Woman sleeping in truck killed in explosion at Tyson Foods plant in Georgia
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(GEORGIA) — A woman sleeping in a truck was killed when a fire caused an explosion at a Tyson Foods poultry plant in Georgia overnight, officials said.
The victim, 61-year-old Bajarma Batozhapov of Las Vegas, didn’t work at the plant, nor did her husband, the Mitchell County Coroner’s Office said. Batozhapov’s husband is a truck driver and she was accompanying him at the time of the blast, which burned part of the truck she was in, the coroner’s office said.
Batozhapov’s husband was in the building at the time of the explosion but wasn’t hurt, according to the coroner’s office.
Several others were injured in the incident in Camilla, about 60 miles north of Tallahassee, officials said.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, according to a Tyson Foods spokesperson.
“We extend our deepest condolences to their family and friends during this difficult time,” the spokesperson said. “Right now we are still gathering the facts, but ensuring the safety of our team members is our top priority, and we are conducting a full investigation into the cause.”
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union, which represents the Tyson workers, described the blast as a boiler explosion and said several employees were burned.
“We are working with the company, and local emergency authorities to ensure that all the workers impacted are taken care of,” he said in a statement.
“It is too early to tell what happened last night but there must be a thorough investigation into this incident, and workers must be able to work safely in the facility,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — As New York City prosecutors worked Thursday to bring murder charges against Luigi Mangione in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, supporters of the suspect are donating tens of thousands of dollars for a defense fund established for him, leaving law enforcement officials worried Mangione is being turned into a martyr.
Several online defense funds have been created for Mangione by anonymous people, including one on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that as of Thursday afternoon had raised over $50,000.
The GiveSendGo defense fund for the 26-year-old Mangione was established by an anonymous group calling itself “The December 4th Legal Committee,” apparently in reference to the day Mangione allegedly ambushed and gunned down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as the executive walked to his company’s shareholders conference at the New York Hilton hotel.
“We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation,” the anonymous group said in a statement.
The crowdfunding campaign prompted donations from more than 1,500 anonymous donors across the country, many of them leaving messages of support for Mangione, including one person who called themselves “A frustrated citizen” and thanked Mangione for “sparking the awareness and thought across this sleeping nation.”
The GiveSendGo fund for Mangione appeared to be briefly taken down before it was restored on Thursday.
In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo said the company “operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence.”
“Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes. Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process,” the GiveSendGo spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “We understand the concerns raised by such campaigns and take these matters seriously. When campaigns are reported, our team conducts a thorough review to ensure they comply with our policies. While other platforms may choose a different approach, GiveSendGo’s core value is to provide a space where all individuals, no matter their situation, can seek and receive support, with donors making their own informed decisions.”
Other crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe have also taken down campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione’s defense.
“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes,” the crowdfunding website said in a statement. “The fundraisers have been removed from our platform and all donors have been refunded.”
Amazon and Etsy have removed from their websites merchandise featuring Mangione, including T-shirts and tote bags reading “Free Luigi” and the phrase “Deny, Defend, Depose,” words police said were etched in the shell casings discovered at the scene of Thompson’s homicide.
“Celebrating this conduct is abhorrent to me. It’s deeply disturbing,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told ABC News senior investigative reporter Aaron Katersky in an interview Wednesday night. “And what I would say to members of the public, people who as you described are celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action, that we will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable. We are at the ready.”
Prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorney’s office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to try to secure an indictment against Mangione, sources told ABC News on Thursday.
Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey of Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested Monday following a five-day manhunt, said his client is presumed innocent and will plead not guilty to any charges filed against him. Mangione is contesting extradition to New York.
Asked about people contributing to Mangione defense funds that have popped up, Dickey said, “People are entitled to their opinion and, like I said, if you’re an American and you believe in the American criminal justice system, you have to presume him to be innocent and none of us would want anything other than that if that were us in their shoes. So, I’m glad he had some support.”
But law enforcement officials have expressed concern that Mangione is being turned into a martyr. Someone this week pasted “wanted posters” outside the New York Stock Exchange naming other executives.
A bulletin released Wednesday by the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, a multi-agency law enforcement intelligence-sharing network based in Philadelphia, included a photo of a banner hanging from an overpass reading, “Deny, Defend, Depose.”
“Many social media users have outright advocated for the continued killings of CEOs with some aiming to spread fear by posting ‘hit lists,'” the bulletin, obtained by ABC News, reads.
Meanwhile, New York Police Department investigators continue to build a murder case against Mangione, who is being held in Pennsylvania on charges stemming from his arrest there, including illegal possession of ghost gun and fraudulent identification. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania.
On Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the three shell casings recovered at the scene of Thompson’s shooting matched the gun found in Mangione possession when he was arrested. She also confirmed that Mangione’s fingerprints were recovered from a water bottle and the wrapper of a granola bar found near the crime scene.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Police in Portland, Oregon, said they’re seeking the mother of a 2-year-old girl who died from a suspected fentanyl exposure last month, and who is also wanted for “several violent crimes.”
Police said they have been unable to locate Mary Jacobo, 26, for over three weeks since the death of her toddler. The girl went into cardiac arrest on Sept. 12 and was transported from her home by ambulance to a local hospital, where she died, police said.
The cause and manner of death have not yet been confirmed, but “based on evidence discovered at the child’s home, and conversations with hospital staff, fentanyl is believed to be a contributing factor,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a press release.
The name of the deceased girl was not released by police.
Following the girl’s death, police said they were looking to speak with Jacobo, whom they said left the home “as this incident was initially unfolding.”
Jacobo has not been located in the weeks since, despite “significant investigatory efforts,” police said Friday.
Since the death of her child, Jacobo is suspected of having committed an armed carjacking and other unspecified crimes, police said.
Jacobo also has multiple warrants for her arrest, police said. However, police are not sharing details on the charges in the warrants because Jacobo isn’t yet in custody and the cases may be confidential, Portland Police Sgt. Kevin Allen told ABC News.
Police asked for the public’s assistance in locating Jacobo, warning that she is considered armed and dangerous.
Police described Jacobo as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 135 pounds, with hazel eyes. She has brown hair that may have been recently dyed blonde, police said. She also has tattoos on the front of her neck, her chest and on her left hand.
Anyone with information on Jacobo’s whereabouts is urged to call 911, police said.
(NEW YORK) — AAT&T customers are being urged to stay cautious as thieves are using cellular data to track and steal deliveries, particularly iPhones.
Police report a nationwide surge in package thefts by organized criminal groups targeting FedEx shipments of new AT&T iPhones, sometimes resulting in violence.
“Criminal actors obtain cell phone tracking and delivery location information before the deliveries, providing competing organized theft groups the opportunity to intercept the delivery and steal cell phones from delivery personnel or consumers,” according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News. “Violent encounters with criminal actors are escalating as subjects use various tactics, techniques, and procedures to obtain the devices.”
There has been a minimum of 77 reported incidents of theft in Northern Virginia alone, highlighting a troubling trend in the area, according to local authorities. In addition, the New York Police Department said it is investigating at least 55 similar theft cases, warranting close attention.
This surge is not isolated, as similar incidents have emerged across various states, indicating a broader, more widespread issue that may require a coordinated response from law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“We work with law enforcement agencies and parcel carriers to protect our deliveries from these sophisticated criminals,” AT&T said in a statement.
To elude law enforcement, the thieves have adopted the guise of delivery personnel, according to authorities. They cleverly utilize DoorDash bags and don Amazon or construction vests to blend seamlessly with legitimate couriers. Alarmingly, they often strike just moments after packages are left on doorsteps, snatching them away before anyone notices, police warn.
In Chicago, a man and woman duo were caught on video stealing packages along Damen Avenue in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood last week. Cameras have captured three different thefts and appear to involve the same people, according to ABC affiliate WLS in Chicago.
The video shows a woman walking to the front door and dancing on the walkway. She then grabs a package from the porch and runs to a waiting car parked across the street. The homeowner is alerted to the delivery and shouts at the thief, but it’s too late, according to WLS.
In another video obtained by WLS, a man grabs a package with one arm, then picks up another package on the front steps before returning to a similar gray vehicle used in a previous theft.
Both women said they filed reports with the Chicago Police Department and hope somebody recognizes the man and woman in the videos.
“They’ve got the same M.O. They come up, cigarette hanging out of their mouth, both of them. It looks like a husband-and-wife duo, like a Bonnie and Clyde,” a victim told WLS. “They’re just going over to these people’s houses. They don’t even know what’s in these packages; so, I’m not sure what they’re doing with them. Are they selling them or what?”
Investigators are trying to understand how criminals identify and target specific houses.
“We have rigorous safety and security programs in place and regularly remind our team members of the importance of both personal and package safety,” FedEx said in a statement.
