deaths

spaminator · May 8, 2026

Ex-FedEx driver Tanner Horner sentenced to death for Texas girl's murder
Prosecutors say he kidnapped and strangled Athena Strand when he was delivering Barbies to her house

Author of the article:Ling Hui
Published May 05, 2026 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read

Defendant Tanner Horner enters the courtroom for closing arguments during the punishment phase of his capital murder trial Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Defendant Tanner Horner enters the courtroom for closing arguments during the punishment phase of his capital murder trial Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Amanda McCoy /Star-Telegram via AP
A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death on Tuesday after he admitted to killing a seven-year-old girl while he was delivering what would have been her Christmas gift to her Texas home.

Tanner Horner, 34, was accused of kidnapping and strangling Athena Strand after hitting her with his delivery van in front of her home in in Paradise, Texas on Nov. 30, 2022.

At the start of his trial before a jury in Fort Worth last month, he pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, which sent proceedings to the penalty phase.

Prosecutor James Stainton told jurors in opening statements that Horner was delivering Barbies to Athena’s house when he abducted her.

Her body was found two days after she was reported missing on Dec. 2, 2022, less than 16 kilometres away from her home.

Video and audio recordings moved jurors to tears
The jurors were shown disturbing surveillance video and audio recordings of the little girl’s last moments while she was inside Horner’s delivery van.

Several jurors cried when they were presented with the chilling hour-long audio and video clips. Horner could be seen lifting her into the van, and then driving away, telling her not to scream or he’d hurt her.

An image shown in court during the trial of FedEx driver Tanner Horner in the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
An image shown in court during the trial of FedEx driver Tanner Horner in the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Photo by Court photo
Stainton said Horner covered the camera in his FedEx truck before attacking the little girl, and then repeatedly lied to authorities, including telling authorities that he accidentally struck the girl with his van while making the delivery and then killed her in a fit of panic.

The jury also heard testimony from a forensic psychiatrist and crime scene experts.

Defence sought life sentence
Horner’s defence lawyer pointed to his childhood with parents who had substance abuse issues, his struggles with autism and mental illness, and his exposure to toxic amounts of lead while pushing for a life sentence.

In their sentencing, which came after two and a half hours of deliberations, the jurors found there was a probability Horner would commit criminal violence and be a continuing threat to society. They said there was nothing in the commission of the crime or in Horner’s background to warrant life without parole instead of death.

According to CBS Texas, Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, delivered a tearful victim impact statement, telling Horner: “You did not just take a life; you destroyed a family. You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence. You chose to cause pain that will last generations. You say you found God, but what you did to Athena stands in direct opposition of everything you claim to believe.

— with files from The Associated Press

Ex-FedEx driver Tanner Horner sentenced to death for Texas girl's murder

A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death after he admitted to killing a girl while he was delivering a Christmas gift to her Texas home.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 21, 2026

Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole
New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered

Author of the article:Eddie Chau
Published May 19, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

Warm steam rising from a round metal manhole cover on a city street
A woman has died after falling into a manhole in New York City Photo by Adobe Stock
A 56-year-old woman has died after plunging down an open manhole while stepping out of her vehicle in New York City on Monday.

The New York City Police Department said the Westchester County, N.Y., woman had parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV near the Cartier and Nike stores at West 52nd and Fifth Ave. just before 11:20 p.m. She fell into an uncovered manhole as she stepped out of her SUV.

The woman plunged about three metres (10 feet), authorities said, as reported by ABC 7 New York.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene and found the woman unconscious and unresponsive inside the Con Edison utility hole, the New York Post reported.

After being recovered from the hole, the woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Family members want answers
The family of the woman told ABC 7 New York they are deeply saddened and shocked by her death. They said they wanted answers on how the incident could have happened.

The woman’s name was not released.

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered for the tragedy to occur.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” Con Edison said in a statement to media.

“We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”

Police said the medical examiner will determine the woman’s cause of death.

Woman dies falling down open manhole in Midtown after stepping out of her Mercedes near Cartier store: NYPD

A woman is dead after she fell into an open manhole in Midtown Monday night, police said.

nypost.com

Woman dies after falling in uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan

The victim's family is demanding answers as to how this could have happened.

abc7ny.com

Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered. Read on.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 21, 2026

spaminator said:
Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole
New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered

Author of the article:Eddie Chau
Published May 19, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

Warm steam rising from a round metal manhole cover on a city street
A woman has died after falling into a manhole in New York City Photo by Adobe Stock
A 56-year-old woman has died after plunging down an open manhole while stepping out of her vehicle in New York City on Monday.

The New York City Police Department said the Westchester County, N.Y., woman had parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV near the Cartier and Nike stores at West 52nd and Fifth Ave. just before 11:20 p.m. She fell into an uncovered manhole as she stepped out of her SUV.

The woman plunged about three metres (10 feet), authorities said, as reported by ABC 7 New York.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene and found the woman unconscious and unresponsive inside the Con Edison utility hole, the New York Post reported.

After being recovered from the hole, the woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Family members want answers
The family of the woman told ABC 7 New York they are deeply saddened and shocked by her death. They said they wanted answers on how the incident could have happened.

The woman’s name was not released.

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered for the tragedy to occur.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” Con Edison said in a statement to media.

“We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”

Police said the medical examiner will determine the woman’s cause of death.

Woman dies falling down open manhole in Midtown after stepping out of her Mercedes near Cartier store: NYPD

A woman is dead after she fell into an open manhole in Midtown Monday night, police said.

nypost.com

Woman dies after falling in uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan

The victim's family is demanding answers as to how this could have happened.

abc7ny.com

Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered. Read on.

torontosun.com

Google Search

spaminator · May 21, 2026

spaminator said:
Google Search

she must have been steaming/boiling mad.

Dixie Cup · May 24, 2026

spaminator said:
Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole
New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered

Author of the article:Eddie Chau
Published May 19, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

Warm steam rising from a round metal manhole cover on a city street
A woman has died after falling into a manhole in New York City Photo by Adobe Stock
A 56-year-old woman has died after plunging down an open manhole while stepping out of her vehicle in New York City on Monday.

The New York City Police Department said the Westchester County, N.Y., woman had parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV near the Cartier and Nike stores at West 52nd and Fifth Ave. just before 11:20 p.m. She fell into an uncovered manhole as she stepped out of her SUV.

The woman plunged about three metres (10 feet), authorities said, as reported by ABC 7 New York.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene and found the woman unconscious and unresponsive inside the Con Edison utility hole, the New York Post reported.

After being recovered from the hole, the woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Family members want answers
The family of the woman told ABC 7 New York they are deeply saddened and shocked by her death. They said they wanted answers on how the incident could have happened.

The woman’s name was not released.

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered for the tragedy to occur.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” Con Edison said in a statement to media.

“We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”

Police said the medical examiner will determine the woman’s cause of death.

Woman dies falling down open manhole in Midtown after stepping out of her Mercedes near Cartier store: NYPD

A woman is dead after she fell into an open manhole in Midtown Monday night, police said.

nypost.com

Woman dies after falling in uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan

The victim's family is demanding answers as to how this could have happened.

abc7ny.com

Woman dies after exiting Mercedes and falling into open New York City manhole

New York City power provider Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered. Read on.

torontosun.com

Notice how they're reporting this? They emphasize the vehicle she was driving, (a Mercedes) & where she was parked (in front of a Cartier & Niki stores) so that readers will not feel too badly about this woman because she's obviously a woman of "means." The article is written in such a way to supposedly raise envy and hatred towards a woman who should never have died that way. THAT was the point, not the fact that she may have been well to do. Stupid media!!

And, of course, they all hate people who have done well. It's not surprising tho'.

spaminator · Jun 3, 2026

Teen pleads guilty to 'highly violent' murder of 11-year-old girl
The victim suffered 70 stab wounds and was sexually assaulted in the attack in Huron County

Author of the article:Jane Sims
Published Jun 02, 2026 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 5 minute read

Scales of justice
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
Editor’s note: This story contains details that will be disturbing to some readers.

GODERICH – He told the 911 dispatcher that a girl had been abducted by three men in a white truck.

But when OPP officers finally found the then-13-year-old youth on a road near Holmesville, west of Clinton in Huron County, the blood all over his hands and clothing suggested something more sinister.

Within the hour of picking him up on July 2, 2024, the body of an 11-year-old girl was found in a bush area near a now-closed elementary school. Her pants had been tossed aside and there was evidence she had been sexually assaulted.

An autopsy would later show that the 82-pound girl who stood little more than five feet tall had suffered 70 incised wounds to her head, face, neck, torso and extremities. There were deep cuts that severed her carotid artery and jugular vein, perforated her sinus and cranial cavity and collapsed her lung. The wounds on her hands and arms were evidence she tried to ward off the blows.

Further investigation uncovered that the youth, who had just turned 13 two weeks before the murder, had been viewing enormous amounts of online pornography and thinking about having sex with the girl.

On Tuesday, the youth, now 15 and much taller and beefier than he was two years ago, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in a case that Superior Court Justice Marc Garson said several times was “disturbing,” “upsetting,” “highly violent” and “troubling.“

The guilty plea came months after the completion of an Ontario Court preliminary hearing in which the youth was committed to stand trial for first-degree murder because of a conclusion that the girl was killed during a sexual assault.

The youth was brought to the large Goderich courtroom wearing his baggy youth detention centre burgundy sweats and in both leg irons and handcuffs. Half of the courtroom’s public gallery was filled with the victim’s family and friends.

The youth sat with his defence lawyer, Robert Morris, and he often buried his face in his hands as the facts were told to Garson. Some of the photo exhibits were so disturbing that Garson ordered them sealed.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act protects his identity. A further publication ban protects the identity of the victim.

Assistant Crown attorney Deanna Bronowicki meticulously went through an agreed statement of facts outlining what happened on that summer afternoon two years ago.

The youth and the girl were known to each other. Sometime after 2 p.m., they headed to a park to play. The girl did not have her cellphone, but the youth had his and he was also carrying a knife, as he often did to cut brush or whittle sticks.

But before they reached the park, they entered a wooded area near the closed Holmesville public school.

Bronowicki said the youth’s intention “was to engage in sexual activity” with the 11-year-old. He knew she was not consenting when he tried to touch her. When she resisted, he attacked her with the knife.

“At some point during the knife attack, he overcame her resistance and was able to remove her pants completely, throwing them to the side and pulled down her underwear leaving the garment around her right ankle,” she said.

Bronowicki said while the girl was dying or was already deceased, the youth touched her sexually.

The youth called 911 just after 4 p.m., about 30 minutes after his last cellphone use. Bronowicki said the youth told the dispatcher that the girl had been “forcibly taken from the bush area … by three men in a white truck.”

The 911 call was played. “People just came from nowhere and grabbed (her),” the youth told the dispatcher. “I don’t know. I just ran.”

He told the dispatcher that the girl was “screaming” and the men were in “their 30s or 40s.” He said he was “in the fields somewhere” near Holmesville.

The dispatcher kept the youth on the phone until emergency services were able to track his cellphone location. An OPP officer “located (the youth) walking down Tipperary Line covered in blood and still on the phone with the dispatcher,” Bronowicki said.

The youth had some cuts on his hands but paramedics determined he didn’t need immediate medical attention and chose not to clean them off. He would later require surgery to repair a tendon.

The officer video-recorded their conversation in the cruiser during a drive back to the school. During that exchange, the youth deleted messages off his cellphone.

The police quickly surmised that the youth’s story wasn’t adding up. They began to search the bush and at 5:10 p.m. they found the girl lying motionless on her back.

Bronowicki said it was evident the girl had suffered “significant blood loss from what appeared to be numerous stab wounds to her arms, hands, neck and head.” A knife was found on the ground next to her left hip.

She had no vital signs, but paramedics began life-saving efforts, but couldn’t put in an airway because of trauma to her trachea. She never showed any signs of life and was pronounced dead at Clinton Public Hospital.

An autopsy would determine that the girl died of “multiple sharp-force trauma” and significant blood loss.

The youth was taken to the Clinton OPP detachment and ultimately charged with murder.

The next day, the police searched the youth’s bedroom and found a number of knives and Airsoft BB guns. A pair of girl’s underwear and feminine hygiene products were in one of his dresser drawers.

When the police searched his cellphone, there were 27 secretly taken photos of the girl’s body and evidence that between Nov. 10, 2023, when he was just 12, and July 2, 2024, the youth had “accessed pornography-related websites over 2,000 times,” Bronowicki said.

She said the youth’s DNA from his blood was found throughout the crime scene: on the girl’s body, on a button on her jeans, on a ball cap and sunglasses and the knife.

Because of his young age, the youth will not face an adult sentence. Morris didn’t say what the defence’s sentencing submission is but noted the maximum sentence for first-degree murder under the youth law is 10 years, with six years in detention and four years under community supervision.

Morris said the Crown has already agreed that the youth will get some credit for his time served. The youth will also be required to give a DNA sample and put under a 10-year weapons prohibition.

A pre-sentence report and an updated medical/psychiatric risk assessment were ordered by the judge. The case returns on Aug. 10 to check the progress before setting a sentencing date.

Garson made it clear that he wants to set the sentencing date as soon as possible.

“There is not a case, in my view, that could take more importance in this county than the one that’s before me,” he said.

jsims@postmedia.com

Teen pleads guilty to 'highly violent' murder of 11-year-old girl

The victim suffered 70 stab wounds and was sexually assaulted in the attack in Huron County

torontosun.com

spaminator · Tuesday at 6:16 AM

Hunt for Nancy Guthrie underway in Mexico after anonymous ‘grave’ tip
On Thursday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos issued a statement on X confirming the agency is aware of the anonymous tip

Author of the article

enette Wilford
Published Jun 15, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 3 minute read

An image of Savannah Guthrie and her mother Nancy posted to the Today show host's Instagram.
An image of Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy posted to the "Today" show host's Instagram.

The search is on for Nancy Guthrie after an anonymous caller claimed the remains of the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie were buried near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Buscando Corazones Nogales, a group in Mexico that works to locate missing people, said the anonymous tipster alleged that Nancy could be found near a stream in Mariposa, west of Nogales, and near the Arizona border.

Ramona Guadalupe Ayala Ortiz, head of the group, whose name translates to “Looking for Hearts,” told Mexican outlet El Imparcial that the caller detailed that “the woman’s remains were in the Mariposa area in a grave over a stream,” noting that the group “failed to explore” that area “in the first intervention.”

Buscando Corazones Nogales began the search for Nancy around the stream on May 16 and found nothing.

A second call with additional information spurred the group to conduct a follow-up search that began on June 10.

Ortiz said volunteers discovered more than 25 unmarked graves containing the remains of at least 32 individuals in the area in a previous search that took place from April to May.

The organization told People that they received the tip last month and they will “continue searching.”

Pima County Sheriff’s Office weighs in
On Thursday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos issued a statement on X confirming the agency is aware of the anonymous tip.

“At this time, we have not been contacted by Mexican authorities,” the statement read.

“This investigation remains active and ongoing, and we will continue to follow up on any credible information.”

An arrest made
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also said Thursday that it made an arrest near Guthrie’s home.

“On June 11, 2026, just before 5:00 p.m., deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) arrested 54-year-old Alexander Zabel Jr. in front of Nancy Guthrie’s home,” the department said in a media release.

“PCSD had received several complaints regarding Mr. Zabel’s behaviour. At the time of the incident, Mr. Zabel was live streaming from outside the residence. Deputies made contact with him and, during the arrest process, a PCSD sergeant was knocked to the ground,” police added.

Zabel was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.

He is facing charges of resisting arrest and public nuisance, cops said.

Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother Nancy has been missing for more than 100 days.
Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother Nancy has been missing for more than 100 days. (Instagram) Photo by Savannah Guthrie /Instagram
Last seen on Jan. 31
Nancy has been missing for more than 100 days after being snatched from her Tucson home on Feb. 1. She was last seen the night before after being dropped off by family members, and believed to have been taken against her will hours later.

Nearly two weeks into the investigation, the FBI later released surveillance videos showing a masked man on her porch from the night she vanished.

Since her disappearance, Nancy’s children — Today co-host Savannah, her sister Annie and their brother Camron — have posted multiple videos on social media and offered a $1-million reward, pleading for information that could lead to the recovery of their mother.

“Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. We are in agony. It is unbearable,” Savannah said in her first interview after her mother’s disappearance.

“To think of what she went through,” Savannah said mournfully. “I wake up every night in the middle of the night. Every night. And in the darkness, I imagine her terror. And it is unthinkable.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2065260313457611150

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2065186855298208249

http://people.com/volunteers-search-nancy-guthrie-after-receiving-anonymous-tip-11996418

Colectivo nogalense recibe reporte anónimo sobre paradero de Nancy Guthrie

Se presume que Nancy Guthrie, madre de la presentadora de televisión Savannah Guthrie, fue privada de la libertad estando en su casa la madrugada del 1 de febrero.

elimparcial.com

Hunt for Nancy Guthrie underway in Mexico after anonymous ‘grave’ tip

The search is on for Nancy Guthrie after an anonymous caller claimed her remains were buried near the U.S.-Mexico border.

torontosun.com

spaminator · Tuesday at 8:54 AM

Off-duty nurse says Brazilian rope-jumper was alive after fatal bridge jump accident
Woman fell from a height of 40 metres and was pronounced dead at the scene

Author of the article

enette Wilford
Published Jun 15, 2026 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 3 minute read

Three men about to hurl rope-jumper off bridge in Brazil without rope attached.
Three men about to hurl rope-jumper off bridge in Brazil without rope attached. X

A rope-jumper in Brazil was reportedly still alive after being thrown off a bridge without the safety cord attached.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was the victim of the horrifying incident, which took place at Ponte do Esqueleto, near Limeira, Sao Paulo, on Saturday morning.

Footage circulating on social media shows the woman wearing a helmet and what appears to be a harness. But the rope attached to the bridge was coiled on the ground — not connected to her or her harness.

An off-duty nurse said that when she reached Rodrigues de Freitas on the ground, the woman was still alive after the plunge.

“I even talked to her,” Rayza Dias told Brazilian TV network Domingo Espetacular on Sunday.

“I have a habit of joking and saying, ‘Nobody dies on my shift.’ And I told her, ‘Duda (Eduarda), nobody dies on my shift.’ Even though I wasn’t on my shift there,” she said, becoming emotional.

‘The rope!’
One clip shows three workers hoisting the woman over their heads — one holding her legs, another holding her torso, and a third holding her shoulders — as she is held face down in a Superman pose before being hurled over the edge.

Another video angle shows the young woman’s actual fall.

Immediately after she was thrown off the bridge, people can be heard shouting, “The rope!” when they realized the safety equipment had not been connected, G1 reported.

The woman fell from a height of 40 metres and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders, according to the outlet.

Her body was recovered from the trail below and taken to Legal Medical Institutes for further investigation and to determine the cause of death.

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised

One witness, who was supposed to jump immediately after the victim, told investigators the instructors did not perform a safety check when it was Rodrigues de Freitas’ turn to jump.

Others at the scene, along with the Civil Police, said there was a serious failure during the equipment check and that the instructors simply forgot to connect the safety system to the woman.

Moments before her jump, Rodrigues de Freitas shared a photo of her jump wristbands on her Instagram stories and wrote: “Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge?”

The woman’s fiancée witnessed the tragedy and had to be taken to hospital.

Rodrigues de Freitas was buried the following day.

Skeleton Bridge has long been problematic in the area
Skeleton Bridge, where the tragedy occurred, has been abandoned for years and falls under the responsibility of the federal government.

Brazil’s Secretariat of Federal Assets (SPU) said it was “available to assist the authorities in the investigations.”

The City Hall of Limeira said in a statement that it would sue the federal government for failing to adequately manage the bridge, noting it “had been adopting administrative measures and demanding action from the federal agencies responsible for the area.”

Limeira Mayor Murilo Félix added in the statement that Rodrigues de Freitas’ death “makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable.”

Local officials said the instructors belonged to a private company that offered rope-jumping activities, although other reports suggested they were part of informal groups of practitioners.

Shouldn’t have been there
“It was a team there that wasn’t regulated; they didn’t even have authorization to be there,” Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told O Globo.

“They ended up organizing this event, and, this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim’s jump,” Levy added.

The suspects’ legal team told the outlet that the workers were very experienced and that this was the company’s first fatality in years.

However, they were arrested after being unable to explain the error or why final safety checks were not conducted before Rodrigues de Freitas’ jump.

Two of the suspects fled the area but were later tracked down by helicopter in the wooded area, G1 reported.

In total, six people were arrested, three of whom were charged with homicide with implied malice.

Após morte de jovem lançada sem cordas, perfis de organizadores de salto em SP são deletados nas redes sociais

Investigação aponta que responsáveis atuavam por meio de marcas informais nas redes sociais; três instrutores seguem presos após lançarem Maria Eduarda Rodrigues

oglobo.globo.com

Justiça mantém prisão de trio por morte de jovem lançada sem corda | G1

Homens passaram por audiência de custódia neste domingo (14).

g1.globo.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2065862054552936513

Off-duty nurse says Brazilian rope-jumper was alive after fatal bridge jump accident

A rope-jumper in Brazil was still alive after being thrown off a bridge without the safety cord attached. Read on for the details.

torontosun.com

spaminator · Friday at 9:10 AM

Sherwood Forest's iconic Major Oak has died after 1,200 years
England's famous tree, long linked to the Robin Hood legend, failed to produce leaves this year

Author of the article:Anne Bacani
Published Jun 18, 2026 • 2 minute read

Major Oak
The Major Oak in England's Sherwood Forest. Postmedia Network files

The legendary Major Oak of England’s Sherwood Forest — the ancient tree closely tied to the Robin Hood story — has officially died, bringing an end to a remarkable 1,200-year run.

The news arrives with an uncanny bit of timing: It comes just as Hugh Jackman’s new film, The Death of Robin Hood, opens in theatres Friday, creating what feels like a symbolic farewell to both the famous outlaw and his most iconic hideout.

The Death of Robin Hood
Hugh Jackman stars in The Death of Robin Hood, a new movie that reimagines the folk hero as a cold-blooded outlaw. A24
What felled it?
Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) confirmed Thursday that the Major Oak is believed to have died after it failed to produce leaves this spring, according to CNN.

For years, experts worked to save the historic tree, but the damage appears to have been too severe. The RSPB pointed to a combination of heavily compacted soil and increasingly hot, dry summers as the main reasons for its decline.

“While the Major Oak team worked tirelessly to revive the environment around this iconic tree — and saw encouraging signs of life in some areas — the damage, it now seems, was already too deeply entrenched to fully reverse,” said Simon Parfey of SoilBioLab, who helped care for the tree.

Ironically, what made it famous contributed to its downfall
The tree became one of England’s most popular tourist attractions because of its connection to Robin Hood. Over the years, millions of visitors flocked to Sherwood Forest, gradually compressing the surrounding soil until it became almost as hard as concrete.

According to the RSPB, that made it difficult for rainwater to penetrate the ground for the tree’s roots to absorb the nutrients they needed.

“It has seen an enormous amount of activity,” Chloe Ryder, the RSPB’s estate operations manager at Sherwood Forest, told CNN.

Rumours about tree’s death have surfaced before
Over the years, reports periodically suggested the ancient oak had finally succumbed, only for conservation groups to confirm it was still hanging on, per CBS News.

This time, however, there is no comeback.

“The tree’s failure to produce leaves this year is heartbreaking for everyone,” said Hollie Drake of the RSPB.

Still, conservationists say the Major Oak’s story is far from over. Drake noted that the tree’s legacy extends beyond its connection to the Prince of Thieves.

“We know the Major Oak will have a lasting legacy, first and foremost because it is so inextricably linked to Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest,” Drake said. “But beyond its cultural heritage, the Major Oak will continue to provide important habitat for wildlife, reminding us why these remarkable trees are so important and why protecting them for the future matters.”

Robin Hood connection
The Major Oak has long been linked to the tale of Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw who supposedly hid among its branches while evading the Sheriff of Nottingham. Whether fact or folklore, that connection helped make the tree one of Britain’s most recognizable natural landmarks.

According to The Herald, the oak had stood since the time of the Norman Conquest. It became widely known after Major Hayman Rooke wrote about it in a book in 1790, sparking centuries of tourism and turning the ancient tree into a global attraction.

spaminator · 2026-06-20T13:01:28-0400

deaths

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