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The search for Susan Smith’s children [Video]
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The search for Susan Smith’s children [Video]

Convicted killer Susan Smith will soon be eligible for parole on Nov. 4, according to the Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, South Carolina.WYFF 4 decided to take a look back on the case of Smith and the alleged disappearance of her children.(Video above: Archived video from early on in the search for Susan Smith’s kids)Around 9 p.m. on Oct. 25, 1994, Shirley McCloud was reading the newspaper in her home, which was about a quarter of a mile away from John D. Lake, when she heard a woman wailing on her front porch. McCloud turned on the porch light and found Smith crying hysterically. Smith cried, “Please help me! He’s got my kids and he’s got my car,” McCloud led Smith into her home, and Smith told her, “A Black man has got my kids and my car.” 911 was called immediately after.Union County Sheriff Howard Wells had driven to the McCloud’s home and was directing the search for the Smith children.According to Smith’s false claims, she said that on Oct. 25, 1994, while stopped at the Monarch Mills red light in Union County, South Carolina, a black man armed with a gun opened the passenger door, got in, poked the gun in her side and demanded that she “shut up and drive.”About three or four miles down the road, she claimed the man told her to stop the car and get out. Smith asked to get her sons, Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months old, out of the vehicle, but the man said no as he didn’t have time for it.Smith stated to police that she was pushed out of the car before the man took off with her children in the car. She then ran to the closest house to get help. She told authorities she had never seen the man before the “carjacking.” On the morning of Oct. 26, Wells contacted the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to coordinate efforts to send divers to John D. Long Lake to search the waters.Throughout the day, a SLED helicopter flew over the lake and the nearby Sumter National Forest with heat sensors in an effort to find the car or the children. Divers searched but did not find anything on the bottom of John D. Long Lake in the area they searched. Union County deputies and SLED agents searched the area surrounding the lake but, despite all efforts, they came up empty.Wells arranged for a sketch artist to meet with Smith to obtain a better, more detailed description and a composite sketch drawing of the kidnapper.Smith described the man as around 40 years old, black and wearing a dark shirt, plaid jacket, jeans and a dark knit cap. On the afternoon of Oct. 26, Margaret Frierson, the executive director of the South Carolina Chapter of the Adam Walsh Center, talked to Smith’s sister-in-law, Wendy Vaughn, to offer help in the search for Michael and Alex. Frierson and her assistant, Charlotte Foster, worked with SLED to obtain pictures of Michael and Alex in an effort to print fliers describing the missing boys.Frierson explained to the family that she and Foster could be the family’s liaison with the media by scheduling interviews and providing information about the crime. Susan Smith and her now ex-husband, David Smith stood on the steps of the Union County Sheriff’s Office and talked to the press before being questioned by SLED for six hours. Susan Smith was asked numerous times to go over the details of the carjacking.On Oct. 27, both Susan and David Smith agreed to take polygraph tests administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The two signed and read their Miranda rights before taking the test. David Smith’s polygraph results showed he knew nothing about the disappearance of his children, but Susan Smith’s results came back inconclusive.According to officials, when Susan Smith was asked, “Do you know where your children are?” the test showed the highest level of deception. Reportedly, Susan Smith told David Smith she did not think she did well on the test and was concerned authorities would begin to doubt her story.The FBI agent who administered Susan Smith’s test said she made “fake sounds of crying with no tears in her eyes.”Due to the results of the polygraph tests, Susan Smith was tested many times, but David Smith was only tested once.As the search continued, the presence of media grew much larger, garnering the attention of the nation. The false claims by Susan Smith also raised racial tensions as Black men and women felt pressured as the search dragged on for the children and the mysterious suspect. After Susan Smith told her story repeatedly, several inconsistencies occurred. On Oct. 27, she was interviewed three times at the sheriff’s office.During an interview with investigators, Susan Smith claimed her son, Michael, asked at 7:30 p.m. to go to Walmart on the day of the kidnapping. When questioned about this, Susan Smith admitted to suggesting going to Walmart instead. She said that she drove to Foster Park, where Susan Smith and her sons stayed until 8:40 p.m., but did not get out of her vehicle. She then claimed she went back to the Walmart parking lot to use the bright lights to find Alex’s bottle, which he had dropped on the floor of the car. According to the reports, investigators spoke to people who were working and shopping at the Walmart Susan Smith “visited,” but no one remembered seeing her or her kids. At that point, Susan Smith changed her story, stating she actually was driving around for a couple of hours with her children in their car seats. She mentioned stopping for the red light at the Monarch Mills intersection, but saw no other vehicles at the intersection where she stopped.This caused suspicions to grow among investigators as the light at the Monarch intersection is permanently green unless a car on the other street triggers the signal to change, so the light would not have been red.While Susan Smith was being interviewed, David Smith told SLED investigators that she had been dating other men. Investigators asked David Smith for names and dates, and he told them of Tom Findlay, Susan Smith’s boyfriend. The investigator questioning Susan Smith told her that authorities discovered Findlay had broken off his relationship with her because of her kids. The investigator asked Susan Smith if this played any role in the disappearance of her children.She replied, “No man would make me hurt my children. They were my life,” which implied she thought her sons were no longer alive.Later in the interview, Susan Smith was directly asked by the investigator if she killed her children, and she became enraged, slamming her fist on the table, yelling, “I can’t believe that you think I did it,” before storming out of the office where the interview was conducted.David Smith reportedly grew frustrated that the investigators focused so much attention on Susan Smith rather than searching for his sons.Wells requested the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit to give a profile of a homicidal mother, and the profile almost perfectly described Susan Smith.On Oct. 28, Wells held a press conference to say there were no solid clues in the kidnapping of Michael and Alex, but no suspects were ruled out, including Susan and David Smith.On Oct. 29, the Union Daily Times newspaper published an article about inconsistencies in Susan Smith’s story.Six days after the kidnapping of Michael and Alex on Oct. 31, the Union County Sheriff’s Office got a call from officers in Seattle, Washington, about a 14-month-old child matching the description of Alex. Officials said the child was abandoned by a man driving a car with South Carolina license plates outside a motel near Seattle. By 10 a.m. Seattle police called, confirming the child was not Alex. Following the news, another press conference was held by Wells in front of the sheriff’s office.After the press conference on Oct. 31, authorities were faced with the challenge of proving Susan Smith was guilty, as officials concluded she was lying about her involvement in the children’s disappearance.Next week, we will look into Susan Smith’s arrest and trial for the murder of her two sons, Michael and Alexander.

Mysterious “Sonar Ping” Noise Emitting from Boeing’s Embattled Starliner Baffles Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams [Video]
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Home Based Business

Mysterious “Sonar Ping” Noise Emitting from Boeing’s Embattled Starliner Baffles Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams [Video]

Boeing’s Starliner capsule, already plagued by technical issues, is now emitting a mysterious “sonar ping” noise detected by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore. The source of the noise remains unknown, adding to the ongoing challenges faced by the spacecraft while docked at the International Space Station.

Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau families in mourning [Video]
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Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau families in mourning [Video]

The night before their youngest sisters wedding, two brothers and soon-to-be groomsmen from a tight-knit hockey family rode their bikes down a county road not far from their southern New Jersey hometown.Instead of celebrating this weekend, their family now has two funerals to plan as the sports world mourns.The sun had set over Oldsmans Township Thursday evening as Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, cycled near the fog line along County Route 551.There were good things on the horizon for Johnny and Matthew, two talented hockey players who tore up the ice for a season together at Boston College before Johnny, widely known as Johnny Hockey, would be drafted by the NHLs Calgary Flames in 2011 straight out of college to launch a stellar professional career.Their family was expanding. They were ready to welcome another brother into the fold Friday as their sister, Katie Gaudreau, prepared to wed the love of her life in Gloucester City, New Jersey, near Philadelphia.Matthew Gaudreaus wife, Madeline Gaudreau, is expecting the couples first child, according to an online baby registry for the couple. In a photo posted to a GoFundMe campaign verified by CNN, the former high school hockey coach and future dad proudly held up an ultrasound strip showing his unborn baby boy, Tripp, who is due to be born in December.On Thursday night, as the Gaudreau family prepared for a wedding, a Jeep driver with the smell of alcohol later detected on his breath, police said, traveled northbound on the same road as the cycling Gaudreau brothers.Sean Higgins, 43, later told New Jersey State Police he had consumed five or six beers that night.Higgins was attempting to pass a slower-moving sedan and SUV by entering the southbound lane and was able to pass the sedan, authorities said.The driver of the SUV, spotting the Gaudreau brothers cycling on the road, moved to the middle of the south- and northbound lanes to pass the brothers safely, according to a probable cause affidavit filed with the Salem County Superior Court Friday.Higgins next move transformed the Thursday night bike ride of brothers into tragedy.The driver attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. They would not live to see their sister say, I do.Johnny, the beloved NHL hockey star who was a husband and father of two children, died on County Route 551 with his younger brother that night, authorities said.The fact that they were together is horrific but ironic because they were that tight a family, Boston College mens hockey team head coach Greg Brown said at a Friday news conference.Higgins, who first appeared Friday in court, is being held without bond at the Salem County Correctional Facility pending a detention motion hearing on Sept. 5, according to Salem County court criminal division manager Crystal Harris. He potentially faces a maximum of 10 years in New Jersey state prison.Coach: Gaudreaus brought a ton of joy to hockeyCondolences poured in throughout the weekend for the brothers at sporting events and makeshift memorials across the country.Seven-time NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau, who spent 11 seasons in the league, was drafted to Canadas Calgary Flames in 2011 out of college and later signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets ahead of the 2022-2023 season. The enthusiastic athlete had 243 career goals and 743 points.Even the 98-degree sweltering heat recorded in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday could not prevent heartbroken yet devoted fans from gathering as they held lit candles and placed flowers, teddy bears, hockey sticks and signed cards outside Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, video from CNN affiliate WBNS showed.Gaudreau played two seasons with the team. Many of the fans, including young children, wore Johnny Hockeys number 13 jersey in his honor.Matthew, who played professional hockey for five years, according to the United States Hockey League, coached ice hockey at his and Johnnys former high school from 2022 until this summer.The outpouring of sadness following the brothers deaths showcased their immense impact on the sport of hockey, both on and off the ice. The unexpected loss transcended hockey as leagues, teams, players and coaches across the sports world paid their respects.During brief pauses on some soccer, baseball and football fields over the weekend, it was quiet.The moment of silence held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Friday before the Phillies took on the Atlanta Braves and similar displays of respect from fans of Major League Soccers Columbus Crew, Ohio States football team and several other baseball teams were in honor of two men who brought a ton of joy to the rink, Brown said Friday.The Gaudreau brothers, often equipped with big smiles, had a knack for amping up the energy in any room they entered, Brown said of the men he once coached.They carried that joy that they had for life and for being teammates onto the ice and you could see it by the way they played, he said.Meredith Gaudreau: We are going to make you proudJohnny Gaudreaus team and the NHL remembered him as a showstopping athlete whose infectious spirit and love for hockey was evident in the great joy with which he played the game, the Blue Jackets and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in separate statements. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could, the Blue Jackets said.Hockey reporter Dave Maetzold, who knew the athlete through covering the Blue Jackets, described Johnny Gaudreau as a modest superstar who wasnt drawn to the limelight.The athlete was much more focused on his family, including wife Meredith Gaudreau and two young children, both born in Columbus, Maetzold said on TNT Sports Tonight.His dad was a frequent appearance at every game. He would be there right alongside the ice, just as he was when Johnny was a young player, Maetzold said.His mom was there all the time. His sisters, his brothers, always there at the games supporting Johnny. He comes from a tight-knit family and was building a tight-knit family, he said.Thursday nights fatal accident has undoubtedly left the Gaudreau family irreparably broken, and the hockey stars children will grow up without him.Meredith Gaudreau, who married Johnny in September 2021, broke her silence on social media on Saturday with touching Instagram posts featuring the foursome as a happy family with their dog.Silly faces. Embraces. Big smiles. Beach walks. A birthday cake from Johnny Gaudreaus 31st birthday, which he celebrated August 13. The photos showed glimpses of his life off the ice. His grieving widow thanked her late husband for the best years of my life, one post read.The absolute best dad in the world. So caring and loving. The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment, Gaudreau wrote. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the Apple of Noas eye. I love how much she looks like him. We are going to make you proud. We love you so so so much daddy.It was always Matty & JohnJerry York, Boston Colleges former head coach, recalled on Friday the strong bond the Gaudreau brothers shared and credited Matthew with pushing Johnny to become an NHL star.The late hockey players wives remembered them as each others best friends and biggest fans who were always side by side, hip to hip.John and Matty. (You) dont hear one name without the other, Meredith Gaudreau wrote via Instagram Saturday. Even though Johnny Gaudreau was the oldest sibling, his widow said he looked up to his younger brother. I would sit back and watch John genuinely love his time with his brother, she wrote, adding: I dont think John could live a day without (Matthew) so Im comforted knowing you are of course together in heaven.Madeline Gaudreau, who shared images of the brothers lives together on her own Instagram, echoed her sister-in-laws sentiments.It was always Matty & John, she wrote Sunday. I cant even put into words the bond these two had.Madeline Gaudreau said shes found extreme comfort in knowing the brothers are together, as they always were.I know they are still messing with each other up there and will continue to look over their families, she wrote.In an Instagram story posted Saturday, Meredith let her late husband speak for himself about how he hoped to be remembered.In the undated news conference clip, Johnny Gaudreau said: When my time does end here, you know, I hope people remember me as a good person off the ice, a good teammate and just a good person.