Good morning, and happy Tuesday. Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. Body found of missing Arkansas real estate agent
The body of 49-year-old Beverly Carter was found in a shallow grave, investigators said early Tuesday, bringing to an end the exhaustive search for the missing real estate agent. Carter’s disappearance last Thursday while showing a home had initially stumped authorities. But police say Arron Lewis, 33, admitted after 12 hours of questioning on Monday to kidnapping Carter — although he wouldn’t divulge her whereabouts. Police, however, obtained information that led to the discovery of her remains buried on a property in Cabot, northeast of Little Rock. Read more in NEWS.
2. Hannah Graham suspect linked to another case
In another twist in the case of the missing University of Virginia student, police say Graham’s suspected kidnapper is also linked to the disappearance of another college student — Morgan Harrington — in 2009. Virginia State Police said the arrest of Jesse L. Matthew Jr., 32, of Charlottesville, “provided a significant break in this case with a new forensic link for state police investigators to pursue.” Dan Harrington, Morgan's father, spoke to NBC News after the revelation, saying, “We’re relieved in one sense, but very sad in another as it's taken another tragedy to solve Morgan’s case. We're just overwhelmed right now.” Read more in NEWS.
3. White House intruder made it to East Room
Omar J. Gonzalez hopped a fence at the White House on Sept. 19 in a shocking breach of security. While initial reports said he only made it inside the North Portico, he was actually able to overpower an officer guarding the front door and race to the East Room before he was stopped, according to a Washington Post report. The Secret Service is reviewing what went wrong, but has said the “location of Gonzalez’s arrest is not acceptable.” Read more in NEWS.
4. Hong Kong protesters refuse to back down
Pro-democracy protesters have given the Chinese government until Wednesday to meet their demands over allowing more autonomy in Hong Kong elections. But Hong Kong’s chief executive has remained defiant, saying the central government will not oblige to demands. Protesters have promised not to budge from the streets, where worries persist of another Tiananmen Square-like crackdown after police used tear gas. Clashes could certainly resume Wednesday, which is a holiday for China’s National Day, and even larger crowds are expected to flood the streets. Read more in NEWS.
5. ISIS’s advance was years in the making
President Barack Obama was adamant over the weekend that the ruthless jihadists who took control of parts of Iraq and Syria did so without much warning. On Monday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that “nobody predicated the speed and pace” of ISIS. But there were several warning signs and rumblings as early as October 2006 that the extremist insurgents were taking root. Read more in NEWS.
6. What’s the respiratory virus affecting children?
While Enterovirus D-68 has been hogging all the headlines, doctors say there’s another virus that parents should be worried about. The respiratory syncytial virus — or RSV — sends 75,000 to 125,000 children to the hospital and kills as many as 200 every year, numbers that are a little fuzzy because hospitals are not required to report deaths from RSV. Last year, influenza killed at least 105 kids. No deaths from EV-D68, which has been linked to several hundred illnesses nationwide, have been reported. Read more in HEALTH.
… What’s trending today?
Get a load of the view. New York City’s largest residential tower — 432 Park Avenue — should be near completion this winter. And at 1,379 feet tall, the glass building will also be the tallest of its kind in North America.
While it remains off limits, one 17-year-old daredevil named Demid Lebedev has already scaled the monster structure and posted several pictures on Instagram. He was charged with criminal trespassing and reckless endangerment for the stunt, reported NBC New York.