Latest news with #bluntforcetrauma
CNN
17-07-2025
- CNN
Police arrest a 17-year-old in this month's killing of a paddleboarder in Maine
A 17-year-old male has been arrested in the killing of a woman whose body was discovered hours after she went paddleboarding on a wooded pond this month near coastal Maine. Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart, 48, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police said in a statement Thursday. Investigators said she had gone paddleboarding alone the evening of July 2 on Crawford Pond in Union. After she didn't return hours later, someone reported her missing. Her body was found near an island in the middle of the pond sometime after 1 a.m. on July 3. Police said they arrested the teen in Union on Wednesday night without incident. He was taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center — a juvenile detention facility in South Portland, Maine. Under Maine law the identity of juvenile offenders is typically not made public. A spokesperson for the Maine State Police declined to comment when reached by CNN for additional information. Stewart lived in Tenants Harbor, a neighborhood in the town of St. George about 20 miles south of Crawford Pond. Her friend, Rachael Blumenberg, who was staying with her, said she got home the night she went missing and found Stewart's dog alone. She knew something was wrong. 'The house was completely dark, and her dog was there, and she's very devoted to her dog,' Blumenberg told CNN affiliate WMTW. Stewart was planning to host family for the Fourth of July weekend, her friends said. The arrest brought a rush of conflicting emotions. 'I am floored with elation and grief,' Blumenberg told WMTW. The lack of information after her killing prompted residents' concern as police warned the community to stay vigilant. After news of her killing emerged, Gus Williams told CNN affiliate WMTW that Crawford Pond is so safe, people who live in the area don't lock their doors. 'Like, ever, it definitely feels … just intrusive and, I don't know, terrifying,' he said before the arrest. Stewart left a campground on the north shore of the pond alone at about 6 p.m. on July 2 to go paddling. The 600-acre pond is surrounded by private property and is home to loons, smallmouth bass and other aquatic life. Sheriff's deputies, firefighters and other law enforcement officials alerted the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit after they found her body because of the 'circumstances' of the discovery, police said then without going into further detail. Her sister, Kim Ware, described Stewart as an active woman and a boat captain who once sailed all the way to the Caribbean. 'Sunny loved the outdoors, hiking, boating, paddleboarding and yoga,' she told the affiliate. 'To know Sunny is an amazing blessing. My sister and my best friend. The aunt that stepped up to help me raise her nephews,' Ware added. 'Anyone blessed to be in her presence was in awe of her, her strength, courage, character, her energy and light.' Stewart had been through a lot but kept pushing forward, one of her friends, Sarah Vokey, told WMTW. 'Her life was not an easy one, but she strode through it with her head held high with that beaming all-encompassing smile on her face,' Vokey said. 'One of the many reasons I admired, loved, and appreciated her. One of the hardest things I have ever written was the text I sent to my son: 'Sunshine was murdered.'' Meanwhile, law enforcement remains tight-lipped about the evidence they have collected since her death. The investigation is ongoing, and no more information will be released at this time, police said.
CNN
17-07-2025
- CNN
Police arrest a 17-year-old in this month's killing of a paddleboarder in Maine
A 17-year-old male has been arrested in the killing of a woman whose body was discovered hours after she went paddleboarding on a wooded pond this month near coastal Maine. Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart, 48, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police said in a statement Thursday. Investigators said she had gone paddleboarding alone the evening of July 2 on Crawford Pond in Union. After she didn't return hours later, someone reported her missing. Her body was found near an island in the middle of the pond sometime after 1 a.m. on July 3. Police said they arrested the teen in Union on Wednesday night without incident. He was taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center — a juvenile detention facility in South Portland, Maine. Under Maine law the identity of juvenile offenders is typically not made public. A spokesperson for the Maine State Police declined to comment when reached by CNN for additional information. Stewart lived in Tenants Harbor, a neighborhood in the town of St. George about 20 miles south of Crawford Pond. Her friend, Rachael Blumenberg, who was staying with her, said she got home the night she went missing and found Stewart's dog alone. She knew something was wrong. 'The house was completely dark, and her dog was there, and she's very devoted to her dog,' Blumenberg told CNN affiliate WMTW. Stewart was planning to host family for the Fourth of July weekend, her friends said. The arrest brought a rush of conflicting emotions. 'I am floored with elation and grief,' Blumenberg told WMTW. The lack of information after her killing prompted residents' concern as police warned the community to stay vigilant. After news of her killing emerged, Gus Williams told CNN affiliate WMTW that Crawford Pond is so safe, people who live in the area don't lock their doors. 'Like, ever, it definitely feels … just intrusive and, I don't know, terrifying,' he said before the arrest. Stewart left a campground on the north shore of the pond alone at about 6 p.m. on July 2 to go paddling. The 600-acre pond is surrounded by private property and is home to loons, smallmouth bass and other aquatic life. Sheriff's deputies, firefighters and other law enforcement officials alerted the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit after they found her body because of the 'circumstances' of the discovery, police said then without going into further detail. Her sister, Kim Ware, described Stewart as an active woman and a boat captain who once sailed all the way to the Caribbean. 'Sunny loved the outdoors, hiking, boating, paddleboarding and yoga,' she told the affiliate. 'To know Sunny is an amazing blessing. My sister and my best friend. The aunt that stepped up to help me raise her nephews,' Ware added. 'Anyone blessed to be in her presence was in awe of her, her strength, courage, character, her energy and light.' Stewart had been through a lot but kept pushing forward, one of her friends, Sarah Vokey, told WMTW. 'Her life was not an easy one, but she strode through it with her head held high with that beaming all-encompassing smile on her face,' Vokey said. 'One of the many reasons I admired, loved, and appreciated her. One of the hardest things I have ever written was the text I sent to my son: 'Sunshine was murdered.'' Meanwhile, law enforcement remains tight-lipped about the evidence they have collected since her death. The investigation is ongoing, and no more information will be released at this time, police said.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
NFL legend John Elway won't be charged in golf cart accident that killed former agent Jeff Sperbeck
NFL Hall of Famer John Elway won't be charged after his business partner Jeffrey Sperbeck was fatally injured falling out of his golf cart at a Southern California golf resort community last April, authorities said. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told KUSA-TV in Denver on Friday that investigators found nothing criminal and ruled it a tragic accident. Sperbeck, Elway's partner and former agent, died after suffering an injury when he tumbled out of a golf cart driven by the former quarterback on April 26 at The Madison Club in La Quinta, east of Los Angeles. Sperbeck was 62. Sperbeck's cause of death was 'blunt force trauma" and the manner of death was an accident that occurred when the 'passenger fell from the golf cart,' the county coroner's report said. 'I've looked at video 100 times and there's no explanation as to why he fell off, he just fell off,'' Bianco said. Elway didn't immediately comment on the findings. He said in an April statement that he was devastated by the death of his close friend. 'There are no words to truly express the profound sadness I feel with the sudden loss of someone who has meant so much to me," Elway said at the time. Elway's April statement did not address his presence at the scene. Sperbeck began managing Elway in 1990, when Elway was quarterback for the Denver Broncos. He represented more than 100 NFL players during a three-decade career as an agent and business adviser. He was best known as Elway's partner who helped manage the Hall of Famer's extensive off-field business empire, which included restaurants, car dealerships and a winery.
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Autopsy reveals true horror of woman's volcano death
More horrifying details have emerged following the tragic death of Brazilian tourist Juliana Marins, who was found dead last Tuesday after she fell while climbing Mount Rinjani, the second highest volcano in Indonesia. According to an autopsy conducted by the Indonesian authorities, 26-year-old Marins died of 'blunt force trauma' which caused massive internal bleeding and meant that she succumbed to her injuries within just 20 minutes. Marins' body was evacuated from Rinjani on Lombok on Wednesday and transported to Bali Mandara Hospital where an autopsy was conducted on Thursday. Speaking to the media, forensic specialist Dr. Ida Bagus Putu Alit said that Marins died from severe trauma to 'almost all parts of her body'. 'I could see that the worst [injuries] were related to the respiratory system and there were wounds to the chest area, and especially the chest and the back. These injuries damaged the internal organs. We saw a huge amount of bleeding in the chest cavity.' He added that Marins had sustained a head injury, but that this had not been the primary cause of her death. 'In her chest and stomach, the bleeding was quite extensive, but there were no organs that were shrivelled, like her spleen, which would mean that the bleeding had lasted a long time,' Dr. Ida said. 'So, she died very quickly from her injuries.' He added that Marins had sustained blunt force trauma from various objects but, as he had not been at the scene, he could not say with certainty what these had been. However, he explained that blunt force trauma is usually caused by contact with flat and dense objects, and that Marins had significant scratch marks and abrasions to her body. The terrain on Mount Rinjani is primarily made up of sand covered with pebbles and stones which are likely to have scratched Marins as she fell, and broken her bones as she was carried down the mountain and hit larger rocks and debris. Dr. Ida said that her injuries were consistent with a fall, and that the worst injuries were to her back and limbs - including her left thigh bone which was broken. Marins, a publicist and dancer from Rio de Janeiro, fell in the early hours of Saturday morning when she was close to the summit of Mount Rinjani which sits at an elevation of over 3,000 metres. Initially, drone footage shot by passing hikers showed her alive having fallen some 200 metres down the mountainside. In the harrowing video, Marins is sitting with her legs splayed out beneath her and with dust in her hair from the tumble down the steep slopes of Mount Rinjani. She appears distressed and disorientated as tourists shout words of encouragement to her. Asked how Marins could have died within 20 minutes when she was pictured alive on the drone footage, Dr. Ida said that he was only able to base his findings on the condition of her body and injuries, and had not seen the video. However, when rescuers tried to reach Marins by repelling down the mountainside using ropes, they were unable to locate her in the place where she had originally been spotted. Due to poor weather conditions and difficult terrain, her body was finally discovered much further down the mountain at around 600 metres, several days later. As such, it is likely that the blunt force trauma that killed her occurred when she fell for the second time. Dr Ida said that, because her body had already been touched and moved before he conducted the autopsy - including when she was evacuated by rescuers and placed in a mortuary freezer - he could not pinpoint exactly when she died. As such, he put the time of death at around 12 and 24 hours before he examined her - which would mean that she died some time on Wednesday. However, rescuers who reached Marins on Tuesday said that there were no signs of life when they found her. Experts told that differing timelines were standard and that establishing time of death was not an exact science. 'Time of death can only be determined based on a time span, for example, between 2 to 8 hours before the examination,' Dr. Iwan Aflanie, a forensic expert and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Lambung Mangkurat University, said. 'The doctor determines the estimated time of death based on several factors, usually the common ones are livor mortis [bruising of the corpse], rigor mortis [stiffness of the corpse] and decay.' However, if a corpse has been stored in a freezer, it can be more difficult to assess these factors, Dr. Iwan said, as cold temperatures stop the decay process and cause rigor mortis to be more pronounced. Asked if Marins could have died of hunger or thirst, Dr. Ida said that the traumatic injuries to her body were the primary and immediate cause of death. He added that there were also no signs of hypothermia such as blackening of the fingertips, but that they had been unable to test the fluid in Marins' eyeballs - the usual test for hypothermia - as she had been stored in the freezer. Temperatures on Rinjani can be close to freezing at night, and Marins fell without any protective equipment such as a blanket, thick jacket or tent. 'However, if we look at the injuries to the body and the bleeding, we can exclude hypothermia,' Dr. Ida said. He said that toxicology tests still needed to be carried out which would take about two weeks and would test for a range of banned substances. He added however that this was standard procedure and not meant to imply that Marins had been under the influence of any drugs when she died. Marins' family however have refused to accept the results of the first autopsy and a second autopsy is due to be carried out in Brazil. Marins had been on the trip of a lifetime around Southeast Asia and had visited Vietnam and Thailand before arriving in Indonesia. After she set off on her travels, she sent a heartbreaking final message to her mother in which she said she was looking forward to the future and had no fear. 'Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye,' the message read. 'In fact, that's the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi or my sister be disappointed. Other than that, I'm not afraid of much, much less trouble.' 'I was raised by a woman who can solve any problem and who is not afraid to take the plunge and go after her dreams. I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams.' 'I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care and affection. That is what makes me not afraid.'
CBS News
27-06-2025
- CBS News
Woman fatally hit by Amtrak train in Plano, Illinois, identified
A woman who was hit and killed by an Amtrak train Thursday night in Plano, Illinois, has been identified. Plano police said just before 9 p.m., officers responded to a report of a pedestrian who was hit near the BNSF tracks in the 800 block of West Main Street. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The Kendall County Coroner's Office identified her as 48-year-old Mitzi L. Montgomery of Plano. The office determined that she died due to blunt force trauma as a result of the crash. BNSF, Amtrak investigators, Little Rock Fox fire crews, and the Kendall County Coroner assisted police. The tracks reopened around 11:13 p.m. following an investigation. The crash remains under investigation by the Plano Police Department.
