3-year-old girl dies in hot car in California, mom arrested
(LOS ANGELES) — A mother is facing charges after her 3-year-old daughter died from being left in a hot car as extreme heat grips Southern California, authorities said.
Around 4:20 p.m. Friday, police and fire crews responded to reports of a 3-year-old girl and her mother, Sandra Hernandez, who were both unconscious, Anaheim police said.
A family member had found the mother and daughter locked in a Ford Expedition, and it was unclear how long they’d been inside the parked car, police said.
The 3-year-old was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Her “preliminary cause of death [was] suspected to be complications from heat stroke, though the official autopsy report is still pending,” police said in a statement on Monday.
The temperature reached a scorching 113 degrees in Anaheim on Friday. The temperature was about 104 degrees when the mother and daughter were discovered, police said.
Hernandez, 41, was interviewed at the hospital, and after she was medically cleared, she was arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and felony child neglect, police said.
Several empty bottles of alcohol were found inside the car, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, police added.
At least 31 children have died in hot cars in the U.S. so far this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.
At least 1,116 children have died in hot cars since 1990, the organization said.
Click here for what you need to know to prevent hot car deaths.
(NEW YORK) — The venue will be changed in the University of Idaho quadruple murder trial, Judge John Judge has ruled.
The judge said, “Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘a reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County. Thus, the Court will grant Kohberger’s motion to change venue for presumed prejudice.”
The new location was not immediately clear. The decision will be left up to Idaho’s highest court.
Lawyers for the suspect, Bryan Kohberger, pushed to move the trial to Boise, arguing the local jury pool in Latah County, which encompasses Moscow, was tainted by pretrial publicity.
Defense lawyers surveyed Latah County residents and said their results found that the “pressure to convict” Kohberger was shown to be “so severe” that the venue couldn’t be impartial.
The defense said one respondent answered they would “burn the courthouse down” if he were not convicted. The same survey, according to the defense, found “much less emotional” responses from people living closer to Boise, which is about 300 miles south of Moscow.
The prosecution has said the case has national and international interest, and that the case has been covered plenty in Boise, so a change of venue would not solve any problem.
The relatives of victim Kaylee Goncalves said they’re “incredibly disappointed” that the venue will be changed.
“As victims’s families you are left to just watch like everyone else and really you have little rights or say in the process and at the same time you are the most vested in the outcome,” the family said in a statement on Monday. “We have always felt that a fair and impartial jury could be found in Latah County and still believe that is where the trial deserves to be held to help the community heal.”
Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said in a statement in August that, if the case stayed in Latah County, “I firmly believe people would be able to set aside any personal feelings they have … set aside any information they may have read or heard … and make a determination of guilt or not guilty based on the evidence presented in the courtroom and deliberate according to the instructions provided to them.”
The trial is set to begin on June 2, 2025, and run until Aug. 29, 2025. The judge said in June that if the venue changed, the trial date would still hold.
Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in an off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time.
Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
(NEW YORK) — Last year’s devastating wildfires on Maui were the deadliest in modern United States history, claiming over 100 lives.
The fires also destroyed thousands of homes, businesses, and cultural and historical sites, particularly in and around the town of Lahaina, which was at one time the first capital of the sovereign Hawaiian Kingdom.
Today, many residents continue on the long road to rebuilding their lives and communities.
ABC News continues to help viewers get involved in recovery efforts for the survivors of last year’s wildfires on Maui.
The Maui Strong Fund continues to support long-term recovery needs for those impacted by the fires. HCF does not collect fees for donations and reinvests any earnings from the fund back into the fund.
(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Former President Donald Trump thanked law enforcement for an “incredible” response to what the FBI described as an assassination attempt at Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, golf course on Sunday.
Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was detained by Florida authorities in relation to the incident. Authorities are now probing for more details on the would-be shooter.
“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE.”
“THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” he wrote.
Secret Service agents accompanying Trump fired at a man armed with an AK-47-style rifle on or near the Trump International golf course on Sunday.
The incident comes around two months after Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI is investigating Sunday’s incident as an “attempted assassination.” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the gunman was within 300 to 500 yards of Trump when he was spotted.
Secret Service agents fired four to six rounds at him before he dropped his weapon and fled the scene in a vehicle. Witnesses reported the license plate number to authorities, and the suspect was stopped and detained.
It was not clear if the suspect was aiming his gun at the former president. Agents fired at the suspect after spotting his rifle through the fence line, multiple sources told ABC News.
Sources said three shell casings believed to be associated with the suspect’s AK-47 were found on the scene, though investigators are still evaluating whether the suspect fired his weapon. The rifle and two backpacks containing a GoPro camera and ceramic tiles were recovered from the scene, Bradshaw said.
Sources said Trump was immediately rushed to a safe area on the grounds of the golf course after the shots were fired.
Authorities are now probing Routh’s background. The detainee is believed to have ties to North Carolina and Hawaii, sources said. Sources told ABC News that the FBI is conducting an extensive investigation into Routh’s social media activity, travel and any criminal record. Friends, family and associates are also being sought for interviews.
Sources familiar with the investigation said authorities are looking into whether Routh had grievances related to Trump’s position on Ukraine.
Authorities are expected to file charges relating to the incident in the coming days, sources told ABC News.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both condemned the apparent assassination effort.
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” Biden said in a statement.
Harris said she was “thankful” that Trump was safe and “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt.”
“As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” Harris said.
ABC News’ Lalee Ibassa, Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, Soo Rin Kim, Michelle Stoddart, Pierre Thomas, Rachel Scott, Jack Date, Leah Sarnoff, Kelsey Walsh and Luke Barr contributed to this report.