Couple Falls to Death at Yosemite While Taking Selfie

An Indian couple fell to their deaths at a popular tourist landmark in California’s Yosemite National Park, the man’s brother told NBC News. Officials reportedly said park rangers discovered the bodies of 29-year-old Vishnu Viswanath and 30-year-old Meenakshi Moorthy late last week “about 800 feet below the popular outlook Taft Point.” Viswanath’s brother, Jishnu Viswanath, told the network the couple set up a tripod near Taft Point’s ledge, which is about 3,500 feet above Yosemite Valley, on Tuesday night last week. The next morning, other park visitors reportedly saw the tripod and alerted authorities.

The park could not confirm Jishnu Viswanath’s account of his brother’s death to NBC News. “This fatality incident remains under investigation,” a park spokeswoman told the network. “No determination has yet been made as to what caused this couple to fall to their death.” Moorthy documented her travels with Viswanath on a blog and on Instagram. Jishnu Viswanath told the network that Moorthy wanted to become a “full-time” travel blogger.

Via: https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-indian-couple-falls-to-death-at-yosemite-while-taking-selfie

Medieval reinactor impaled on his lance

A Medieval knight re-enactor impaled himself with his lance during a performance and died.

News outlets report 53-year-old Peter Barclay, of Virginia, was competing in an equestrian game in Williamstown, Kentucky, when he was wounded Saturday. Barclay's brother and the president of event holder Society for Creative Anachronism, John Fulton, says Barclay was trying to spear a paper plate on the ground.

Fulton says in a Facebook post that the metal-tipped lance hit the ground and flipped, stabbing Barclay's chest. He says Barclay, who performed under the name "Master Terafan Greydragon," died while being flown to a hospital.

The Hamilton County coroner's chief administrator, Andrea Hatten, says an autopsy hasn't yet been performed. His death is listed as accidental. The SCA says it's investigating how to prevent similar accidents.

Via: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/virginia-medieval-enactor-fatally-impales-lance-58400771

Man Killed at Home After Office Mistakes Apartment as her Own

Police intend to seek a manslaughter charge against a Dallas officer who shot and killed a 26-year-old man Thursday night when she entered his apartment near downtown, apparently mistaking it for her own.

"This is a very unique situation," Police Chief U. Renee Hall said at an afternoon news conference. "We have ceased handling it under our normal protocol as an officer-involved shooting."

Hall said that police are obtaining a warrant charging the officer, whom the chief declined to name until she is formally charged.

The chief said the officer's blood was drawn to test for alcohol and drugs, and the Texas Rangers have been called in to conduct an independent investigation.

The unnamed officer wasn't hurt in the 10 p.m. shooting at the South Side Flats at 1210 S. Lamar St., just blocks from Dallas police headquarters in the Cedars.

Police officials say she arrived at the complex after working a full shift and was still in full uniform when she entered the victim's apartment, thinking it was her home.

The victim was identified as Botham Shem Jean, a native of the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia. A graduate of Harding University in Arkansas, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas.

"I have spoken to the Jean family," Hall said. "We have reassured them that we are working diligently."

But, Hall added, "Right now there are more questions than we have answers."

Authorities have yet to fully explain how the situation escalated to the shooting, declining to comment on whether the officer mistook Jean for an intruder.

"I won't go into that information right now," said Sgt. Warren Mitchell, a Dallas police spokesman. "We have not interviewed her. ... We still have a lot to do in this investigation."

Mitchell said that after the officer reported Jean was wounded, other police officers who responded administered first aid to him. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The officer was placed on leave while the shooting is investigated with the Dallas County district attorney's office.

Via: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2018/09/06/shooting-reported-cedars-near-dallas-police-headquarters

Man Attacks Cyclist With Machete, Killed By Own Machete

In a case that has generated legal and moral debate across China, a cyclist who was attacked by a man with a machete, and who then killed his assailant in the ensuing scuffle, will not face charges.

A widely viewed traffic cam video shows what happened the night of August 27 in the Chinese city of Kunshan, west of Shanghai. Yu Haiming, a 41-year-old electrician, was waiting at a stoplight on his e-bike when 36-year-old Liu Hailong, driving a BMW, approached from behind. Liu swerved toward Yu, who was in a dedicated bike lane, and nearly hit him.

Two passengers then left the BMW to talk to Yu, with one gently moving his bike to the sidewalk. But about 30 seconds later, Liu—who had been driving drunk, according to the Jiangsu provincial prosecutor—stormed out of the car and began punching and kicking Yu, who fought back. Liu then returned to his car, grabbed a machete, and started swinging it at Yu. At some point the knife flew out of his hand; Yu got to it first and turned it on Liu, stabbing him at least five times.

Liu retreated to his car, with Yu in pursuit taking a few more swings with the machete. Liu was brought to a hospital but later died of his wounds, which included ruptured veins and intestines. Yu suffered non-fatal cuts and bruises.

The story went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a debate on how cyclists should respond when confronted with road rage. Many observers came down on Yu’s side, arguing that he acted in self-defense. Others said that by pursuing Liu after gaining control of the weapon, he opened himself up to prosecution.

“There is a legal right to strike back, however, it needs to be within certain limits,” Zhang Di, a criminal lawyer with Weiheng Law Firm in Nanjing, told the South China Morning Post. “If the attacker has already pleaded for mercy or run away, one should stop the counter action and call the police, or get to safety.”

On Saturday, local authorities announced that they would not bring charges against Yu, finding that he did not bear any criminal responsibility for Liu’s death. “Yu acted out of self-defense,” the police statement read. “As such, the police have closed the case against Yu.”

The case was far from China’s first nationwide debate over self-defense. In 2016, courts sentenced a 22-year-old man to life in prison for killing a debt collector who had gotten violent with him and his mother. According to the South China Morning Post, courts have “overwhelmingly” ruled against defendants claiming self-defense in the past. Out of 100 cases the paper looked at online, judges found self-defense was justified in only four.

Qu Xinjiu, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the paper that he hoped Yu’s case would mean stronger protections for those in similar circumstances in the future.

Via: https://www.bicycling.com/news/a22998171/driver-attacks-cyclist-machete/?utm_campaign=Bicycling&utm_source=bicycling.com&utm_medium=newsletter&smartcode=YN_0010105193_0001680181&sha1hashlower=51517668981d407d945d1a0569cdd8ed3e541b40&md5hash=440219f9fba0682bc4daaf6cd343b220

Cancer survivor killed by stray bullet hours after move to Chicago

A cancer survivor was killed by a stray bullet in Chicago over the weekend — just hours after arriving in the city to pursue his Ph.D., according to a new report.

Shane Colombo got caught in the crossfire during a fight between two people in the Rogers Park neighborhood around 8:25 p.m. Sunday, ABC News reported.

The 25-year-old’s heartbroken mother, Tonya, told the network that he was running an errand to buy clothes hangers when he was killed.

“I was very concerned about him coming out here, and he was killed within four hours of being in the city, four hours of stepping off that plane,” she said, moments after identifying her son’s body at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. “I put him on a plane that morning at 10 a.m. [in California] and I kissed him goodbye, and that was the last time I saw him alive.”

Colombo had just moved to the Windy City to live with his fiancé, Vincent Perez, and was set to attend Northwestern University to pursue his Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

“He was so passionate about what he was doing,” Tonya said. “He was going to be a doctor. He wanted to do clinical research. He wanted to give people answers.”

Before Chicago, Colombo lived in New York and worked as a researcher at Columbia University’s Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab, the mom said.

Colombo, who graduated from San Francisco State University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree, was 15 years old when he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“He beat cancer and he pushed himself through high school after missing a year,” Tonya said. “He pushed himself through college on his own. And came to Chicago to get his Ph.D. He got a full scholarship to Northwestern. He didn’t depend on me to go to school. He depended on himself.”

Colombo was one of six people gunned down in Chicago over Labor Day weekend. He was shot once in the abdomen and taken to Saint Francis Hospital, where he died.

Police are trying to identify the suspects in his shooting. No arrests have been made.

Via: https://nypost.com/2018/09/05/cancer-survivor-killed-by-stray-bullet-hours-after-move-to-chicago/

Woman mauled by pit bull she just adapted

A Maryland woman was mauled to death by a pit bull she’d adopted only two weeks before, according to local reports.

Robin Conway, 64, gave the pup a home and “was in love with [the] dog,” her sister, Susan LeClair, told WMAR-TV.

“She is in love with animals,” LeClair said. “The dog, apparently, went after her.”

Conway had taken the pooch out for a walk Monday evening but her husband began to worry when it started to get dark and she still hadn’t returned.

He went out to the back yard and that’s where he found the pit bull, standing over his wife’s body, police said.

Conway’s husband was able to tie the raging dog to a fence post, and authorities said that when they arrived, he was still “lunging and barking.” The dog was later euthanized.

“My sister was an animal person. My sister was a caring person. When we went to make service arrangements, the person said, ‘Wow, she had hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of friends,’” LeClair told FOX 5. “Robin gave her time and gave herself to the animals. She was wonderful.”

Conway had adopted pit bull mixes in the past, and her sister said the actions of one dog shouldn’t determine the outlook on a whole breed.

“They have been lovely, lovely dogs. It was obviously something wrong with this dog, but that’s not to be construed as all pit bulls are bad and I know Robin wouldn’t want that,” LeClair said.

Authorities said they don’t have any information about the dog’s adoption other than it was out of state.

They are still working to determine Conway’s exact cause of death and are looking into whether the dog had rabies.

Via: https://nypost.com/2018/09/05/woman-mauled-to-death-by-pit-bull-she-just-adopted/

Hunter misses squirrel, shoots own brother instead

On Sept. 1, the opening day of Iowa’s squirrel-hunting season, a 50-year-old man accidentally shot his brother, 55, at the Brushy Creek State Recreation Area, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported.

Sao Bunpan and his brother Khor were hunting with two others when Khor accidentally shot Sao in the upper body, authorities believe.

Sao was initially rushed to a hospital in Webster City, before being brought to Des Moines for further treatment. His injuries are said to be non-life-threatening.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are investigating the incide
nt, though they do not suspect foul play.

Ironically, in late August, the DNR issued a news release ahead of squirrel-hunting season, recommending it for novice hunters, as there isn’t as much competition for squirrels.

“Squirrel hunters can go out knowing they’re not likely to have their hunt interfered with by other hunters,” Jim Coffey, a forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, was quoted as saying. “We had around 20,000 hunters harvest 100,000 squirrels in 2017.”

“It’s a great introduction to hunting because there is such little competition from other hunters,” he added.

Iowa’s squirrel-hunting season runs through Jan. 31.

Via: https://nypost.com/2018/09/05/hunter-misses-squirrel-shoots-own-brother-instead/

Museum Visitor Falls Into Giant Hole That Looks Like A Cartoonish Painting On The Floor

Like a real-life version of a Looney Tunes cartoon, a visitor to a Portuguese museum was injured last week when he stepped into an art installation resembling an inky void. Currently on exhibit at the Serralves Museum in Porto, Descent Into Limbo by Anish Kapoor includes an actual 2.5m hole that’s painted black — so it appears to have no depth at all.

According to Britain’s Times, attendees of previous showings of the work have questioned “whether there really was a hole in the floor or whether it was simply a circle painted with an extremely dark black paint”. Presumably there will be no doubts going forward.

Though the Descent Into Limbo installation was reportedly surrounded with warning signs and staffers warning visitors not to get too close, there was no barrier around it. How the museumgoer, whom Portugal’s Publico reports was an Italian man in his 60s, was able to step into the hole isn’t known, but he was briefly hospitalised for the 2.5m fall. The museum closed the exhibit to assess what happened, but says it plans to reopen it soon.

In addition to being known for his over-sized installations (including the giant reflective Cloud Gate “bean” in Chicago), Kapoor made headlines in 2016 when he secured the exclusive artistic rights to a physics-defying material called Vantablack.

Developed by a British company called Surrey NanoSystems, the material is able to trap photons in-between lab-grown carbon nanotubes, which bounce around until they’re eventually absorbed. Just a scant 0.035 per cent of visible light is reflected by an object covered in Vantablack, making it impossible to see any curves or contours — or to accurately gauge the depth of a hole if you don’t know what you’re looking at.

Descent Into Limbo debuted years before Vantablack was announced to the public, and was instead created using a dark paint that produces the same depthless, black hole effect. For at least one hapless art lover, it seems that was enough.

Via: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/visitor-falls-into-sir-anish-kapoor-s-descent-into-limbo-83kqpxxb3

Man Killed After Being Hit By Two Drunk Drivers

New York State Police say a man has died after his car was hit by two intoxicated drivers traveling in opposite directions on an Albany-area highway.

The vehicle was struck and went across a median on Interstate 90 in East Greenbush at around 1 p.m. on Saturday. Then it was hit by a westbound vehicle.

The victim’s name hasn’t been released.

Troopers say the eastbound driver, 23-year-old August Rice of Rexford, and the westbound driver, 41-year-old Rex Tucker-Moss of Poughquag, both face charges including vehicular manslaughter.

Police also say Tucker-Moss is charged with aggravated DWI because he had two children, ages 10 and 7, in his car.

Both men were released from the Rensselaer County Jail after posting bail. The lawyers representing each man weren’t immediately available for comment Monday.

Via: https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/man-dead-after-his-car-gets-hit-by-2-drunk-drivers-police/

Car crash leads to a fight and deaths of both drivers

The two men who were killed early Sunday morning after a vehicle collision caused a fight on Interstate 5 in Natomas were identified Monday.

Their vehicles hit each other in the northbound lanes of I-5 around 3:44 a.m., prompting the men to drive farther up the freeway near Del Paso Road, get out of their cars and fight, California Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Zerfas said.

Jason Dykes of Sacramento was killed in the fight, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office said. The Coroner’s Office identified the other man as Jose Rodriguez-Carrasco of Oroville. Witnesses said one man was chasing the other with a bat, according to police dispatch traffic archived on Broadcastify.com.

“The witness I spoke to, she said she saw a guy with a bat chasing another man,” a police officer says. After the confrontation, a person witnesses described as a Hispanic man in his 30s – likely Rodriguez-Carrasco, 37 – was “hitting vehicles with a bat or a pipe,” the dispatcher said, “and there’s a male lying in the roadway and bystanders are giving the male CPR.”

Dykes, 39, was killed in the fight after suffering what appeared to be blunt force trauma, Zerfas said. Then, Rodriguez-Carrasco, walking north on the freeway, was hit and killed by passing driver, Zerfas said. “It escalated from a traffic collision to a fight to a homicide,” he said Sunday.

Via: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article216610405.html#storylink=cpy

German Serial Killer Accidently Kills Self in Weird Sex Act in Prison

A German serial killer who murdered five female hitchhikers accidentally killed himself performing a strange solo sex act in his prison cell over the weekend, reports claim.

Egidius Schiffer, dubbed the “Aachen Strangler,” gave himself a fatal electric shock after tying a cable from a lamp around his penis and nipples, police said.

He was still tied up when guards at Bochum prison, in the North Rhine-Westphalia state, opened his room up on Monday morning, the Times reported.

Prison spokeswoman Candida Tunkel said: “He removed a cable from his bedside table lamp. Then he wound it around his nipples and his penis and stuck the end in a power socket.”

A post-mortem established Schiffer, 62, died of heart failure as a result of an electric current flowing through his chest.

Cops said they did not suspect foul play and his lawyer claimed the murderer was not suicidal.

Schiffer was sentenced to life in 2008 for a string of grisly murders committed between 1983 and 1990.

The authorities used DNA evidence to convict him 18 years after his final murder.

He picked up his victims, one of whom was just 15, as they tried to hitch rides home from nightclubs before handcuffing and tying them up.

The monster raped three of the women and buried them in the woods.

The former insurance salesman was arrested back in 2007 while stealing scrap metal.

He decided to give a DNA sample voluntarily which eventually connected him to the unsolved murders.

Schiffer initially confessed before withdrawing his testimony, claiming he was sadomasochistic and the thought of being locked up excited him.

Via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/25/serial-killer-accidentally-kills-himself-in-jail-during-sex-act/

Lions Kill Rhino Poachers

Suspected poachers sneaked onto a South African game reserve to hunt rhinos, but a pride of lions found them instead.

A guide at the Sibuya Game Reserve spotted what appeared to be human remains on Tuesday near the group of lions, according to reserve owner Nick Fox. It was getting too dark to search the area, so police came back the next day with the reserve's anti-poaching unit and other specialists.

The remains were strewn over an area covered with thick brush and Fox said it was impossible to know how many people were killed.

Investigators did find three pairs of boots and three pairs of gloves.

They also found a high-powered rifle with a silencer, wire cutters and an ax that Fox said would have been used to remove a slain rhino's horns.

"We're almost 100% sure this is connected to rhino poaching," Fox said.

The six lions in the pride were tranquilized while the area was searched.

"Investigators and specialists combed the scene and managed to retrieve remains, which were taken by the Department of Health to conduct forensic testing. Investigation continues and at this stage we are unable to speculate as to how the remains ended up at the scene," South African Police Service Capt. Mali Govender said in a statement.

Fox said he thinks the poachers got onto the reserve on Sunday night or early Monday morning.
An anti-poaching dog signaled that it noticed something during a patrol about 4:30 a.m. and her handler heard a commotion from the lions. Lions are often active at night, so the noise didn't raise suspicions.

"The anti-poaching unit never suspected anything wrong because it was the lions making noise and not the rhinos," Fox said.

The poachers had a rifle, but they did not get off a shot before the lions took them down, Fox said.
"It was a bit of luck for us and not so much luck for them," he said.

The poachers were apparently on foot when they encountered the lions, which is very dangerous.
Fox said reserve staff and guests never go near the lions unless they're in big trucks.

He said they're watching the lions closely and they have shown no signs of being aggressive around vehicles.

Rhinos are endangered and are prized for their horns.

In 2016, poachers killed three rhinos at the Sibuya Game Reserve and hacked off their horns.
Fox said security was increased at the 25 square kilometer reserve in Kenton on Sea and installed more cameras to monitor the rhinos.

Via: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/world/south-africa-poachers-killed-trnd/index.html

Honeymooning couple collide in fatal zip line accident

An Israeli man on his honeymoon was killed and his wife seriously injured in a freak accident involving a zip line in Honduras, according to reports.

Egael Tishman, 24, and Shif Fanken, 27, collided with each other Thursday over a treetop canopy near Roatan, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The newlywed couple was reportedly on a cruise that stopped in the popular tourist destination, about 160 miles from Tegucigalpa.

Officials said that Fanken became stuck on the zip line cable and her husband crashed into her.

“The girl stayed halfway on the cable and the guy came from behind and hit her,” local firefighter Wilmer Guerrero told La Prensa newspaper.

Fankan was rushed to a hospital in serious condition and later airlifted to another facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Via: http://www.laprensa.hn/sucesos/1195324-410/turista-muere-cuando-hacia-canopy-roatan

Woman swallowed by python

A missing Indonesian woman has been found dead inside the belly of a 23-foot-long python, village officials said.

Wa Tiba, 54, was last heard from on Thursday before she went to check on her vegetable garden near her village on Muna Island in central Indonesia, reported The Associated Press.

A search party on Friday discovered a reticulated python with a swollen belly about 50 yards from the garden where Tiba’s family found a few of her belongings earlier in the day, according to The Jakarta Post.

The villagers killed the snake and sliced it open to reveal Tiba’s dead body.

“When they cut open the snake’s belly they found Tiba’s body still intact with all her clothes,” said the village chief, Faris. “She was swallowed first from her head.”

To kill their prey, reticulated pythons wrap themselves around an animal and crush it, causing it to suffocate or go into cardiac arrest, according to the BBC.

This specific species of snake is common in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, though it is extremely rare for the animal to attack humans. In March 2017, a 25-year-old man was found dead inside a python’s belly in central Indonesia. He had been working on his family’s palm oil plantation.

Via: https://www.apnews.com/4b3ee37689754e83bf94638875e720db/7-meter-long-python-swallows-Indonesian-woman

Man Mistakes Vest as Stab-Proof

A British man who believed he was wearing a "stab-proof vest" died last summer after he took a knife to his own chest, local newspaper Teesside Gazette reported Saturday, citing an investigation into his death.

Jordan Easton, 22, of Thornaby, reportedly was in a friend's kitchen on Aug. 23, 2017, when he stabbed himself.

"While in the kitchen, he took hold a knife to demonstrate it was stab-proof and sadly realized it wasn’t the case," assistant coroner Karin Welsh said during a court hearing.

Easton reportedly was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

The newspaper reported that while his injuries were self-inflicted, there was no evidence that proved Easton purposely tried to harm himself.

Easton's death was ruled a "misadventure," which Welsh said meant he victim died from consequences which were not intended.

"It seems clear that's the situation with Jordan," she said.

Via: https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/tragic-jordan-turned-knife-himself-14791313

Man plunges to his death taking pictures at Glacier Park

Officials with Montana's Glacier National Park say a visitor who was taking photographs of the scenery fell into a creek, was swept into a culvert and plunged off a steep cliff to his death.

Park officials said in a statement Monday that 26-year-old Robert Durbin of Corvallis, Montana, died Saturday.

They say Durbin was taking photos along Haystack Creek next to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is known for its dramatic scenery and vertigo-inducing heights.

He fell into the creek and was washed through a culvert that goes beneath the road and empties into a 100-foot drop down a cliff.

The popular road was closed to traffic for about an hour while rangers and rescuers found and recovered the man's body.

Via: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/07/26/tourist-plunges-to-his-death-in-montanas-glacier-park-while-taking-photos.html

Couple Fall 100 Feet Taking Selfie on Wall

A British woman and Australian man have died after falling 100 feet off a beach wall in Portugal while taking a selfie.

Michael Kearns, 33, and his partner Louise Benson, 37, were apparently taking a picture on top of a wall that overlooks Pescadores beach in Ericeira when they plunged to their deaths between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Their bodies were found by a beach cleaner on Tuesday morning and a cell phone was found at the top of the wall.

"Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened when they were probably trying to take a selfie," said Rui Pereira da Terra, a captain of the local naval authority.

"It seems they dropped their mobile phone and fell down while leaning over to retrieve it."

Local fishermen told Portuguese site Jornal de Notícias that they discovered a “horror scene” when they found the bodies around 6.30 a.m.

“At first the fishermen thought the corpses, from far away, might be people sleeping on the beach,” according to the report. “Only when they got closer did they realize that it was a dead couple and they were shocked with what they saw. Their bodies were shattered."

Kearns was a fly-in, fly-out employee on Chevron's Wheatstone project in the Pilbar and was a keen diver in his spare time, according to Perth Now.

He had left Australia in January on vacation with Benson, and they had attended a friend's wedding in Portugal in recent weeks, according to his mother.

Benson, a British expat who lived in Perth with Kearns, worked for non-profit Sea Shepherd Australia, according to her Facebook page, and also appears to have been a diver.

A spokesman for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told news.com.au that it was providing consular assistance to the man’s family.

Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office added: "We are in touch with local authorities following the death of a British woman in Portugal and are providing support to her family."

Praia dos Pescadores – or Fishermans Beach - on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, is around 25 miles from Lisbon and is popular with tourists and surfers.

Via: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/06/13/tourists-plunge-100-feet-to-their-death-while-taking-selfie-on-wall-above-popular-portuguese-beach.html

Boater dies as sinkhole opens in river

At least one boater has died after a sinkhole developed on the bed of a north Arkansas river, creating a whirlpool.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Trey Reid told The Washington Post Monday that the victim has been identified as Donald Wright, 64, from Searcy, Ark.

Reid told The Post that when the sinkhole opened and formed the whirlpool on Saturday afternoon, boaters were ejected from their boats. Wright, who was in a kayak, paddled toward the whirlpool to try to help them.

The 57-mile-long river, which runs through Arkansas and Missouri, is known for water sports, such as canoeing, kayaking and rafting, and fishing, The Post reported.

AGFC issued a warning Monday for boaters on the Spring River to avoid an area known as Sadler Falls near Dead Man’s Curve, about 150 miles 150 northeast of Little Rock.

The area has been roped off and is marked with buoys.

“The river is still open, but the barricaded area should not be breached,” AGFC officials said, according to Fox 25 Boston.

The commission says engineers will examine the area this week.

Via:http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/11/boater-dies-after-sinkhole-creates-whirlpool-on-arkansas-river.html

Woman eaten by alligator walking dogs

One moment, Shizuka Matsuki was out for a walk with her pit bulls, standing next to a pond at Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park in Davie, Fla., roughly 30 miles north of Miami.

The next moment, she was gone.

The only sign that the 47-year-old woman had ever been there Friday morning were the dogs, now alone and barking near the water, refusing to leave. One sported a fresh, bloody wound.

A witness who ultimately called authorities walked toward the dogs and spotted a large alligator in the water, according to Miami ABC-affiliate WPLG. And only one car was in a nearby parking lot — registered to Matsuki and her husband.

Still, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warned people not to jump to conclusions about what had happened on the side of the pond until they could investigate.

By late Friday, they revealed the grisly news.

A trapper hired by authorities removed a 12-foot-6-inch alligator from the pond and killed it. Inside the animal, authorities found “evidence … that indicates that the victim of this incident was bitten by the alligator that was captured.”

Authorities located her body a short time later, the FWC announced on Twitter.

Neighbors at the gated Isla del Sol community in Plantation, where Matsuki lived, told the Miami Herald she was a “soccer mom” whom they frequently saw walking her dogs in the morning while wearing workout gear.

Her husband was away in Chicago on Friday, neighbor Peter Limia told the Herald, but had warned Matsuki to be careful — or to possibly avoid walks alone at the nature park altogether.

“He had warned her not to take the dogs over to that place because they had seen gators before and it isn’t safe,” Limia said, relaying what he had heard from other neighbors.

But people in Matsuki’s neighborhood had received other warnings about another body of water where she frequently walked her dogs.

On Wednesday, one of her neighbors snapped a picture of an alligator lounging on a front porch, the Herald reported.

Police were called, and the gator was removed.

According to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Isla del Sol Homeowners Association sent an email to its residents shortly after the six-foot gator was trapped.

It urged people to “exercise caution with our families and pets, mindful that alligators, snakes, and other wildlife may be in the area.”

It’s unclear if Matsuki ever received or read that message, or if it had encouraged her to put her dogs in the car and take them for a walk at a spot farther from home.

She was a frequent visitor to Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park, but authorities have not said why she opted to go there Friday morning.

Nate Fischer, a neighbor of Matsuki’s, wrote on Facebook that Matsuki would frequently let her dogs off their leashes, allowing them to swim in the water. He saw them occasionally when he was fishing in the neighborhood.

The warning from the neighborhood association about alligators in the water may have prompted her to change things up and go to a lake farther away.

“I think she stopped walking her dogs behind our house when one of our neighbor’s dogs was taken by [an] alligator,” he wrote.

“She probably thought that Lake was [a] safer alternative, after so many gators have been showing up around here lately.”

Via:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/06/09/the-body-of-a-woman-attacked-by-a-12-foot-alligator-while-walking-her-dogs-has-been-found/?utm_term=.e6365a8b0a94

Man Killed By Exploding Vape Pen

An exploding vape pen fatally wounded a 38-year-old Florida man in what is believed to be the nation’s first e-cigarette death, according to a government report.

Firefighters found Tallmadge Wakeman D’Elia’s burned body in the upstairs bedroom of his St. Petersburg home May 5 after a neighbor reported seeing flames, WTSP reported.

D’Elia, a former TV producer for CNBC, suffered burns on 80 percent of his body and also sustained injuries to his skull and brain. At least two parts of the exploding vape pen were removed from his cranium, the Pinellas County medical examiner told the Tampa Bay Times.

D’Elia was smoking an unregulated Smok-E Mountain Mech Works vape pen before he died. The pen does not come with safety features to ensure the device doesn’t overheat, according to an online product description.

A spokesman for Smok-E Mountain Mech Works told ABC Action News that they’ve been having issues with other companies cloning their batteries. The spokesman said the company’s devices do not explode and that the problem likely stems from the battery or the atomizer.

E-cigarette battery explosions are rare, but when they occur, the device “can be propelled across the room like a bullet or small rocket,” according to a FEMA report. There were 195 explosions between 2009 and 2016 but none resulted in death.

Via: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/st-pete-mans-death-may-be-the-first-from-an-exploding-vaping-pen/67-549681715

Man Mauled Taking Selfie with Bear

A man in southern Odisha’s Nabarangpur district who wanted to click a selfie with a wounded bear, paid with his life for his recklessness when the animal mauled him to death on Wednesday evening, forest department officers said on Thursday.

Prabhu Bhatara, who was returning to Papadahandi with a few others in an SUV from Kotapad where they had gone to attend a wedding, had stopped near a forest to attend nature’s call. He then spotted an injured bear and decided to click a selfie with the wild animal.

Although the others in the vehicle cautioned him against doing so, Bhatara came perilously close to the bear which chased him and fatally mauled him. “Bhatara died on the spot,” forest ranger Dhanurjaya Mohapatra said.

The nearest forest office was around 10 km from the site of the attack. The forest officials could recover the body late on Wednesday night after tranquilising the bear. The driver’s fellow passengers who watched the entire act, were busy in shooting the incident on their mobile phones instead of trying to rescue him. A stray dog tried to fight with the bear but failed to save the man from the bear’s grip, forest officials said.

“The bear is being treated for its injuries,” Mohapatra said.

An amount of Rs 30,000 was paid to Bhatara’s family for performing his last rites. Angry locals staged a road blockade demanding ex-gratia payment for the kin of the deceased. Forest officials assured them that they would pay the compensation within 15 days.

Earlier this month, a wild bear killed three people, including two forest officials, in Keonjhar district and injured six others. The animal was later beaten to death by locals.

This is the third wild animal related selfie death in Odisha in the past one year.

Last December, a youth was killed by a wild elephant in Angul district when he tried to take a selfie with the animal. The elephant had strayed from its herd and was irritated when the youth came close to it. In September 2017, another young man in Rourkela was trampled to death by a wild elephant while trying to take a selfie with the animal.

Via: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bear-kills-man-trying-to-click-selfie-with-it-third-such-death-in-odisha/story-FjOuM94Is0DDZiKJoEzWsJ.html

Peeping Tom Found in Wall of Woman's Washroom

Calgary police are investigating after a maintenance worker at the CORE Shopping Centre discovered a man’s body inside a washroom wall.

Spokeswoman Emma Poole said a worker was called Monday morning to fix a toilet that wouldn’t flush in a women’s washroom in the downtown mall.

“If you were to look at the toilet, there’s a panel behind it so that when people move it would automatically flush,” she said. “When they removed that panel, they found a deceased person behind that wall.”

Yellow caution tape was draped across the bathroom entrance as security guards turned people away Monday. Early in the afternoon, people in the nearby food court were eating and others were using the men’s bathroom as police ducked in and out of the women’s bathroom.


Police and security guard the women’s washroom in Calgary’s CORE mall food court after reports that a body had been found in the wall of the washroom on Monday, April 30, 2018.
Later Monday afternoon police ruled out foul play in the case.

Ted Petrow said he was in the fourth floor men’s washroom at 9:30 a.m. when security staff cleared both washrooms.

“The security guards cleared out the men’s washroom and then their boss came over, the manager or whatever, and said ‘no, it’s just the women’s washroom.’ So I was allowed to go back in and finish my business,” said Petrow.

“A couple workmen came in, checking the walls to see if there was any hollow points. I could hear the banging. I was in the stall and I could hear them banging.”

By early afternoon, all the washrooms on the fourth floor were closed and part of the food court was cordoned off entirely and media were asked to move back. Curious mall staff and shoppers were milling about nearby.

Three of the eateries nearby were closed.

About an hour after the area was closed, someone wheeled a gurney past the cordon to the washroom. A short time later, the body was removed.

Poole said investigators have not yet determined if the death is suspicious. She said it’s possible someone crawling through a vent or duct fell from above and got stuck in the wall.

“That would be the most logical at this point is that it was from above,” said Poole. “So that is obviously something they would be looking at is someone crawling through the ventilation system.”

Via: http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/breaking-worker-finds-body-inside-bathroom-wall-of-downtown-shopping-centre/wcm/8ccb7429-f348-499d-8b12-5debb16b3f6e

Hiker Falls to His Death in Hawaii While Trying to Retrieve Hat

An adventurous 24-year-old man from Hawaii was killed when he fell hundreds of feet on Easter Sunday along a trail that has been the sight of three other deaths since 2011.

Nathan Stowell was hiking along Mount Olomana’s third peak on the morning of April 1 when a strong gust of wind reportedly blew off a friend’s hat. Stowell tried to retrieve it, against the warning of his friends, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Stowell then slid down the hill as he tried to retrieve the hat, tumbling about 400 feet down from the path. Officials from the Honolulu Fire Department found Stowell unconscious and without a pulse after an hours-long search through the heavily-wooded area, Hawaii News Now reported.

“Where he was found, it was a heavy canopy, meaning it was an area where there are lots of trees, and it was a pretty steep fall that he suffered,” Battalion Chief Damien Kahaulelio told Kohn 2 News. “Air One conducted an aerial search and we inserted a rescue person who found the patient unconscious, not breathing, and no pulse.”

The Honolulu medical examiner determined that Stowell—who is originally from Arizona—died from multiple injuries to his head and torso, and his death has been deemed an accident, the news station reported.

Stowell’s friend, James Keener, told Kohn 2 that the young man had frequently lent a helping hand to others.

“Kid’s hat blew off and he told the kid, ‘Don’t get the hat. Let me get it,’ because Nathan felt he had better balance, and he fell 400 feet to his death,” Keener said. “He’s just an absolute amazing human being. We are just blessed to have him in our lives as long as we had him.”

Keener added: “It’s a shame this had to take place, but he loved the outdoors. He loved hiking. He had a bucket list set up with all these different trails.”

Andrew Compean, Stowell’s former coworker at Handy Andy Hawaii, told Hawaii News that he had a missed call from his friend that morning.

“I’m still kind of in denial. I feel that I’m just going to see him tomorrow, because we had so much planned,” he said. “He had a future and there was a nice place for him in the future with everything that we’re doing with the company and he was an intricate part of that. It’s just crazy to think that we have to do it without him.”

Khon reports that Stowell moved to Ha
waii from Arizona when he was 18 because he admired the island’s culture and its opportunities for adventure. Olomana, the trail he ventured out on that morning, is known as one of Oahu’s most difficult hikes. A description of the trail on the hiking website, The Outbound, immediately tells readers that Olomana “takes guts” and “is not for the faint of heart.”

A GoFundMe has been set up by a family friend to help Stowell’s mother and two sisters traveled to the island for a memorial ceremony. It has since raised more than $5,000 in just under a day.

Lexis Sweeney, Stowell’s older sister, told Hawaii News Now that Stowell had been FaceTiming with their other sister at the beginning of his hike that morning.

“I thought it was a sick April Fools’ joke to be honest with you. My baby brother is 24 years old and he’s dead,” Sweeney said. “My brother died doing what he loved but it was literally a horrific accident.”

Via: http://people.com/human-interest/nathan-stowell-hiker-falls-to-death-in-hawaii/

Man Dies Getting Head Caught Under Movie Seat

A customer taking in a movie at a theater in England died of a heart attack after his head got trapped in one of the theater’s seats as he tried to retrieve his phone, according to a local report.

The incident at the Vue cinema in Birmingham’s Star City entertainment complex was described as “a freak accident’ by The Birmingham Mail. The local newspaper reported that it occurred after the customer dropped his phone in between two of the theater’s Gold Class seats (electric reclining seats) and tried to bend down to retrieve it, only to have the  the seat’s electric footrest fall on his head, leaving him trapped. The Birmingham Mail reports that the footrest was stuck on the man’s head while his partner and theater staff tried to free him before eventually having to break the footrest.

According to the BBC, representatives from the West Midlands Ambulance Service were notified of a patient in cardiac arrest and headed to the scene to administer life support on the customer, successfully restarting the man’s heart before taking him to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

“Following an incident which took place on Friday 9 March at our Birmingham cinema, we can confirm that a customer was taken to hospital that evening,” a spokesperson for Vue told The Independent in a statement regarding the accident. 

“We are saddened to learn that he passed away on Friday 16 March," the spokesperson added.

The Birmingham City Council is currently conducting a health and safety investigation into the incident.

Via: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/customer-seriously-hurt-freak-accident-14417100

Famed Snake Whisperer Killed By Snake Bite

A famed ‘snake whisperer’ in Malaysia has died after he was bitten by a cobra, according to media reports.

Free Malaysia Today reports that Abu Zarin Hussin, a firefighter whose snake-catching skills have gone viral, received the fatal cobra bite three days ago. The 33-year-old died early on Friday, it said.

The New York Post reports that firefighters in Malaysia are often called to deal with snakes in homes and businesses.

Abu Zarin led a fire department King Cobra Squad, where he trained other firefighters to catch the deadly serpents, according to Free Malaysia Today.

A 10-year firefighting veteran, he showcased his snake-handling skills on “Asia’s Got Talent” last year. His exploits are also widely documented on social media.

The Straits Times reports that Abu Zarin was attached to Temerloh fire station in the Malaysian state of Pahang. The firefighter has previously had close calls with snakes — he was reportedly in a coma for two days following a cobra bite in 2015.

According to the Post, in 2016 Abu Zarin was misidentified in the Thai media and some U.K. tabloids as a Thai man who allegedly married his pet snake, believing it to be the reincarnation of his girlfriend.

Last year Dan Brandon, a snake lover in the U.K., was found suffocated to death near his pet python, “Tiny.” A coroner later said there was “no doubt” that the python had killed Brandon.

Via:http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/03/16/snake-catching-fireman-dies-after-bitten-by-cobra/

Woman Impaled By Windblown Beach Umbrella

Strong winds can turn the most innocent objects — like branches and car dealership signs — into lethal weapons. Now, we can add beach umbrellas to the list.

A 55-year-old woman died after a windblown beach umbrella hit her in the chest with about 800 pounds of force, according to new research. The freak accident happened so quickly that the woman’s companion didn’t even see the umbrella hit her. (A bystander, however, did.) The companion “noted only that the woman was gasping for breath and was unable to speak,” according to the paper published last week in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. The victim was taken to the hospital but died within an hour.

Though this marks the first recorded death by an airborne beach umbrella, bizarre deaths happen more often than one might assume, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps tabs. Between 1999 and 2016, for instance, over 1,000 peopled died because of “contact with powered lawnmowers,” according to the CDC. People have been injured by rain umbrellas, and one man lost his eye after a windblown beach umbrella hit him in the face.

BIZARRE DEATHS HAPPEN MORE OFTEN THAN ONE MIGHT ASSUME
The study doesn’t say where and when the deadly incident took place. An autopsy of the victim’s body revealed that the umbrella tip stabbed her in the chest, cutting through muscles and cracking ribs. The umbrella was never found, so the researchers used a similar 11-pound beach umbrella to calculate just how fiercely the woman was struck, based on wind speeds from the day of the incident. Their calculations show that with winds blowing at 22 miles per hour, the umbrella delivered about 800 pounds of force to her chest. Wind gusts that day reached 28 mph, so it’s possible that she was hit with up to 1,000 pounds of force. The pressure with which the tip of the umbrella impaled the woman was about 16,000 pounds per square inch, the study says.

The umbrella injured the left ventricle of the woman’s heart, and despite an emergency surgery, she died. “If this incident had gone unwitnessed, and the nature of the object was not recognized, the manner of this woman’s death may have been in question,” the authors write. “This case provides confirmation that beach umbrellas may cause fatal penetrating blunt force trauma to the chest.”

Via: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/5/17080536/beach-umbrella-death-fatal-chest-injury-case-report

Poacher Mauled By Lions

A suspected poacher has been mauled to death by lions in South Africa. Local police said little was left of the man’s body—except his head—after the attack close to the Kruger National Park, in a private game park. 

“It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions. They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains,” a Limpopo police spokesman told AFP. 

The police added that a loaded hunting rifle was found near the body when it was discovered on Saturday morning. Police are still trying to identify the victim.

Via: https://www.thedailybeast.com/suspected-poacher-mauled-to-death-by-a-pack-of-lions

Man falls 500 feet to his death trying to rescue dog

A heartbreaking recovery unfolded at Thornton State Beach
Monday after a 67-year-old man fell down a 500-foot cliff while he was trying to rescue his dog. CBS San Francisco reports the Golden Gate National Park ranger said the man's dog got away from him, and when he tried to go after it he slipped to his death.

Long after the fatal fall, the man's dog continued pacing and barking on a perch, as is if to sense something was wrong.

"The dog knows if you are hurt and sometimes with the cliff they get overstimulated and don't know all the facts," says dog walker Kyle Moreno.

This is a popular area for dog walkers. Tedd Leblanc of Daly City and his friends were out hiking Monday. He says the terrain is steep.

"Sometimes things can move around. You gotta be careful. Always be on alert because rocks can tumble"

Rescuers airlifted the man's body from the bottom of the cliff.

Later they helped the dog get back up the steep cliff and gave it to the victim's family.

Park rangers say there are no leash laws in place, but advise dogwalkers to put their animals on a leash or make sure they respond to voice control.

The area is home to beautiful scenic trails but it is very steep.

Via:  wdef.com/2018/02/20/man-falls-500-feet-death-rescuing-dog-seaside-cliff/

Couple sells all possessions for sailboat, sinks 2 days into trip

A couple’s plan for a better life has been sunk.

Nikki Walsh, 24, and boyfriend Tanner Broadwell, 26, decided nearly a year ago that they were tired of working.

“How can we live our lives when we’re working most of the day and you have to pay so much just to live?” Walsh, who booked time-share tours for a living, said to The New York Post.

“Most of the work you do goes to your home. There has to be another option,” she added.

So the Colorado couple sold all their furniture and their SUV and purchased a 49-year-old boat in Alabama to live on and eventually sail the world in.

The couple moved onto the 28-foot boat, which was in the marina of Tarpon Springs, a town on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and lived there for months with their two-year-old pug, Remy, while they stocked up on food and supplies.

“We were pretty prepared,” Walsh said, of gathering items to last them for their planned trip to the Caribbean.

However, the two were not prepared for what happened next.

Nearly two days into their venture, the couple’s boat capsized in a channel of water called John’s Pass.

“We thought the channel was where we were going, but it wasn’t,” Walsh told the Post, telling the publication they were armed with GPS and paper navigation charts.

Local boat captains say the sandbars often shift in John’s Pass, the Post reported.

“We started freaking out because waves were coming, and it was tossing our boat back and forth,” Walsh recalled.

Broadwell was at the rear of the boat, holding onto Remy when the trouble hit.

“My hands were shaking. We were terrified,” she said.

Before abandoning ship, Walsh said they grabbed some clothes and important documents, as well as things for their dog.

“I also grabbed Remy’s food and just about everything he needed,” said Walsh. “He doesn’t deserve to go without his favorite toys.”

Walsh admitted she and her boyfriend, who used to drive for Uber, were “new to sailing.”

However, the couple, who has been left with just $90 in cash, no jobs and no boat insurance, say they are still hopeful for their world-sailing plans and have started a GoFundMe begging people to help them “not give up on [their] dreams.”

The pair are seeking $10,000 to rescue the ship, which sunk off the coast of Madeira Beach, FL. Walsh said raising the boat alone will cost at least $6,700.

“We have a lot of family helping us, but it’s hard when you’ve lost everything,” Walsh told The Post from Jacksonville, where the couple is staying with loved ones.

Though the pair seem down and out, they still plan to “buy or salvage another boat” at some point and “try try try again,” Walsh writes on the GoFundMe.

“You only have one life. Why spend it doing what you don’t love. Money isn’t everything!” Walsh told the Post.

Via: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/11/couple-sells-all-possessions-for-sailboat-sinks-2-days-into-trip.html

Man Dies Weeks After Winning $1 Million Lottery

A New York man who hit the jackpot with a $1 million dollar scratch-off ticket three weeks ago died suddenly Friday, succumbing to stage four cancer, according to multiple reports.

Donald Savastano, 51, passed away from an unspecified form of cancer. He had recently been diagnosed.

Savastano was a self-employed carpenter who spent $10 on a whim for the Merry-Millionaire scratch-off ticket, WBNG reported.

The Queens native told WBNG at the time he planned on using the $661,800 lump sum payment to “buy a new truck, pay off some debt, and invest for the future.”

An obituary published Sunday by Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home in Oneonta said Savastano is survived by his mother, two sisters and four brothers. He died in his home, surrounded by family.

Via: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/29/man-51-dies-weeks-after-winning-1-million-lottery-jackpot.html

Man Frozen to Death Fleeing from Accident

A Milwaukee man is believed to have frozen to death in the yard of a stranger’s home after running and hiding from the scene of an accident.

Mark Henderson, 34, was found dead Sunday afternoon and the medical examiner is viewing the death as a case of possible hypothermia, Fox 6 reported.

Henderson blew a red light on Dec. 30, a day earlier, causing a four-vehicle crash, according to WISN.

A medical examiner’s report viewed by FOX6 said Henderson ran from the scene of the accident and hid in a nearby yard. Henderson was on parole after a 2010 fatal hit-and-run crash in which he struck two bystanders, killing one of them.

Via: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/04/milwaukee-man-believed-to-have-frozen-to-death-after-fleeing-scene-accident.html