Duck hunters discover human remains deep in wooded area on hunting trip
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(Taylorsville, N.C.) — Two local duck hunters in North Carolina ended up discovering human remains during an outing earlier this week, police said.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at approximately 5:49 p.m. when two duck hunters were scouting an area in Taylorsville, North Carolina — about 60 miles north of Charlotte — when they came across human remains in a wooded area around the 1600 block of Highway 16 North, according to a statement from the Alexander County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday.
“On January 14th, 2025 the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation processed the scene,” authorities said.
The identity of the human remains is currently unknown and police did not disclose how long they estimated the remains had been there for.
No other details about the case have been released and the person’s death is currently under investigation.
(BALTIMORE, Md.) — The operators of the vessel that destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge in March have agreed to pay nearly $102 million for costs stemming from the federal response, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Under the settlement, the owners and operator of the Dali vessel — Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited — will pay $101,980,000 to resolve civil claims brought against them by the Justice Department in September, the department said.
ABC News has reached out to Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited for comment.
The civil probe is separate from the still-ongoing criminal investigation by the department into the events that led to the vessel’s collision with the bridge.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(JACKSON, Wyo.) –A beloved grizzly bear has been struck and killed by a vehicle in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, officials said.
The famed grizzly bear — known simply as “Grizzly Bear 399”due to the identity tag attached to her ear — was fatally struck on Tuesday evening by a vehicle on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, just south of Jackson, Wyoming, and her identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip, according to a statement from the National Park Service on Wednesday.
“Grizzly bear 399 had a yearling cub with her, whose whereabouts are currently unknown,” park officials said. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest the yearling was also involved in the incident, but the US Fish and Wildlife Service is monitoring the area.”
Vehicle collisions with wildlife, including grizzly bears, are not uncommon. From 2009 to 2023, there have been 49 grizzly bear mortalities due to vehicle collisions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the National Park Service is now working with state and local agencies to gather more information surrounding this latest incident.
“People from around the world have followed grizzly bear 399 for several decades. At 28 years old, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” said Hilary Cooley, Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Wildlife vehicle collisions and conflict are unfortunate. We are thankful the driver is okay and understand the community is saddened to hear that grizzly bear 399 has died,” said Angi Bruce, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director.
In 2024, including this incident, there have been 2 grizzly bear mortalities from vehicle strikes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with the average number of grizzly bear mortalities in the region due to vehicle collisions during 2009-2023 standing at 3.3 bears deaths per year, authorities said.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species. She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins.
No additional information has been made available at this time and the investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
(CALIFORNIA) — The man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Northern California woman in a case that became known nationwide as the “Gone Girl” kidnapping has now been charged with other break-ins and assaults from years earlier, prosecutors announced on Monday.
Matthew Muller — who pleaded guilty in the 2015 kidnapping and sexual assault of Denise Huskins — has now been charged in connection with two other home invasions from 2009, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said.
In the first attack, on Sept. 29, 2009, Muller allegedly broke into a woman’s home in Mountain View, tied her up, forced her drink a mix of medications and told her he was going to rape her, prosecutors said. The woman “persuaded him against it,” and Muller then allegedly suggested she get a dog and fled the scene, prosecutors said.
Weeks later, on Oct. 18, 2009, Muller allegedly broke into a home in Palo Alto, bound and gagged a woman and forced her to drink NyQuil, prosecutors said. “He then began to assault her, before being persuaded to stop,” prosecutors said. “Muller gave the victim crime prevention advice, then fled.”
Muller faces two felony counts of committing a sexual assault during a home invasion, prosecutors said.
Muller, who is currently in a federal prison in Arizona, is expected to be arraigned Monday.
On March 23, 2015, Muller broke into a home in Vallejo, where he drugged and tied up Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, prosecutors said.
He kidnapped Huskins and took her to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe, where he sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
Quinn went to the police, who started to consider him a suspect.
After two days held captive, Muller drove Huskins to Southern California and released her.
Once Huskins was freed, the couple was then accused of a hoax, and the case set off a media firestorm fueled by suggestions that the case mirrored the book and movie “Gone Girl.”
Muller was arrested for Huskins’ kidnapping in June 2015 when he was identified as a suspect in a home invasion in Dublin, California.
Muller pleaded guilty in 2016 to Huskins’ kidnapping and in 2022 to her sexual assaults, prosecutors said.
The case became the subject of the Netflix documentary “American Nightmare” released earlier this year.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
