National

Fake courtrooms, sham hearings: Immigrants targeted by scams amid Trump administration’s deportation push

Fraudsters are posing as ICE officers, immigration lawyers and federal judges. (Evelin Flores)

(NEW YORK) — Twenty-year-old Edith from Guatemala has remained in her home with her 1-year-old baby Justin for weeks after selling her only means of transportation.

“Being stuck at home, locked up inside, is very, very difficult for us,” she told ABC News.

Edith, a U.S. citizen who was raised in Guatemala and requested she only be referred to by her first name out of concern over her privacy, sold her car and spent her life savings to pay someone who she thought was an attorney to help her husband Dimas, who was arrested and placed in immigration custody in March. 

After Dimas, the undocumented breadwinner of the family, was quickly sent to a detention center in Georgia, Edith sought an immigration lawyer on social media, where a stranger recommended a supposed Florida-based attorney.

“I was scheduled for a video call, and the woman who said she was a lawyer said that to get someone out of immigration detention, a habeas corpus needed to be filed,” Edith told ABC News. 

Edith retained the woman and began communicating with her frequently. She completed documents the woman sent her, and began sending the woman payments. She even received documents that appeared to be from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that oversees immigration services.

“She began asking for money, $500, $600, $1,750, $4,000 for the bond, petition, copies [of forms],” Edith said.

But last month, when the woman was scheduled to participate in a video call for Dimas’ initial hearing before an immigration judge, she never appeared on the call. Edith’s husband later told her that the judge said that the attorney wasn’t registered in the court system.

“He said, ‘They’re scamming you,'” Edith said. “I said, ‘But why? Why me?’ I started to feel really bad and I didn’t know what to do.”

After confronting the woman she had hired, Edith realized she had been scammed out of more than $10,000 — her life savings. And with all her money gone, she was unable to pay for a legitimate lawyer to represent her husband, who last month was ordered deported by an immigration judge. 

‘A billion-dollar industry’
Edith is one of many victims across the country that law enforcement and immigration lawyers say are being targeted by bad actors seizing on the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.

Some scammers, according to officials, are using artificial intelligence to hold fake immigration court proceedings with scammers wearing judicial robes and law enforcement uniforms, using fake documents that appear to be from federal agencies. 

“In my experience, this is a billion-dollar industry,” said Jorge Rivera, an immigration lawyer in Florida.

Rivera told ABC News that scammers, including the woman who Edith hired, have used his credentials and his law firm’s information to target immigrants.

“[Victims] have shown up to our office and they say, ‘What happened to my case?'” he said.

ABC News found cases of sophisticated immigration scams across the country, including in New York, where five defendants pleaded not guilty to charges accusing them of holding “sham immigration proceedings” including asylum interviews and court appearances.

According to the complaint, one victim ended up missing their real immigration hearing and was deported.  

“In doing so, the defendants demonstrated a complete and utter disregard for the potentially life-altering consequences that their actions inflicted on their victims — vulnerable individuals who not only lost significant funds, but also missed their actual immigration court appearances,” prosecutors said.

And last month, four people in Orlando, Florida, were charged with setting up a fake immigration law firm and extorting millions from victims. They have not yet entered formal pleas.

‘It’s heartbreaking’
Rivera said immigration scams have gotten “exponentially worse” during the second Trump administration, because more pathways for immigration relief “have closed.” 

“There’s been pauses, there’s more denials, undoubtedly, it’s more difficult to be able to resolve your immigration status,” he said. “So this is a perfect storm for the criminals.”

Rivera said that if those seeking help are “talking to a legitimate attorney and they’re talking to a fraudster, and the fraudster is giving them hope and giving them possibilities, they’re going to go with the person that’s giving them the hope.”

Rivera said he has been working with law enforcement across the country to send them information on alleged scammers, and has been reaching out to social media companies to take down fake profiles. 

In a statement to ABC News, the Department of Homeland Security said scammers are also “pretending to be ICE and USCIS to trick people into giving them money or personal information.”

The DHS said that officials will never call out of the blue, demand money, or accept payments using gift cards or crypto currency.

Scammers are also targeting immigrant advocacy groups like Catholic Charities, Kevin Brennan, Catholic Charities’ vice president, told ABC News.

“It’s really been over the past year or so that we started hearing reports of people claiming to be Catholic Charities and other organizations that provide legal services to immigrants and refugees and using social media to fraudulently offer services, express urgency, ask for money,” Brennan told ABC News. 

“It’s heartbreaking to see people who are in need and looking for help and being taken advantage of in such a terrible way by these fraudsters and criminals,” he said.

In Edith’s case, the possibility of getting legitimate legal help to try to get her husband released before he’s deported is slipping away. After an immigration judge ordered her husband deported on April 28, he is currently in ICE custody awaiting removal to Guatemala.

Edith said she will likely go to Guatemala to remain with her husband.

“It’s very ugly, and I don’t wish it on anyone else — to a person who is alone and without support,” she said. “This is not easy.” 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

Manhunt underway in Tennessee for veteran with extensive survival training accused of trying to kill wife

Craig Berry is seen in an undated photo released by the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office. (Stewart County Sheriff’s Office)

(TENNESSEE) — A manhunt is underway in Tennessee for a man with “extensive” survival training who is accused of shooting his wife then fleeing into the woods, authorities said.

Local, state and federal authorities are involved in the search for Craig Berry, who is wanted for second-degree attempted murder, according to the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a domestic altercation at his residence in Dover around 1:30 a.m. on May 1, according to Stewart County Sheriff’s Office. Berry fled into the woods near his home after allegedly shooting his wife and was gone before deputies arrived, authorities said.

His wife was transported to a medical facility, according to the sheriff’s office, which did not provide details on her condition.

The sheriff’s office said Berry is very familiar with the area and warned it could be a “lengthy process” to capture him.

“Berry is a retired special forces veteran and has extensive training in survival tactics,” Stewart County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Paulette Redman said in a statement on Monday. “He is an excellent swimmer and diver, and is in good physical shape.” 

Berry is armed with “at least one handgun” and may have taken extra ammunition, according to Redman. He is not believed to have any phone or other means of communication on him, she said.

Berry was captured by a trail camera wearing camouflage clothing, the sheriff’s office said while releasing the photo.

“We are not ruling out the possibility that he has received some outside assistance after the incident,” Redman said.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are assisting in the search, the sheriff’s office said.

There is no information indicating that he is no longer in the area, the sheriff’s office said Monday.

He was last seen near River Trace Road, and authorities are conducting a “very detailed search” of the area from River Trace Road to Highway 79 to parts of Highway 232 this week, the sheriff’s office said Monday. 

The sheriff’s office advised residents to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.  

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National

WHCD suspect: Judge raises alarm about his post-arrest treatment

The xc released an image on April 29, 2026, it said was of suspect Cole Allen taking a selfie of himself in his hotel room before allegedly trying to breach security at the event while armed with multiple weapons. (Department of Justice)

(WASHINGTON) — A federal magistrate judge expressed deep concern Monday with the post-arrest treatment of the California man charged for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at last month’s White House correspondents’ dinner and whether he has faced overly restrictive conditions that were “extremely disturbing.”

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui convened a hearing on Monday after attorneys for Cole Allen, 31, requested over the weekend that he be removed from suicide watch at the Washington, D.C., jail facility.

Even though Allen’s attorneys later moved to withdraw that request after they were informed he was taken off suicide watch, Faruqui ordered the hearing, citing “grave concerns” about the treatment Allen has faced. 

The judge said some of Cole’s restrictions entailed being placed into a padded cell, with no access to phone calls, books or recreational time. Faruqui also raised the issue of sleep deprivation, noting that Cole had “constant lighting.”

In a heated line of questioning with a representative from D.C.’s Department of Corrections, Faruqui probed why it seemed that Allen had faced much harsher treatment since his arrest than many of those charged with participating in violence during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol who were granted transfers to D.C.’s less-restrictive Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF). 

“People seem to have forgotten about Jan. 6 — I have not,” Faruqui said. “Pardons may erase convictions, but they do not erase history. I had many, you know, there was — easily right — dozens, if not more, of people that had firearms that day… People got closer to killing the president that day, they were hanging gallows outside of the front of the Capitol building.” 

“I’m just trying to understand, why is there this great difference between Mr. Allen’s situation and what happened there, where they were given the benefit of the treatment going over to CTF,” Faruqui said. “If we were able to house all the January 6 defendants at CTF, why Mr. Allen doesn’t have that same benefit as someone without a criminal history?” 

Faruqui claimed Allen was being treated “differently than anyone I’ve ever observed” including accused terrorists, gang members and others facing charges of political violence. 

At one point during the hearing, Faruqui apologized to Allen for the conditions he has faced.

“We are obligated to make sure that you’re treated with the basic decency that human beings should have, let alone a presumed innocent person,” Faruqui said. “So I’m sorry. It sounds like things have not been the way that they’re supposed to.” 

In trying to give some clarity over the initial move to put Allen under suicide watch, assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine noted to Faruqui that after his arrest Allen did tell FBI agents that he did not expect to survive the attempted assassination. She further noted that in his email he sent to family and others just before carrying out the attack, he mentioned not likely being able to speak to them again. 

“I think coming into this, Mr. Allen traveled across country, a great distance over several days to commit this attack and it was clear at the time he committed the attack did not expect to survive it,” Ballantine said. “Which I think certainly initially gives rise to serious concerns about the potential for suicide.” 

An attorney for the D.C. Dept of Corrections, Tony Towns, said at the hearing that decisions regarding Allen’s confinement conditions were intended to address safety concerns, and not intended to punish him.

Faruqui instructed Allen’s defense attorneys to keep him updated on the progress of his conditions, though Faruqui also acknowledged he had little in the way of power to compel D.C. Corrections to ease restrictions on his confinement. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

Judge warns of ‘serious consequences’ if administration begins work at East Potomac Golf Course

Elbert Tse plays golf at the East Potomac Golf Links on May 3, 2026, in Washington, DC. Reports were circulating that the administration planned to take over operations of the popular municipal golf course as soon as Sunday evening, even as officials have offered few details to the public or the course’s current operator.(Photo by Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Monday warned Justice Department lawyers of “serious consequences” if the Trump administration begins major work at a public golf course in the District of Columbia without getting approval and notifying the court in advance. 

During a tense conference on Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes demanded she be updated if work begins at the East Potomac Golf Course, and raised concerns about claims made by the Trump administration regarding the state of the course. 

“Let’s just say, given some issues around the district recently, I would have a particular concern that we not ask first and ask forgiveness later, because that’s not going to be acceptable,” she said. 

Concerns arose in December that the administration may try to take over the course as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to leave his imprint on various D.C. buildings, after the administration terminated the lease of the group that runs the course.

The dispute over East Potomac Golf Course flared up over the weekend after lawyers for the D.C. Preservation League warned that the property would be “razed” by the Trump administration before anyone could stop it, citing the rapid demolition of the White House’s East Wing. In an order late Sunday, Judge Reyes required lawyers to appear for an unusually early Monday morning conference to ensure major work had not begun. 

“Without emergency preliminary relief, they will continue running roughshod over both East Potomac Park and the law until the golf course and the Park have met the East Wing’s fate,” the plaintiffs argued. 

During the conference, a DOJ lawyer argued that the work done to the course was limited to identifying dead or dying trees for removal, which appeared to resolve some of Judge Reyes’ concerns. DOJ lawyers said they were unaware of reported fundraising by Trump to renovate the course — though they said such communications would be “very sensitive issues of executive limited privilege” — and Kevin Greiss, the Superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said he was unaware of any closures. 

“I don’t want anything major to happen without plaintiffs saying ‘Got it’ or someone identifying or talking to me first,” she said. “I don’t want to be the overseer of the Parks and Rec. I mean, I’m no Amy Poehler.” 

But as Judge Reyes appeared ready to conclude the hearing, her clerk handed her a note that renewed her concerns. 

“I just got a note from Clerk I need to look at real quick,” she said. “It looks like there were signs on the golf course yesterday that there were closures. Were there any closures yesterday?” 

“Not that I am aware of, ma’am,” responded Kevin Greiss, the Superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. “I didn’t order any signs put up. I can’t attest to those signs or who may have put them up. There’s been no closure order.” 

While Greiss checked with his maintenance staff to confirm if the course was open, Judge Reyes warned DOJ lawyers of “serious consequences” if major construction begins without appropriate notice. 

“I’m going to say this one more time, and I do not want a situation where something has happened and then I’m being told by the government or by a foundation or by a bulldozing company that it’s too late to do anything about it,” she said. “If anything like that happens … there are going to be serious consequences.” 

Greiss followed up to say that he checked with his maintenance staff — who said they were unaware of the closures — but were still looking for the signs. The hearing concluded with Judge Reyes ordering that the Trump administration get approval and notify the court before beginning any construction work. 

When reached by ABC News, a staff member at East Potomac Golf Course’s pro shop said the course was open for business Monday. 

“Until they shut us down, we are still here,” he said. 

The National Links Trust, which operates East Potomac Golf Course, said Monday in a statement on X, “While we continue to monitor developments surrounding third-party litigation, East Potomac Golf Links is open for business. We will provide updates as they become available. Thank you to our community for their continued support.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

At least 23 people injured in Oklahoma lake party mass shooting: Police

(EDMOND, Okla.) — At least 23 people were injured in a shooting that erupted Sunday night during what police alleged was a “unsanctioned” lakeside party in Edmond, Oklahoma, that had been advertised on social media and drew a large crowd of young adults.

The shooting occurred at around 9 p.m. at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, about 14 miles north of Oklahoma City, Emily Ward, a spokesperson for the Edmond Police Department, said during a conference Sunday night.

On Monday, Edmond police officials said the number of victims injured in the shooting grew from 13 to 23 as more showed up at emergency rooms on their own.

The victims’ injuries ranged in severity, including gunshot wounds, police said.

According to Integris Health, victims treated for injuries at its Edmond and Oklahoma City hospitals ranged in age from 16 to 30.

No arrests have been announced, but police said in a statement Monday that “investigators are actively working the case and are not releasing suspect information at this time.”

“The incident occurred during an unsanctioned party that began after dark and was advertised across multiple social media platforms, drawing a large crowd of young adults from across the metro area. The event was not a permitted or reserved gathering,” according to the statement.

Edmond police officers responded to Arcadia Lake and the nearby Scissortail Campground after receiving multiple 911 calls from people reporting shots fired.

“There is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the public,” according a police statement on Monday.

Seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect, police asked that anyone with information about the shooting contact the Edmond Police Department immediately.

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National

Millions in store for whiplash temperatures sweeping the country

High temperatures for Monday, May 4, 2026. (ABC News)

(NEW YORK) — Millions of people across the country are buckling up for wild temperature swings of up to 30 degrees this week.

The roller-coaster-like dips and highs in temperatures across most of the nation will come amid a late-season snowstorm in Denver and Rocky Mountains. An Illinois dust storm threat could reduce visibility to less than a quarter of a mile.

Whiplash temperature swings

On Monday, temperatures will be above average across much of the Midwest and Northwest, and below average in California and southwest Arizona. 

Temperatures are expected to climb to 80 on Monday from Chicago to Kansas City — making it 10 to 15 degrees above average for this time of year.

Oklahoma City and Dallas are forecast to be in the mid-80s on Monday. Meanwhile, California’s Bay Area and Los Angeles are expected to be in the mid-60s on Monday — 5 to 10 degrees below average for the first week of May.

But on Tuesday, temperatures are expected to dramatically drop across parts of the Midwest, including Chicago, which is forecast to see a 20-degree decline, and Denver with a 30-degree decline.

Severe storms are also possible on Tuesday from Dallas to Jonesboro, Arkansas, with the main threats expected to be large hail, damaging wind and possible isolated tornadoes. On Wednesday, severe weather moves across east Texas and into central Alabama, bringing damaging wind, large hail, possible tornadoes and the risk of flash flooding.

New York City, Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, North Carolina, are expected to top 80 degrees on Tuesday — which is 5 to 15 degrees above average for this time of the year.

On Wednesday, a rush of cold air is expected to bring widespread below-average temperatures across the Midwest and Great Lakes. 

By Friday, cooler-than-normal temperatures spread across the East and South, while the West goes above average with highs near 100 for Phoenix and Las Vegas, while only reaching the 60s in New York City and Washington, D.C., and the 50s in Boston. 

Snow in Colorado

The Colorado Rocky Mountains have received a record-low snowpack this winter. But a late-season snowstorm expected in the area beginning Monday and running through Wednesday could bring a foot to 2 feet of much-needed snow to the Rockies.

Winter storm alerts are in place for parts of Colorado and Wyoming through Wednesday. The heaviest snow is forecast to fall on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The Denver metro area could see 3 to 9 inches of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The pending storm is already making an impact on America’s favorite summer pastime — baseball. The start time of Monday’s game in Denver between the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies has been moved up three hours to 3:40 p.m. MT due to potential snow.

Blowing dust in Illinois

A rare blowing dust advisory has been issued in Illinois, including the Chicago area. Blowing dust was already an issue in Central Illinois on Sunday.

Visibility of less than a quarter mile is possible on Monday in some agricultural areas of the region.

It’s only the second time in history that the National Weather Service (NWS) office based in Chicago has issued a blowing dust advisory. The first advisory was on May 16, 2025, when a large dust storm caused visibility to drop to near zero and wind gusts rose to 60 mph in Chicago and across the area, according to the NWS.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

Trump family’s crypto firm sues investor Justin Sun, escalating feud

Eric Trump, executive vice president of Trump Organization Inc., left, and Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of development and acquisitions for Trump Organization Inc., outside of the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The Trump family’s flagship cryptocurrency venture filed a defamation suit on Monday against Chinese crypto mogul Justin Sun, escalating an ongoing legal and social media feud with one of the company’s most notable investors. 

Sun sued the Trump-backed firm World Liberty Financial last month, accusing its officers of improperly freezing his investment in the firm’s digital tokens.

World Liberty Financial denied those claims publicly and on Monday accused Sun, in a lawsuit filed in Florida state court, of embarking on a “scorched-earth pressure campaign against World Liberty.” 

“Sun weaponized his money and his influence within the industry, hiring influencers and deploying fake social-media ‘bot’ accounts to amplify his lies,” the suit asserts. “His actions were coordinated, deliberate, and aimed at burning World Liberty to the ground.”

World Liberty Financial says in its suit that it froze Sun’s assets “to protect” its community when it learned of alleged “misconduct” perpetrated by Sun, “including suspected short selling of $WLFI token … and straw purchases of $WLFI tokens on behalf of undisclosed third parties,” referring to World Liberty Financial’s flagship digital asset.

Sun called the lawsuit “nothing more than a meritless PR stunt” on social media and said he’ll “look forward to defeating the case in court.” 

Donald Trump Jr., a World Liberty Financial co-founder, on Monday re-posted a thread from the World Liberty Financial account on X laying out its claims in the lawsuit and urging his followers to “Read this entire thread for the truth!!!!” 

The dueling lawsuits mark the collapse of what was once a lively and mutually fruitful relationship, after Sun pumped more than $45 million into World Liberty Financial and many more millions into President Trump’s meme coin, called $TRUMP. 

Earlier this year, Sun agreed to pay $10 million to resolve a civil fraud case brought by the Biden-era Securities and Exchange Commission — a resolution critics framed as a favorable outcome for the Chinese mogul. 

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National

Cornell University president accused of backing into student in parking lot confrontation

Enhanced surveillance video released by Cornell University, May 3, 2026, shows university President Michael Kotlikoff backing out of an on-campus parking space after a group confronted him about free speech. (Cornell University)

(NEW YORK) — Cornell University’s president claimed he was the victim of “harassment and intimidation” following a parking lot confrontation with a group of people who said he tried to back his car into them.

The incident unfolded on Thursday, April 30, after Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff introduced an Israel-Palestinian debate series that was hosted by the Cornell Political Union and co-sponsored by the Cornell Progressives, Cornellians for Israel, and Students for Justice in Palestine.

Kotlikoff said the behavior he experienced while allegedly being followed to his car in an on-campus lot by six or seven people, some of them students, “is harassment and intimidation, with the direct motive of silencing speech.”

“It has no place in an academic community, no place in a democracy, and can have no place at Cornell,” Kolikoff said in his statement released to the Ithaca, New York, university’s community on Friday.

Following the debate, videos posted online showed several people following Kolikoff to his car while questioning him about freedom of speech. The videos showed Kolikoff’s black Cadillac backing up out of a parking space as students appeared to be standing behind his vehicle.

One person, according to a video, complained that Kotikoff’s car bumped into him and ran over his foot before the school president drove off.

Aiden Vallecillo, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, told ABC affiliate station WSYR in Syracuse that he and other students followed Kolikoff from the debate to his car, peacefully questioning him.

Vallecillo claimed that Kotikoff escalated the situation when he got behind the wheel of his vehicle.

“As we were still trying to talk to him, he just immediately started reversing into us,” alleged Vallecillo, who claimed that Kotikoff’s car backed over his foot.

Sophia Arnold, president of the Students for a Democratic Cornell, said she witnessed the incident and expressed dismay over Kotikoff’s alleged behavior.

“I don’t even have the words for it. I was pretty shocked and offended,” Arnold told WSYR. “A random pedestrian pulling out of a supermarket parking lot would probably have shown more care.”

On Sunday, the university released enhanced surveillance video of the incident, which the school said occurred in a parking lot near Day Hall. The footage showed a group of people standing behind Kotikoff’s car as it backed out of a parking space, stopping when it appeared to bump a person filming with his cellphone, and then continued to back up and drive off.

In an earlier statement, Kyle Kimball, vice president for University Relations, said the security footage “shows students following President Kotlikoff to his car and surrounding the car to prevent him from leaving after the Cornell Political Union event.”

It was unclear on Sunday if the incident was reported to the campus police or was being formally investigated. In response to a request for comment on Sunday, a university spokesperson directed ABC News to the statement Kolitkoff released to the Cornell community on Friday.

In that statement, Kolitkoff, who was appointed as the school’s president in March 2025, said he was “accosted by a group of several individuals in the hall, among them students and non-students” as he left the event.

“These individuals are known to Cornell for their past conduct, including a long history of ongoing verbal and online abuse toward numerous members of Cornell’s administration and staff, as well as disruptive protest resulting, in the case of two individuals, in bans from campus,” Kolitkoff said.

He alleged that they followed him across campus from the event space “while loudly shouting questions” and using their phones to record the incident.

“After answering a few questions, I let them know that I was not planning to engage further, and asked them to stop recording,” Kolitkoff said.

Kolitkoff claimed the students continued to follow him, and said at least one told him, “No, we are not going to stop.”

He said when he got to his car, the group surrounded his vehicle, “banging on the windows” and blocking him from leaving.

“I waited until I saw space behind the car and then, using my car’s rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system, was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot,” Kolitkoff said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

‘Deeply concerned’: Search underway for missing Northern Kentucky University student

Undated photo of Murry Alexis Foust. (Covington Police Department)

(CINCINNATI) — A search is underway for a 22-year-old Northern Kentucky University student who went missing nearly a week ago, according to police.

The missing student, Murry Alexis Foust, was last seen on April 27 in the Latonia neighborhood of Covington, about nine miles south of Cincinnati, according to a statement from the Covington Police Department.

“At this time, there is no indication of foul play. We understand the family’s concern and share in the worry they are experiencing during this difficult time,” police officials said in the statement.

Police asked the public for help in locating Foust. “Concerns for their safety have arisen, and your input could be crucial,” police said.

The Covington Police Department released surveillance images of Foust, which it described as “the most recent surveillance footage we have found.” Citing police officials, ABC affiliate WCPO in Cincinnati said the surveillance images of Foust, who’s seen carrying a tan or yellow backpack and walking in the Latonia neighborhood, were taken around 6 p.m. local time on April 27.

“Northern Kentucky University is aware that one of our students, Murry (Alexis) Foust, has been reported missing. We are deeply concerned and our thoughts are with their family, friends and all those impacted,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “The Covington Police Department is leading the investigation, and we are fully cooperating and supporting their efforts. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Covington Police.”

Police officials said they are using multiple resources in the search for Foust, including water rescue and search teams, and drone operators.

In an interview on Friday, Foust’s father told WCPO that there have been unconfirmed reported sightings of Foust since the student was reported missing, including one on Friday. However, no one has heard from Foust, the father said.

Foust is fine arts major in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and is set to graduate next week, WCPO reported.

Friends of Foust told WCPO that Foust was planning to go to a class at Northern Kentucky University on the afternoon Foust went missing. Friends said Foust’s phone was found at the student’s home and Foust’s backpack was located on the university campus, according to WCPO.

“We don’t know what happened. They could be in danger,” Eve Miller, a friend of Foust, told WCPO.

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National

Man arrested for killing Wendy’s co-worker, roommate in fatal stabbings on Long Island: Police

WABC

(NEW YORK) — A man was arrested Friday after police say he fatally stabbed his roommate and then his co-worker at a Wendy’s on Long Island.

Rony Alvarenga, 22, was charged Saturday with two counts of murder after he turned himself in following the killings of the 42-year-old co-worker and 32-year-old roommate, Nassau County Police Department Det. Lt. George Darienzo told reporters.

The names of the victims, both women, have yet to be released.

Alvarenga allegedly killed his roommate around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday inside the Valley Stream house they lived in, according to Darienzo.

Hours later, police got a call from a Wendy’s in Island Park about a man with a knife and when they arrived, they found the 42-year-old victim and declared her dead at the scene.

As officers collected clues, including surveillance video, they received a phone call from Alvarenga where he allegedly claimed he had killed someone that night. Officers responded to a 7-Eleven location where Alvarenga turned himself in, according to police.

Darienzo said that officers had learned that another person may have been killed that night and went to the the suspect’s home. When they arrived they found the slain roommate.

Alvarenga is originally from El Salvador and has been living in the United States undocumented for the last 10 years, according to officials.

The victims’ identities were pending, but Darienzo told reporters that it is believed the Wendy’s worker had two children in the U.S.

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