Latest news with #WVTM
CTV News
12-08-2025
- CTV News
Jefferson County woman's dogs uncover human remains for the third time in a year
Paulina Mejia's dogs have reportedly recovered human remains for the third time in a year. (WVTM via CNN Newsource) CENTER POINT, Alabama (WVTM) - A Jefferson County woman's dogs have reportedly recovered human remains for the third time in a year. On Aug. 9, deputies were called out to Fifth Place Northwest in the Center Point area on a report that possible human remains had been found, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. In the front yard of Paulina Mejia's home, deputies located a long bone that was dragged there by one of her dogs. Almost a year ago, a skull turned up at Mejia's residence the same way. The coroner's office performed an autopsy on it, which showed the person had been shot. While analysis developed a full DNA profile, the Jefferson County coroner said that it did not match anyone in the national database. Four months later, on Dec. 12, Meijia's dogs brought home a similar find: a human tibia. It was later determined that both bones came from the same person. 'It is kind of worrying me because it's a really calm community around here,' Mejia said when she spoke to WVTM 13 last year. It's nothing too crazy out here or anything. So it's really shocking that the dogs were able to find something like that around this area." While we know of three discoveries, Meija says this is actually the fourth time her dogs have done this. After the most recent bone was discovered, authorities were able to recover more remains in a nearby wooded area. Extra testing will be done to determine whether or not what was found is from the original victim. By Riley Conlon.
Daily Mirror
12-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
One-year-old baby girl found dead in hearse as funeral home staff make horror discovery
Terica Pearl is facing murder charges after her daughter's body was discovered at West Gadsden Funeral Home on Saturday A sick mum is accused of strangling her one-year-old baby girl with a "thick rope string" and dumping her body in the back of a funeral home hearse. Terica Pearl is facing murder charges after her daughter's body was discovered at West Gadsden Funeral Home on Saturday. An employee initially thought a doll was inside the hearse, but was left horrified after discovering it was a child's body. They called emergency services and discovered the remains were found strangulated with a "thick rope string", according to court documents. Pearl was arrested by police on Sunday and charged with capital murder, according to court records. It comes as a British man was charged after 'trying to drown his daughter-in-law on dream family holiday.' The funeral home owner, Dantez Robinson, has organised a vigil for baby Blessence, who was close to turning two. "My heart fell to my feet,' the funeral owner told WVTM. 'I have young ones. I have two kids at the age of 4 and 7. To get the phone call, my heart was shattered, shattered into a million pieces.' Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford described Blessence's death as a 'tough case for everyone involved.' 'I'm proud of the way our police department went after the truth and got it done. An arrest doesn't take away the hurt, but it does mean we're one step closer to justice for this child,' he told the outlet. It comes after a 69-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly tried to put a "chemical-laced handkerchief" over the face of a 13-year-old boy at a street corner. Willie Cowart, from Boston, is accused of the "bizarre" chemical assault after he approached the boy on the streets of Roxbury on July 28, just after midday. The teenager was waiting to be picked up "when an older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt approached, poured an unknown liquid on a red handkerchief, and tried to put the handkerchief over his mouth." The boy, who did not want to be identified, has been left "shaken" by the chemical attack, according to his parents "It's basically like facing your biggest fear. Like the way the guy was looking too," the teen told WBZ-TV. "My heart was beating fast and stuff. I was really scared." The teenager has been ordered not to go anywhere without his parents' supervision following the scary attack. "I can't go outside. My mum told me until I'm 20, to go outside by myself when school is finished, I can't stay after school," he said. Police searched the suspect's car and found chemical cleaning agents inside. "This is a strange, and extremely disturbing, set of facts," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement Monday. "It doesn't take much imagination to appreciate how frightening it was for this young man to be standing on a street corner and suddenly be accosted in such a bizarre manner. I'm grateful that he suffered no apparent injuries."
CTV News
11-08-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Deceptive drug kratom leaves Alabama users battling severe addiction, withdrawal
Kratom, a natural supplement derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is getting a lot of attention in the U.S. because it's highly addictive. (WVTM via CNN Newsource) BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) - Kratom, a natural supplement derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is getting a lot of attention in the U.S. because it's highly addictive, and many people who think it's perfectly safe are finding themselves unable to stop using it. Alabama is one of only a few states where it's illegal, but it is still a problem here. Angela Edwards is living and working at the Lovelady Center in Birmingham. She's dealing with addiction, and most recently, her drug of choice was kratom. 'Every day. I was taking it every day. All day,' she said. Experts call it a deceptive drug, because it's plant-based and all natural, there's the belief it must be safe. It's even marketed as an alternative to alcohol. Frank Long, with the Lovelady Center said, 'It's an opioid-like effect. You know, some people describe it like a warm hug. You know, it's kind of that feeling of peacefulness and that everything's OK. Or maybe you just don't care about anything. So, it kind of makes you forget your worries.' Long said it's highly addictive and users quickly develop a tolerance to it, so they're compelled to use more and more to get the same effect. And when they try to quit, withdrawal symptoms are reportedly worse than those associated with coming off heroin. 'I was on kratom for about two years, if not longer,' Edwards said. 'And at the time when I was on kratom, you know, it was good when I was on it, but when I was coming off kratom, I thought I was going to die, you know, the withdrawals were worse than any kind of withdrawals that I've ever had.' An estimated 1.7 million Americans 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In July, the Food and Drug Administration recommended a scheduling action to control certain 7-hydroxymitragynine (also known as 7-OH) products under the Controlled Substances Act. Kratom is illegal in Alabama, but Long said manufacturers have created synthetic versions, and by changing just one molecule, they can skirt the law and sell the products here. Edwards has been sober for a while now, but she's not out of the woods. 'It took me months to feel even normal. I still don't have my full energy back,' she said. Her advice to anyone thinking this might be a good idea? 'Don't do it. It's not, it's not worth it, it's not worth it.'
Miami Herald
24-07-2025
- Miami Herald
At least 10 children were sexually abused in Alabama bunker, cops say. 7 arrested
At least 10 children were trafficked for sex acts and held in an underground storm shelter in rural Alabama, a sheriff said. Seven people — including some of the children's parents and relatives — have been arrested on different charges, including sexual abuse, rape and child trafficking, Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade said during a July 23 news conference, broadcast by WVTM. 'I know God's forgiveness is boundless, but if there is a limit, we reached it,' Bibb told WSAZ. A monthslong investigation, beginning in February, led to the arrest of three men, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said in a July 19 Facebook post, McClatchy News reported. Four others were arrested after, the sheriff said during the news conference. McClatchy News is not identifying the suspects to protect the identity of the children. The investigation began after deputies were notified of potential child sexual abuse at a bunker in Brent, about a 50-mile drive southwest from Birmingham, the sheriff's office said. Some of the children — ranging from 3 to 15 years old — were abused by multiple people 'on a nightly basis,' Wade said, adding that each child is now in the custody of the Department of Human Resources. 'They are safe and being cared for and speaking with counselors,' Wade said. More arrests and victims are expected as the investigation continues, Wade said. Human trafficking in the US Human trafficking is a 'crime of exploitation,' according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Traffickers profit off their victims by forcing them to engage in sex acts or do labor. 'With an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time, human traffickers prey on people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities, exploiting them for their own profit,' officials said. Industries where trafficking victims are forced to work include hospitality, restaurants, agriculture, construction, landscaping, factories, home care, salons, massage parlors, retail, janitorial and many more, officials said. In the U.S., children in welfare or juvenile justice systems, such as foster care, are the most vulnerable to human trafficking, officials said. Children and teens experiencing homelessness, people seeking asylum, people who struggle with substance abuse, migrant laborers, people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community and victims of domestic violence are also more vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking 'Traffickers can be strangers, acquaintances, or even family members, and they prey on the vulnerable and on those seeking opportunities to build for themselves a brighter future,' officials said.
New York Post
21-04-2025
- New York Post
Mom murdered beside 5-year-old son and boyfriend texted suspect's name as she lay dying: cops
An Alabama mother who was murdered alongside her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend managed to text the name of their alleged killer moments before her death, according to detectives. Arkia 'Kia' Berry, 28, texted her friend as she lay dying beside her son, Landyn Brooks, and her 28-year-old boyfriend, Eric Ashley Jr, when their vehicle was blasted with bullets, AL Live reported. The dying hairdresser texted 'Jaco' — the nickname of Jacorian Deshawn McGregor, the man now charged with capital murder for the triple slaying last July, police told a preliminary hearing Thursday. 'She texted his name right before she died,' Det. Jarvelius Tollivero said. 4 Berry texted the word 'Jaco' shortly before she was found dead alongside her son, seen here, and her boyfriend, cops said. Facebook / Kiaa Berry Police initially received a 911 call about a car accident in the Echo Highlands neighborhood of Birmingham, leading them to the three bodies inside the car, according to the report. Detectives then found Berry's text as well as others from McGregor's friends telling him to 'lay low, stay out of sight, say hidden,' Tolliver said. 4 Jacorrian 'Jaco' McGregor is charged with the triple slaying. Jefferson County Jail Berry's boyfriend, Ashley, had also made a phone call to a contact he had saved as 'Jaco' as he seemingly made plans to meet up with him just before the shooting, the detective said. Facebook records also showed Ashley had previously searched for McGregor's page, the outlet reported. It was not clear how the suspect was connected to the victims. Officers were also investigating the theft of a green Kia, which was set on fire shortly after the shooting and was spotted near Berry's car on camera footage, Tolliver said. 'We believe some sort of interaction took place between the occupants of the victims' vehicle and the suspects' vehicle,' police officer Truman Fitzgerald had previously told the outlet. 4 Phone records showed Berry's boyfriend, Eric Ashley Jr, had called McGregor before the triple homicide. Facebook / Kiaa Berry McGregor was not arrested until late February. Guns and drugs were found at his residence during a search, Birmingham police said. He appeared before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell on Thursday for capital murder charges and is being held without bond, the outlet reported. 4 Landyn Brooks, 5, played football and was set to begin kindergarten in the fall. Facebook / Kiaa Berry Berry worked as a hairstylist, and her son, Brooks, played football and was set to begin kindergarten in the fall, the outlet reported. Aniya Berry, Arkia's cousin, called the mother-son duo were like 'two peas in a pod,' WVTM reported.
