More details on Clinton Co. slaying

A few more details have come out in the slaying of Heather Robbins, 22, of Plattsburg.

- The father of her son, Joseph Hill, has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He's being held on $1 million bond.

- Police are looking for whoever picked up Hill from the Liberty Hospital parking garage where Robbins' body was found.

- Hill's family offered their condolences. Before he contacted the Cass County sheriff's department, he gathered his family together and told them he needed to turn himself in.

Katie's Revenge

From Indiana: An inmate doing life after he molested and killed a 10-year-old named Katie has a new reminder of his crime. Another inmate forcibly tattooed "Katie's Revenge" on the killer's forehead. Anthony R. Stockelman has been removed from the general population for his own safety, The AP reports.

Hat Tip: Thanks, Doc

Thieves target Wichita's homeless

Someone's been stealing sleeping bags, coats and other items that homeless people in Wichita stow under bridges there, The Eagle reports. About 20 to 25 people have lost pretty much everything they own.

Jury: Martha did it

Both Martha Freeman and her lovah, an illegal immigrant who was living in her closet, were found guilty Thursday in the death of Freeman's husband. The jury took two hours to reach their decision. Both Freeman and Rafael Rocha-Perez got mandatory life sentences.

Daddy loves his little girl

Talk about your doomed relationships: A millionaire discovers he has a long-lost daughter, he takes her in and helps pay for her schooling, the New York Post reports. Things drift into V.C. Andrews territory when they fall in love and get "married" in Westminster Abbey. (It isn't clear the guy who married them had the legal authority to do so. But they treated other like husband and wife, the Post reports.) Like all disturbing, creepy things, it eventually ended in a lawsuit. A few of them, actually.

The millionaire disputes parentage, though one test says he's got a 99.7 percent probability of being her dad.

Update on foster mom accused of assault

KMBC says the investigation of a former Blue Springs foster mom accused of assaulting one of her charges might be expanded. From their report: "Investigators said those charges are leading to questions about the death of a 4-month-old who was in her care several years ago in Liberty. The child's death was ruled natural in 2004, but police said they are reviewing the reports in the case."

Chicago considers air-gun ban

Chicago might outlaw air-guns, which often look a great deal like real handguns. The catalyst was a shooting this summer. A teen was carrying one when he got in an encounter with police, who shot him three times after he refused to drop the air-gun. Officers say it's difficult to tell the fakes from the real guns during life-or-death situations.

Fines would run $500 to $1,000, with up to six months in jail. If the guilty party is a juvenile, mom or dad could be punished.

"She has never done anything to anybody to deserve this"

We know a little more about Emily Keyes, the 16-year-old killed Wednesday during a hostage situation at her Colorado high school. She has a twin brother, waitressed at a cafe a few days per week, played volleyball and liked video games. The morning before she died, her world history teacher read one of her papers to some younger students, using her work as an example to aspire to.

Her last text message to her family: "I Love U Guys." The family's statement, via CNN: "In memory of Emily, we would like everyone to go out and do random acts of kindness, random acts of love to your friends or your neighbors or your fellow students because there is no way to make sense of this. It's what Emily would have wanted."

Open Thread ... Friday!

Welcome to Crime Scene KC's Open Thread, the place to post off-topic comments, chat with friends and, frankly, avoid your day job. We've had a busy, turbulent week and learned some important life lessons along the way ...

- If your girlfriend invites you to participate in a bizarre hotel-room ritual, make sure you're the one holding the knife.

- Never trust a dude named "Cheesy Rat".

- It doesn't matter how bad your 3-year-old sister wants to drink beer. Don't let that baby swig any more hooch! At some point, the po-po are bound to get involved.

- Boy, we miss Greg.

This is the last day of Greg's vacation-induced absence, so James Hart -- who relishes the chance to write in third person -- is signing off. Thanks again for your patience and assistance. In the words of the late Winston Churchill, "keep on trucking."

More details in Clinton Co. killing

We've got a few more details about the slaying victim whose body was found in a Liberty Hospital parking garage:

- The victim is Heather J. Robbins, 22, a single mother who'd recently been laid off. She lived near Plattsburg.

- The authorities have charged her boyfriend and son's father with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Firefighter's truck stolen while he's out helping people

Someone stole a KCK firefighter's pickup while he was out helping with a medical emergency call, The Star reports. Apparently, the thief got into the firehouse and took the man's keys while the firefighters were out helping people.

Roundup on Colo. school shooting

The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News both have in-depth coverage of the hostage situation in Bailey, Colo., that left Emily Keyes, 16, dead.

- The News was reporting that some of the hostages were sexually assaulted.

- On Wednesday night, the gunman's identity wasn't known.

- The sheriff, whose son was in the school when the situation started, said he's second-guessing his decision to have officers rush the classroom where the gunman was.

- Communication worked much better between law enforcement agencies than it did during the Columbine shooting.

Thong-clad burglar leaves behind home movie

Kentucky police have accused a man of what might be the worst break-in attempt ever. To wit: They say the guy -- who was wearing only a thong and carrying a knife -- videotaped himself trying to break into a woman's apartment. She chased him off, but he dropped the tape, which also had footage of his family. That's how police tracked down the accused man.

He's been charged with burglary, but it's not clear if he intended to steal from the apartment or to attack the woman.

Drugs killed Anna Nicole's son

A pathologist conducting a private autopsy says it was methadone and two antidepressants that killed Daniel Smith.

Update on boozehound baby

Re: The 3-year-old Minnesota girl who had a 0.12 BAC -- Her 14-year-old brother "helped," police say. He was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment.

Rookie cop charged with officer's death in DWI case

One of the big stories in New York this week has been the drunk-driving crash that killed one rookie NYPD officer and left another facing vehicular manslaughter charges. Danielle Baymack has pleaded not guilty, but is "very, very sorry" about the death of her friend, her mother said.

From the Daily News' story: "Danielle is not a demon like [the press] is making her out to be. She actually was a voice of reason among the rookies and would act as a designated driver if others drank too much," one officer said.

"I'm not minimizing at all what happened here. This is truly a tragedy for the Rivera family and the Police Department. But Danielle is not [an] uncaring, irresponsible, drunken party animal," said another officer.

Hat Tip: Thanks, Blondie

Former Alcatraz inmate, 95, dies

When he was a young man, Willie Radkay, a KCK native, was a prolific bank robber who eventually landed in Alcatraz. He died Sunday at a Fort Scott hospital at age 95. He was a friend of Pretty Boy Floyd and Machine Gun Kelly, and his early life sounds like something out of a Warner Bros. gangster flick from the '30s. (His prison number was 666.)

What's interesting is that, after he got out of the slammer, he went straight and had a relatively normal life as a school janitor with a wife in LaCygne.

His niece helped him write his story, titled "A Devil Incarnate: From Altar Boy to Alcatraz."

A snip from the AP article: While researching his crimes, she came across a newspaper account of a 1935 jewelry store robbery in which her uncle was shot 12 times. She inquired about it, but her uncle said he couldn't recall the shooting.

"I asked how can you get shot 12 times and not remember. He said: 'Tough skin, soft bullets and they didn't hit anything important.'"

When he died, he still had six slugs in him, remnants of shootings from decades ago, his niece said.

Social worker accused of child abuse

A former Kansas social worker, who specialized in children's cases, has been charged with attacking her 2-month-old foster son, Channel 9 reports. She was arrested Wednesday in Arizona while training for her new job: case manager for child protective services.

KSHB talked with foster parents who know the accused, and they don't believe the accusations.

Anti-Elian runs away to Cuba

Wow, people do really crazy things when they're teenagers.

Por ejemplo, a 14-year-old from Miami who'd been having problems at school has run away to Cuba so he could live with his mom. Dad's trying to get him back, but the U.S. government says its hands are tied.

By the way, the school trouble? Dad says son was running for class president and got busted for faking ballots for himself, using his friends' names. As a punishment, Dad revoked his iPod and computer use.

(Hat tip: Doc!)

Open Thread ... Thursday

Welcome to Crime Scene KC's Open Thread, a good place to post off-topic comments, share cool links, etc. If the blog were a house, the Open Thread would be a nice big porch where everyone sits back and socializes. Occasionally, a fistfight breaks out and the police are called.

(Greg Reeves, the CSKC's usual host, wasn't responsible for the sass-filled paragraph above. He's on vacation until Monday. James Hart -- the Coy and Vance to Greg's Bo and Luke -- is filling in until then.)

Woman charged for made-up stories about child abuse, torture

From an AP story with a Pitttsburgh dateline: A woman who authorities say ran a Web site that published graphic fictional tales about the torture and sexual abuse of children has been indicted on federal obscenity charges.

Fletcher was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on six counts involving six stories about the kidnapping, torture, sexual molestation and murder of children 9 and under. The charges carry five years in prison each.

Fletcher, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, said Wednesday that federal authorities “didn’t like my site.” She had no other comment on the charges.

KCK police fired upon

From KCTV: Police in KCK were looking for a man who fired shots at them Tuesday night near North Mill and Central. They set up a perimeter, but the man got away.

Dead body found in hospital's parking garage

A woman's body is found inside a vehicle's trunk at Liberty Hospital. Authorities think the killing happened in Clinton County. More details here.

Update on KCMO shooting

From KCPD Capt. Rich Lockhart, Re: Fatal Shooting Tuesday at 72nd and The Paseo: The man who was killed in this homicide has been identified as Devin McDonald, black/male, 08/31/1977, of Kansas City, MO. A 33 year old male is in custody for the murder and is expected to be charged later tonight. The second person arrested initially is not expected to be charged.

How much for the healthy ones?

From the Miami Herald: "Injured penis worth $1.5 million to jury."

Not saying a word. Not saying a word.

Firings continue for Edwardsville PD

Edwardsville's city council has fired three police officers and a secretary. No reason was given for the dismissals, but the local Fraternal Order of Police says it was retribution because those employees cooperated in an investigation of alleged DUI-ticket-fixing. (A police major was fired in May and his attorney also cited intimidation.)

Councilman Bob Lane, who's been charged in the ticket-fixing case, voted to fire the three officers, but abstained on the secretary's vote.

N.C. stops drug dealers by NOT arresting them

Really cool story from The Wall Street Journal: High Point, N.C., assembled ironclad cases against a slew of dealers operating an open-air drug market. But the authorities didn't drop the hammer on them right away. Instead, they made friends with the dealers' moms, grandmas, etc.

The moms got the dealers to attend a meeting at police headquarters. Nine guys of 12 showed up. In the first room, they met with pastors, social workers, etc., trying to get them to close up shop. The dealers then went into another room, where a "phalanx" of law-enforcement types had huge binders of their entire cases against each suspect. (They even had arrest warrants, missing only the judge's signature.)

The dealers were told to knock it off, or they'd face maximum prosecution. Apparently, the mix of hard and soft sell worked because the drug market collapsed "overnight." (Some people call the tactic "Hug-A-Thug.")

It's not clear if the approach would work in other places, but Kansas City is mentioned in the article as one jurisdiction that might try it.

(Hat Tip: Many thanks, Brian!)

Everybody loves brownies ... sometimes too much

Awesome story at The Smoking Gun about two young lovers who allegedly broke into a Domino's so they could bake brownies. And yes, one of them was carrying a marijuana pipe.

Charges in 2001 rape of pregnant woman

Leandro Rodriguez Dearmas, 43, has been charged with the 2001 rape of a woman who was six months pregnant. Jackson County prosecutors say his DNA was found at the crime scene and was matched through Missouri's database.

Prosecutors say they only found him because the law changed two years ago to include DNA from different kinds of offenders in the database. Dearmas, for example, had convictions for drug trafficking and resisting arrest. Before the change, he wouldn't have been included in the DNA database.

(The victim, by the way, later had her baby and now lives somewhere else.)

Hooker tricks predatory policeman

A 19-year-old prostitute knew nobody would believe her story that a police officer was forcing her to have sex with him -- so after one encounter, she took his badge. And when he called looking for it, the FBI was listening in. He's going to plead. The Boston Globe's got the whole story here.

3-year-old found with 0.12 BAC

A 3-year-old girl went to the hospital after police found her passed out with 0.12 blood-alcohol content, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The toddler was in critical condition for a while, but she should be OK.

An older sister called police after she said the 3-year-old accidentally got into the liquor cabinet. When police arrived, they found four very drunk adults, plus 11 kids in another room. Mom wasn't home, but Grandma got arrested. (No charges yet; a friend says Gram isn't guilty.)

A poison-control expert says it'd take about 7 ounces of beer or 1 ounce of 40-proof liquor to raise the girl's BAC that high. An ounce is equal to approximately two mouthfuls for a kid that size.

Pregnant teen: Mom made me drink turpentine

A woman's been arrested for allegedly making her pregnant 16-year-old drink turpentine -- twice -- because she believed it'd abort the fetus, police in Georgia say. Two cousins are also charged with criminal abortion, a crime I'd never heard of before. It sounds like there's more to the story than this AP report; police are investigating to see if the teen became pregnant because of a sexual assault.

Man shot and killed near 72nd and Paseo

From KCPD Sgt. Tony Sanders: On Tuesday September 26, 2006 at about 8:00pm KCMO Police Officers were dispatched to 7239 Paseo Boulevard on a disturbance. On arrival they entered the residence and found a black male believed to be in his late twenties suffering from at least one gunshot wound. MAST Ambulance was called and confirmed the man was deceased from his injury. Two suspects were taken into custody near the scene of the incident. This is the 71st Homicide of 2006 compared to 87 at this same time last year. Anyone who can provide further information in this Homicide is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 474-TIPS (8477). Nothing Further.

Update: Reward in Olathe cat attack

An animal rights group is offering a $500 reward to help catch whoever attacked a cat in Olathe, WDAF reports. Call the TIPS Hotline, 816-474-TIPS, to share any leads; tipsters stay anonymous.

Oops: Woman didn't have cancer after all

A Long Island woman is suing several doctors and medical outfits because -- after she underwent a lumpectomy and 25 radiation treatments -- they told her tha she never had cancer in the first place, Newsday reports. A tissue sample got switched accidentally.

Open Thread ... Wednesday

The Open Thread's a good place to post any off-topic comments and socialize. If you've got any story ideas or links to interesting crime stories, please share them here. Thanks for your time, and have a good day.

(Greg's on vacation this week. I'm James Hart, one of the Star's police reporters, and I'm filling in until he gets back.)

Robbers shoot at off-duty Grandview officer

Police are looking for two men who held up the Lakeview Market and Deli late Monday. They fired at an off-duty officer as he tried to follow them; he was unharmed.

Police: Nurse let patient die over 30-year grudge

Police say a North Carolina nurse let one of her patients -- an old high-school classmate -- die in a recovery room after a face-lift operation. The nurse was cited for moving slowly and "eating a biscuit" while the patient went into cardiac arrest. Police think the nurse had a grudge over a boy they both dated.

From the TV station's report: "We have this saying that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," said criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan. "That's really come about because women can be extremely vindictive."

Houston police chief points finger at feds in officer's death

An illegal immigrant has been charged in the shooting death of a Houston police officer during a traffic stop last week. The city's police chief says part of the blame belongs to the federal government because the suspect, who was deported after a child-indecency conviction, was able to come back into the country.

Hat tip: Hip Critic

John Mark Karr update

The news must be devastating for poor John Mark Karr. First, the police won't let him serve time for not killing JonBenet Ramsey. Now the judge in his child-porn case says she'll consider a motion to dismiss the charges against him. (The sheriff's department lost the computer that had the alleged images. They waited a few weeks to tell the judge, who's ticked.)

Chin up, John Mark. This is America. Work hard, and I'm sure you'll end up in jail someday.

"Cheesy Rat" caught in his own trap

Calvin "Cheesy Rat" Miller gave up some former associates in a 1995 murder case, but Miller also got convicted in the case -- he even received a longer sentence than the men he ratted out. (Who probably should have seen it coming, what with that nickname.)

Juror passes out during Stagg trial

Opening statements got cut short in the murder trial of music professor David Lee Stagg. A juror fainted as the prosecutor was talking about the large amount of blood found in the house. The juror's OK, but she's been excused: the judge didn't think she'd make it through the trial.

School administrator accused of drunk driving

Atchison's school superintendent faces a charge of drunk driving after he reportedly crashed into a tree in Leavenworth, Channel 9 reports. Police say he blew a 0.148.

Hat tip: Jamie

Police: Firefighter was lit

From The Record of New Jersey: An off-duty New York City firefighter who police say had too much to drink allegedly stole a firetruck and drove it to a burning building in Closter with the intention of helping battle the blaze.

Raymond Oprey, 33, of Palisades, N.Y., was responding Thursday to an 11:06 p.m. fire at Closter Commons -- to which he was not called -- when he swiped a pumper truck from the Rockleigh Fire Department, police said.

He drove the vehicle to the fire about 3 miles away, making several radio transmissions en route, saying, "I'm on the way," and "I have the 'agua,' [water]" said Northvale Police Capt. Vincent St. Angelo.

Hat Tip: Doc

46-year-old sex offender accused of sex with girl, 14

From KMBC: A 46-year-old registered sex offender is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl, Shawnee police say. The girl's mom reportedly spotted a text message between the two.

(Hat tip: Doc)

Dog Watch ... Let's Make A Deal

An attorney for Duane Lee Chapman -- "Dog The Bounty Hunter" -- says the celebrity bounty hunter wants to cut a deal so he won't be extradited, Fox News reports. He's willing to apologize, make a charitable donation, forfeit his Mexican bond and pay a fine.

Olathe cat survives attack

Fox 4 has a report on how someone literally tried to skin a cat. Luckily, the pet's being treated and will survive.

Open house goes terribly, terribly awry

A millionaire from Manhattan is suing his real-estate agency after he came home and allegedly found his broker "naked and chanting" in his apartment's closet, the New York Post reports. A lot of things were broken, and his mattresses were urinated on, he said. He'd gone away for the weekend so the broker could have an open house. It didn't go so well.

From the article: "I was ambushed. She came out of that closet like a lunatic. She was naked holding my mother's vase in one hand and a towel in another and screaming all this nonsense. Portions of my house were turned into . . . a satanic temple . . . like some sort of witchcraft. I was in shock. You're talking about your home - you're talking about your real-estate broker." (The Post's headline: "The Devil's Apt. Broker.")

Interestingly, the millionaire doesn't blame the broker; he's upset because the agency knew she had mental problems and let her work on his account anyway.

Illinois couple gets $2 million in police harassment suit

From the Sun-Times: A married couple in Oak Brook, Ill., say they were harassed after they set up a "good government" group and called on the village president to resign.

Three-inch screws were put down in their driveway, puncturing a tire. They received a slew of harassing, anonymous email, and their house was put under surveillance and broken into. The couple says a police officer was responsible.

The village isn't admitting it did anything wrong, but its paying the husband and wife $2 million. The officer has been suspended; he denies the accusations.

Open Thread ... Tuesday

The blog's Open Thread is a good place to post any off-topic comments and shoot the breeze. Or if you see an interesting crime story somewhere else, please put up a link.

For any newcomers, please remember to sign your comments; otherwise, they might be taken down. Anything libelous, threatening or otherwise objectionable will be removed. The vast majority of posters don't have any problems.

Thanks for hanging out, and have a good day.

(I'm James Hart, one of The Star's police reporters, and I'm helping this week while Greg Reeves, the CSKC blogger, takes some vacation.)

Police ID 19-year-old shooting victim

From KCPD Officer Darin Snapp: The victim of the homicide which occurred on September 23rd, 2006 at 3314 Prospect has been identified as Ralph Harris Jr., a 19yr old KCMO resident.  Detectives ask that anyone with information in regard to the case to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.  Nothing further.

Roundup of Star crime, police stories

Sorry this is so late, guys ...

- Lenexa police are starting to monitor who rents storage units. Critics worry about privacy violations; police say it'll help them track down bad guys.

- There's going to be a comic book about Ray and Faye Copeland, the elderly couple convicted of murdering five men back in the late 80s.

- Police have identified the victims of fatal motorcycle wrecks in Blue Springs and Lawrence.

Repeat DWI offender convicted 10th time

A Topeka man, who had 9 previous DWI convictions since 1974, gets more than 13 years in prison for his latest case, The AP reports. Last year, he was driving drunk and got his passenger killed in a wreck on Interstate 70. His lawyer argued for a lighter sentence, saying the man had post-traumatic stress disorder from his time as a Navy SEAL.

The judge didn't go for it. The victim's sister doesn't think much of the man's chances for rehabilitation: "I do believe when you are released, you will go straight to the liquor store and do it all over again, killing someone else."

(Hat tip: Thanks, G-Man)

Critical injuries in Olathe domestic disturbance

A boy calls Olathe police after he spots his parents in a vicious fight that left both of them with critical injuries Sunday afternoon.

14 nabbed for DWI in Indy

From Sgt. John Passiglia: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit conducted a sobriety checkpoint along eastbound US 24 Highway west of Missouri 291 Highway. The operation began on Friday 09/22/06 at 11:45 PM and ended on Saturday 09/23/06 at 3:30 AM. The checkpoint was staffed by (23) officers. During the four hours of operation (220) cars were checked with the following arrests: 14 DWI, 4 No Valid Driver License, 4 Drug Possession, 8 Warrant Arrests.

Paging R. Kelly, paging R. Kelly

The trial of Martha Freeman starts this week in Nashville. Her husband was killed in April 2005 -- Martha says the guilty party is her lovah, an illegal immigrant who had been living in the Freemans' closet. (You don't believe it? I swear on Court TV that's what she says.)

Not everybody believes Martha's account. From Court TV: "Since her indictment, prosecutors have been tight-lipped about their theory about the crime. But in 2006, an investigator told the newspaper The Tennessean that he believed much of the crime scene had been staged, including the supposed situation of the live-in closet lover.

"Attorneys for the defendants did not return calls for comments, but in 2006, a lawyer for Rahael Rocha-Perez insisted he was innocent and suggested that Martha Freeman's involvement in the slaying was greater than she let on."

Worst Breakup Ever, Canada Version

Audrey Trepanier, who was a contestant on Quebec's version of "American Idol" and who is also blind, has pleaded guilty to trying to kill her visually impaired boyfriend Remy in what The Toronto Star calls a "bizarre hotel-room ritual."

And by "bizarre hotel-room ritual," we mean: She tells him she's pregnant, he comes to her hotel room. He takes off his shirt, puts on a blindfold and agrees to participate in an "aboriginal ritual" to bless the baby. Instead, Audrey fed him a cocktail chock full of pills -- 19 -- and put a knife to his throat. After a tussle, Remy got away and got help.

It must have been a tough case for the prosecutor: Audrey had made a tape detailing her plan to kill Remy and was found wearing a bracelet that read, "I killed Remy."

The search ends in East St. Louis

- The bodies of Demond Tunstall, 7; Ivan Collins Jr., 2; and Jenela Tunstall, 1, were found in their East St. Louis apartment on Saturday night, the Post-Dispatch reports. They were found inside the household's washer and dryer. Authorities say they had been inside the apartment before then, but they were looking for photos of the siblings, to help them in their search.

- There weren't any charges Sunday in their deaths. No word on when they might be filed.

- Tiffany Hall, the woman charged with killing the children's mother and unborn sibling, had babysat the three before. Hall was a friend of their mother's. Relatives say the two went to school together and both became mothers as teenagers. (Hall has two children of her own; they're safe.)

Open Thread ... Monday

Welcome to Crime Scene KC's Open Thread, a good place to post off-topic comments or share news stories. Or just socialize.

I'm James Hart, one of the Star's police reporters, and I'm housesitting the blog while Greg Reeves is on vacation. (He should be back next Monday, if my calendar is right.) Everyone's been very friendly and helpful in his absence, and I definitely appreciate any help.

Please remember to sign your posts, because unsigned comments will usually be taken down. Also, anything libelous, threatening or otherwise objectionable will be unpublished, too. Thanks for your time, and have a good day.

Update on E. St. Louis killing

Details are still coming out in the killing of a woman in East St. Louis whose unborn child was reportedly taken from her womb, but here's what we know midday Friday:

- The dead woman's name was Jamelia Tunstall, 22, police told the Post-Dispatch.

- As far as we know, nobody's been charged yet, but police are talking with a person of interest, a 26-year-old woman. Police weren't saying if the 26-year-old and Tunstall were related, but a Tunstall relative said the two were cousins, the P-D reports.

- Police are now looking for three children who were believed to have been with the 26-year-old: 7-year-old DeMond, 3-year-old Ivan and 2-year-old Jinela, KSDK-TV reports. (Which is a little confusing: I've always heard Ivan and DeMond were boys' names; the Post-Dispatch says the missing kids were all girls.)

There was no Amber Alert for them by midday; police were searching a state park and preparing to drag a lake there, the P-D reports.

3-month-old drowns in bucket of vomit

A 3-month-old girl died when she fell off the bed she was sharing with her mother, age 18, and into a bucket of the mother's vomit, apparently drowning, police say. (Mom had been out partying, The AP reports.) The mother, who lives at a homeless shelter, has been charged with negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child.

(Update: Source story originally said group home, but now says homeless shelter. Went ahead and updated our post. Thanks to KMW for pointing this out!)

(Hat tip: Thanks, Kelly)

Texas records executed cons' last words

Texas' Department of Criminal Justice has a Web site of convicted felons' last words. Not everybody makes a statement, but most of the 376 executed prisoners have something to say. Some use it as a way to condemn the justice system or plead their case. Others apologize. Many just ask for the whole thing to be over with.

(Via Boing Boing)

Reputed mobster turns to magic

Vincent Basciano, a man accused of being a mobster, drew up a list of the judge, prosecutor and witnesses in his racketeering trial, but it wasn't a hit list, he said.

It was for a Santeria ritual, he told jail officials. Another inmates said Basciano would get good luck if he put the list in his shoe and stomped five times. Not sure what kind of "good luck," but Basciano's lawyers say he didn't want anybody dead.

Mother killed, baby stolen in East St. Louis

In East St. Louis, they're investigating a case where a pregnant woman was killed and her unborn child cut from her body. The baby later died. More details here.

Say it ain't so, Smiling Bob

Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals -- makers of Enzyte, the ... uh ... personal enhancement supplement -- has been charged with allegedly defrauding customers and banks of at least $100 million, The AP reports. Unauthorized billing of credit cards is where the trouble reportedly happened.

The company denies the accusations.

The feds also accuse Berkeley of using false advertising for Enzyte.

From the story: In one example, Wednesday's indictment cited ads placed in Penthouse and other male-oriented magazines that claimed Enzyte was developed after years of study by two doctors, one at Harvard and the other at Stanford. "The company president and others made up information in their advertisements, such as endorsements by doctors that did not exist, and results of customer satisfaction surveys that had never been conducted," U.S. Attorney Greg Lockhart said.

(Special Note for Our Enzyte-Using Readers: If you feel so embarrassed that you can't show your face, I'm selling one-of-a-kind Invisibility Cloaks. Serious inquiries only.)

Open Thread ... Friday!

Welcome back to Crime Scene KC! The blog's Open Thread is at your disposal -- please feel free to post any off-topic comments in the vast frontier below. If you've got any news or cool links, this is a good place to share 'em. Thanks again for your time, and have a good weekend.

(For those just arriving: I'm James Hart, one of the Star's police reporters. I'm helping out while Greg Reeves takes a well-deserved break. He'll be on vacation through next week, so we'll see each other Monday, God willing.)

Driving school update

U.S. Attorney Brad Schlozman's office has announced a slew of indictments related to Missouri driving schools allegedly helping more than 70 Bosnian and Somali immigrants illegally obtain commercial driver's licenses. A lot of the graduates went on and got certification to haul hazardous materials, officials say.

The Star's early report is here.

Indy announces DWI checkpoint

From Sgt. John Passiglia, Independence Police: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit will conduct a sobriety checkpoint on Friday September 22, 2006. (Briefing will be at 11:00 PM) .The checkpoint will be in operation from 12:00 AM to 4:00 AM (early Saturday morning 09/23/06). The purpose of this checkpoint is to identify and arrest drunk drivers before they injure someone or themselves.

It is also a highly visible deterrent to those who may see the checkpoint but not pass through it. The checkpoint will be located on a major street or highway in Independence where DWI arrests and related type crashes are prevalent.

Every effort will be made to not severely disrupt the flow of traffic. Motorist patience and cooperation will assist in this important safety effort.