 2.0.
Posted Aug 14, 2025 at 6:03 PM UTC 404 Media reports how ICE officials added a random person to a Signal chat, where they discussed plans to find an individual 'seemingly marked for deportation.' The messages exposed sensitive information about ICE's target, including their criminal record, Social Security Number, and driver's license number. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Emma Roth Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Emma Roth Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Apps Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Politics Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Privacy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
Associated Press
7 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Member of cultlike Zizian group faces new murder charge in border patrol agent's death
A woman accused of killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a Vermont traffic stop in January has been indicted on murder and other new charges that make her eligible for the death penalty. Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Washington state, is a member of the Zizians, a cultlike group of radical computer scientists focused on veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence who have been linked to six killings in three states. She's accused of fatally shooting agent David Maland on Jan. 20, the same day President Donald Trump was inaugurated and signed a sweeping executive order lifting the moratorium on federal executions. Youngblut initially was charged with using a deadly weapon against law enforcement and discharging a firearm during an assault with a deadly weapon. But the Trump administration signaled early on that more serious charges were coming. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi mentioned Maland's death as an example in saying she expects federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of law enforcement officers. Prosecutors have not yet confirmed that they will seek the death penalty based on the new charges made public Thursday, but Youngblut's attorneys recently said they had been given a July 28 deadline to offer preliminary evidence about why she should be spared such a punishment. They asked a judge last month to delay that deadline until January, but the judge declined. At the time of the shooting, authorities had been watching Youngblut and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, for several days after a Vermont hotel employee reported seeing them carrying guns and wearing black tactical gear. She's accused of opening fire on border agents who pulled the car over on Interstate 91. An agent fired back, killing Bauckholt and wounding Youngblut. The pair were among the followers of Jack LaSota, a transgender woman also known as Ziz whose online writing attracted young, highly intelligent computer scientists who shared anarchist beliefs. Members of the group have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord in 2022, the landlord's subsequent killing earlier this year, and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple in between. LaSota and two others face weapons and drug charges in Maryland, where they were arrested in February, while LaSota faces additional federal charges of being an armed fugitive. Maximilian Snyder, who is charged with killing the landlord in California, had applied for a marriage license with Youngblut. Michelle Zajko, whose parents were killed in Pennsylvania, was arrested with LaSota in Maryland, and has been charged with providing weapons to Youngblut in Vermont. Vermont abolished its state death penalty in 1972. The last person sentenced to death in the state on federal charges was Donald Fell, who was convicted in 2005 of abducting and killing a supermarket worker five years earlier. But the conviction and sentence were later thrown out because of juror misconduct, and in 2018, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. ____ Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire
