Latest news with #DebbieMcGuire
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Read the disturbing texts accused killer is alleged to have faked from his dead girlfriend that made her heartbroken mother sob in court
A mother has broken down in court while recounting the desperate messages she sent her daughter, believing the young woman had taken her own life. Instead, Lachlan Young was the one sending the texts from Hannah McGuire's phone after he allegedly murdered the 23-year-old and burnt her body in a ute in remote bushland in Scarsdale, southwest of Ballarat. Young has admitted to killing his former partner and sending the fake suicide note to her mother. But the 23-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming it was a spontaneous incident. Ms McGuire's mother Debbie on Monday told the Victorian Supreme Court she woke about 3.40am on April 5, 2024 to a text purporting to be from her daughter. It stated Hannah was sorry and she thought it was the right decision. 'I tried messaging Lach but he doesn't want anything to do with me now,' the message shown to the jury continued. 'Please check in on him - this is going to break his heart.' Debbie McGuire's series of responses were shown to the jury, where she repeatedly asked where her daughter was and urged her not to do 'anything silly'. 'You can't live the way you were living - being spoken to like shit and treated like crap,' her messages said. 'Remember why you left (Young) in the first place.' Mrs McGuire broke down as she read aloud some of her responses, telling the court Hannah's messages 'didn't feel right'. The mother said she immediately jumped in her car and went to the property in Sebastopol that Young and her daughter owned together. Mrs McGuire knocked on the door and bedroom window several times to no response, only to see Young and his father approaching from down the road. She said Young seemed genuinely concerned about Hannah's whereabouts and appeared shocked at the messages he had also purportedly received from her. He also feigned surprise at the $5,000 he had received in his bank account from Hannah, Mrs McGuire said. Young has admitted to transferring the money to himself and $2000 to Ms McGuire's parents. Mrs McGuire reported her daughter's disappearance to police and hours later she was notified that Hannah's body had been found in a burnt-out vehicle. She told the court she was never supportive of her daughter's relationship with Young, noting Hannah was not herself when she was with him. Mrs McGuire told the jury of a time in February 2023 when her daughter called her in hysterics as Young followed her in his car. Ms McGuire claimed Young was beeping his horn and at times driving up alongside her vehicle to try and make her pull over, the mother said. 'I told her to lock her doors, to not pull over and to drive straight to the police station,' Mrs McGuire said. Ms McGuire took out an intervention order against Young, but the couple got back together and purchased the Sebastopol property. A second intervention order was made in March 2024 after she decided to leave Young and he attacked her car as she tried to recover her belongings. Under questioning from Young's barrister Glenn Casement, Mrs McGuire denied knowing her daughter voluntarily went and saw Young after their separation, including on the night she was killed. Ms McGuire's father Glenn also told the court he was unaware of their supposed meet-ups. Mr McGuire gave evidence about taking his daughter to a solicitor and the bank in early April 2024 to sort out her financial situation post-separation. He broke down as he recounted the last time he saw Hannah at their pub with her netball teammates on the evening of April 4. She was allegedly murdered by Young hours later. The trial before Justice James Elliott continues. Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Poisoned pelicans fly again after the worst algal bloom in a decade
A flock of brown pelicans waddled back into the wild on Wednesday morning, survivors of Southern California's latest toxic algal bloom. This year's bloom was the deadliest such event since 2015, when thousands of animals were killed along a coastal swath stretching from Central California to Alaska. This year's intense bloom, which started in January, poisoned the 13 pelicans and many other sea animals in the region, including sea lions that sometimes threatened beachgoers. The pelicans that took off Wednesday had made a full recovery at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. The release was held just south of the pier, with community members invited to watch. "This is always a special moment — not just for our team and volunteers who worked tirelessly to save these birds, but for the community as well," said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the wildlife nonprofit. "Watching them take flight is a powerful reminder of why our work matters." Huntington Beach junior lifeguards volunteered at the event, according to a news release from the center, unzipping the cages on the beach to allow the birds to waddle out to shore. The event was mostly successful, according to Jaratt Dazey, the volunteer coordinator for the wildlife group. After the birds were released, most of them took flight — but two remained on the sand. The pair were taken back to the center's veterinary facilities for more treatment, Dazey said. "Overall, though, the release went well," he said. "They came out of the cages, they sat on the sand for a few minutes, and they all took off and flew together." The 13 pelicans had been poisoned by domoic acid, a toxin that occurs in algal blooms, which fish can consume. Marine animals can then become poisoned if they eat the contaminated fish, causing abnormal behaviors and seizures, Dazey said. This is the fourth year that a dangerous algal bloom has occurred in Southern California, but this year's was especially threatening, as the Los Angeles Times previously reported. A number of sickened sea lions were reported, with one surfer encountering one that he called "feral, almost demonic." The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro reported at the end of May a possible end to "the longest, most toxic, and deadliest bloom we've ever experienced." The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center rescued nearly 200 seabirds in total, which Dazey said was an abnormally large number. Levels of toxic algae along the coast of Southern California had begun to decline by early June. The toxic algae blooms can be caused by water and wind patterns as well as an overproduction of nutrients in the water, which can "overfeed" algae colonies and lead them to grow out of control, according to the National Ocean Service. The effects of climate change can also make algal blooms more frequent and more severe, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Warmer water temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels make the perfect habitat for algae breeding. Varying rainfall patterns and coastal upwelling both lead to more nutrient-dense waters, which only encourages algae growth. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
