A manhunt has ended Wednesday with police taking a suspect into custody who is accused of killing a man inside a home in Reston, Virginia.
Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortiz was taken into custody following a manhunt in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Dec. 17, 2025.(Courtesy Fairfax County Police Department)
Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortiz was taken into custody following a manhunt in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Dec. 17, 2025.(Courtesy Fairfax County Police Department)
A manhunt has ended Wednesday with police taking a suspect into custody who is accused of killing a man inside a home in Reston, Virginia.
Drones, a helicopter and K-9s scoured a neighborhood in search of a man who Fairfax County police allege was behind the shooting.
Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez, 23, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and a gun was recovered at the scene, according to a social media post from police.
Police Chief Kevin Davis said the suspect fatally shot another man inside a home in the 12300 block of Fan Shell Court, then fled the area on a bicycle. That neighborhood is near the intersection of the Dulles Access Road and Fairfax County Parkway.
Morales-Ortez’s last known address was the home where the shooting took place in a neighborhood near the intersection of the Dulles Access Road and Fairfax County Parkway.
Police believe the man who was killed lived in the home, Davis said.
“They probably have resided in the same house, either now or at some time in the past before,” Davis said during a news conference. “So logically, to assume that they know each other and are familiar with each other is a safe bet to make.”
There’s no word yet on motive.
The man who was fatally shot has not been identified, Davis said.
At the time of the news conference, Davis said police were working to get an arrest warrant for Morales-Ortez.
A suspect leaves on a bike — prompting a manhunt
Before police found Morales-Ortez, Davis said, “We need to put handcuffs on a person who just shot and killed another human being inside of a home in this residential community, and that’s what we’re working really hard to do.”
Police released on social media a picture of Morales-Ortez and cast a “wide net” in their search, Davis said.
The police chief said Morales-Ortez was considered “armed and dangerous.”
Five Fairfax County Public Schools in the area were placed on “secure the building” status as police searched for Morales-Ortez, the school system told WTOP in a statement. That means students and staff were asked to remain inside those schools and dismissals were delayed until police could determine it’s safe.
WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.
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ALAMOSA COUNTY, Colo. — Federal, state, and local authorities arrested a child rape suspect in Alamosa County on Sunday.
Paul Sandoval, 62, was captured near Blanca Peak in southeastern Colorado following a five-day, multi-agency manhunt led by the U.S. Marshals Service and Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Sandoval had been on the run for four years and was wanted for felony sexual assault of a child and other charges stemming from a violent attack on an 8-year-old girl on his property in 2021, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. Marshals Service
Authorities said Sandoval fled and disappeared into the mountains upon learning of the warrant that was issued for his arrest following the 2021 incident.
Authorities tracked the 62-year-old suspect using surveillance devices after he resurfaced in the area in August, allegedly committing break-ins and confirmed to be armed with a rifle, according to the press release.
The Marshals Service said a team of over 70 law enforcement officers from numerous agencies formed the search team that located Sandavol and took him into custody at 10:22 a.m. on Lake Como Road.
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Miami-Dade deputies are searching a wooded area west of Tamiami after a machete attack near Southwest 137th Avenue that left a woman with minor injuries.
Miami Herald file
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies are on a manhunt in a wooded area of west Tamiami — searching for a man who attacked a woman with a machete Wednesday evening.
Around 5:30 p.m., deputies rushed to the area of Southwest 137th Avenue and Eighth Street to reports of a fight between a man and woman that got out of hand, the sheriff’s office said.
The unidentified man pulled out a machete and hit the woman with the weapon’s backside, not stabbing nor cutting her. He subsequently fled into the woods.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition with minor injuries.
Deputies deployed K-9 units as they continued their search for the man.
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.
OREM, Utah — President Donald Trump said Friday that he believes “with a high degree of certainty” that authorities have apprehended a suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody,” Trump said during an appearance on Fox & Friends, noting that someone “very close to him turned him in.”
Trump praised local and state officials for their work tracking down the suspect who was captured on video on the rooftop of a Utah Vallery University building after Kirk was killed after being struck in the neck with one single shot.
“Everybody did a great job, you know,” the President said. “You start off with absolutely nothing, and we started off with a cliff that made him look like an ant, that was almost useless. We just saw there was somebody up there. And so much work has been done over the last two and a half days.”
Trump said he hoped the suspect would be found guilty and get the death penalty.
“What he did, Charlie Kirk, he was the finest person that, he didn’t deserve this.”
State and federal officials have scheduled a news conference for 6 a.m. Pacific time.
Trump’s claims came the morning after Utah authorities pleaded for the public’s help in identifying the gunman and released new video of a suspect in dark clothing lying face-down on the corner of a roof at Utah Valley University. He then ran across the roof and jumped off of it, using his hands to lower himself over the edge.
Beau Mason, the head of Utah’s Department Public Safety, said in a TV interview Thursday night on MSNBC that “we’re exploring leads for individuals out of state and individuals that live close by.” We literally have persons of interest, tips coming in on the tip line that are spanning far, far and wide.”
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said investigators were chasing several leads after the suspect left palm impressions and smudges on the roof that they hoped would allow them to collect DNA. He also left a shoe imprint officials believe is from a Converse tennis shoe.
Law enforcement is circulating the video as well as photos of the suspect — who was last seen wearing blue jeans, a baseball cap, gray Converse shoes and a long-sleeved black T-shirt that appeared to show an American flag and an eagle. Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday night they hoped the images and video would get as much attention as possible to help investigators capture “this evil human being.”
“We are going to catch this person,” Cox said, noting that he had worked with attorneys to get affidavits ready “so that we can pursue the death penalty in this case.”
With pressure building on authorities, the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, took the unusual step Thursday of flying to Utah. But he did not speak at the news conference.
More than 7,000 tips have been submitted to the FBI, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. But on Thursday evening Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, told MSNBC that authorities still “have no idea” where Kirk’s killer is.
The suspected murder weapon, a high-powered bolt-action rifle, was recovered in a wooded area near a parking lot, said Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office. Mason said the suspect was seen running to that area after getting down from the roof.
Kirk was afervant conservative and enormously influential figure in American politics, with a combined 25.6 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
A provocative figure, Kirk was known for challenging left-wing orthodoxies on college campuses and clung strongly to his Christian faith, arguing that there should be no division between church and state in America.
Kirk’s assassination sparked fierce backlash from conservative leaders, including President Trump, who blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for his death. On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance traveled from Utah to Phoenix aboard Air Force Two with Kirk’s family to bring the activist’s casket home.
On Thursday evening, hundreds gathered in a park in Orem, Utah, to remember and honor Kirk.
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The multi-generational crowd held American flags, pushed children in strollers and donned “Make America Great Again” hats while they prayed and sang together.
“Come together in light,” Mayor David Young said to the crowd. “Violence has no place here.”
The mourners sang along to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and participated in a group prayer.
“This is the healing that we needed,” said Klea Harris, whose children helped organize the event.
More than a hundred people lined up with flowers, candles and flags, waiting for their turn to place them before a memorial that centered on a larger-than-life photo of Kirk.
“It’s important that we don’t turn on each other in this moment,” said Jason Preston, a conservative podcast host. He received rousing applause when he told the crowd: “This is not a battle of right versus left, this is a battle of good versus evil.”
Earlier in the day, young conservatives gathered on campus, hanging red banners in honor of Kirk’s Republican ideology and carrying posters with phrases such as “We are not afraid” and “Charlie Kirk, American hero.”
“I think this kind of woke a sleeping giant,” said UVU student Jillian Green, 20. “People are outraged and very upset that he [was killed] when he was advocating for so many of us.”
Koby Herrera, a fellow student at the university, also felt that the death could mark a shift in political history, noting that it could further raise Kirk’s influence.
“He had a voice, and I feel like his voice is bigger now that he’s in the grave,” said Herrera, 22.
Kirk held huge sway over young Republicans, and key members of the Trump administration credited him with helping them secure the GOP’s 2024 electoral victory.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Thursday that officials have received more than 7,000 digital tips and leads in connection with the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which he noted is the most since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead.
A massive manhunt is underway for the suspect, who has not been identified.
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now. The public has answered our call for action. So far, we’ve received more than 7,000 leads and tips,” Cox said at a news briefing, adding that he is hopeful that newly released photos and video will lead to additional tips.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a press conference regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 11, 2025. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
The governor also said nearly 200 interviews have been conducted, as officials continue to search for the shooter.
State officials are moving to pursue the death penalty if the case goes to trial, Cox said.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for murdering Kirk.
The agency also released new video Thursday night showing the shooter climbing down from the roof of a building on the campus of Utah Valley University before fleeing the scene.
Video was also shared by a homeowner in the area after the person of interest was seen in their neighborhood after the shooting took place.
Shortly before the news conference, state officials also released new photos of the person of interest.
The person was seen walking down steps while carrying a black backpack and wearing a shirt with a print of what appeared to be an American flag and a Bald Eagle.
A split showing four newly-released photographs of the person of interest in Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah.(Utah Public Safety)
Earlier on Thursday, the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office released two images showing the person wearing that same shirt as well as a baseball cap and sunglasses.
The Utah Department of Public Safety said the images were pulled from campus security footage shortly before the shooting.
Second lady Usha Vance holds the hand of Charlie Kirk’s wife as they deplane Air Force Two while escorting the body of Charlie Kirk on September 11, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona.(Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
Officials said the person of interest appeared to be of college age and blended in with students on campus.
The FBI also said on Thursday that a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered. A “high-powered bolt action rifle” was located in a wooded area near where the shooting happened.
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance escorted Kirk’s casket before the flight on Air Force Two from Utah to Kirk’s home state of Arizona. Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, was seen visibly emotional as the casket passed before her.
The second lady held Frantzve’s hand as they stepped off the aircraft before Kirk’s body was taken to a funeral home.
What we know about ongoing manhunt for Charlie Kirk shooting suspect
Good morning. I’m Bo Mason, commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety. I’d be remiss if we didn’t start off today to recognize the significance of, of the day, um. Historically on 9/11, law enforcement has come together as *** group to recognize and honor those that sacrificed. To preserve the ideals of this country, the freedoms of this country. And instead, we find ourselves today hunting *** murderer. We chose to violate our rights, the rights of an individual within this country. Just to recap yesterday’s events. At around 12:20 p.m. Political influencer Charlie Kirk was in Utah Valley University, participating in *** student sponsored event with Turning Point USA. Charlie was shot at that event. He was transported to *** local hospital where he later passed. Last night, his body was moved to the office, the state office of the medical examiner. We will continue to facilitate movements um to get him home today, um, and with his family. Yesterday during the investigative process we located *** couple of persons of interest. We interviewed those individuals. And after releasing them and after clearing them of being suspects. They face scrutiny. They face threats. We asked the public to be patient with the investigative process. These individuals were not suspects. They were people of interest. We ask that you do not impose into those those people and that investigative process. They don’t deserve that harassment for being subject to that. I’d like to thank all the investigators that are involved in this. They have worked around the clock all day yesterday through the night last night. Investigators from the State Bureau of Investigations, from county, from city agencies, the university, our federal partners with the FBI, the ATF, um, and many others. Those are just *** few of the people that we have involved in this. I’d like to thank all of them for their, for their strong work. Through all that work last night, we were able to make *** few, few breakthroughs. Um, we were able to track the movements of the shooter. Starting at 11:52 a.m. the subject arrived on campus shortly away from campus. We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to *** shooting location. After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building, and fled off of the campus and into *** neighborhood. Our investigators have worked through those neighborhoods, contacting anybody they can with doorbell cameras, witnesses, and thoroughly worked through those communities trying to identify any leads. We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time. We’re working through some technologies and some ways to identify this individual. If we are unsuccessful, we will reach out to you as the media, and we will push that publicly to help us identify them, but we’re confident in our abilities right now and we would like to move forward in *** manner that keeps everyone safe and moves this process appropriately. Last night I communicated with Erica. The family is devastated. As Commissioner of Public safety. As *** father, as *** husband, I can only imagine what that family is going through. The heinous event that happened yesterday is not Utah. This is not what we’re known for. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the state come together to help families in mourning, come together as *** community to show what Utah is known for. For *** state of, of character. Of service, of camaraderie, of ***, of *** neighboring field. We will not stand for what happened yesterday. We are exhausting every lead. We have every officer invested in this, every investigator, every local agency. The outpouring of support from the law enforcement community has been astounding. We are, we are investing everything we have into this, and we will catch this individual. Having walked through the crime scene, through the hallways of this school, through the classrooms. I can’t imagine what the people on scene felt as well. *** horrific event where some of them barricaded in classrooms, some of them ran in fear. Can’t over over overstate. The tragedy and the horrific event that yesterday was. And how we will work to, to bring to justice the actions of one individual or any other individuals that assisted in that. Our state has gone through *** lot and we will come out successfully. With that, I’ll turn the time over to Special Agens charge. Good morning. My name is Robert Bows, and I’m the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake Field Office. Following yesterday’s tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk, FBI agents have been working around the clock in coordination with our law enforcement partners. We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it. This morning, I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting. It’s *** high-powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was was recovered in *** wooded area where the shooter had fled. So the FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear impression, *** palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis. I understand there are *** lot of questions about motive. I assure you that all leads, tips, and tips are being fully investigated. As of this morning, we received more than 130 tests. We thank the community for that. The FBI has brought every resource to bear. And we will continue to do so throughout the course of this investigation. The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. It’s to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Any attack on the First Amendment. is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy. That is why we will, we will relentlessly pursue this case and the shooter until we find him. We also continue to grieve with the family and the community. It’s our community. If you have any video or images from the shooting, we ask you to please submit them to our digital media tip website at www.FBI.gov/Utahvalley shooting. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. We truly rely on the public’s help in these types of cases, and no tip is too small or insignificant. Thank you. Um, Commissioner James Matthews from Sky News, can I ask, uh, about the shooter? There’s clearly information, uh, about him or her. You say you’re confident at this stage in terms of tracking down who they are. Can you talk to us about their movements, their demeanor? Do you think it’s *** man? And also, can I ask what were the security arrangements in place? Was that move. Being monitored, it’s *** question many people will have particular problem. So what I’ll release about the suspect is uh Suspect blended in well with, with the college institution. Um, we’re not releasing any details right now and then we, we will soon, um, but right now we’re not, but that, that individual um appears to be of, of college age, um. We are confident in our abilities to track that individual. If we’re unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out to the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos. That was *** new development overnight working through the night studying those cameras, so that’s something that’s new and that we’re working through right now. As far as the security, I cannot speak to that. Neither the Department of Public Safety nor the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in in the planning or security of this event, and that’ll have to be *** question later for other agencies. I wanted to ask you, you mentioned that you found the gun in *** wooded area. Do you believe that the suspect could be hiding in the woods, and is that suspect possibly still in this area? So that’s *** good question and it’s, it’s *** question that goes to the safety of the community, right? Um, no, not in those woods. We walked through those woods and secured it. Um, as to the community, I can tell you that this was *** targeted event. Um, we don’t believe the community is, is at risk. However, we’re exhausting every resource to find him, uh, and. We will, we will do so on the BBC from the images you have, can you see clearly the suspect’s face? You say he was college age, do you believe he was from this university, and how far do you think he may have gone in this time span? So I can’t comment specifically on his face or any details such as that, uh, as it’s continuing to be *** part of the investigation and, and again we’ll release that shortly. Uh, however, um, we’re, we’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he’s gone. And you do? We, we have images of the of the suspects that you’ve been able to recover, do you believe you know who this person is, the person that you’re looking for at this point again, as part of the investigation, we’re not releasing any details fingerprints or DNA. We are, we are exhausting all of our resources to be able to collect those, uh, but that’s again part of the excuse me. You said you found the weapon. Have you been able to trace back the owner of that weapon or purchased it? We are working on that but again part of the of the FBI think that’s impacting. We’ve got complete and total support from everyone from the director on down and it’s been an incredible supportive environment so far. tweets like the one where I can say is that we’re working the investigation the best we have right now.
What we know about ongoing manhunt for Charlie Kirk shooting suspect
A manhunt continues Thursday as law enforcement officials search for the suspect responsible for fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk at the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday.Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA when he was shot and killed. Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA.What we know about the shooterPolice are still working to identify the shooter.The suspect targeted Kirk, firing a single shot from a distant rooftop, according to Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason. Authorities said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.Authorities said the suspect arrived on campus just before noon. After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, according to the FBI. The shooter is still on the run, and it is not clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.Officials are reviewing grainy security videos of a person in dark clothing. “We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.” Are there other suspects?A person of interest was taken into custody Wednesday evening after the shooting, but has since been released, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. No charges were filed. Officials have no information indicating a second person was involved, according to Cox. Two other people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA when he was shot and killed. Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA.
Authorities said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.
Authorities said the suspect arrived on campus just before noon.
After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, according to the FBI.
The shooter is still on the run, and it is not clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.
Officials are reviewing grainy security videos of a person in dark clothing. “We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.
Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”
Are there other suspects?
A person of interest was taken into custody Wednesday evening after the shooting, but has since been released, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. No charges were filed.
Officials have no information indicating a second person was involved, according to Cox.
Two other people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said.
A man who evaded authorities with his three children in the remote New Zealand countryside for nearly four years was shot and killed by a police officer Monday, law enforcement said.One child was with Tom Phillips at the time of the confrontation and the other two children were found in the forest hours after the shootout, in which an officer was critically injured.The December 2021 disappearance of Phillips and his children — now about 9, 10 and 11 years old — confounded investigators for years as they scoured the densely forested area where they believed the family was hiding. The father and children were not believed to ever have traveled far from the isolated North Island rural settlement of Marokopa where they lived, but credible sightings of them were rare.Phillips has not been formally identified, but authorities believed he was the man killed.Police officer was shot and critically injuredA police officer was shot in the head and critically injured during a confrontation with Phillips after he robbed an agricultural supplies store early Monday morning, New Zealand’s Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters in the city of Hamilton. The child with Phillips at the time of the robbery was taken into custody.The officer was undergoing surgery at a hospital. His injuries were survivable, Rogers said, but he was shot “multiple times with a high-powered rifle” and further surgeries were expected.Fugitive’s other two children found hours after shootoutThe whereabouts of Phillips’ other two children was unknown immediately after the shooting and authorities held serious concerns for them, Rogers said earlier.About 13 hours after their father was killed, however, Rogers told reporters that the children had been found unaccompanied at a remote campsite in rugged forest. The child taken into custody Monday had cooperated with the authorities, allowing them to narrow the search area, she said.The farm supplies store targeted Monday was in a small town in the same sprawling farming region of Waikato, south of Auckland, as the settlement of about 40 people from where the family vanished. The case has fascinated New Zealanders and the authorities made regular unsuccessful appeals for information.Sightings of Phillips were limited to surveillance footage that showed him allegedly committing crimes in the area. He was wanted for an armed bank robbery while on the run in May 2023, accompanied by one of his children, in which he reportedly shot at a member of the public.Authorities believed Phillips had helpPhillips did not have legal custody rights for his children, Detective Senior Sgt. Andrew Saunders told reporters in 2024. Authorities said they had not had access to formal education or health care since their disappearance.Law enforcement always believed that Phillips had help concealing his family and some residents of the isolated rural area expressed support for him. A reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars ($47,000), large by New Zealand standards was offered for information about the family’s whereabouts last June, but it was never paid.Family had gone missing beforeDecember 2021 was not the first time Phillips prompted national news headlines after disappearing with his children. The family went missing that September, launching a three-week land and sea search after Phillips’ truck was found abandoned on a wild beach near where he lived.Authorities eventually ended the search, concluding the family might have died, before Phillips and the children emerged from dense forest where he said they had been camping. He was charged with wasting police resources and was due to appear in court in January 2022, but weeks before the scheduled date he and the children vanished again.The police did not immediately launch a search because Phillips, who is experienced in the outdoors, had told family he was taking the children on another trip. He never returned.The search intensified again after several sightings of Phillips in 2023 in the same region where he had vanished. He was last seen on surveillance video in August this year as he robbed a grocery store in the night, accompanied by one of his children.Children’s mother issues a statementThe children’s mother issued a statement to Radio New Zealand on Monday in which she said she was “deeply relieved” that the “ordeal” for her children had ended.“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” said the woman, who has been identified in New Zealand news outlets only by her first name, Cat.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand —
A man who evaded authorities with his three children in the remote New Zealand countryside for nearly four years was shot and killed by a police officer Monday, law enforcement said.
One child was with Tom Phillips at the time of the confrontation and the other two children were found in the forest hours after the shootout, in which an officer was critically injured.
The December 2021 disappearance of Phillips and his children — now about 9, 10 and 11 years old — confounded investigators for years as they scoured the densely forested area where they believed the family was hiding. The father and children were not believed to ever have traveled far from the isolated North Island rural settlement of Marokopa where they lived, but credible sightings of them were rare.
Phillips has not been formally identified, but authorities believed he was the man killed.
Police officer was shot and critically injured
A police officer was shot in the head and critically injured during a confrontation with Phillips after he robbed an agricultural supplies store early Monday morning, New Zealand’s Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters in the city of Hamilton. The child with Phillips at the time of the robbery was taken into custody.
The officer was undergoing surgery at a hospital. His injuries were survivable, Rogers said, but he was shot “multiple times with a high-powered rifle” and further surgeries were expected.
Fugitive’s other two children found hours after shootout
The whereabouts of Phillips’ other two children was unknown immediately after the shooting and authorities held serious concerns for them, Rogers said earlier.
About 13 hours after their father was killed, however, Rogers told reporters that the children had been found unaccompanied at a remote campsite in rugged forest. The child taken into custody Monday had cooperated with the authorities, allowing them to narrow the search area, she said.
The farm supplies store targeted Monday was in a small town in the same sprawling farming region of Waikato, south of Auckland, as the settlement of about 40 people from where the family vanished. The case has fascinated New Zealanders and the authorities made regular unsuccessful appeals for information.
Sightings of Phillips were limited to surveillance footage that showed him allegedly committing crimes in the area. He was wanted for an armed bank robbery while on the run in May 2023, accompanied by one of his children, in which he reportedly shot at a member of the public.
Authorities believed Phillips had help
Phillips did not have legal custody rights for his children, Detective Senior Sgt. Andrew Saunders told reporters in 2024. Authorities said they had not had access to formal education or health care since their disappearance.
Law enforcement always believed that Phillips had help concealing his family and some residents of the isolated rural area expressed support for him. A reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars ($47,000), large by New Zealand standards was offered for information about the family’s whereabouts last June, but it was never paid.
Family had gone missing before
December 2021 was not the first time Phillips prompted national news headlines after disappearing with his children. The family went missing that September, launching a three-week land and sea search after Phillips’ truck was found abandoned on a wild beach near where he lived.
Authorities eventually ended the search, concluding the family might have died, before Phillips and the children emerged from dense forest where he said they had been camping. He was charged with wasting police resources and was due to appear in court in January 2022, but weeks before the scheduled date he and the children vanished again.
The police did not immediately launch a search because Phillips, who is experienced in the outdoors, had told family he was taking the children on another trip. He never returned.
The search intensified again after several sightings of Phillips in 2023 in the same region where he had vanished. He was last seen on surveillance video in August this year as he robbed a grocery store in the night, accompanied by one of his children.
Children’s mother issues a statement
The children’s mother issued a statement to Radio New Zealand on Monday in which she said she was “deeply relieved” that the “ordeal” for her children had ended.
“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” said the woman, who has been identified in New Zealand news outlets only by her first name, Cat.
This photo provided by FBI Seattle shows a closed road to Rock Island Campground where multiple law enforcement agencies are participating in the search for Travis Decker, who was charged with murder and kidnapping, near Leavenworth, Wa. on Monday, August 25, 2025. (FBI via AP)
LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — The FBI on Monday launched an intensive two-day search for clues to the whereabouts of Travis Decker near the Washington state campground where his three young daughters were found dead in early June.
But authorities stressed that there had been no break in the case and they still haven’t determined whether Decker is still alive.
Decker, a former soldier, has been wanted since June 2, when a sheriff’s deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — at the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
The discovery came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit.
Authorities closed popular campgrounds and trailheads in the forest near Leavenworth as close to 100 FBI agents and other law enforcement officers bushwhacked through rugged terrain. Divers planned to again search Icicle Creek in an effort to reach areas where logjams had previously barred dive teams, they said.
During a news conference Monday, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison and Peter Orth, the FBI’s supervisory senior resident agent in Yakima, stressed that investigators still have no evidence about whether Decker is alive or dead.
“You can’t be too thorough in a search like this,” Orth said. “It is such incredibly dense vegetation that anybody who walks down one of these trails could walk 10 meters off the trail and no one would ever know they’re there.”
Teams were conducting a grid search in a quarter-mile (0.4 km) radius around the campground, they said.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to Decker’s capture.
A California woman was found dead in a national forest just a day after her husband was captured on video dragging something large wrapped in what appeared to be a tarp or sheet away from his home.
The body of Sheylla Cabrera, 33, was found on Aug. 13 in Angeles National Forest wrapped in a tarp or sheet similar to the one her husband, 36-year-old Jossimar Cabrera, was seen pulling the day before on Ring camera footage, according to KTTV and KTLA.
Search and rescue teams from the Montrose Mountain Search and Rescue team reported finding something suspicious in the Angeles National Forest that matched the material seen in the Ring video, the outlets reported.
Jossimar Cabrera was identified as a person of interest in the investigation.(Don Luis Meza)
He fled to Peru before the discovery of his wife’s body, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is currently working with local authorities to extradite him to California.
Officials are expected to charge him with murder if he is sent back to California.
Jossimar Cabrera fled to Peru before the discovery of his wife’s body.(Don Luis Meza)
There is a moment that looms large over everything else in the pilot of Apple TV’s post-Civil War drama, Manhunt, a conversation that will haunt Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) for the rest of his life. He’s hard at work in his office, putting together the plans for Reconstruction, when Abraham Lincoln (Midnight Mass’ Hamish Linklater) comes in tossing a baseball and invites him to the theater tonight (Ulysses S. Grant flaked to hang with his wife). Stanton is intrigued, drawn in by his friend’s easy charm, but ultimately backs out — he also owes his wife a night together. And so Lincoln strolls out, bemoaning that he’ll just be hanging out with Mary’s friends as he sees Our American Cousin.
The rest is history: That night, Lincoln would be assassinated at the theater. Andrew Johnson would take the oath of office the following day. And Stanton — as Manhunt depicts — would spend the next 12 days hunting down Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, and the rest of his life wondering what would’ve happened if he said yes to an evening at the theater.
It’s no surprise that Stanton might forever ponder the road not taken, even though he made sure someone was guarding Lincoln that night. It’s a thought that’s incredibly compelling as Manhunt turns Stanton’s survivor’s guilt over and over. His connection to Lincoln makes it all the more provocative: Losing a friend like this is a tragedy. But when you’re also secretary of war to one of the most important presidents in United States history, trusted with his security and that of the nation, your actions have larger consequences. Every choice Johnson makes (or doesn’t make) in the postwar panic, every new vector point for the country, hangs on Stanton’s soul, a constant reminder of his failures and what we could’ve had.
As a period drama, Manhunt is tasked with reading viewers in on a lot of vernacular and specific historical context. Too often its script cuts corners, making things as simple as possible, eschewing ambiguity in favor of a tidy narrative. The show grinds to a halt every time someone is forced to underline the point of the scene you just saw. It can be clumsy about working in exposition, or tackling Lincoln as a Great Man™, and big moments often come with the desire to be seen as big moments, rather than feeling like them. It’s hard for there to be enough scenery to chew on when most everyone in Manhunt feels like they have to stop and tell you how it tastes.
Image: Apple TV Plus
But it’s Menzies’ performance that grounds the show even when its dialogue can’t fully connect those dots. Every scene post-assassination has a heaviness to it, even when Stanton is energized on the hunt for Booth. Menzies brings in a sort of lightly manic energy, a ferocity of offense to mask the deeply rooted guilt already taking hold in his soul. It’s his performance that best ensures Lincoln’s loss is felt even when it’s unspoken, or when the show gets too busy. It’s this angle that gives Manhunt its juice, a reminder that Lincoln the myth was Lincoln the man first and foremost, and that he was mourned as not just a compatriot but also a companion.
So it’s no surprise that the moment in Stanton’s office looms large in Manhunt’s narrative. It’s the first scene we get to see Lincoln as just a dude. He comes into his friend’s office, plops his feet up on his desk, jokes around, and bemoans his bud’s need to put in the time. It’s a distinctly casual feel, Abraham Lincoln: The Legend, only in the accurate (if distracting) makeup and costuming the show layers Linklater behind. This is more than a man who could rouse a room and change how we see ourselves as a nation; he was also a pal you could look up to. That’s the loss that Manhunt makes us feel, and what makes the stakes for Stanton’s mission feel so incredibly high.
The first two episodes of Manhunt are now streaming on Apple TV Plus. New episodes drop every Friday.
Alleem Bordan, the prisoner who escaped from police custody at Temple Health’s Episcopal Hospital, was captured Thursday in Cambria County by the U.S. Marshals Service after more than three days on the run, officials said.
Bordan was taken into custody at a home in Johnstown, more than 200 miles away from Philadelphia, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Clark said. He allegedly had been driven there with help from people aware of his situation and taken to a house where he knew the residents. Bordan has a criminal history in Johnstown, Clark said.
Bordan did not resist arrest when U.S. Marshals went to the home, Clark said. He allegedly told authorities he was aware of the news reports about his escape. He is being held at Cambria County Prison and awaiting extradition.
Authorities have not yet determined whether anyone else will face charges for helping Bordan, Clark said.
Bordan, 29, was arrested Sunday for allegedly stealing a car from a food delivery driver on Feb. 22. Police found him sleeping in the vehicle, which was parked on the 1100 block of Frankford Avenue in Fishtown. He was later taken to Episcopal Hospital in East Kensington to be treated for back pain.
After he was discharged, Bordan broke free from the officers who were escorting him to a police car. Surveillance video shows him running through a gas station parking lot while still handcuffed. Footage also shows him enter a home nearby a short time later and then get into a gold Hyundai that left the area, investigators said.
On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Marshals went to a home on Columbia Avenue, near Fairmount Park, in an effort to find Bordan after his criminal history helped trace him to the property, police said. Bordan allegedly opened the door and rushed past police, jumping down a 30-foot embankment to get to the SEPTA tracks below. He then ran north to escape from investigators.
That was the final time Bordan was seen before he was captured.
@USMS_Philly along with members of the Western PA Fugitive Task Force, arrested Philadelphia escapee Alleem Borden this afternoon in Johnstown, PA. Borden was found hiding in an attic crawlspace in the 300 block of David Street. He was then transported to the Cambria Co. Jail. pic.twitter.com/T0EwZzjnDh
— U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia (@USMS_Philly) February 29, 2024
Police had warned that Borden was “possibly armed” and offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. Clark was not armed when he was taken into custody, Clark said. He’s expected to be charged with escape in addition to charges stemming from the alleged car theft.
Bordan is one of several prisoners in the Philly region who have escaped custody in the last year. Last month, authorities caught alleged murderer Shane Pryor, 17, four days after he escaped custody outside Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was being treated for an injured hand.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — An active law enforcement scene unfolded in Raleigh on Tuesday night as the Highway Patrol searched for suspects after a reported high-speed chase that ended in a crash.
Troopers were seen speeding around the neighborhood near Triangle Town Center late Tuesday.
Law enforcement eventually focused attention in the mall’s parking lot where just before 11 p.m., ABC11 watched as authorities brought someone in handcuffs out of a wooded area.
That man was escorted out by Raleigh Police after an expansive search, but ABC11 is asking how he was connected to the larger scene.
On Sumner Boulevard near Triangle Town Boulevard, law enforcement surrounded a white Kia with a flat tire.
An officer told the ABC11 crew to keep moving because “the entire area is being searched.”
ABC11 learned that there was some kind of pursuit with the white Kia and it appeared that the people in the car being chased bailed out and ran into the woods.
ABC11 is awaiting more details from the Highway Patrol.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office said it was assisting state troopers but noted that the Highway Patrol is the lead agency in the search.
A Highway Patrol helicopter and drone were also visible in the area.
The search for other possible suspects continued into the night.
Whether 2023 is one of the best years for video games is up for debate. But it is certainly one of the best years for Christmas video games, thanks to a surprising number of festive, holiday-themed releases. That includes a video game sequel to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Ebenezer Scrooge and made in the Metroidvania style.
While many live service games will drench themselves in Christmas and Hanukkah-themed cosmetics and map makeovers this month, not since Sega’s Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams… has there been such an eclectic mix of festive fare. Some are naughty, and some are nice. And at least one, a gory slasher that will appeal to fans of Rockstar Games’ murderous Manhunt, is definitely not for kids.
Here’s a look at 2023’s Christmas games.
Ebenezer and the Invisible World
Set after the events of Ebenezer Scrooge’s encounter with Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, Ebenezer and the Invisible World sees the once-miserly grump setting off on a new adventure. Invigorated by Christmas cheer, Ebenezer is enlisted by another ghost to help alter the destiny of evil industrialist and population-principle-believer Caspar Malthus. Aiding Ebenezer in his mission are many more ghosts — which are basically summonable familiars and power-ups that are heavily inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. (Ebenezer even has Alucard’s back dash.)
Ebenezer and the Invisible World is an enjoyable action-adventure game with greater depth than you might think. The game’s hand-drawn graphics and wide array of characters and quests keep the whole thing moving along pleasantly; plus it’s just fun to see old Ebenezer wielding a giant ax or spinning a flaming spear. He’s very spry for his age!
Ebenezer and the Invisible World is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Lake: Seasons Greetings
The video game Lake is a cozy, narrative adventure set in the sleepy village of Providence Oaks, Oregon. Set in the year 1986, players stepped into the shoes of Meredith Weiss, a metropolitan, career-driven woman who returns home to temporarily take over her father’s postal route. Lake: Season’s Greetings delivers similar smalltown vibes, but this time, players tour the town as Thomas Weiss, Meredith’s father, as Christmastime approaches.
Lake: Season’s Greetings is a prequel to the original Lake, available as DLC for that game. These cozy, wintry vibes are available on PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Christmas Massacre
Make it a silent night, make it a deadly night with the stealth-slasher Christmas Massacre, which made its debut on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November. (It’s been on PC since 2021.) Inspired by snuff game Manhunt, top-down shoot-’em-up Hotline Miami, and PlayStation 1-era aesthetics, Christmas Massacre lets you slay as Larry, a man who is clearly not well, because his Christmas tree is commanding him to kill.
Obviously, Christmas Massacre is probably not something you should play with the whole family, but if over-the-top violence and gore done super lo-fi is your thing, it’s a fun romp, as murder rampages go. You will be flamethrowing roomfuls of children and nuns, just as a heads up.
Christmas Massacre is available on PS4, PS5, and Windows PC via Steam.
The Grinch: Christmas Adventures
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch stars in a 2D side-scrolling platform adventure game that may or may not be any good — I haven’t played it! But The Grinch: Christmas Adventures gives players control of The Grinch himself (and his dog Max, in two-player local co-op) on another Christmas-ruining mission. Like Ebenezer and the Invisible World, this is a one-year-later sequel to the original source material. And like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Grinch’s Christmas Adventures promise to teach him a “valuable lesson about the true spirit of the holiday.” Hopefully he learns for good this time!!
The Grinch: Christmas Adventures is out now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis: The Holy Flame’s Gift
Image: Square Enix
Square Enix’s mobile remake of the expanded Final Fantasy 7 franchise has a new holiday event, which isn’t a stand-alone game, but a new story that features two important elements.
One is a Christmasy new Tifa costume that is currently riling up Tifa fans worldwide. You can see that above.
The other is that the chief antagonist of Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis’ new holiday-themed story is a gingerbread Cactuar. Amazing!
Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis is currently available on Android and iOS devices, and is coming to PC via Steam on Dec. 7, Square Enix just announced. The game’s The Holy Flame’s Gift story is available now.
