Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Body Found in Las Vegas Field Identified as Missing Teenager

LAS VEGAS — After 44 years, the body of a teenager found in an open field near the bustling Las Vegas Strip has finally been identified. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced on Tuesday that the body belongs to Gwenn Marie Story, a 19-year-old from Ohio who had left home in search of her biological father. Previously known as “Sahara Sue Doe,” named after the intersection where she was discovered, Story’s identity remained a mystery until advancements in DNA testing led to her identification last month.

The body was initially found by a man on the night of August 14, 1979, while walking through a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip. With wavy hair and red-painted nails, the victim was believed to have died within 24 hours before being discovered. An autopsy revealed that she was a victim of homicide, but it took decades for investigators to identify her. Last September, with the help of a private DNA testing laboratory, authorities were able to establish Story’s true identity.

Today, the intersection where Story was found is dominated by the towering Strat Hotel, neighboring the Sahara hotel-casino. The case of Sahara Sue Doe was documented in a database maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, but it wasn’t until recently that closure could be brought to this tragic story.

Arrest Made in Connection with Vermont Woman’s Murder

GROTON, Conn. — The U.S. Marshals Service announced on Wednesday that they have apprehended a man wanted in connection with the murder of Claudia Voight, the mother of NBC Connecticut news anchor Heidi Voight. Shawn Conlon, 44, was arrested at a hotel in Groton, Connecticut, by marshals, local police, and Rhode Island State Police. He was arraigned in a Connecticut court later that day and is now being held on $1 million bail, awaiting extradition to Vermont to face a second-degree murder charge.

Claudia Voight, 73, was found dead in her Windham, Vt., home on February 20. Initially believed to have suffered from a medical event, it was later determined that her cause of death was neck compression, only detectable during an autopsy. According to Vermont State Police, Conlon had been renting a room in Claudia Voight’s home and stopped paying rent in late 2022. He allegedly remained in the home until the attack that resulted in her death in February 2023. The motive behind the attack has not been disclosed.

Heidi Voight, the daughter of the victim, has not yet commented on the arrest. However, she expressed her relief on her Facebook page with a simple “HALLELUJAH.”

Indiana Faces Budget Shortfall in Medicaid Program

INDIANAPOLIS — A recent report has raised concerns about Indiana’s budget and access to the state’s low-income health care program, Medicaid. The report revealed that the initial estimate for Medicaid expenses falls nearly $1 billion short of the current predicted need. Lawmakers learned of this shortfall during a session, sparking worries about the state’s ability to adequately fund the program.

In December, a revised outlook indicated that Medicaid would require $984 million more than what was initially projected when the state’s biennium budget was finalized in April. To address the shortfall from the past year, the state has directed $271 million from its general fund back to Medicaid, out of the $525 million previously moved from Medicaid in July. However, the predictions presented to lawmakers suggest that an additional $255.2 million will be needed before July 2024, with a further $457.9 million required for the following year.

Man Charged in Cold-Case Killing of Medical Student in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Elias Diaz, 46, has been formally charged with murder, rape, and other counts in the cold-case killing of medical student Rebecca Park. The charges came after Diaz was arrested for a string of recent attacks where he allegedly assaulted individuals with a large knife while riding a bicycle along the Pennypack Park trail in northeast Philadelphia.

Diaz’s DNA evidence appears to connect him not only to the 2003 strangulation killing of Park but also to several other sexual attacks within the sprawling Fairmount Park. Park, a fourth-year student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, went missing in July 2003 after going for a run in the park. Her body was eventually discovered buried under wood and leaves on a steep hillside, approximately 200 feet off the road.

Represented by the Defender Association of Philadelphia in both the 2003 case and the recent attacks, Diaz is currently being held without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 8, where further details of the case are expected to be presented.

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