Crime Time

Man's only choice: Either save his son or his wife from drowning

In what had to be the ultimate horrible choice, a man in New Zealand was faced with the trying to save his son who was trapped in a sinking car or rescue his drowning wife.

Stacy Horton faced that dilemma when he arrived at the scene of where his wife's car had cartwheeled down an embankment and into the Whangui River. He dove after his son in the car, but couldn't reach him at first. He could hear his wife in struggling to stay above water.

What did he do? Read The Times of London report here.

-- Lance Murray

Man who strangled wife during nightmare found innocent

A British jury has acquitted a man who strangled his wife during a nightmare in which he dreamed he was fighting off an intruder, according to reports.

Medical experts had testified that the prosecution's initial request for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity was inappropriate. They felt psychiatric intervention would serve little purpose because there was such a small chance such an act would occur again.

Brian Thomas and his wife were on vacation sleeping in their camper when racing cars awakened them. He later had his dream and strangled his wife.

Experts said he had a long-term sleep disorder and that when he strangled his wife, Thomas was in a condition known as automatism, in which his mind had no control over his body.

-- Lance Murray

FBI investigates death of nun on Navajo reservation

The FBI is investigating the death of a nun whose body was found in her residence at a church in a community on the Navajo Indian reservation near the New Mexico-Arizona border.

Investigators say that the body of Sister Marguerite Bartz, 64, was found by a colleague who went to look for her after the nun did not show up for Sunday Mass.

The FBI is not releasing many details, but authorities say they had been looking for her car, which was found in the desert.

-- Lance Murray

Falling television kills 6-year-old girl, police say

Police in West Covina, Calif., say that a 6-year-old girl was killed when a 32-inch television fell on her.

The girl was playing with two siblings when the TV fell from a living-room table, police said. The children were under the supervision of a grandparent, police said. The girl later died later at a hospital.

-- Lance Murray

Two bodies found in wooded area in DeSoto

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that two bodies have been found inside a car at a wooded area in DeSoto.

The bodies were found in the 1800 block of West Wintergreen Road east of South Main Street after police received a call about suspicious activity in the area, the newspaper reported.

Few details are available, the paper reported.

Rattled worker finds girl's body in canal debris

A worker checking machinery in a power canal in Washington state found a girl's body in the debris.

Authorities haven't established a cause of death, but they said it could be the body of a 12-year-old girl who disappeared six months ago.

The discovery upset the man greatly.

"It was a dead girl," Wilsey Lytle told television station KIRO. “It made me sick … butterflies in the stomach, shaking."

-- Lance Murray

Actor Thornton's daughter arrested in baby's death

The estranged daughter of actor Billy Bob Thornton is in custody, facing charges of child neglect resulting in the death of an infant.

Police said that Amanda Brumfield's arrest is the result of the child falling, although no other details were available.

Thornton's publicist said the actor hasn't had contact with Brufield "for quite some time," but that Thornton thought the death of the baby "is an unimaginable tragedy and my heart goes out to the baby's family and loved ones."

-- Lance Murray

'Baby Angel': Who is the little boy who was buried at playground?

Police in Albuquerque, N.M., are still trying to find the identity of the tiny boy whose body was found buried in the sand of a playground.

He's know simply as "Baby Justice" or "Baby Angel," police said.

A passerby made the startling discovery on Friday when they a noticed a small black and lime colored shoe protruding from the sand.

It's a true mystery. Nobody has called in a missing child the age of the boy and nobody has come forward to claim the body.

He's been described as a Native American or Hispanic boy between the ages of 3 and 5, and police say they're not sure how he died.

-- Lance Murray

Police: Mom lied about child's abduction; faces charge in her death

A California mother faces a suspicion of murder charge in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, after originally telling police that she had been assaulted and her daughter abducted.

Her daughter's body was later found in a grassy lot along the Golden State Freeway in Sylmar, Calif., and the woman admitted having made up the kidnapping story, television station KTLA reported.

The mother claimed her daughter died accidentally and that she panicked, causing her to leave the child's body near the freeway. Police are awaiting the result of the autopsy that will determine a cause of death.

-- Lance Murray

Disabled girl's body found in public storage facility

Shylea Thomas, was a 9-year-old quadriplegic girl, who had not been seen in six weeks, Flint Mich., authorities said.

She was reported missing Tuesday. On Wednesday, her body was found in a garbage bag inside a public storage facility.

Police say they're investigating whether her death was the result of foul play. Her adoptive mother -- who is also her aunt -- is in custody, police said. No charges have been filed yet, however.

Shylea's disability made it necessary for her to use a feeding tube and was the result of a suffocation issue at the age of 3. Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy before proceeding.

-- Lance Murray