Category: National

(AUSTIN) — Police in Texas said they are looking for a missing 9-year-old girl who hasn’t been seen in over seven years whose disappearance was uncovered after the child’s mother was arrested for allegedly locking her 7-year-old daughter in a closet for weeks.

Virginia Marie Gonzales, 33, of Austin, was arrested on a charge of injury to a child after the 7-year-old girl was found “locked in a closet and starving” last month, according to Austin Detective Russell Constable.

The girl’s grandmother called police after she found the child “malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet” on April 3, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The grandmother had gone to the apartment after Gonzales was arrested for marijuana possession, according to the affidavit.

Gonzales allegedly barricaded her child in the closet for a month, feeding her a hot dog or corn dog in the morning and evening and half a cup of water daily, according to the affidavit.

The girl was immediately taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, where she was found to weigh 29 pounds and had signs of malnourishment, according to the affidavit. She is currently recovering, Constable said during a press briefing Tuesday, calling the case “emotionally difficult.”

There were six other children in the home between the ages of 2 and 14 who appeared to be physically healthy, police said. Though during the investigation, authorities learned that there was an eighth child, Ava Marie Gonzales, who was not inside the home and had not been seen by family or friends since December 2017, when she was 2 and in the custody of her mother, police said.

“Austin Police Department’s missing person detectives are seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare, given the circumstances in which Ava’s 7-year-old sibling was found,” Constable said.

ABC News reached out to Gonzales’ attorney and did not immediately receive a response. She is being held in the Travis County Correctional Complex on $75,000 bond and has a court hearing scheduled next week, online jail and court records show.

Ava has not been reported missing by her mother or anyone else, Constable said.

Constable said the girl’s mother has “provided conflicting information to many different family members” about Ava’s whereabouts, and police are asking for anyone who may have seen her or knows where she is to come forward.

Police have not identified her father, he said.

Constable said Gonzales has provided police some information regarding her missing child that they are trying to corroborate.

“We’re hoping to get some more information and try to figure out where she is,” he said.

As far as Austin police are aware, none of Gonzales’ children are enrolled in school, Constable said.

Police released an age-progressed photo of Ava, who has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to email ava@austintexas.gov or can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 512-572-8477.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Another Navy fighter jet sank to the bottom of the Red Sea on Tuesday following the second such mishap aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in just over a week, a U.S. official told ABC News.

The F/A-18 F fighter jet was attempting a nighttime landing onto the deck of the carrier when the crew was unable to stop it in time before going off the side, according to the official. When the “failed arrestment” of the aircraft became apparent, the two pilots ejected.

Both of the pilots were recovered and early indications are that they suffered minor injuries, the official said. No other injuries were reported.

The incident happened at 8:45 p.m. local time in the Red Sea, according to the official. It was not immediately unclear what led to the failed arrestment during the landing.

The incident is the fourth major mishap involving the carrier since it deployed last year, including when another F/A-18 jet fell off the side of the Truman just eight days ago. That jet was being towed in the hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft, which then tumbled off the side along with the tow truck.

An investigation into the April 28 incident remains underway. F/A-18 jets cost some $70 million each.

In February, the Truman collided with a large merchant vessel in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea. That incident followed an accidental shootdown of another F/A-18 late last year by one of the surface ships belonging to the Truman strike group.

The Truman has been operating in the Red Sea since last year when it was deployed to help protect commercial ships against near-constant attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The carrier was slated to come home last month, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended its deployment while ordering another carrier — the USS Carl Vinson — to the region to bolster military power.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis because the rebel group had agreed to stand down. A senior Houthi official said the group was not immediately agreeing to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, saying they had to evaluate it first.

 

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(WASHINGTON) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement allegedly conducted raids targeting businesses in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

A coalition of activists had warned delivery drivers and restaurants of the planned enforcement one day prior.

“I have heard those reports, I’ve been getting them all morning. I am disturbed by them,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters Tuesday. “It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals. It is disrupting.”

She also emphasized that the Metropolitan Police Department was not involved.

George Escobar, chief of programs and services at CASA, an organization geared toward improving quality of life for working-class Americans, told ABC News by phone on Tuesday that the organization regularly receives tips about planned raids — but this one was different.

“This one, to be honest, alarmed us a little bit, because it was really specific,” Escobar told ABC News.

The organization has run a 24-hour tip hotline since the first Trump administration.

“We’re experienced. We don’t get alarmed by, like, you know, any old threat, because, you know, they’re frequent, right? And they come in all different, all different types of forms,” he said.

However, in this instance, CASA was warned that ICE would be using President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at the “beautification” of the U.S. capital to justify the raids, Escobar said.

“We received notice about a specific kind of operation on how they were going to be conducted: what the pretense of maybe entering some of these small businesses were going to be, the fact that they were looking specifically at food businesses and possibly delivery workers,” he explained.

ABC News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for comment but has not yet received a response.

“If ICE wants to snatch up every single immigrant working in food service and delivery, then the entire industry will collapse,” Amy Fischer, a core organizer with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, which supports migrants arriving in the capital, said in a statement.

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington — which represents the more than 60,000 restaurant workers in the area — said in a statement shared with ABC News that it was “deeply concerned” by the reports of ICE raids and drop-ins across Washington, D.C.

RAMW said it urges “policymakers on a local and federal level to consider the real-world impact on local businesses and communities.”

“Immigrants make up a significant portion of our workforce at all levels. From dishwashers to executive chefs to restaurant owners, immigrants are irreplaceable contributors to our most celebrated restaurants and beloved neighborhood establishments,” the statement said. “The immigrant workforce has been essential to sustaining and growing our local restaurant industry and has been a major contributor to our local economy.”

“At a time when our economy is already fragile, losing even one staff member at a single establishment has a profound impact on the operations of a restaurant and its ability to serve patrons, RAMW added. “Disrupting restaurant staffing across the industry can create a damaging ripple effect felt immediately throughout the entire local economy.”

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(SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OHIO) — A woman has been arrested after a raccoon named Chewy was found holding a meth pipe in the driver’s seat of her car in what police are calling a “strange encounter on patrol” in Ohio.

The incident occurred on Monday at approximately 7:15 p.m. when Springfield Township police officer Austin Branham decided to conduct a traffic stop on South Arlington Road after identifying a vehicle whose registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license, according to a statement from the Springfield Township Police Department released on Tuesday.

When Officer Branham approached the car, he found 55-year-old Victoria Vidal of Akron, Ohio, and was able to detain her without incident, authorities said.

“However, things took an unusual turn,” according to the police statement, “As Officer Branham returned to the vehicle, he observed a raccoon named “Chewy” sitting in the driver’s seat with a meth pipe in its mouth. Chewy had somehow gotten hold of a glass methamphetamine pipe, leading officers to further inspect the vehicle.”

Police did confirm that Chewy was a pet raccoon and that he was not a wild animal after Vidal had the appropriate paperwork and documentation to own him.

However, a subsequent search revealed that Vidal’s car contained a bulk amount of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and three used glass methamphetamine pipes, police said.

Vidal was charged with F3 possession of drugs, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and was cited for driving under suspension, authorities said.

She was also subsequently turned over to Cuyahoga Falls Police on her active warrant where additional charges related to crack cocaine possession will be presented at a grand jury pending lab results.

“Thankfully, Chewy the raccoon was unharmed, and notification was made to the proper authorities to determine that she has the proper paperwork and documentation to own the racoon,” police said. “While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!”

“No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident,” authorities confirmed. “As always, we remain committed to keeping our community safe — no matter what surprises may come our way.”

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(GEORGIA) — A man who has been detained for more than six weeks after being accused of attempting to kidnap a 2-year-old boy at a Walmart in Georgia was granted bond on Tuesday in a case that prosecutors called “unusual.”

Mahendra Patel, 57, of Kennesaw, was arrested and subsequently indicted by a grand jury on attempted kidnapping, battery and assault charges stemming from an incident reported at a Walmart in Acworth on March 18. The case has garnered local and national attention after his defense attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, released surveillance footage that she said proves his innocence.

During a bond hearing on Tuesday, Merchant said Patel was looking for Tylenol for his mother when he approached the mother of the toddler, Caroline Miller, for help. Miller was riding in a motorized cart with her two young children at the time, though Merchant noted she is not physically disabled.

While showing an edited compilation of the surveillance footage showing Patel and Miller in the store, Merchant argued that Patel was offering to hold the toddler while Miller pointed out where the medicine was.

“The video couldn’t be clearer,” Merchant told the judge. “Mr. Patel did not try to kidnap this child.”

She said that after leaning in to reach for the child, Patel “immediately backs up” and puts his hands in his pockets when Miller leans back. She said he went by her several more times before paying for the Tylenol and leaving the store. She said he interacted with other Walmart employees, including one who referred to him as a “friendly older gentleman.”

In asking for a $10,000 bond, she argued that Patel wasn’t a flight risk and had strong ties to the community. She also said that over 250 people, including family members and neighbors, had come to the courthouse that day in support of his release.

“He had a birthday two weeks ago in the Cobb County Jail,” she said. “We just ask that you release him on bond.”

Prosecutor Jesse Evans requested that Patel remain held on bond while citing the defendant’s alleged admissions and his prior criminal history.

Evans showed a clip from the surveillance footage that he said shows Patel grabbing the two-year-old boy’s leg while he’s in his mother’s lap and “tugging the child … away from the mom” and Miller trying to pull the child back to her lap.

“I know there’s a narrated, edited version that was presented by the defense,” Evans told the judge. “The state would say, if you don’t take a closer look, it might cause concerns. But when you do take a closer look, you can see him tugging on this child.”

Miller spoke out following the incident in March, telling Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB she and Patel were “tug-of-warring” over her child. Evans said Miller was on the Zoom call for the hearing and has been “deferential to the state” in the case.

“She is of the belief that the defendant needs treatment,” he told the judge. “I, too, am of the belief that this defendant has got some serious issues that we’ve got to talk about.”

Patel was initially arrested on a kidnapping charge. Evans said the state believes attempted kidnapping is the more appropriate charge, which is why they had “some urgency” to get it to a grand jury, which ultimately indicted him on attempted kidnapping.

“I think the general public thinks about kidnapping, has this visual image of white vans just snatching kids off the street,” Evans said. “And the court knows and state knows, the defense knows, legal experts know, that’s not the legal definition of kidnapping. It’s the slight asportation of a person against their will.”

Evans said the state is “not oblivious to the fact that this is a very bizarre set of circumstances,” but argued that the defendant “encroached on the space of this mother and her two children.”

He said there was a witness in the next aisle who was “unnerved by what he had seen.”

The prosecutor also argued that Patel made “a number of admissions” to police following his arrest on March 21 that were “telling where his mindset is.”

“He admitted that he grabbed the child, he admitted that he upset the mom,” Evans said. “To quote him, ‘She thought I was going to take her kid. I said, No, no, no.'”

Evans said that when Patel saw Miller on the phone before he left the store, he allegedly “pleaded with her” and said he was “not going to take your kid.”

“At the tail end of his interview, he said he wanted to apologize to her for what he had done,” Evans said.

Evans also noted that Patel is a convicted felon, saying the defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. in a federal case in 2006 and served six months in federal prison. Merchant, who also addressed the defendant’s criminal history, said Patel was additionally previously convicted of reckless driving and has a pending DUI less safe case for which he was out on bond at the time of his arrest in March.

“This is his fourth arrest,” Evans said, saying the state does not consider Patel a good candidate for bond “based on the history we have here.”

He also alleged Patel may have been intoxicated at the time of the March 18 incident in Walmart, which Merchant countered there was “absolutely no evidence of.”

Judge Gregory Poole granted Patel $10,000 bond, saying that he’s “entitled to a bond,” citing his ties to the community and education.

“He’s got all he needs to show me he’s a member of our community,” Poole said.

The judge said he didn’t find anything in the defendant’s criminal history that made him believe Patel posed a risk to the community, and that based on the video, he saw no flight risk.

There was a large applause in the courtroom following the hearing.

Patel posted bond and could be seen leaving the Cobb County Jail later Tuesday, WSB reported.

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(WASHINGTON) — Escalating an ongoing clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and Harvard University, the Department of Education announced Harvard is ineligible for new research grants unless it agrees with compliance criteria.

“Harvard is not eligible for any new grants from the federal government until they demonstrate responsible management of the university,” a senior official from the Department of Education said on a call with reporters on Monday.

The pause extends to medical research funding, according to the senior official, but does not impact federal student aid.

The official said public confidence in the university is at an all-time low — and that Harvard has failed to combat antisemitism and discrimination on its campus.

It has also abandoned the rigor of academic excellence and has become a leftist institution with “zero viewpoint diversity,” according to the official, who said that only 3% of Harvard’s faculty identifies as conservative.

“Today, we received another letter from the administration doubling down on demands that would impose unprecedented and improper control over Harvard University and would have chilling implications for higher education,” Harvard said in a statement to ABC News.

The statement called the move retaliatory and implied that its efforts are illegal.

“Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community,” it said, adding that the school would “continue to defend against illegal government overreach.

The weeks-long feud between Trump and Harvard stems from several investigations by federal agencies, including the Department of Education and the Health and Human Services Department. They are probing into accusations ranging from failure to disclose foreign gifts to discrimination on the basis of race within the Harvard Law Review.

The administration launched a wide-reaching antisemitism task force review, which froze 2.2 billion dollars in funding for the institution last month.

But the university has refused to comply with demands, with Harvard President Alan Garber claiming that Trump has exceeded his executive authority.

“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote in a statement to the Harvard community in April.

In order for Harvard to return to compliance under federal law, the university would have to come into agreement with the administration, according to the senior official.

There was no announcement about the university’s tax-exempt status, which Trump threatened to take away on May 2.

The president can’t unilaterally revoke a school’s tax-exempt status under federal law, but sources told ABC News that the Internal Revenue Service is considering revoking the school’s status.

A Harvard spokesperson told ABC News last week that there’s no “legal basis” to rescind the university’s tax-exempt status and that it would endanger the school’s ability to carry out its mission.

“The tax exemption means that more of every dollar can go toward scholarships for students, lifesaving and life-enhancing medical research, and technological advancements that drive economic growth,” the spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

The move would not only lead to “lost opportunities for innovation” for Harvard itself, the spokesperson said.

“The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America,” they explained.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Education Department did not announce an immediate pause on Harvard’s grant funding — that there is no freeze on any additional existing grants beyond the previously announced $2.2 billion. 

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(WASHINGTON0 — President Donald Trump is set to headline a fundraiser for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts next month, according to an invitation obtained by ABC News, for which the top sponsorship level is selling for $2 million.

The event, hosted by the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, includes a VIP reception followed by the center’s opening night performance of Les Misérables.

Trump — who recently overhauled the Kennedy Center’s leadership — is scheduled to appear at the event “as a special guest and friend of the Kennedy Center,” according to the invite, and “is not directly soliciting donations.”

For the event, the top “gold” sponsorship level costs $2 million. It includes a performance box and a photo op with Trump, as well as what’s described in the invitation as premier seating and admission to the VIP reception for 10.

The “silver” level sponsorship costs $100,000, and includes a photo op with Trump, seating for the performance and admission to the VIP reception for two.

The White House referred ABC News to the Kennedy Center for comment. A Kennedy Center spokesperson declined to comment.

Trump — who has referred to the center as an “American jewel” — has overhauled the center since taking office, terminating much of its leadership.

Members of the board appointed by Trump include close allies such as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and second lady Usha Vance. The board in turn elected Trump as its chair and his longtime ally Ric Grennell as its president.

The management overhaul sparked backlash within the cultural world, with some shows like “Hamilton” canceling planned performances. Trump, in turn, said he “never liked ‘Hamilton’ very much.”

During a visit to the Kennedy Center for the new board’s first meeting in March, Trump said the center had been in “tremendous disrepair” due to “bad management.”

“We’ll bring it back,” he said. “We’ll make it great again.”

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(BRENHAM, Texas) — The body of a 10-year-old girl was found on Tuesday after she was swept away by floodwaters in Texas. The sad end to the search comes as a a storm threat continues to impact millions in the South and Northeast on Tuesday.

Two sisters were walking home from school in Brenham, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon when an adjacent creek rose quickly and one of the girls, 10-year-old Dhava Woods, got swept away in the water, officials told Houston ABC station KTRK.

A male neighbor saw what happened and got in the water to try and rescue the child. He was able to make contact with her, but couldn’t hold on, officials said. A Brenham police officer also saw the child farther down the creek, but was unsuccessful in rescuing her due to the swift waters, officials said.

“With more severe weather anticipated, we ask the community to keep everyone involved in your thoughts and prayers during this challenging time,” the Brenham Fire Department said in a statement on Monday.

Brenham city officials announced on Tuesday that Woods’ body was recovered at 10 a.m.

“Our hearts are with the student’s family, and we ask our community to keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” the girl’s school district said in a statement.

This incident came amid nearly 100 storm reports across 10 states — along with one tornado in Jamesville, North Carolina — overnight on Monday.

Severe storms and flash flooding will continue to threaten parts of the south-central U.S., with over 24 million people placed on flood watches across nine states on Tuesday.

A tornado watch has been issued for portions of central, east and southeastern Texas until 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The threat for severe weather will shift farther east on Tuesday, stretching from the Texas Panhandle to Louisiana.

Cities including Houston, Dallas and Austin remain under a slight risk for severe weather and parts of east Texas are now under an enhanced risk. These areas could see damaging winds, very large hail and storms that could produce strong tornadoes.

A widespread flash flooding threat expands farther east into Wednesday, extending from southeastern Colorado all the way to Alabama. Parts of the Deep South, including most of Louisiana, southeastern Mississippi and eastern Texas, face the greatest threat for flash flooding.

Parts of the lower Mississippi River could receive the most rain over the next few days, with the potential for another 3 to 6 inches. Additionally, parts of southern Louisiana and southeastern Mississippi could see rainfall totals exceed 6 inches over the next two days, with some areas receiving up to 12 inches.

Another 1 to 4 inches of rainfall is expected in parts of north Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and the rest of the Lower Mississippi River Valley through Thursday. These areas have already seen significant rainfall over the last few weeks and are still recovering from river flooding.

Parts of eastern Pennsylvania, northwest New Jersey and southern New York state are also under a slight risk for severe storms on Tuesday, which could generate damaging winds and hail.

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(BALTIMORE) — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration’s argument that a 20-year-old Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador, whose removal violated a previous court settlement, should not be returned to the U.S. because his asylum application would be denied.

During the hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher — who last month ordered the government to facilitate the return of the man, identified as Cristian in court filings — said that a 2024 settlement agreement requires Cristian to be present in the U.S. to be able to argue his case for asylum.

In her opinion last month, Judge Gallagher referenced the case of wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and said that “like Judge [Paula] Xinis in the Abrego Garcia matter, this court will order Defendants to facilitate Cristian’s return to the United States so that he can receive the process he was entitled to under the parties’ binding Settlement Agreement.”

The class action case from 2019 was filed on behalf of individuals who entered the U.S. as unaccompanied minors and later sought asylum.

The group sued the government to be able to have their asylum applications adjudicated while they remained in the United States. The parties settled in 2024.

Attorneys for the Department of Justice say Cristian is a member of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua and argued that because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an “Indicative Asylum Decision” last week declaring that Cristian’s asylum application would be denied, the order to return him should be dismissed.

“The Indicative asylum decision makes clear that if Christian asylum application is more or less moot, his claim to asylum is moot,” said DOJ attorney Richard Ingebretsen.

Judge Gallagher, however, pushed back on that argument and said the indicative ruling submitted by the Trump administration “prejudges the outcome of the asylum proceeding with no ability for Christian or his legal representatives to provide any input into the process.”

“We don’t skip to the end and say we all know how this is going to end up, so there’s no point in going through this process,” Judge Gallagher said. “We go through the process. People are entitled to that. And there was a process that was specifically bargained for in this agreement.”

“Due process is important,” she said.

Judge Gallagher declined the government’s request to vacate her order requiring Cristian’s return and said that she will issue a 48-hour stay to allow the government to file an appeal with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If no appeal is filed, the judge said she will amend her order to set a timetable for the government to facilitate Cristian’s return and order status updates.

“There is some urgency here,” Judge Gallagher said. “We have a 20-year-old young man who’s been in prison in El Salvador for almost two months.”

When asked, Ingebretsen declined to say what steps, if any, have been taken to comply with the judge’s order to facilitate Cristian’s return, but added that the defendants and the State Department are aware of the order.

Kevin DeJong, an attorney representing Cristian, said that he is concerned the government is making an effort to “significantly delay compliance with the court’s order.”

DeJong added that he received notice last week from the government that another class member “was improperly removed” under Title 8 authorities.

“I will flag your honor that in fact, they notified us 15 days after that class member had been removed,” DeJong told the judge.

DeJong said that he is considering what legal strategy to employ for that particular class member.

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(JEROME, Fla.) — An 89-year-old man and a dog were killed in apparently separate bear attacks near the victim’s home in Florida, officials said.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call shortly after 7 a.m. Monday involving a “bear encounter.”

The incident was reported in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41 near Jerome, just south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, a conservation area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).

In the wake of the attacks, FWC personnel killed three bears in the area, the agency said Tuesday. The bears’ DNA will be tested to confirm if any were involved in the incident.

The attacks occurred “some time apart” on Monday, and the man and the dog were found within a couple of hundred yards of the area, according to FWC spokesperson George Reynaud.

The victim was identified as Robert Markel, a longtime resident of the Jerome area. Officials believe his daughter called 911 to report the attack, Reynaud said. FWC previously said the Markel was 88, though updated on Tuesday that he was 89.

His daughter saw a bear attack the dog and then went looking for her father, who is believed to have been attacked earlier on Monday, Reynaud said.

“We do know it was a bear attack. We don’t know if it was the same bear or multiple bears,” Reynaud said at a press briefing Monday evening.

Once the investigation is confirmed, this would mark the first documented fatal bear attack in the state’s history, Reynaud said.

The animal would most likely be a Florida black bear, based on the region, FWC spokesperson Tyson Matthews said at a press briefing earlier Monday.

Markel had been alone with the dog at the residence, and there are several other residences within the property, FWC officials said.

The FWC warned residents and visitors to continue to avoid the area “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Do not approach or attempt to track wildlife,” the FWC said in a statement on Tuesday. “Law enforcement and FWC personnel are continuing to monitor bear activity and ensure public safety.”

The FWC is investigating the incident.

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