logo
Louisville detective shares final wishes before passing from cancer battle

Louisville detective shares final wishes before passing from cancer battle

Yahooa day ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Louisville Metro Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own after her battle with cancer.
On Tuesday, June 10, the Louisville Metro Police Foundation announced the death of Detective Michelle Rusch after over a decade of serving the Louisville community through the Crimes Against Children Unit.
Read more of the latest Kentucky news
'The loss of Detective Rusch is deeply felt throughout our department. She was not only a respected colleague but also a cherished friend. Her absence leaves a void that cannot be filled,' the Louisville Metro Police Department said.
She was recently recognized by the Children's Advocacy Centers of Kentucky and Attorney General Russell Coleman as a Legendary Partner of 2025. The foundation said this was 'a powerful reminder of the lives she touched and the difference she made.'
Rusch's husband, Kent, also serves as a detective for the department.
'Together, Michelle and Kent are the embodiment of service, two heroes who gave so much to protect others, all while raising three wonderful children,' the foundation wrote.
In her final days, the foundation said that Rusch affirmed she only had two wishes.
Off-duty Kentucky police officer charged with DUI in Hardin County
Kentucky school resource officers highlighted for service
Bill could make federal minimum wage $15: Kentucky among states paying less than that
'That she be remembered for all the good work she had done with the LMPD and that her family would be taken care of,' the Louisville Metro Police Foundation wrote. 'We are asking for your help to make her wishes come true, to honor her legacy, and to support the family she loved so much.'
Click here for more information on how you can help.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference
Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, especially in the media space. While it may have been easier to spot AI-generated material in recent years, it's getting harder. 'The danger comes when we don't believe anything, when we go from skepticism to cynicism. And that's the real danger of AI,' Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies told FOX 56 News. It's a technology that's evolved a lot in a short amount of time and begs the question, can we always believe what is seen? Search underway in Lexington for man accused of trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana 'All of those old, reliable detections. Like they've got too many fingers, or their eyes look weird or something, the depth of field in the photograph doesn't make sense. All of those are starting to fall by the wayside,' Tompkins said. 'Ask yourself, where did this come from? How did this start? Who's behind it? And the second thing I would say to you is, remember that disinformation mostly turns on emotion.' Tompkins has spent his career teaching journalists how to dig a little deeper and avoid being tricked when something appears real online. And there's a lot online that can easily trigger a firestorm of comments and shares, sometimes by design. 'We saw this, for example, with the California wildfires; we've certainly have seen it with the protests out in California, that sometimes we see images that align with what's actually going on but the images might be from some other place, or they might not be real at all,' Tompkins said, pointing out it's a lot easier to create deceptive material during breaking news situations or during conflicts like the Russia/Ukraine war and Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Tompkins noted that when you have high emotions, judgment is running low. Some readers might remember an AI-generated image of a young girl that went viral during Hurricane Helene last October; she's not real, but at first glance, it's easy to assume she is. Late last month, Google unveiled an update to its generative video model, Veo 3. The technology can now create short, high-quality videos with natural sounds that are entirely artificial. 'I think it's far more useful to educate people about how to use internet capacity, how to use artificial intelligence capacity. Education is the elixir for a lot of this. Not so much legislation,' Tompkins said, adding it's especially important for less tech-savvy generations to keep up. He said that artificial intelligence detector technology has been mostly able to keep up, but especially with audio and video, it's not quite foolproof. Funeral arrangements released for former Kentucky Rep. Charles Miller Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference Lexington man who escaped Lee County jail by imitating brother arrested And keep in mind there's the extreme possibility that something that appears to be AI-generated at first actually is real. 'There are extraordinary things that occur that just don't seem possible. You know, if we saw that video of the Hindenburg blowing up, I don't think any of us would believe it until we had some eyewitnesses that were truly believable,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

50 cats, 22 dogs found living in neglect at 2 Kentucky homes
50 cats, 22 dogs found living in neglect at 2 Kentucky homes

Yahoo

time17 hours ago

  • Yahoo

50 cats, 22 dogs found living in neglect at 2 Kentucky homes

DAVIESS COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Daviess County Sheriff's Office is investigating a pair of animal cruelty cases after roughly 50 cats were found covered in feces and urine on Monday. According to a press release, on June 9, authorities were called to a home on the 10,000 block of Kentucky Highway 56 as well as a home in the 500 block of Sycamore Street to investigate reports of animal cruelty and neglect. 50 cats, 22 dogs found living in neglect at 2 Kentucky homes Ukrainian children seek hope, healing in Lexington amid ongoing war Work set to begin in July for Lexington's 3rd Publix: What to know At the home on KY 56, animal control officers found approximately 50 cats living there with inadequate food and water. ACOs described the home as 'unsanitary' and riddled with animal feces and urine. In the release, officials said the cats were showing signs of neglect, and some were near death. The cats were taken to It Takes A Village animal rescue in Owensboro for treatment. The animal rescue took to Facebook to ask for donations, foster homes, and possible cat adoption. DCSO said the homeowners were charged with second-degree cruelty to animals. According to the release, 22 dogs lived in unsanitary conditions at the Sycamore Street home. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Investigators claimed that the dogs were showing signs of neglect, and the area wasn't large enough for that many dogs. In the press release, the sheriff's office claimed the homeowner was issued a criminal summons concerning a previous animal cruelty investigation. Authorities said that the investigation is ongoing and charges are pending. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

They thought their foster dogs went to a sanctuary. They were euthanized instead.
They thought their foster dogs went to a sanctuary. They were euthanized instead.

Yahoo

time20 hours ago

  • Yahoo

They thought their foster dogs went to a sanctuary. They were euthanized instead.

Two puppies were rescued from a hoarding situation in Texas and taken in by a Milwaukee-based dog rescue. Their foster parents believed the dogs — struggling with anxiety from their past — were later sent to a sanctuary in northern Wisconsin for specialized training. For months, foster parents Samantha Stanfield and Sarah DeSmidt received hopeful updates about the dogs and how they were adapting to the sanctuary's training programs. But there was no northern Wisconsin sanctuary. The dogs, named Bill and Marita, had been euthanized. What happened to Bill and Marita isn't an isolated tragedy. Instead, advocates and volunteers say, it's part of a broader pattern, as local animal shelters face overcrowding and volunteer shortages, pushing the care of some animals into smaller, less-equipped rescue groups. After Public Investigator's April story about Misfit Mutt Crue MKE revealed a case of dishonesty around a foster dog's euthanasia, multiple people came forward to share similar stories, including former volunteers with Rescue Gang, the group that took in Bill and Marita. Their goal, they said, is to shine a light on the lack of regulation and accountability in the rescue world. "There is very loose regulation on what is required to have a rescue (organization)," said Heather Mishefske, a certified behavior consultant and owner of emBARK, a dog training, grooming and care facility in Eau Claire. "A lot of people that just really want to help dogs may go into rescue not understanding the ramifications and the problems that could potentially arise." Mishefske said Bill and Marita's case isn't the first time she's heard of a rescue organization hiding the fact that a dog was euthanized. The pressure of losing the public's trust and support can lead rescues to hide the truth. Rescue Gang Director Jennifer Troppmann had similar concerns, according to a February 2024 Facebook message sent to the group's leadership team where she discusses keeping Bill's and Marita's euthanasia quiet. "I feel icky about it," she wrote in the message, obtained by Public Investigator. "But the blowback would be awful, and I cannot handle a complete fallout." In 2023, with the help of over $1,000 in donations, Rescue Gang took in three puppies from a hoarding situation in Texas. Two of them were Bill and Marita. Their past left them anxious and reactive, making training difficult. Bill was briefly adopted but returned when he struggled to come out of his shell. Still, their foster parents — Samantha Stanfield for Bill, and Sarah DeSmidt for Marita — loved them. For four months, they remained committed to helping the dogs, both barely a year old, grow. So, when Rescue Gang director Jennifer Troppmann told them that in order for the dogs to receive specialized training, they'd stay at the organization's facility, Stanfield and DeSmidt agreed. A few days later, Troppmann gave Stanfield and DeSmidt another update — Bill and Marita were on their way to a sanctuary in northern Wisconsin. "I know it's hard, but I felt this was their best chance at a happy life," Troppmann wrote to DeSmidt in a Facebook message viewed by Public Investigator. Between February and May 2024, Troppmann sent updates on how the dogs were adapting to the sanctuary, including a screenshot of an email supposedly from the sanctuary. The email, viewed by Public Investigator, informed Troppmann that Bill had settled in well and would soon be ready to be transferred to their "adoption program." Marita needed more time to adapt but was still showing progress, the email said. But as time passed with only vague updates, both foster parents became suspicious. DeSmidt repeatedly offered to take Marita back. She asked Troppmann for the name of the sanctuary but never received it. She started calling sanctuaries in an effort to find Marita herself. Finally, in June, then-acting Rescue Gang director Billee Procknow sent a Facebook message telling the fosters and other volunteers that neither dog had ever gone to a sanctuary and both had been euthanized in February. Procknow's message, viewed by Public Investigator, said the dogs' behavior had regressed and they were becoming a danger to other dogs and humans, which led Rescue Gang to make the "excruciating, but necessary" decision. "I'm sorry that you are finding out this way, and totally understand if you are upset and angry," Procknow wrote. Bill and Marita's former foster parents, as well as Rescue Gang volunteers who knew the dogs, were devastated and confused, saying neither dog had ever been dangerous in the time they'd fostered them. Both said they would've taken them back if they knew the dogs were going to be euthanized. Troppmann told Public Investigator she wasn't responsible for what happened to Bill and Marita. Instead, Troppmann said, Rescue Gang's leadership team took control of the organization while she was on medical leave. "They took over the rescue," Troppmann said. "They changed passwords. I had lost complete control of my rescue.' But a Facebook message viewed by Public Investigator shows Troppmann telling the former Rescue Gang leadership team about the decision to euthanize Bill and Marita in February 2024. Troppmann, now back from medical leave and working as Rescue Gang's director again, also told Public Investigator no dogs in her group's care have been euthanized since. But through an open records request with the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, or MADACC, Public Investigator found that a Rescue Gang dog was euthanized in February of this year, about two months before Troppmann spoke to Public Investigator. The Bill and Marita situation wasn't the first time Rescue Gang, founded in 2014, was under scrutiny. According to records obtained through a public records request, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has received nine complaints about Rescue Gang since 2017. Three of those led to formal investigations. In two cases, the department found that the rescue imported dogs without required veterinary documentation, resulting in a $400 fine from the state in 2021. In 2022, a former foster accused Troppmann of giving out medication without veterinary approval and misrepresenting dogs' health. DATCP investigated but found no violations. DATCP spokesperson Molly Mueller said the remaining six complaints were not investigated because they fell outside the agency's jurisdiction. Those included interpersonal disputes within the rescue and allegations of fabricated fundraising claims and donation misuse. Similar concerns surfaced in a separate case involving a fundraiser for a dog named Breezy. An April 2023 Facebook post said Breezy, who'd spent five years in a Texas shelter before being brought to Milwaukee, was facing a possible cancer diagnosis. The post encouraged supporters to donate to Breezy's "bucket list" and medical care. But former volunteers say Breezy was never formally diagnosed with cancer, and it's unclear how the fundraiser donations were ultimately used. Former volunteer Jasmin Elhindi said the dog was timid and used to being alone — then placed in high-stress environments, like a foster home with other dogs, that only heightened her fear. Elhindi said Breezy was briefly adopted but later returned. After that, it was unclear to her and other Rescue Gang volunteers what happened to Breezy. Public Investigator learned Breezy was euthanized in August 2024 after filing an open records request for euthanasia cases tied to the name "Jennifer Troppmann." According to MADACC records, Troppmann brought Breezy in herself, not under Rescue Gang's name. Rescue Gang is still operating under Troppmann, but most of its former leadership team, active when Bill and Marita were euthanized, is now running Rey of Hope. Rey of Hope declined to answer questions about Bill and Marita. In an emailed statement, the nonprofit, founded in 2024, said it is not affiliated with Rescue Gang. "While members of our community previously volunteered with Rescue Gang, those members were not in positions with decision-making oversight," the statement said. "Rey of Hope Rescue is committed to building a transparent, community-focused organization." Former volunteers told Public Investigator that Rescue Gang's former trainer, now part of Rey of Hope's leadership, used outdated methods like shock collars. Aversive methods like shock collars, especially used on dogs that were saved from traumatic situations, sets them up to fail, said Mishefske, the certified behavior consultant. Just as anyone can start a small-scale animal rescue, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, even if they don't have a license or certification. And that compounds the problem, Mishefske said. A lack of behavioral support leads to dogs that could've been saved being euthanized instead. Hiring certified behavior professionals can be costly, Mishefske said, though some training resources can be accessed online at low or no cost, through organizations like the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Wisconsin Humane Society, or Every Dog Austin's free webinars. "If you're going to bring dogs in from some of these more traumatic scenarios," Mishefske said, "you have to provide support." Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rescue Gang foster parents misled about dogs' euthanasia

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store