Missing boy found dead nearly 2 weeks after falling into river while fishing with family

Authorities say the body of 4-year-old Azriel Lopez has been recovered after he slipped and fell into a Massachusetts river while fishing with his mother and siblings.(Lopez-Fontanez family, WFXT via CNN)

Lowell, Mass.

Authorities in Massachusetts say a young boy who was swept away after falling into the Merrimack River last month has been found dead Friday morning.

According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, an off-duty state trooper who was on the river in his personal boat found a body in the water near the Trull Brook Golf Course in Tewksbury.

Authorities confirmed that the body was that of 4-year-old Azriel Lopez.

The Massachusetts State Police marine unit and dive team responded to the scene along with Lowell and Methuen Police Departments and Massachusetts State Police detectives to help with the recovery.

Azriel went missing after he slipped and fell into the water while fishing with his mother and siblings in Lowell on April 19.

Multiple agencies responded, sparking an exhaustive search that spanned nearly two weeks.

The boy’s father and loved ones had previously joined first responders to help search the river for Azriel.

“Can’t describe how he feels. Super bad,” Joan Lopez Contreras said last month through Andrickson Melendez, a friend who interpreted for him, about how they were feeling.

First responders said they used boats, drones and ATVs when conducting searches for the missing boy.

According to officials, several people have been swept into the Merrimack River over the years, with most not surviving.

Foul play isn’t suspected in Azriel’s death, investigators noted.

Toby Keith’s ‘dream’ of running a horse in Kentucky Derby comes true year after his death

FILE — Kentucky Derby entrant Kentucky Derby entrant Render Judgement works out at Churchill Downs on Monday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Louisville, Ky.

A dream of a country music legend has come true a year after his death.

According to Toby Keith’s official page on Instagram, his horse, Render Judgement, will be racing in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

“It was Toby’s dream,” the post shared. “He worked so hard to finally have one there! Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch.”

The country singer-songwriter died last year at the age of 62 after battling stomach cancer.

Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeak and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux. He will break from post position No. 15 with morning line odds of 30-1.

The derby is scheduled for Saturday at Churchill Downs with a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET.

Two killed in shooting at Florida State University identified

Tiru Chabba (left) and Robert Morales (right) were identified as two men killed in the fatal shooting at Florida State University.(Stewart Moore on X and CBS Miami/The Strom Law Firm)

Tallahassee, Fla.

Two of the victims of the deadly shooting on Florida State University’s campus Thursday have been identified.

Former Leon High assistant football coach Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba of Greenville, South Carolina, lost their lives Thursday after a 20-year-old FSU student, Phoenix Ikner, fired shots on the university’s campus.

CBS Miami and the Leon High Athletics Department confirmed the passing of Morales on Friday.

Chabba’s family confirmed his passing in a statement from Wukela Communications sent on behalf of his family.

The man’s family said he was on FSU’s campus as an employee of a campus vendor.

Chabba is survived by his wife and two children, according to the statement.

The family attorney’s Bakari Sellers, said Chabba’s family is going through the “unimaginable now.”

“Instead of hiding Easter eggs and visiting with friends and family, they’re living a nightmare where this loving father and devoted husband was stolen from them in an act of senseless and preventable violence,” Sellers shared.

The Leon High Athletics Department said in a statement Friday that Morales served as an assistant coach with Leon Football “with dedication, integrity, and a true passion for mentoring young athletes.”

Authorities have not released any information about Morales or Chabba.

The campus shooting left six others hospitalized, including Ikner, according to authorities.

The 20-year-old was also identified as the stepson of a Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

Two of the victims were expected to be discharged Friday from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Officials release ‘Gossip Girl’ star Michelle Trachtenberg’s official cause of death

FILE — Actress Michelle Trachtenberg died at the age of 39 in February. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

New York

New York officials have revealed actress Michelle Trachtenberg’s cause of death.

People reported that the actress’s sudden death was a result of complications of diabetes mellitus, with the manner of her death being ruled as natural, according to the New York City chief medical examiner.

Wednesday’s news comes less than two months after the 39-year-old was found dead in a New York City apartment when law enforcement responded to a 911 call on Feb. 26.

After officers arrived, they found a woman, identified as Trachtenberg, unconscious and unresponsive.

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected, authorities said.

Trachtenberg was a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl.”

“The family requests privacy for their loss,” Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a February statement.

Big Lots is reopening stores, with more locations returning in spring and summer

FILE — Big Lots is set to reopen in Roanoke, Virginia. (WDBJ)

Big Lots is reopening a number of its stores, including several locations that have already reopened in a handful of states.

The discount chain’s new owners announced earlier this month that its first wave of reopenings includes nine stores in six states that are now under a new ownership group as part of the brand’s 2024 bankruptcy filing.

“We’re opening stores quickly so we can serve the community. We know the stores won’t be perfect to start, but each week we’ll add more new products as we build towards the grand opening celebration in the fall,” Lisa Seigies, president and CEO of Variety Wholesalers, said.

The company announced the first wave of stores that have reopened on April 10 include:

Kentucky: 1342 Indian Mound Drive in Mount Sterling.

Louisiana: 755 Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie.

Mississippi: 2605 West Main Street in Tupelo and 5778 Highway 80 East in Pearl.

North Carolina: 1432 East Dixie Drive in Asheboro.

Tennessee: 1041 South Riverside Drive in Clarksville, 744 Nashville Pike in Gallatin and 220 Dickson Plaza Drive in Dickson.

Virginia: 2911 Hershberger Road Northwest in Roanoke.

Last December, Big Lots was sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies.

Variety Wholesalers Inc., which had already owned more than 400 discount stores in the U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, said it acquired hundreds of Big Lots stores and will operate them under the Big Lots brand.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots! brand back to life by offering more deals than ever, lots of famous brands and a new apparel department for the entire family,” Seigies said.

According to Variety Wholesalers, it will reopen the remaining acquired locations in subsequent waves, with about 55 stores in the second wave opening on May 1.

The remaining stores will open through early June and lead up to a grand opening celebration that will take place across all stores this fall.

Variety Wholesalers said it plans to reopen Big Lots stores in North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and other states.

“Every time a customer visits Big Lots! we want them to find something new and exciting!” Seigies said.