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Amber Alert canceled for missing 3-year-old and his mother after bodies found near park

The bodies of Kaiden Kriger, 3, and his mother, Savannah Kriger, 32, have been reportedly found near a park in Texas. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)

San Antonio, Texas

Texas authorities say the search for a 3-year-old boy and his mother has turned into a homicide investigation after they were found dead.

An Amber Alert was issued after Kaiden Kriger and his 32-year-old mother Savannah Kriger went missing Monday afternoon.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said Savannah Kriger left work early that day to pick up Kaiden from day care for a doctor’s appointment.

Savannah Kriger was last seen leaving her son’s day care center at about 2 p.m. driving a white 2023 Lincoln Aviator but authorities said the vehicle was later found abandoned at Tom Slick Park off State Highway 151.

According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, his office received a call Monday night for a welfare check that took them to the Kriger home.

Family members reportedly told authorities that they were not able to get in contact with Savannah Kriger.

Salazar said investigators found items that led them to believe there was a cause for concern for the missing mother and child.

According to Salazar, officers searched for Kaiden and his mother throughout the night until they located two bodies in a ditch behind the park Tuesday morning.

Salazar said they are “operating on the premise that it is Savannah and the child who were found.” He said there was evidence of gunshots that may have been fired and a gun was recovered at the scene.

“At this point, she [Savannah Kriger] is who we’re considering as the suspect,” Salazar said. “We don’t believe any other suspects are outstanding.”

Salazar said Kaiden’s father has been cooperating and helping police.

According to authorities, there had been an ongoing custody battle regarding Kaiden, including a custody hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.

Salazar said the situation may have been a murder-suicide, but their investigation remains ongoing.

15-year-old girl dies after suffering stroke due to COVID, family says

A Georgia family says their 15-year-old girl died after suffering a stroke. (GoFundMe)

Bremen, Ga.

A 15-year-old girl from Georgia has died after her family says she had a stroke that caused irreversible brain damage.

Katelyn Bowling, 15, died this week after suffering a stroke due to COVID, Katelyn’s aunt, Sonya Bowling, shared through a GoFundMe account.

According to the family, it caused irreversible brain damage that affected her motor skills before she died on Wednesday.

Sonya Bowling said her niece also had cerebral palsy.

Bremen City Schools said they are “deeply saddened” at the passing of one of its students.

“Please remember the Bowling family in your thoughts and prayers,” school officials shared.

Funeral services for Katelyn are scheduled for Sunday at the Hightower Funeral Home.

College students raise thousands of dollars to help security guard visit his family in Nigeria

College students raised thousands of dollars to help a security guard visit his family in Nigeria. (GoFundMe)

Providence, R.I.

A group of college students in Rhode Island helped gift their favorite security guard a surprise trip home.

According to Providence College, students living in Raymond Hall came up with a plan and the idea after learning that James Mogaji, an overnight security guard for their building, had not visited his family in Nigeria in more than a decade.

One of the students, Brandon Reichert, started a GoFundMe on Feb. 29 to share Mogaji’s story and the group’s goal of raising money on his behalf.

Within a week, the group was able to raise enough money to present Mogaji with a gift of a $3,000 trip.

“He truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He greets everybody with a smile and always welcomes conversations no matter what time of the night you run into him,” Reichert shared.

A heartfelt video of the group surprising their beloved security guard with the trip has gained thousands of views and comments since being shared earlier this month.

The students said they wanted to show Mogaji how much they appreciated him.

“We were able to gift James with enough money for him to travel to Nigeria to visit his family in June! I’d like to thank everyone who donated as you can see what an impact you made on such an incredible man,” Reichert said.

The group’s fundraising efforts have currently raised nearly $30,000 and they said all further donations will be given to Mogaji at the end of the school year to help fund another trip for him.

Florida mother arrested after trying to sell 18-month-old daughter for $500, police say

Jessica Woods, 33, was arrested and booked into jail on charges of child neglect, abandonment, selling or surrendering a minor for property or money and child abuse. (Putnam County Jail)

Palatka, Fla.

A woman in Florida is facing several charges after reportedly trying to sell her baby.

According to the Palatka Police Department, Jessica Woods, 33, was arrested last week after a worker at an area business said Woods left her daughter with them after attempting to sell the child.

Police said the worker notified them about the incident on March 5.

According to authorities, Woods was loitering around the worker’s place of employment before the unidentified worker asked the mother if she or her child needed any help.

Woods reportedly told the worker that she didn’t need anything but offered to sell her daughter for $500. When they refused to purchase the toddler, Woods allegedly walked away and left her daughter behind.

The worker then brought the child to the Palatka Police Department and told them what happened.

Police and the department’s victim advocate program took care of the child until the Department of Children and Families took custody.

Officers said they located Woods on March 7 and took her into custody. She was booked into the Putnam County Jail on charges that included child neglect and abandonment and three counts of child abuse.

Woods’ 18-month-old has since been placed in foster care.

Lottery winner hits $3 million jackpot after checking ticket left in nightstand for weeks

Melena Hill won $3 million in a Mega Millions drawing after realizing she had the winning numbers weeks later. (Virginia Lottery)

Portsmouth, Va.

A Virginia woman recently cashed in her Mega Millions lottery ticket after waiting weeks to check she had indeed the winning numbers.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Melena Hill’s $3 million ticket had been sitting in a nightstand drawer since January.

She reportedly bought the ticket for the Jan. 9 drawing using Easy Pick, allowing the computer to randomly select six numbers for her.

When the winning numbers were drawn, Hill’s ticket matched the first five numbers, missing only the Mega Ball number.

Lottery officials said Hill spent an extra dollar for a Megaplier option when she bought the ticket and ended up tripling her jackpot to the $3 million prize amount.

Upon realizing she’d won big; she said it was an amazing moment.

“I screamed a little bit. My stomach had butterflies,” Hill said.

The lucky winner bought her ticket at Murphy USA, a gas station located at 6261 College Drive in the Suffolk area.

Drawings for Mega Millions are held on Tuesday and Friday nights.

According to lottery officials, the odds of matching the first five numbers are 1 in 12,607,306.