Body of missing climber found in Glacier National Park
(WEST GLACIER, Mont.) — The body of a 32-year-old climber has been found after an apparent fall a week after he went missing.
Grant Marcuccio’s body was found at around 2 p.m. on Sunday, the National Park Service said this week.
The cause of death is still under investigation, but traumatic injuries and the location of his body indicate he likely fell, according to the NPS.
Marcuccio was found east of McPartland Peak, below the ridgeline between Heavens Peak and McPartland Peak.
His body was transported to the Apgar horse corrals.
Marcuccio was last seen by his hiking party on Aug. 18. He had separated from his party to summit McPartland Peak alone and was planning to meet them again at a designated location.
That evening the hiking party alerted rangers that he never showed up to the meet-up spot.
A search for Marcuccio by land and air began on Aug. 19.
(MILWAUKEE) — Four hotel workers were charged with felony murder in connection with the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man who was seen on video being pinned down outside of a Milwaukee hotel during what his family said was a mental health episode.
The Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday it has filed a felony murder charge against four individuals related to Mitchell’s death on June 30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee.
“These charges are based on an extensive review of the evidence collected by the Milwaukee Police Department, the autopsy conducted and the report produced by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, and information received from members of the community,” the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Arrest warrants have been issued for the four individuals charged in the case, the district attorney’s office said. They were identified in the criminal complaint as Todd Alan Erickson, a security guard; Devin W. Johnson-Carson, a front desk agent; Brandon Ladaniel Turner a security guard who was off-duty at the time; and Herbert T. Williamson, a bellman. ABC News has reached out to them for comment.
The Milwaukee County medical examiner ruled Mitchell’s death was a homicide, the result of restraint asphyxia and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine. People gathered outside the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office on Monday to demand charges be filed in his death.
The criminal complaint references security footage from the hotel that it stated “captured much of the incident leading up to” Mitchell’s death.
Mitchell, 43, “appears to be [in] a frantic manner” while running across the hotel lobby and is then seen running out of a gift shop toward the women’s bathroom, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that after dragging Mitchell through the hotel lobby doors to the driveway, Turner struck Mitchell repeatedly with his fist. Johnson-Carson is also accused of striking Mitchell with a fist and Erickson of kicking him in the torso.
“Complainant notes that throughout the video, [Mitchell’s] behavior is erratic and confusing, and he engages in continuous physical resistance against the men described above. But [Mitchell] does not instigate any violence or display any obviously aggressive or threatening behavior while on the hotel premises,” the complaint stated.
The complaint then alleges that the four men restrained Mitchell while he was lying face down for approximately eight to nine minutes until police and emergency responders arrived. At one point Erickson “appears to strike” Mitchell with a collapsible baton, the complaint stated.
“Towards the end of that time period, [Mitchell] has stopped showing movement or resistance or other signs of life,” the complaint stated.
The complaint also referenced a Facebook video of the incident that it stated “shows loud breathing and gasps while [Mitchell] is saying he is sorry.”
Erickson, who was the on-duty security manager that day, told police that Mitchell “was very strong and kept resisting them” and at one point attempted to bite him, according to the complaint.
“Erickson stated that he did not do anything to intentionally harm or kill” Mitchell, the complaint stated.
Williamson, who had been employed as a bellman for a month and a half at the time of the incident, told police that he saw Mitchell “being very forceful with the security guards” and was “very aggressive,” according to the complaint.
He told police that Mitchell “kept struggling and asking what did he do wrong” while being pinned down, according to the complaint.
“Williamson stated that he got off [Mitchell], and Williamson stated that he thought [Mitchell] was still responsive. However, ‘the next thing you know, I realized he was unconscious,'” the complaint stated.
Turner told police that he saw Mitchell “begging and harassing a guest” and admitted to punching Mitchell “several times,” according to the complaint.
Johnson-Carson, who had been working at the front desk for about two months at the time of the incident, told police that he “remembers [Mitchell ] stating something about breathing” and saw Erickson check Mitchell’s pulse a few times, according to the complaint.
Johnson-Carson told police that he “never saw anyone strangle [Mitchell] and that neither he nor the other four staff members ever state that they believed that [Mitchell] was not breathing during the time he was face first on the ground,” the complaint stated.
The four workers were terminated based on their actions, according to Aimbridge Hospitality, the hotel management firm that employed them.
“We are continuing to do everything we can to support law enforcement with their ongoing investigation of this tragedy, and will continue our own investigation,” Aimbridge Hospitality said in the statement to ABC News.
After news of the charges broke, a spokesperson for Aimbridge Hospitality said they will continue to cooperate.
“Our hearts are with Mr. Mitchell’s family and loved ones as this case moves forward. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement in their investigation into this tragic incident and will continue to cooperate with the district attorney,” the statement read.
Ben Crump, an attorney for the family, called the charges a “significant step towards justice.”
“The evidence, including security footage and witness statements, paints a disturbing picture of a man in distress who was met with excessive and lethal force,” Crump said in a statement. “The fact that D’Vontaye was held face down on the pavement for eight to nine minutes — just like George Floyd — is a sobering reminder of the urgent need for accountability and justice.”
Mitchell’s widow, Deasia Harmon, told reporters Tuesday that she is “grateful” for the charges, though she expressed frustration at the length of the investigation.
“I just want everyone to be held accountable,” she said. “I’m trying to get his story out there, to let his voice be heard through me, for my family, and for his family. We all want justice for him. It’s something they should have done from the beginning.”
Local family attorney William Sulton said in a statement to ABC News, the incident shouldn’t have happened.
“While we agree that the employees should be charged with murder, we are mindful of the fact that this would not have happened without Mr. Mitchell’s family’s hiring lawyers to investigate the murder,” Sulton said in the statement.
“The family should not have had to wait 37 days for charges when the murder was captured on video. We ask that the public continue to support the family through this difficult time,” his statement concluded.
(NEW YORK) — One of the two men shot and injured in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has been released from the hospital, officials said.
David Dutch, 57, was discharged on Wednesday, Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh said.
Dutch was shot in the chest and liver and was initially in a medically induced coma after the shooting, according to the Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania.
Dutch is a former Marine who serves as commandant of his Marine Corps League detachment, the organization said.
“David and our entire family are especially grateful to all the first responders and medical professionals who saved his life, including the Life Flight and trauma surgical teams,” his family said in a statement last week. “We also offer our deepest condolences and prayers for the other victims of this tragic event and their families.”
The second man who was shot and injured, James Copenhaver, 74, remains in the hospital in serious but stable condition, according to Allegheny General Hospital.
“Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care,” his family said in a statement last week. “Additionally, Jim would like to express his thoughts and prayers for the other victims, their families, and President Trump. He prays for a safe and speedy recovery for them all.”
The man killed at the Trump rally, firefighter Corey Comperatore, died shielding his family from the gunfire, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
Comperatore, 50, leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
(NEW YORK) — One of the last messages sent from the doomed Titan submersible during its June 2023 voyage to the Titanic wreckage was “all good here,” according to a presentation from a U.S. Coast Guard hearing on the deadly implosion.
The Marine Board of Investigation for the U.S. Coast Guard’s two-week hearing into the incident began on Monday, 15 months after the OceanGate vessel catastrophically imploded during its deep-sea voyage, killing all five people aboard.
An animation created by the Coast Guard during the Monday hearing showed the text communications between the Titan and the surface vessel, Polar Prince, as the submersible descended toward the ocean floor on June 18, 2023. The short text messages were the only means of communication between the Titan crew and the personnel on the Polar Prince as the vessel attempted to reach the Titanic, which sits 3,800 meters below sea level.
At approximately 2,274 meters, the Titan sent the message, “All good here,” according to the animation.
The last communication from the submersible was sent at approximately 3,341 meters: “Dropped two wts,” meaning drop weights, according to the Coast Guard.
All communications and tracking from the submersible to Polar Prince were lost at 3,346 meters, according to the Coast Guard.
Debris from the Titan was found on the ocean floor four days later. All five crew members — including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush — were determined to have died in a catastrophic implosion.
The Coast Guard released a new image during the hearing Monday that shows Titan debris, including the tail cone, at the bottom of the ocean.
Tym Catterson, a former contractor for OceanGate, testified during Monday’s hearing that there were “no red flags” on the day of the incident. He said he believes the intention of shedding the two 35-pound weights was to slow the vessel down as it approached the ocean floor. He thought the weight was dropped a little early than is typical — not due to any emergency but to ensure a smooth landing, he said.
“Considering who was in the cab with Stockton at that particular time — there are two billionaires in there with him — I would absolutely guarantee that he’s trying to make sure that this just goes as absolutely perfect and spot-on as he can,” Catterson said.
He said when the tracking and communications were lost, the initial thought was that the transponder failed. When rescuers heard banging noises during their search for the vessel, he said they believed the vessel was drifting.
“This was all theories that were just flying around between people that were totally without sleep and very anxious,” he said. “It’s the worst thing that could be happening.”
Two witnesses say they wouldn’t go in the Titan
Some two dozen witnesses are scheduled to testify during the two-week hearing.
The hearing’s first witness — Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s former engineering director — testified that he was kept in the dark and didn’t know that OceanGate’s goal when he was initially hired was to go to the Titanic.
Asked whether he felt comfortable going down to the Titanic in the submersible, Nissen responded that Rush had asked him to be the pilot to run the Titanic missions, and he turned him down.
“I told him, I’m not getting in it,” Nissen said. “He asked me why, and I said, ‘Because the operations crew, I don’t trust them.'”
“He said, ‘Well, what if I’m mission director?'” Nissen continued. “I said, ‘You still have the same operations crew.’ But I didn’t trust Stockton either. Take a look at where we started and when I was hired, nothing that I got was the truth.”
Catterson also testified that he would not have felt comfortable going to the depths of the Titanic wreckage in the Titan, saying he had questions about the integrity of its carbon fiber and titanium construction.
“I don’t believe that the composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel that’s experiencing external compression,” he said. “I had my doubts.”
When asked if he ever voiced his concerns to OceanGate employees, he testified that he told Rush, Nissen and David Lochridge, the former OceanGate operations director — “pretty much anybody that would listen.”
Catterson said he had raised the issue about the integrity of the carbon fiber hull with Rush “no less than half a dozen” times. He said he thought the sub was “underbuilt” and that Rush responded to his concerns by saying, “I have several engineers working on this and they say otherwise.”
The company’s former finance director, Bonnie Carl, a former contractor for OceanGate, testified Monday that she was aware of a conversation between Lochridge and Renata Rojas, a mission specialist, when Lochridge told Rojas not to go on the Titan, warning that it was “unsafe.”
Titan not classified
It is common for submersibles to get classification, but both Catterson and Nissen testified that the Titan had not been classified. Catterson talked about recommending classification for it to Rush.
“The reason for the classification is basically that it’s proof of due diligence. It’s also primarily one of the ways that you can get insurance for the submersibles. That’s one of the very big things,” he said. “I had explained this to [Rush], and he, well, I guess that wasn’t as big of a worry for him as it would be for most people. I don’t know, I said my piece.”
According to a Coast Guard presentation during Monday’s hearing, the Titan was tested to 1.09 times its operating pressure — the industry standard is 1.25 times.
Issues with sub
The Coast Guard and witnesses detailed issues and concerns with the sub.
The vessel had 70 equipment issues in 2021 that needed correcting, and 48 more in 2022, according to the Coast Guard.
The Titan partially sank four weeks before the incident following a night of high seas and fog, according to the Coast Guard. Days before the implosion, passengers slammed against the vessel during resurfacing, the Coast Guard said.
Nissen testified that he believes the Titan was struck by lightning in April 2018.
“That is a difficult thing to prove, except I had to drag a lot of my engineering team down there to replace all the electronics in it. And I could find all the lightning traces. So it took high energy for sure,” he said.
He testified that he wouldn’t sign off on a dive to the Titanic in July 2019 due to a crack in the hull, and said he was subsequently fired.
Carl said she was concerned about some of the employees working on OceanGate submersibles.
“There were some young engineers — and by young, I mean late teens, early 20s — without any experience, we were aware of, wrenching on the sub, and without supervision right there on them,” she said. “And that made me nervous.”
Hearing to last two weeks
The hearing is scheduled to run through Sept. 27. Former OceanGate employees scheduled to testify later in the hearing include Lochridge; co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; and Steven Ross, former scientific director, according to a schedule released by the Coast Guard.
The main purpose of the hearing is to uncover the facts related to the implosion and to make recommendations, according to Jason Neubauer, chair of the Marine Board of Investigation.
“The Marine Board’s investigation will determine as closely as possible the factors that contributed to the incident, so that proper recommendations for the prevention of similar casualties may be made,” Neubauer said at the start of Monday’s hearing.
The investigation will also examine whether there is any evidence of misconduct or criminal acts in connection with the incident, he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the implosion and will make its own determination as to the probable cause, according to Marcel Muise, an investigator with the agency’s Office of Marine Safety.
Attorneys with the firm Debevoise & Plimpton, which represents OceanGate, are also attending the hearing.
“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident, but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again,” Jane Shvets with Debevoise & Plimpton said during opening remarks.
In addition to Rush, those killed in the implosion included French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
The submersible company suspended all exploration and commercial operations after the deadly implosion.