Search for Susan Powell: Police Checking Shallow Grave

Comstock/Thinkstock(WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah) -- Searchers were back at the site of a shallow grave in the mountains of Utah Saturday, trying to determine whether it contains the remains of missing Utah mother Susan Powell.

No bones, tissue or definitive evidence related to Powell have been found in the grave site, which is near Topaz Mountain, said Sgt. Mike Powell of the West Valley City Police Department.

The search resumed Saturday after being called off because of a rainstorm and heavy wind, Powell said.

"They're continuing on with the search efforts as we speak," Sgt. Powell said. "They started up again about 9 a.m. today, continuing with the ground search, involving the ATVs and also the specialized search dogs."

Susan Powell's father, Chuck Cox, was at the site Saturday observing the efforts to find out what happened to his daughter, who has been missing since December 2009.

"He was somewhat emotional," Sgt. Powell said. "Obviously very difficult for him to have any type of involvement in particular to be somewhere there may be something developing."

Cox said Wednesday that although investigators finding Susan alive would be ideal, the discovery of her body would at least bring some closure as to what happened to her.

"I'd rather they find her alive. But if they find her body, then at least we know she's not with us anymore," Cox said, adding that Wednesday's discovery of human remains "doesn't get our hopes up a lot."

"At the same time, it could be the break. We live that every day. Every phone call we get could be the one that tells us we've found Susan," he said.

Cadaver dogs that had been combing the fields around Topaz Mountain, near Delta, Utah, found the grave site Wednesday, police said.

Susan Powell, the West Valley City, Utah, mother of two, disappeared in December 2009, while her husband, Josh Powell, allegedly took their children camping at midnight in a snow and rain storm.

The campsite he told police he went to is 30 miles away from the desert where the remains were found.

Josh Powell has long been a person of interest in the investigation, and police recently raided the home he and his father share in Washington.

Prior to that, police had searched abandoned mines in Ely, Nevada, in connection to the case.

Josh Powell's father Steven Powell has publicly theorized that his daughter-in-law disappeared with a man from St. George, Utah, who disappeared from a Christmas party abruptly the same night she vanished.

Cox alleges that Steven Powell made sexual advances towards his daughter, prompting her and the family to move to Utah to escape him.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Kara Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s Daughter, Dies at 51

Brian Snyder-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Kara Kennedy, daughter of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, suffered a heart attack and died late Friday evening, sources confirm to ABC News. She was 51.

In 2002, Kara Kennedy, daughter of Ted and Joan Kennedy, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

With her father’s help, she found a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who removed a portion of her lung as part of the treatment.  Five years later, her mother told the Boston Globe that Kennedy was cancer free and was running five miles a day.

“My daughter was my best friend,” Joan Kennedy said Saturday. “She stayed with me all summer long in Hyannisport. We had a wonderful summer together.

“She was beloved by everybody who knew her. She was beloved by all of her cousins,” she said. “So many people have been calling me today and it makes me feel good to know how much everybody loved her.”

In August 2009, Kennedy gave a touching reading of Psalm 72 at her father’s funeral at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston.

Ted Kennedy often prayed at Our Lady in 2003 while his daughter was being treated for lung cancer at the nearby hospital.

Kara Anne Kennedy was born February 27, 1960. She has two siblings, Teddy Jr. and Patrick, the former congressman.

She was a graduate of Tufts University and was a producer for VSA arts, a nonprofit organization founded by her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith.

She was also on the board for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome along with her cousin William Kennedy Smith.

She was a former producer for the television program Evening Magazine at WBZ-TV in Boston.

She was married to professional sailor Michael Allen in1990 and they had two children, Grace and Max.

On Aug. 12, 2009, she accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on behalf of her father who was terminally ill at the time.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

SeaWorld’s Iconic Killer Whale Show May End

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- It could be the next installment of Free Willy, provided the court rules against SeaWorld executives and decides to cancel its popular Shamu shows after a whale killed an animal trainer 19 months ago.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Shamu shows are the most marketable thrill to vacationers around the world, and restrictions could heavily cripple the franchise—on top of the $75,000 fine the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants to issue SeaWorld.

The proposed cancellation of the show comes after the Feb. 24, 2010 death of veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed when a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum pulled her underwater.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Reno, Nevada Air Show Crash: 3 Dead More Than 50 Hurt

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(RENO, Nev.) -- At least three people are dead and more than 50 people were injured after a World War II era fighter plane plunged into the spectator crowd at an air show in Reno, Nevada.

Officials at the National Championship Air Race said a mechanical failure may have caused the P-51 Mustang plane "Galloping Ghost" piloted by Jimmy Leeward, to plummet out of the sky Friday afternoon and crash into the viewer grandstands.

Reno Air Races president Mike Houghton said the plane was on course before the accident occurred.

"Speculation has gone on a different number of different areas to what took place. Different people see different things. But there appear to be some air-flight problem with the aircraft that caused it to go out of control," Houghton said.

Leeward, 74, a real estate developer from Ocala, Fla. was killed in the crash along with two other people.

Houghton described Leeward as "a very experienced and talented and qualified pilot" whose "medical records and everything are up-to-date, spot-on."

At least 56 people were taken to local hospitals, including 15 in critical condition and another 13 were listed in serious condition.

Authorities said it's possible the number of injuries may be even higher because some people left for the hospital in private vehicles.

Connie Camit had just left the grandstand for a refreshment stand with two of her children, 14 and 5, ABC News Radio reported.

"Just as we were standing there, we heard this big crash, turned around and I saw airplane pieces, parts flying everywhere," she said. "We just heard everybody screaming, sirens. It was just chaos, complete chaos."

Eyewitness Gerald Lent was on the scene and described the moments before the crash.

"It pulled straight up and did an upside down roll. It looked like no one was flying the plane. It game straight down toward the grandstand," Lent said.

Republican Senator Dean Heller flew to Reno after the accident and said he wants to be part of investigations into the safety of the event.

"I do not want to see this event here in northern Nevada come to an end. I think it has history, I think people have enjoyed it over the years," he said. "But how do you get over, how do you get over a tragic event like this? And that's what's going to be decided in the next six months."

Federal investigators will be at the scene of the crash Saturday.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those that lost their lives or were injured in this accident," National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said in a taped message.

Air show officials have been canceled the rest of remaining events for the weekend.

"The National Championship extends their deepest sympathies and condolences to all of the families involved in today's tragic accident. The Air Races are truly one big family and our thoughts are with all of our aviation family members, immediate and extended," air show officials said in a statement.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Reports of Injury, Mass Casualties at Reno Air Show

A P51 Mustang similar to those shown above, crashed at The National Championship Air Race in Reno, NV. Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(RENO, Nev.) -- Dozens are injured with many possibly in critical condition Friday after a small plane crashed at the Reno National Championship Air Races. As many as 12 are dead and 80-100 injured, according to local reports.

The plane's pilot, Jimmy Leeward, was racing the P-51 Mustang, when the aircraft crashed near the grandstand, where air show spectators were seated, witnesses say.

Authorities on the scene have asked everyone at the air show to leave the Reno-Stead Airport, and all planes have been grounded.

Story is developing…

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Arizona Air Force Base Lockdown Ends; Report of Standoff False

John Foxx/Thinkstock(TUSCON, Ariz.) -- A lockdown was lifted at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, after reports of a possibly armed intruder in a base building turned out to be unfounded.

Col. John Cherrey, commander of the 355th Fighter Squadron, came to the base's main gate at 9 p.m. ET and told local reporters that a search of the "old dorm" building did not turn up a suspect or a weapon.

"No gunman or weapon was found," Cherrey said, "and the building was declared secure."

Earlier, a U.S. official confirmed a local report that an individual with a weapon was holed up in the building.

Federal law enforcement officials told ABC News that the FBI was assisting with the matter.

The lockdown was imposed as officials tried to chase down a report of a suspicious person, possibly with a gun, going into the old dorm.

"Earlier today, somebody was seen carrying something that might have been a weapon, no one knows what that was, but it's our duty to investigate," Tech. Sgt. Russ Martin said.

Though no shots had been fired and no one was hurt, the base enacted its Crisis Action Mode, which included a campus-wide lockdown, automated alert messages sent to people on base and the response of emergency vehicles to the base.

An individual on base told ABC News that he had received an email saying to stay inside, away from the windows, but had not been told about a shooter.

An individual seen being loaded into an ambulance during the lockdown was a woman who went into labor during the lockdown -- simply a case of "bad timing," Martin said.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Robbie Romero Case DNA Results: Teen Is Not Missing Boy

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(SANTA FE, N.M.) -- The teenager claiming to be Robbie Romero is not the missing boy, after all, according to DNA results released Friday.

Nineteen-year-old Robert Terrezas' DNA did not match with Romero, who disappeared in June 2000 at age 7, police said.

Terrezas met with Romero's mother, Evelyn, and his brother Ricky earlier this week, and told to police that he was Robbie.

Evelyn and Ricky Romero remained unsure whether the teen was the little boy who went missing while walking home from a friend's house one summer afternoon.

The police have said that Romero's disappearance is still an open case, though his older brother, Ronnie Romero, was the only person of interest in the case and died in 2008. Investigators classified the disappearance as a missing persons case and a homicide, but a body was never found.

Evelyn Romero told ABC News earlier Friday that she was being cautious about raising her hopes that Robert Terrezas was her missing son.

On Wednesday, police learned that Terrezas was claiming he was Robbie Romero.

Terrezas made the eerie claim to Ricky Romero and told him he goes by Robbie's name, according to ABC affiliate KOAT.

Ricky Romero brought Terrezas to the Romeros' home, where he met with Robbie's mother, Evelyn Romero. She then notified the police.

The police took a swab of saliva from Terrezas for DNA testing on Wednesday night, according to Santa Fe detective Lt. Luis Carlos.

Evelyn Romero said the wait for the DNA test results was trying.

"It is [hard], especially for Robbie's brothers and sisters, who have a lot of anxiety just not knowing," she said.

Yolanda Almendariz, Terrezas' mother, told a local news station that the teen was not Robbie Romero, and was born in Mexico and moved with Almendariz to Utah years ago.

"This is my son, this is my son," said Almendariz, who showed local news station KOB childhood photos of the boy. "Friends call my son Robert Romero because they have the same face."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Petit Trial Judge Rejects Change of Venue, Testimony Starts Monday

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW HAVEN, Conn.) -- A Connecticut judge dismissed a series of last-minute motions Friday that would have delayed the death-penalty murder trial for Joshua Komisarjevsky.

The stage is now set for Komisarjevsky to face a jury for his alleged role in what has been called the worst homicide in the state's history.

Komisarjevsky, 31, is accused of 17 charges, ranging from murder to abduction and assault.

He and Steven Hayes had offered to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence instead of facing a death sentence, but the state rejected their offer. Hayes was convicted and sentenced to death last year for his role in the killing. He is on death row.

The crime that has inflamed such passion was the July 23, 2007, home invasion at the home of Dr. William Petit in Cheshire, Conn. Petit was severely beaten and tied up, according to testimony in Hayes' trial. His wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, was raped and strangled. His two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, were tied to their beds. The younger girl was sexually assaulted, and both girls were left bound to their gas-soaked beds as the suspects torched the house.

Hayes' inability to avoid the death penalty has prompted Komisarjevsky's court-appointed legal team to take a more aggressive approach and they had filed a series of contentious motions in recent weeks.

Friday's rulings by Judge Jon Blue eliminated the last in a series of those motions, clearing the way for the trial to begin.

The most significant motion was for the trial to be moved out of New Haven where publicity from Hayes' trial and in the run-up to Komisarjevsky's trial has made it impossible to get an unbiased jury, defense attorneys argued.

They asked that the trial be moved to Stamford, Conn., which Blue rejected.

The judge also rejected requests Friday that the jury be dismissed and replaced by another panel, and that all the newspaper boxes -- which will presumably carry stories about the trial -- be removed from outside the courthouse.

Komisarjevsky's lawyers have also tried to limit the emotional impact of Petit, the only survivor of his alleged crime. In Friday's motions, they asked the judge to restrict Petit's testimony to what happened during the crime, and that he not be allowed to discuss the charities and other activities in which his wife and children were involved. Blue dismissed the request.

Other motions dismissed in the weeks before the trial included attempts to keep Petit out of the courtroom during testimony on the grounds that he is a witness who will have to testify, and that other Petit family members be banned from wearing pins memorializing the victims.

Petit attended every day of Hayes' trial and sentencing, and held an emotional news conference when that case was concluded.

"We all know that God will be the final arbiter and I think the defendant faces far more serious punishments from the Lord than he can ever face from mankind," he said at the time.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Guys Take Dead Friend Out for Night on the Town

FiIe photo. Britt Erlanson/Getty Images(DENVER) -- In a real life Weekend at Bernies, two Denver men who found their friend dead, allegedly took his body — and his credit card — out for a night of dinners, bar hopping, burritos and a strip club.

Not only did the two suspects drag around their deceased friend Jeffrey Jarrett, 43, they made him pay for everything, a police report stated. They allegedly used his bank card at an ATM to withdraw money to finance the night on the town, according to the report.

Robert Jeffrey Young, 43, and Mark Rubinson, 25, are charged with identity theft, criminal impersonation and abuse of a corpse, according to the Denver County Court.

On Aug. 27, Young allegedly arrived at Jarrett’s house and found him unconscious. Instead of calling the police or an ambulance, he went to the restaurant where Rubinson was working to tell him that “something is wrong with Jarrett,” according to the police report.

The pair allegedly returned to Jarrett’s house, found him “unresponsive,” put the body in the car and went to a bar.

They also made a stop at a diner before taking the body back to the house and putting it on a bed. They kept the bank card with them and used it to withdraw $400, according to police. The report said the two men ended their night around 4 a.m. after a few more stops, including a burrito restaurant and a strip club.

After the strip club closed, the duo allegedly flagged down a police officer and told him their friend might be dead at his house. When police officers arrived at the house, they “located Jarrett obviously deceased.”

Both of the men are free on bond and neither has been charged in Jarretts’s death. They could not be reached for comment. The cause of death is still unknown. Young is expected in court on Sept. 27 and Rubinson will be in court Oct. 4.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Robbie Romero's Mom Does Not Rule Out Teen Could Be Her Son

File photo. Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(SANTA FE, N.M.) -- Robbie Romero's mother and brother have met with the teen claiming to be their long-lost family member and are unsure whether it's him.

Robbie Romero was seven when he disappeared in June 2000 while walking home from a friend's house. The case was treated as a missing persons case and a homicide case, though a body was never found.

On Wednesday, police learned that a man name Robert Terrezas was claiming he was Robbie Romero.

Terrezas made the eery claim to Robbie's brother Ricky and told him he goes by Robbie's name.

Ricky brought Robbie to the Romeros home where he met with Robbie's mother, Evelyn Romero. She then notified the police.

The police took a swab of saliva from Terrezas for DNA testing on Wednesday night and expect those results to come back within a few days, according to Santa Fe detective Lt. Luis Carlos.

Evelyn Romero said the she is unsure whether the teen is her long-lost son, and that waiting for the DNA test results to confirm it has been trying.

Evelyn Romero is also not dissuaded by the argument by Yolanda Almendariz, Terrezas' mother, that the teen was born in Mexico and moved with Almendariz to Utah years ago.

"This is my son, this is my son," said Almendariz, who showed local news station KOB childhood photos of the boy. "Friends call my son Robert Romero because they have the same face."

Evelyn Romero, however, isn't ruling out that Terrezas isn't her long lost son.

"I was noticing, the news media approached her yesterday and she showed videos of a young child," which Almendariz said was Terrezas as a child.

"I don't think the videos were of Robert (Terrezas), they must have been of her older son," said Evelyn Romero. "That child was dark complexioned. (Terrezas) doesn't think he looks like his siblings. He's very light complexioned."

Evelyn Romero said that when she met with Robert, he told her that his mother had no photos of him from when he was young, saying she left them all in Mexico when they moved.

Evelyn Romero added, "Well, you know, either way, if it is him, if it's not him, of course the mother is going to say that's her son."

The mother says waiting for the DNA results is an ordeal.

Romero said she has been telling her family to remain calm while they await the results, which police expect to come back within a few days.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio