Thursday, September 16 top stories
It is Thursday, September 16. Here are today’s top stories.
There is a murder mystery in Moab, Utah that involves a deceased married couple and a engaged couple in which a young woman is missing. Here is a recap of what is going on.
On August 18, the married couple, Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte, were found dead at their campsite near Moab. Both women had multiple gunshot wounds. The couple, who just married a few months ago, was already missing for a few days before their bodies were found by Kylen’s friend. The couple lived in a van and moved from campsite to campsite in the Moab area. Family members said before Kylen went missing, she expressed concern about a strange man around their campsite who was creeping them out. Police are still investigating the deaths and have not named any suspects.
The second couple is Gabby Petito and her fiance Brian Laundrie. For the past several months, the couple travelled across the U.S. in a van and posted vlogs and pictures. Gabby is now missing.
Police said on August 12, they responded to a domestic violence call about an argument between Gabby and Brian in their van in Moab. It is not clear what the argument was about, but police separated the two and took Brian to a hotel while Gabby stayed in the van.
On August 25, Gabby told her family that she was in a national park in Wyoming. On September 1st, Brian drove the van to his home in North Port, Florida without Gabby.
Right now, nobody knows where Gabby is -- she was reported missing on September 11. Police in Florida said they need to talk with Brian and are somewhat being blocked by his attorney.
Gabby’s family said they are also frustrated with Brian because he refuses to tell them about where he last saw Gabby and why he left her alone and drove to Florida by himself. There is a search for Gabby in the Grand Teton National Park area.
Law enforcement in Utah said they have not ruled out a potential connection between the two cases. So far the only known connection is that both couples were in the Moab area during dates that overlapped with each other. The argument that Gabby had with Brian took place at a grocery store where Kylen worked. There is a lot of speculation online on what happened. The FBI is involved in both cases.
U.S. and British military officials announced they will share nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia, which would allow Australia to deploy submarines with unlimited range.
It is considered a challenge to China’s authority in the South China Sea and the greater Pacific Ocean. Australia said the submarines would not carry nuclear weapons, but the submarines are still likely to carry powerful cruise missiles. The Chinese government said the technology-sharing agreement between the three countries (US, UK, and Australia) is irresponsible and would damage regional peace. The French government is also angry, saying it interferes with their military relationship with Australia and that the U.S. did not communicate with them in advance.
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In Pittsburgh, a freight company, Wabtec, unveiled the world’s first battery-electric freight train called FLXdrive. It has 500 lithium-ion battery modules. The train is not 100% electric -- it still uses diesel gas -- but the electric technology cuts down about 11% of fuel consumption. “The Guardian” explained that the rail freight industry in the U.S. is worth about $80 billion and spans 140,000 miles of track. The battery-electric technology is a step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
North Korea showed off images and videos of a new train-based missile system. The video shows a seemingly simple three-car train that stops in the middle of a forested area near a tunnel. The roof of one of the carriages is able to open up to raise missiles and send them flying. Look at this video.
North Korea said the missiles flew almost 500 miles and landed in the sea of Japan. The country has been sending up an array of various missiles in recent days.
South Korea revealed a new submarine-launched ballistic missile system yesterday. It’s a flurry of missiles in the Korean peninsula.
In South Carolina, an attorney named Alex Murdaugh is accused of trying to orchestrate his own death by paying a gunman to shoot him in the head so that his son would receive a $10 million life insurance payment. On September 4th, Murdaugh was shot in the head, but the bullet grazed his head and he was able to call 911 for help.
The suspected gunman is Curtis Edward Smith and police said he was arrested and confessed to shooting Alex. Chris was charged with assisted suicide and other charges. Alex, the attorney, turned himself in today on a warrant of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
In June, Alex’s wife Maggie and another son Paul were found dead in their home, shot multiple times. That case is still unsolved. Alex’s attorneys said he is cooperating with the investigation in his own shooting and in the shooting deaths of his wife and son. Alex’s family were powerful and influential attorneys and public officials in the southern part of South Carolina, and there are multiple probes now being uncovered about other deaths surrounding the family.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/us/politics/biden-australia-britain-china.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/us/gabby-petito-missing/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-murdaugh-lawyer-life-insurance-scam-turn-in/