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Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Newsweek
Mystery Human Skull on California Beach Identified After 32 Years
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A team of forensic genetic genealogists have solved a mystery, identifying a human skull found on a California beach 32 years ago as a woman named Kay Medin. The Context The U.S. has a significant number of cold cases; the FBI's Uniform Crime Report data, which was analyzed by the Murder Accountability Project, found that nearly 346,000 homicides and non-negligent manslaughters had remained unsolved from 1965 to 2023. Trinidad Head and Little Trinidad Head with the rocky shore of Trinidad Bay. Trinidad, California Trinidad Head and Little Trinidad Head with the rocky shore of Trinidad Bay. Trinidad, California Hal Beral / VWPics via AP Images The FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) reported in 2023 that there were 563,389 missing person records entered into the system, and by the end of that year, 96,955 cases remained active. The majority of cases were juveniles under the age of 21, which accounted for an approximate 39 percent of the records. What To Know In 2024 the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in California submitted evidence to the Ortham laboratory in Texas with the hopes that the woman could be identified through advanced DNA testing. Newsweek has reached out to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office via email for comment outside of regular working hours. The laboratory then developed a DNA extract from the skeletal evidence. They used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequence in order to build a DNA profile for the woman, and were able to identify the woman as Kay Medin, who also went by the name Kay Adams. Medin was reported missing on August 3, 1987 after she vanished from her home in Trinity County. She had worked as a schoolteacher in Hyampon. According to the Humboldt County Sheriff's office, Medin had been reported missing by her husband, Nikolas Medin, who died in 2018. He reported at the time that he had left on a business trip and returned home to find his wife gone. Medin's death is an unsolved homicide case. Her disappearance was listed as suspicious at the time. DNASolves, which is affiliated with the Ortham laboratory, shared a post about Medin having been identified on their website. This post stated that the majority of Medin's remains had been found 45 miles from her home, and her skull had been found nearly 100 miles away, adding that it is unclear how this happened. The post also said that in November of 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office had received a package in the mail which contained skeletal remains and an anonymous letter. This gave directions leading to human remains which were later identified as being Kay Medin. A death certificate was issued for Medin in 1988 when her skull was still missing. A partial skull was discovered five years later in February of 1993 on a beach near Trinidad Head. What People Are Saying Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer for Othram labs in a statement shared with media: "We're proud to be able to help investigators give these victims their names back, and hopefully move the investigation forward toward resolution. That's the most important thing." What's Next While Medin has been identified, the case remains unsolved. Anyone with information that could help the case is encouraged to call the Humboldt Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No proof Boebert said Detroit had highest murder rate 'in Minnesota'
In August 2024, posts began appearing on social media sites claiming that U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, mistakenly said the city of Detroit had the highest murder rate in the state of Minnesota (as it happens, Detroit is in Michigan, not Minnesota). The claim appeared just after then-Vice President Kamala Harris announced her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. More posts sharing the claim on Facebook and X went viral in March 2025. However, the posts provided no evidence that Boebert had mistakenly said Detroit was in Minnesota, and a Google search revealed that no reliable media outlets had reported on her supposed blunder, as might be expected. Additionally, Snopes found that a satirical website had spread a very similar claim (instead of Detroit, Boebert supposedly said Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was in Minnesota) around the time the initial claim went viral. The claims are unfounded, and likely originated as satire. On Aug. 9, 2024, The Folly Times, a website that describes its content as satire, published a story titled "Lauren Boebert Misses the Mark: Mistakes Milwaukee for a Minnesota City in Latest X Post" Since the post itself did not have a time stamp, that information came from the website's source code, which revealed a "datePublished" tag indicating that the article was published on Aug. 9, 2024. The earliest social media posts Snopes could find for the rumor also came on Aug. 9, 2024. The Folly Times article claimed the mishap occurred in an Aug. 6 post on X and included a supposed image. (Aug. 6 was the day Walz was announced as Harris' VP selection.) However, that post did not appear to exist. Snopes attempted to use archival tools to check earlier versions of Boebert's X page, but for whatever reason, none of the attempted archives of Boebert's X profile made after Aug. 6, 2024, were successful. While the most famous Detroit in the United States is in Michigan, there is a city in Minnesota named Detroit Lakes. However, data from Minnesota state crime reports suggest that Detroit Lakes does not have the highest murder rate in the state — in 2023, none of the state's 188 reported homicides occurred in Detroit Lakes or its county, Becker County. Since Snopes could not definitively confirm that the claim originated as satire and there was no proof that Boebert said or posted something that mistakenly claimed Detroit was in Minnesota, the claim is unfounded. 2023 Uniform Crime Report to the Legislature. Minnesota Department of Public Safety, 2023, "About The Folly Times." The Folly Times, Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. Colton, Emma. "Minnesota Murder Stats Rose under Walz's Leadership as He Tries to Tie Violent Crime Trend to Trump: Data." Fox News, 11 Aug. 2024, "Lauren Boebert Misses the Mark: Mistakes Milwaukee for a Minnesota City in Latest X Post." The Folly Times, 9 Aug. 2024, Pager, Tyler, et al. "Harris Chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP Pick." The Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2024,
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Take a look: Sioux City preliminary 2024 crime statistics compared to previous years
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The Sioux City Police Department provided the preliminary crime statistics of 2024 and the four years before compiled by the department's lead crime analyst. The police department warned that the numbers may be reinterpreted by the FBI when they create its Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The reason for the reclassification is because states classify crimes in different ways. $100K in forged checks discovered investigating Thursday pursuit suspect According to the preliminary crime data, there were three murders, compared to six in 2023. There was also 66 forcible rapes, 21 arsons, and 10 kidnappings. There were also 85 robberies, 304 aggravated assaults, 399 burglaries, 270 motor vehicle thefts. Lastly, there were 2258 cases of larceny or theft, a decrease of 84 compared to 2023. Below is a table of the crimes over the last five years provided by the Sioux City PD. Looking at historical statistics, the release said there was nothing 'overly concerning.' While less crimes are positive, crime trends tend to have ebbs and flows over years, with the police department saying that they view the less larceny/thefts and motor vehicle thefts as a 'reasonably steady crime rate.' In comparing 2023 to 2024's crime statistics, the police department said it shows that overall violent crime is slightly down, but warn that multiple factors can significantly affect crime. Economic conditions, age and demographics of the population, geography and climate, population density, citizen education, and cultural difference are such factors. 'Unfortunately, violent crime generally cannot be predicted, and police tactics and strategies only have a limited impact on crime rates,' the release said. One's wellbeing and sense of security can be negatively impacted by the fear of violent crime. The department said that current initiatives are helping officers to identify and prosecute the most dangerous local offenders, calling it a 'major offender' approach. This approach uses 'evidence-based techniques and area law enforcement partnerships to share vital evidence and intelligence.' The department also works with prosecutors to help ensure that violent offenders receive appropriate sentences Sergeant Bluff looking for new police chief Residents can help prevent many property crimes by being diligent and taking steps to avoid being easy targets for opportunistic thieves, such as porch pirates. The police department said that it is continuing to maintain its active crime prevention program that helps educate residents. It uses public service announcements, social media messaging, and community presentations to help educated residents on how to lessen the chance of becoming a victim. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
