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Family of six dead in travel trailer fire in rural Nova Scotia: RCMP
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Sep 13, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
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MILLVALE, N.S. — The RCMP say the bodies of six members of a family were discovered Sunday evening following a fire in a travel trailer in rural Nova Scotia.

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Officers were called to Mountain Road in Millvale, N.S., Sunday at around 6:30 p.m. and members reached the area half an hour later after travelling a back road to the location, Cpl. Chris Marshall said Monday.


He said when officers arrived, they discovered the bodies of a 30-year-old man, a 28-year-old woman and four children, ages three, four, eight and 11. There were no survivors.

It will be up to the fire marshal’s office to establish the cause of the fire, but police say a preliminary investigation suggests it was not suspicious. The medical examiner’s office will be determining the exact cause of death.

Marshall said the news has been devastating for the family of the deceased and others in the area who knew them.

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“It takes a toll on the community at large,” he said. “It’s a difficult circumstance and it’s tragic.”

Millvale is a small community in Cumberland County near Westchester Valley, about 50 kilometres southeast of Amherst and the New Brunswick border.

Marshall said the family was from Amherst and was on a weekend trip to Millvale.

He said he couldn’t indicate who owned the trailer but identified it as a nine-metre ultra-lite Passport trailer that was located on a private property. The exterior of the trailer was intact and “it wasn’t like we had to comb through rubble,” he said, in describing the scene.

“It’s our belief at this time it is not a suspicious fire … but we will remain there until the fire marshal’s office has confirmed this is not a criminal incident,” he said.

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The time of the fire is unknown, and it’s possible it had occurred well before police arrived, even during the previous night, he added.

“My understanding is the family member who went in to check on them and then called police hadn’t heard from them since the day before,” said Marshall.

Amherst Mayor David Kogon said he can’t recall any time in the past 40 years when his town has had a similar death toll from a single blaze.

“It’s unimaginable, in this tragedy of a family with four small children, what it must do to their family and friends,” he said in a phone interview on Monday. “It’s just unimaginable.”

He predicted that the community will rally to support family and friends of the deceased. He said the news comes after a year in which pandemic border restrictions between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick caused stresses for many in the town, which is situated near the provincial boundary.

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“We’ve had a lot of troubles here in the last couple of years. It’s getting to be a burden,” he said. “The pandemic hit families here harder than any other community in Nova Scotia because of the inability to interact with families just across the border.”

The region’s school board confirmed the children attended local schools.

“Right now, our priority is to support our students and staff members of Cumberland North Academy where these sudden losses will leave a lasting impact on those who knew them,” the school board posted on Twitter.

School psychologists, the student services consultant and a school counsellor were at the school Monday to provide support.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community impacted by this tragedy,” the district wrote.
 

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Boyfriend allegedly returned from trip without missing N.Y. woman
Author of the article:Denette Wilford
Publishing date:Sep 13, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /Instagram
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A woman who was on a road trip with her boyfriend and documenting their “van life” travels on YouTube and social media has gone missing.

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Gabby Petito, 22, from Blue Point, N.Y., was travelling across the U.S. to tour national parks this summer with her boyfriend in a converted camper van, reported Fox News.


They left in early July, but Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, hasn’t heard from her daughter since Aug. 25.

“I don’t know if she left Grand Teton [National Park, in Wyoming] or not,” Schmidt told Fox. “I did receive a text from her on the 27th and the 30th, but I don’t know if it was technically her or not, because it was just a text. I didn’t verbally speak to her.”

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According to Schmidt, the first leg of their trip, in July, was from Florida to New York.

They then left New York in August to make their way to Salt Lake City. They got there but departed Utah amid heavy wildfire smoke, reported the news outlet.


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Grand Teton is Petito’s last known location — on Aug. 25 — before she and her boyfriend set out for Yellowstone, said Schmidt.

“I can’t say much, but she’s no longer with the van,” said Schmidt of her daughter and their converted camper.

“I don’t want to say anything more than that, but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore.”

Petito’s family reported her missing to the Suffolk County Police Department in New York, her hometown, on Sept. 11.


“Petito and a companion were travelling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plate QFTG03,” police said in a news release. “The van she was travelling in has been recovered.”

Her boyfriend has not been identified, but a glance at their YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik, spotlights their road trip. Their website of the same name says, “Out of the Wi-Fi, be here soon! Follow our journey, Brian + Gabby.”

The Brian in question is Brian Laundrie, who also posts about their travels.


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Petito’s last Instagram post was on the day her mom last heard from her. Laundrie hasn’t posted since Aug. 13 — from Utah.

Laundrie, however, returned home to Florida without Petito, reported Newsday.

Petito’s family claims he has since hired an attorney and refused to cooperate with investigators.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on Petito’s disappearance to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
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Comedian Norm Macdonald dies at 61 after secret cancer battle
Author of the article:WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Publishing date:Sep 14, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 1 minute read • 18 Comments
Norm Macdonald arrives at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day at The Langham Huntington Hotel on April 2, 2015, in Pasadena, Calif. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Invision - Chris Pizzello
Norm Macdonald arrives at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day at The Langham Huntington Hotel on April 2, 2015, in Pasadena, Calif. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Invision - Chris Pizzello
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Former Saturday Night Live star Norm Macdonald has died, aged 61.

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The comedian lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, according to his managers at Brillstein Entertainment.


Norm’s longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with him when he passed, told Deadline he had secretly been battling cancer for almost a decade and few people knew.

“He was most proud of his comedy,” Hoekstra said. “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him… Norm will be missed terribly.”

Macdonald was an SNL cast member from 1993 to 1998 and during his stint on the show he was the host of its popular Weekend Update news segment.


Born in 1959 in Quebec City, Macdonald started out in Canada’s comedy clubs, before he was hired to write for Roseanne Barr’s sitcom Roseanne in the early 1990s. That gig helped him land a spot as a writer and star on Saturday Night Live.

He also hosted his own comedy series, The Norm Show, from 1999 to 2001, and became a regular favourite on U.S. late night shows like Late Night With David Letterman and Conan.

Norm also appeared in the movies Billy Madison, The People v. Larry Flynt, Funny People, and Grown Ups, and he voiced the character Lucky in Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Dolittle movies.
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California woman dies after dog leash catches in train door
Author of the article:Denette Wilford
Publishing date:Sep 15, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train arrives at a station.
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train arrives at a station. PHOTO BY JUSTIN SULLIVAN /Getty Images
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A woman in California died when her dog’s leash became entangled in train doors, and she was dragged as it departed the station.

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Amy Adams, 41, of San Francisco, was standing at the Powell St. station on Monday afternoon with her dog tethered to her waist as a train rolled into the station, reported KPIX.


She and the dog boarded the train but at the very last second, as the doors were closing, the woman jumped off, according to investigators who reviewed surveillance footage and spoke to witnesses.

At the time, she appeared to be waving at someone.

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Adams cleared the doors — but the dog and its leash did not. The train departed with the dog inside, and its owner was dragged and pulled onto the tracks, reported the news outlet.

“This is a tragic loss of life, and we are following all safety protocols,” said spokesperson Alicia Trost, of Bay Area Rapid Transit.


Investigators are determining if the dog, which was not injured, was a service animal.

Leashed or harnessed service dogs are allowed on BART trains, while all other animals must be in carriers.

The National Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead on the investigation.
 

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Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's family slams 'reprehensible' boyfriend
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 15, 2021 • 10 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
YouTuber Gabby Petito has been missing since August and her boyfriend is not cooperating with cops.
YouTuber Gabby Petito has been missing since August and her boyfriend is not cooperating with cops. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
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The family of missing YouTube vlogger Gabby Petito lambasted her uncooperative boyfriend as “reprehensible” as cops named him a person of interest in the Long Island native’s disappearance..

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Family lawyer Richard Stafford slammed Brian Laundrie for leaving Petito “in the wilderness”.

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“Brian let Gabby in the wilderness with grizzly bears and wolves while he sits in the comfort of his home,” the statement. “In his home!”

“Brian, how could you do this to Gabby? You selfishly remain silent while Gabby is all alone in the wilderness. Brian, your silence is reprehensible! We beg you to do the right thing and help us bring Gabby home.”

But Laundrie may have bigger problems now.

Detectives in North Port, Fla., have identified Laundrie, 23, as a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance during their cross-country trip.

Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11.

She had last been seen at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in late August.

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The couple — who lived in Florida before their cross-country adventure — chronicled their escapades on YouTube, but only Laundrie returned to the Sunshine State.

And the relationship between Petito and Laundrie may not have been all hearts and flowers. Petito reportedly called off their engagement because she thought they were too young.

Cops in Utah also revealed that they responded to an “incident” involving Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie about two weeks before she vanished, Fox News reports.

No arrests were made and no charges were laid.

Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
Now, he’s avoiding cops and his girlfriend’s distraught family.

“Brian is refusing to tell Gabby’s family where he last saw her,” a statement from her family said.

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“Brian is also refusing to explain why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida. These are critical questions that require immediate answers.”

Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August.
Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /AWARE
It added: “The Schmidt and Petito family beg the Laundrie family to not ‘remain in the background’ but to help find who Brian referred to as the love of his life. How does Brian stay in the background when he is the one person that knows where Gabby is located.”

The couple began their journey in July and had been slated to end their trip in Portland around Halloween.

Instead, he returned to Florida alone in her 2012 Ford Transit.

Now, neither Laundrie or his parents are cooperating with detectives.

So far, cops have not accused him of any wrongdoing but local police wish to speak with him, calling Petito’s disappearance “odd.”

“I think anyone would assume that the possible last person to be around her is a person of interest to want to talk with,” a spokesman told Fox.

“However, there is no crime at this point.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @HunterTOSun
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Is YouTuber Gabby Petito's disappearance linked to newlywed double murder?
The 22-year-old was travelling across the U.S. to tour national parks with her boyfriend in a converted camper van

Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 16, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /Instagram
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Detectives investigating the mysterious disappearance of YouTuber Gabby Petito are not ruling out a connection to the unsolved double murder of a couple in the same vicinity.

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Petito, 22, was reported missing on Sept. 11. She had last been seen at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in late August.


Petito and boyfriend Brian Laundrie — who lived in Florida before their cross-country adventure — posted their travels on YouTube, but only Laundrie returned to the Sunshine State. He is considered a person of interest in her disappearance.

Now, cops in Utah say they are not “ruling out” a link to the double murder of Crystal Turner, 38, and Kylen Schulte, 24, who were found shot to death on Aug. 18 in Moab.

Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were murdered two days after the domestic incident in Utah.
Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were murdered two days after the domestic incident in Utah. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /FBI
The women’s murders came two days after local cops were called to the same park for a domestic incident involving Petito and Laundrie, 23. No charges were laid and neither was arrested.

Turner and Schulte were found slain in nearby South Mesa after being seen at local watering hole the night before, Fox News reports.

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“We’re looking at everything, I mean, anything and everything that was suspicious around that time or we’re not ruling anything out at this time,” a spokesman for the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that “we’re just investigating the information as it comes in.”


Laundrie and his parents are refusing to cooperative with the investigation despite pleas from Petito’s Long Island family to “do the right thing.”

“As a father, I can imagine the pain and suffering Gabby’s family is going through,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said.

“We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past weeks,” Garrison added. “The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation.”

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Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
Meanwhile, Utah cops released an Aug. 12 police report on the domestic incident that revealed escalating tension between the young couple. Among the highlights:

— Petito told the officer she was terrified Laundrie was going to leave her in the wilderness “without a ride.”

— Petito informed cops she had been “struggling with her mental health” and had scratched Laundrie.

— The investigating officer wrote that it was more of a “mental health crisis” than a criminal matter. He ordered the two to spend the night apart.

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Boyfriend allegedly returned from trip without missing N.Y. woman

“Both the male and the female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” said the report, obtained by the New York Post. “There were no significant injuries reported and both agreed that Gabbie (sic) suffers from serious anxiety, etc.”

They told the cop that they both had mental health disorders and neither took meds for their conditions. The Utah fight was reportedly over a phone.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun
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Catastrophe at Florida animal shelter
Author of the article:Liz Braun
Publishing date:Sep 16, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Flames rip through Pet Alliance in Orlando.
Flames rip through Pet Alliance in Orlando. PHOTO BY SCREENGRAB /OCFireRescue/Twitter
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At least 22 cats have died in a fire at an Orlando, Fla. animal shelter.

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Firefighters found the Pet Alliance building on Conroy Road consumed by flames when they arrived Wednesday night at 10.20 p.m.

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Video posted by Orange County Fire Rescue show half the building overwhelmed by flames shooting up through the roof.

Steve Bardy, the executive director of the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, called the fire his worst nightmare.


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Speaking to WKMG, Bardy said, “If you run a shelter, this is literally your worst nightmare, to see your building on fire and to know that there are animals in there that you’re in charge to care for, and you can’t go in.”

All 25 dogs were safely rescued from the building as they were in an area farther away from active flames.

His voice breaking, Bardy explained at the scene, “It appears the fire started in the front building by the clinic, which made it more difficult for fire rescue to go into the adjacent cat room.”


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The surviving cats and dogs were taken to a Pet Alliance shelter in Sanford. At least 10 cats were rescued, but it’s unknown if all will survive.

Treasure Roberts of News6 tweeted images showing shelter workers rescuing two cats from the building, which is extensively damaged.


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Donations for the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando can be made online at petallianceorlando.org.
 

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Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's family feuds with boyfriend's clan
Petito and boyfriend Brian Laundrie were chronicling a cross-country roadtrip when tensions between the two apparently began emerging

Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 17, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /Instagram
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A bitter war of words has erupted between the families of missing YouTuber Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.

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Petito, 22, was reported missing on Sept. 11 after her Long Island-based parents went days without hearing from her.


The pretty blond and Laundrie were on a cross-country trip in Petito’s van.

But he returned safely to their Florida home — alone.

Now, he’s refusing to cooperate with cops investigating Petito’s mysterious disappearance.

Cassie Laundrie told Good Morning America on Friday her family “obviously” want Petito to be found safe.

“She’s like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and found and this to be just a big misunderstanding,” she said.

But Gabby’s family is claiming that the Laundries are withholding information from detectives.

Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
“If that’s that family’s version of love, to just ignore and not care that someone’s gone and people are looking for them and entire country’s looking for them, I mean, that explains how we got to where we are today. Because I mean, look at their version of what they call love,” Gabby’s dad Joe Petito said.

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Gabby and Brian Laundrie were chronicling their trip across the U.S. when tensions apparently began emerging.

Cops broke up a fight between the couple on Aug. 12 in Utah.


“Every day that this goes on, they get more and more devastated. They’re at the point that that desperation has turned to anger. They know that the Laundries know where their daughter is, and they will not tell them. That’s infuriating,” Petito family lawyer Richard Stafford said.

Meanwhile, a friend of Gabby Petito told The UK Sun she was supposed to meet her pal at Yellowstone National Park on Aug. 29 but it never happened.

Bizarrely, Gabby instead texted her mom the next day that she was in Yosemite —1,300 km from her last known location: Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

“The whole thing is odd,” Petito’s friend, who wants to remain anonymous, told the newspaper. “My birthday is the 29th. I don’t know why she’d send that text [to her mom] and not message me.”

Laundrie has been named as a person of interest by cops.

Gabby’s friend added: “I considered Brian a friend, But the truth will come out and I hope for everyone’s sake sooner rather than later.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @HunterTOSun
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Boyfriend of missing Gabby Petito has reportedly disappeared
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Dan Whitcomb
Publishing date:Sep 17, 2021 • 8 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
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Florida police and the FBI were searching for the boyfriend of missing Florida woman Gabby Petito on Friday, CNN and local media reported, after his family said they had not seen him in three days.

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The disappearance of Brian Laundrie, 23, may further complicate the search for Gabby Petito, who was reported missing on Sept. 11. The couple had left on a cross-country road trip in June. Laundrie returned home alone to North Port, Florida.

Boyfriend of missing Gabby Petito has reportedly disappeared
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The family “called us there this evening. They are now claiming they have not seen their son since Tuesday,” North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor told CNN. “We’ve been trying all week talk to his family, talk to Brian.”

A Florida attorney representing Laundrie told local broadcaster WSPA-TV that his whereabouts were unknown and that police and FBI agents were looking for him.


Laundrie, who lived with Petito, 22, in North Port, 70 miles (110 miles) south of St. Petersburg on Florida’s west coast, has refused to speak with investigators.

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Police have labeled him a “person of interest,” not a suspect, in the high-profile disappearance, which has made nationwide headlines even as police say they have no solid evidence that a crime has been committed.

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Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
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YouTuber Gabby Petito has been missing since August and her boyfriend is not cooperating with cops.
Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's family slams 'reprehensible' boyfriend

Several police officers and two FBI agents were seen at the Laundrie home on Friday, at one point searching a silver Ford Mustang parked in the driveway.

Petito and Laundrie had driven west from New York with the intention of visiting national parks across the nation. They posted pictures and videos on social media as they traveled.

Petito’s family said they lost contact with Gabby in late August, possibly while she was visiting Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Laundrie returned to North Port without her on Sept. 1.

Petito’s parents in Suffolk County on New York City’s Long Island, reported her missing 10 days later.

Laundrie’s attorney has defended his client’s silence, saying that anything he told police could be used against him later, “regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance.”
 

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Obituary describes Nova Scotia family of six who died in trailer fire
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Sep 18, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
The Sears-Robertson family died in a fire in Amherst, N.S., on Sept. 12, 2021.
The Sears-Robertson family died in a fire in Amherst, N.S., on Sept. 12, 2021. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /Arbor Memorial
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AMHERST, N.S. — The obituary of a Nova Scotia family who died in a fire in a travel trailer a week ago is providing further details about the mother, father and four young children.

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The information published by a funeral home in Amherst, N.S., says funeral arrangements are underway for Robert Jorge (R.J.) Sears, 30; Michelle Elaine Robertson, 28, and their children – 11-year-old Madison Anne-Marie Sears, eight-year-old Robert (Ryder) Sears, four-year-old Jaxson Robertson and three-year-old Collin Justin (C.J.) Sears.


The Office of the Fire Marshal issued a release on Friday indicating the fire on Sept. 12 in remote Millvale, N.S., was small but smouldered and created smoke and fumes that led to the death of all six in the Passport Ultra Lite trailer.

Robert (Tony) Sears, R.J.’s father, said in an interview Saturday a private service will be arranged based on public health rules for COVID-19, with options still being considered for the best time and place to allow family and friends to attend.

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He said the family has been grateful for the outpouring of support, which has included donations to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and has come from their home community of Amherst and across Canada.

Robert Jorge Sears, who goes by R.J., is described in the obituary as the loving companion of Michelle; father of Madison, Ryder and C.J., and stepfather to Jaxson.

“He was a hard worker who loved hunting, especially at his grandfather’s camp, fishing and enjoyed sports. Above all, he was a dedicated father who always made the children his top priority,” it said.

The obituary says Robertson was a graduate of the nursing program at the Nova Scotia Community College and had recently started working at Gables Lodge.

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“She knew what it meant to be a friend and was loved by all. However, the role she excelled at was being a mother and she adored her children,” it adds.

The obituary notes the nicknames of each child, describing the oldest girl as “Chatty Maddy,” a Grade 6 student who enjoyed animals, drawing, sports and beanies.

It describes “Spider Ryder” as a Grade 3 student at Cumberland North Academy, who was “a little shy,” but was constantly active and doing cartwheels.

The second youngest, “Action Jaxson,” is described as being excited to be entering pre-primary school and “wise for someone his age,” who could often be found dancing to his favourite tunes and playing with his motorbikes.

The obituary says three-year-old C.J. may have been the smallest, but he already was attempting to be a “big boy”. “He looked up to, tried his best to keep up with, and would often be his big brothers’ shadow,” it says.

The family will be buried together in the Amherst Cemetery.
 

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Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's boyfriend 'jealous' and 'weird'
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 18, 2021 • 19 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
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The disappearance of YouTuber Gabby Petito has taken a new, shocking twist with the Brian Laundrie has now also vanished.

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Laundrie’s vanishing act comes as a friend of Petito’s claims he had jealousy and control issues, the Daily Mail reports.


The friend added he had “episodes” that involved hearing voices.

Rose Davis told the Mail that once Laundrie stole his girlfriend’s ID to stop her from going out to bars,

“He’s got these jealousy issues and he struggles from what Gabby called these ‘episodes,’ where he would hear things and hear voices and wouldn’t sleep,” Davis said.

“Gabby had to stay at my house a bunch of times because she just needed a breather and didn’t want to go home to him.”

And the couple became embroiled in “more and more arguments” as time went on.

Laundrie, 23, is considered a person of interest in Petito’s late August disappearance and has been uncooperative with detectives looking for answers.

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“He had this composure as a sweet, nice, caring guy. But you could tell he’s a little off, a little weird. Like, he’d set up our hammocks when we’d go to the beach, but wouldn’t sit with us, which I found bizarre,” Davis said, adding “Brian has a jealousy issue.”

Now, the FBI are looking for the pair who chronicled their cross-country travels in a van on YouTube.

But only Laundrie returned to the Florida home the couple shared raising red flags with her family who reported Gabby missing on Sept. 11.

“The attorney for the Laundrie family called FBI investigators Friday night, indicating the family would like to talk about the disappearance of their son. The family now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week,” Josh Taylor, of the North Port Police told reporters.

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Detectives reportedly spoke with the Laundrie family for more than two hours and one emerged with an evidence bag, the New York Post reports.

Taylor added: “Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail. It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime.

YouTuber Gabby Petito has been missing since August and her boyfriend is not cooperating with cops.
YouTuber Gabby Petito has been missing since August and her boyfriend is not cooperating with cops. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
“We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations.”


Petito was last seen on Aug. 30 and at the time sent a short text to her mother: “No service in Yosemite”. But mom Nichole Schmidt doubts it was her daughter who sent the text.

During the previous month, the couple had fought with one incident in Utah on Aug. 12 requiring police intervention.

Detectives in that state were also looking into whether there was any connection between Gabby’s disappearance and the double murder of two women in the same area two days later. Late Friday, cops said there was no connection.

bhunter@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @HunterTOSun
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YouTuber Gabby Petito, fiance 'seemed happy' before disappearance
Body of 22-year-old found in national park

Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 19, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August.
Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /AWARE
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YouTuber Gabby Petito and fiance Brian Laundrie “seemed happy” in the days just before she vanished, a store owner revealed.

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Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM

Petito and Laundrie were chronicling their cross-country trip in a van when the Long Island native disappeared in Wyoming. Laundrie returned to their Florida home and has failed to provide any answers as to what happened.

The FBI confirmed Sunday that Petito’s body was found in a Wyoming national park.

“Earlier today, human remains were discovered consistent with the description of Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito,” FBI Supervisory Agent Charles Jones told reporters during a news conference, according to the New York Post. “The cause of death has not been determined at this time.”

Laundrie remains missing.


When the couple stopped at a curio shop in Victor, Utah, on their way to Yellowstone National Park on Aug. 25 or Aug. 26, everything seemed peachy, the owner of Rustic Row told the East Idaho News.

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“They told me they were travelling from Florida. They had just been to Teton Park and they said they were interested in going to Yellowstone and I told them they could go to the west entrance,” the unidentified owner said.

“They seemed happy and when they left, she hollered back from the door that they were engaged, and then I said congratulations.”

The owner later contacted the FBI.

Victor is around 50 kilometres from Petito’s last known location in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She was reported missing on Sept. 11. She last spoke with her family on Aug. 25.

The Teton County Coroner confirmed earlier Sunday that authorities had discovered a body at the Grand Teton park.

Laundrie, who has remained tight-lipped, has been called a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance by detectives. Now, he, too, has disappeared from his North Port, Fla., home.

On Tuesday, his parents said he went for a hike in the Reserve in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast and never returned.

Despite an intense search, police say they have found no sign of Laundrie.

Earlier, a friend of Petito had claimed that Laundrie was jealous and possessive of Petito, going so far as to take her identification when she went bar-hopping with pals.

Meanwhile, police have obtained the couple’s phone records and hope to draw a more accurate timeline of the disappearances.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun
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Police find body 'consistent' with YouTuber Gabby Petito in Wyoming
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Sep 19, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Gabby Petito is pictured in a photo provided by the FBI
Gabby Petito is pictured in a photo provided by the FBI PHOTO BY HANDOUT /FBI
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Police and FBI agents searching a national park in Wyoming for the missing Gabby Petito found a body “consistent” with the 22-year-old woman on Sunday but said they had not yet made a formal identification of the remains.

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The body was discovered in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, near the Spread Creek Dispersed campground where law enforcement officials had directed their search, FBI spokesman Charles Jones said.


“Earlier today human remains were discovered consistent with Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito,” Jones told an afternoon news conference.

“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery,” Jones said, adding that the cause of death was yet to be determined.


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The site was not far from where two travel bloggers filmed the couple’s van, seemingly abandoned, along a dirt road near Spread Creek on the evening of Aug. 27, two days after Petito’s last confirmed contact with her family.

Members of Petito’s family reported her missing on Sept. 11, 10 days after her 23-year-old boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, returned home from a months-long cross-country trip in the van without her.

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Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August.
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Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
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Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's family feuds with boyfriend's clan
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Is YouTuber Gabby Petito's disappearance linked to newlywed double murder?

Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, posted a photograph of his daughter on Twitter following Sunday’s news conference. The photo, which shows her standing between two painted wings, was captioned with a broken heart and the words: “She touched the world.”


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Laundrie has been named a “person of interest” in the case but has not been seen since leaving his family’s home in North Port, Florida, last Tuesday. North Port is on the west coast of Florida, some 70 miles (112 km) south of St. Petersburg.

Before disappearing, Laundrie had refused to speak with investigators and retained a lawyer.

Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
‘HEARTBROKEN’

North Port police said they only learned from Laundrie’s family on Friday that he had been missing for three days. They have since been combing a nearly 25,000-acre (10,000-hectare) wilderness preserve near North Port for him, without success.

“Saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased,” North Port police said on Twitter. “Our focus from the start, along with the FBI, and national partners, has been to bring her home. We will continue to work with the FBI in the search for more answers.”

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Petito and Laundrie left her home state of New York in June, heading west in the van with plans to visit national parks along the way and documenting the trip on social media.

Gabby Petito and her boyfriend were travelling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with a variety of stickers on the back, the FBI said.
Gabby Petito and her boyfriend were travelling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with a variety of stickers on the back, the FBI said. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /FBI
Petito posted her last photo on Aug. 25. Her family believes she was headed to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming when they last heard from her. She was last seen walking out of a hotel in Salt Lake City on Aug. 24.

Last week, police in Moab, Utah, released body camera footage of an Aug. 12 encounter two of their officers had with the couple during a traffic stop.

In the video, Petito is sobbing as she describes a quarrel with Laundrie that she says became physical at times. The officers did not detain the couple but insisted they spend that night separately, Petito in the van and Laundrie at a hotel.
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GABBY PETITO CASE: 911 caller saw boyfriend 'slapping the girl'
The FBI confirmed on Sunday that a body found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming is likely that of the missing 22-year-old

Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Sep 20, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 3 minute read • 10 Comments
Gabby Petito, right, and beau Brian Laundrie.
Gabby Petito, right, and beau Brian Laundrie. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
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The witness who called cops reporting a fight between Gabby Petito and the YouTuber’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, said he’d seen the Florida “slapping” a woman.

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New audio from Aug. 12 released by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office contradicts Laundrie’s claims it was Gabby doing the hitting.


“We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl,” the caller said, adding the pair had been driving in a white van with Florida plates. “Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off.”

They added: “[They] drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl. The male tried to create distance by telling Gabbie [sic] to go take a walk to calm down, she didn’t want to be separated from the male, and began slapping him.”

“He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him and the van, he tried to lock her out and succeeded except for his driver’s door, she opened that and forced her way over him and into the vehicle before it drove off,” the report continued.

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The FBI confirmed on Sunday that a body found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming is likely that of the missing 22-year-old Long Island woman.

A cause of death has not been listed and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Early Monday morning, FBI agents swarmed boyfriend Brian Laundrie’s Florida home calling it a “crime scene” and dragging out his parents.

The New York Post reported that a dozen agents wearing bulletproof vests descended just before 10 a.m. Some of the feds had their guns drawn.

Just before the feds arrived, local cops erected crime scene tape around the property — and called off a search for the missing Brian Laundrie.

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Gabby Petito is pictured in a photo provided by the FBI
Police find body 'consistent' with YouTuber Gabby Petito in Wyoming
Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August.
YouTuber Gabby Petito, fiance 'seemed happy' before disappearance
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's boyfriend 'jealous' and 'weird'

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Petito was reported missing by her mother on Sept. 11. She had been on a cross-country trip with boyfriend Laundrie, 23, and the pair chronicled their travels on YouTube.

But only Laundrie returned to their Florida home. He immediately stopped cooperating with detectives and lawyered up.

And now, he too has vanished.

Law enforcement experts believe Florida cops dropped the ball on Laundrie, described as a person of interest, in the disappearance — and now death — of Petito.

YouTuber Gabby Petito
YouTuber Gabby Petito PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /INSTAGRAM
Laundrie — described as “jealous,” “controlling” and “weird” by Petito’s pals — went for a hike last Tuesday in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and didn’t return. His parents didn’t tell investigators until three days later that their son was missing.

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“They should’ve immediately placed him under surveillance,” missing persons expert Ed Gavin told the New York Post of police. “Immediately.”

He added: “They should’ve been all over him. The fact that they let him out of their sight, that’s a no-no. Time is of the essence with these investigations.”


While investigators didn’t have enough probable cause to bring the Floridian in for questioning, Gavin said it was a “no-brainer” to keep him under surveillance.

“You always have to try to build a case and if it means surveillance to see where he’s going or what he’s doing … then you do that,” the ex-cop said. “You don’t need a search warrant to surveil somebody.”

Cops in Florida also admitted they hadn’t looked at Laundrie’s phone.

Gabby Petito and her boyfriend were travelling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with a variety of stickers on the back, the FBI said.
Gabby Petito and her boyfriend were travelling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with a variety of stickers on the back, the FBI said. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /FBI
Meanwhile, Petito’s friends and family are struggling to come to terms with her tragic demise.

Her father, Joseph Petito, tweeted Gabby’s photo with the caption: “She touched the world.”

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A lawyer representing the Laundrie family called the discovery “heartbreaking.”

Petito last spoke to her parents on Aug. 25. Her mother said there was a mysterious text message allegedly from Yosemite National Park but she doesn’t believe Gabby was the author.

A pair of fellow YouTubers spotted her white 2012 Ford Transit van near Grand Teton two days later. They claimed the vehicle looked “abandoned.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun
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'EXTREMELY HEART WRENCHING': 75 dogs die in fire at pet-boarding facility
No humans were present when the building went up in flames

Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Jaclyn Peise
Publishing date:Sep 21, 2021 • 21 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
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The pet-boarding centre was engulfed in smoke and flames by the time firefighters arrived late Saturday. They heard no barks or yelps.

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“They were met with conditions that are worst possible scenario,” John Sullivan, the Georgetown, Texas, fire chief, said at a Sunday news conference.


Seventy-five dogs were inside Ponderosa Pet Resort, about 30 miles north of Austin. All of them died, Sullivan said.

“I’ve been doing this for 29 years and this is the first incident that I’ve had where we’ve lost so many pets,” he added.

The dogs probably died of smoke inhalation, the fire department said in a news release. While the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, Sullivan said, the incident has led to a newfound push to amend local fire codes, which do not require sprinkler systems in facilities like the pet hotel.

Victims of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victims of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
The blaze in Georgetown, a city with a population of about 80,000, is the latest fire this year that resulted in dozens of animal deaths. In April, 54 dogs died in a fire at a kennel in Bardstown, Ky. Fire officials determined it was an accident.

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A home in Sparta, Wis., caught on fire in May, killing 14 adult dogs, 12 puppies and two cats. Thirteen dogs and a feral cat died in August from a fire in a Chandler, Ariz., home that functioned as an animal shelter. It is unclear what caused the Wisconsin and Arizona incidents.

The Georgetown Fire Department began receiving several 911 calls just before 11 p.m. Saturday, Sullivan said. First responders arrived at Ponderosa Pet Resort within five minutes. Twenty-five firefighters worked to stop the blaze. They gained access to the building and opened up doors and windows for ventilation.

After consulting with the owner, the department learned that 75 dogs were inside the facility. No humans were present when the building went up in flames.

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“It is extremely heart wrenching for us as first responders,” Sullivan said Sunday. “My heart just dropped when I got the address and knew exactly what location we were going to because, quite frankly, I view my personal pet as my closest confidant, friend and one that doesn’t judge. My heart just breaks for the people today.”

Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Authorities said 59 families lost pets in the fire. As of Monday afternoon, the department was working with the animal hotel’s owner to reunite families with their dogs’ remains.

“This is an emotionally wrought experience, and we’re here to support them,” Sullivan said in a video statement released Monday.

Phillip Paris, the owner of Ponderosa Pet Resort, said in a statement to KXAN that he is “emotionally overwhelmed” by the fire.

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“Fifty-nine families are affected, and their best friends won’t be coming home. As a dog owner, I feel their heartbreak intensely,” he said. “We are working through the fog of our own grief, but we know each family is pained more than we are. It is soul-wrenching to lose a friend suddenly and without warning. I realize this, and grieve for each life lost, and the families disrupted by this tragedy.”

The names of the dogs killed in the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
The names of the dogs killed in the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY HOLLIE DAVIDSON JONES /Facebook
Don and Pam Richard boarded their two puppies, Bunny and Clyde, last week in preparation for their wedding on Friday. They were supposed to pick up the dogs on Sunday.

“Yeah, we never thought this would happen,” Don Richard told KXAN.

“Hopefully they were already asleep so they didn’t panic,” Pam Richard added.

Ponderosa Pet Resort did not have employees working overnight, a fact noted on the business’s website. It is unclear if there was a sprinkler system, which is not required by local fire codes.

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But the incident has instigated a push among community members and fire department leaders to update those rules. Sullivan noted the city follows state and federal codes, which “itself is silent when it talks to animal occupancies,” he said in a video statement released Monday.

“We’re looking at ways that we can try to encourage change, not only here locally, but across the country,” Sullivan said. “We will be reviewing some amendments with our counsel later this fall.”

Carl Wren, Georgetown’s fire protection engineer, said the International Code Council, which drafts fire code guidelines every three years, happens to be meeting this week to vote on the 2024 edition. He plans to attend the meeting and advocate for updated rules involving animals.

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Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victims of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victims of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire.
Victim of the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. PHOTO BY MADDY JAEGER /Facebook
“The codes have not historically dealt much with animals other than as business occupancies or agricultural animals,” Wren said in the fire department’s video statement. “This is, I think, is a very needed reexamination of that position.”

The department, with the help of fire marshals, is investigating the blaze by going through a list of possible causes.

“We want answers and we want answers now, but we need to go through a process of identifying clearly what caused this fire so we can better learn from this and help prevent a future tragedy from occurring,” Sullivan said.

The fire chief noted that he has been greatly impacted by the incident.

“I just wish I could go back in time and make it better,” Sullivan said Sunday.
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FBI confirms body found is YouTuber Gabby Petito
Fiance, Brian Laundrie, spotted on Florida trail camera?

Author of the article:Denette Wilford
Publishing date:Sep 21, 2021 • 10 hours ago • 2 minute read • 6 Comments
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito on first date.
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito on first date. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /Instagram
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A body found in a U.S. national park in Wyoming has been identified as Gabby Petito, the young woman who went missing during a road trip with her fiance and that her death was a homicide, the FBI said on Tuesday.

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The confirmation is the latest turn in a story that has gripped Americans since Petito’s family reported the 22-year-old missing on Sept. 11-10, days after the fiance, Brian Laundrie, returned home from the cross-country trip without her.


Meanwhile, authorities in Florida are “actively” investigating footage from a trail camera that shows a man resembling Gabby Petito’s missing fiance, Brian Laundrie.

Sam Bass said he spotted a man with a packpack on Monday at 6:17 a.m., in Baker, Fla., over 800 kilometres from Laundrie’s North Port home.

“I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fla, strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie,” Bass captioned the photo he shared on Facebook. “Authorities have been contacted, but people in the North West Florida area be on the lookout.”

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Laundrie, a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance, was reported missing on Friday by his parents, who said he left home with a backpack to go hiking in the area. He never returned.


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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has since confirmed they looked into the sighting but “no one — and nothing — of note was located.”

They added: “The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area.”

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Missing poster for Gabby Petito who disappeared in August.
YouTuber Gabby Petito, fiance 'seemed happy' before disappearance
Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's boyfriend 'jealous' and 'weird'
Gabby Petito, reported missing Sept. 11, 2021, after road trip with boyfriend.
Is YouTuber Gabby Petito's disappearance linked to newlywed double murder?

A park ranger who responded to a 911 call about an incident between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in Utah last month tried to warn the 22-year-old woman their relationship seemed “toxic.”

“I was probably more candid with her than I should’ve been,” Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told the Deseret News about her Aug. 12 interview with Petito.

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“I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life,” Hulls recalled.

YouTuber Gabby Petito, fiance 'seemed happy' before disappearance
Missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's boyfriend 'jealous' and 'weird'
Is YouTuber Gabby Petito's disappearance linked to newlywed double murder?
Police responded after receiving a call about a man “slapping” a woman in the face, according to new audio obtained from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, contradicting an earlier police report that portrayed Petito as starting the fight.

The incident was classified by police as a “mental/emotional health break” and no charges were filed.


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“This wasn’t a good day for anybody,” said Hulls, who “can still hear her voice” and wonders if she could have done more.

A memorial made of white stones to form a cross was left at the site where the remains were found, according to reports.


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Witness saw Gabby Petito's missing fiance 'acting weird'
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Brad Hunter
Dan Whitcomb
Publishing date:Sep 22, 2021 • 9 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito on first date.
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito on first date. PHOTO BY GABBY PETITO /Instagram
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As cops in Florida continued the hunt for the missing fiance of Gabby Petito, another witness is claiming she saw Brian Laundrie “acting weird” near where the body of the murdered YouTuber was found.

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Jessica Schultz told the San Francisco Chronicle she saw Petito and Laundrie’s white van in Grand Teton National Park in late August.


But when she passed the van, she recalled, she saw a “generic” white man driving alone. Schultz believes the man was Laundrie.

FBI agents confirmed on Tuesday that remains found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area were Petito’s, a 22-year-old Long Island native who had been chronicling her life on the road. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Laundrie returned to Florida alone on Sept. 1, 2021.

“He was just acting weird,” Schultz told the Chronicle. “You know, when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, your hackles go up when you see something that’s out of the ordinary.”

The latest revelation comes as cops and FBI agents scoured the swampy Florida wilderness for Laundrie on Wednesday — one day after the body found in a Wyoming national park was identified as Petito’s.

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Detectives have described the Laundrie, 23, as a “person of interest” in the case, which has captivated Americans since Petito’s family reported her missing on Sept. 11.

Laundrie has not been seen since Sept. 14, when he purportedly left his family’s home, which was also shared with Petito, in North Port with plans to hike alone in the nearby Carlton Reserve wilderness area in Florida. North Port police say they learned from Laundrie’s family only on Friday that he had been gone for three days.

Police tape is seen outside the familiy home of Brian Laundrie, 23, a “person of interest” in the case of his fiancee Gabby Petito’s body being found in a Wyoming national park, in North Port, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021.
Police tape is seen outside the familiy home of Brian Laundrie, 23, a “person of interest” in the case of his fiancee Gabby Petito’s body being found in a Wyoming national park, in North Port, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON
A North Port police spokesman said early on Wednesday that searchers have “huddled up” and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve, which has some 130 kilometres of hiking trails. Other sections of the reserve are nearly impassable to humans.

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Search teams had found Petito’s body on Sunday in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming, less than 300 metres from where, on the evening of Aug. 27, another pair of travel bloggers recorded on video what appeared to be the couple’s white Ford Transit van parked along a dirt road.

So far investigators have not released a cause of death for Petito but more than one witness reported seeing Laundrie slapping the small blond. Some of Petito’s pals have described Laundrie as “jealous” and “weird.”

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“The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.

ILL-FATED TRIP

Petito and Laundrie left her home state of New York in late June or early July, heading west in the van with plans to visit U.S. national parks and to document the trip on social media.

Witnesses last saw Petito on Aug. 24 as she left a Salt Lake City hotel. She posted her final photo the next day.

On Monday, investigators served a search warrant on the Laundrie family home in Florida. They were seen loading cardboard boxes into a van and towing away a silver Ford Mustang.


In seeking the search warrants, investigators cited an Aug. 27 text from Petito’s phone to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, which describes getting calls and voice messages from “Stan,” Petito’s grandfather.

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Schmidt told investigators the text was odd because her daughter would not usually refer to her grandfather by his first name. Petito’s family has said a second text message also seemed suspicious.

Last week, police in Moab, Utah, released body camera video of an Aug. 12 encounter that two officers had with Petito and Laundrie during a traffic stop.


Petito sobs in the body-cam video as she describes a quarrel with Laundrie, and admits that she slapped him. The officers did not detain the couple but insisted they spend that night separately; Petito in the van and Laundrie at a hotel.

That same day, a caller told emergency dispatchers that he had seen Laundrie slapping and hitting Petito, according to audio of a 911 call released by police.
 

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WARMINGTON: 250-year-old tree killed to make way for iceberg home construction
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Publishing date:Sep 23, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 3 minute read • 7 Comments
A 250-year-old sugar maple tree on Knightswood Rd., in Hoggs Hollow, was cut down to make way for construction of a two-storey basement beneath a house on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021.
A 250-year-old sugar maple tree on Knightswood Rd., in Hoggs Hollow, was cut down to make way for construction of a two-storey basement beneath a house on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. PHOTO BY JOE WARMINGTON /Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network
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This time you could hear the tree falling in the forest — and see it too.

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What people won’t be able to see is the iceberg home addition that may soon occupy space under the surface where the roots of this sugar maple tree have been growing for 250 years. Yes, this old tree on Knightswood Rd. in Hoggs Hollow — near Yonge St. and York Mills Rd. — was older than Toronto or Canada.


Not anymore.

One day after a community meeting was held to try to save it and prevent a new style of building that will replace it, a crew arrived to systematically take down in two hours what took two-and-a-half centuries to grow.

“It’s very upsetting,” neighbour Laura Lamarche said. “That tree was a piece of Toronto history.”

It survived a lot of things, including hurricane Hazel 65 years ago, and many other challengers. In the end, this beauty was no match for the chainsaw, crane and wood chipper.

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“Sad day,” Lamarche said.


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It was also a perplexing day in that it seemed nobody in the city hierarchy was really in favour of it happening — including the city’ forestry division and its local councillor.

“It’s heartbreaking,” councillor Jaye Robinson said. “We believed there were rules in place for this to not happen, but the committee of adjustment rejected the recommendation and let them do it.”

For those unfamiliar with iceberg building, what it does is allow someone to build a new home down instead of up. If there is a height restriction in a neighbourhood, no problem, build a two-storey basement and also build it out into the backyard to create all sorts of extra space for a games room, bowling alley, gym or golf simulator.

“To do that, the tree, as well as eight others, had to go,” Lamarche said.


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Now the owner who bought a tear-down home is getting ready to start construction of his new luxury palace, which will have an underground lair like a modern-day Batcave.

It’s going to happen, unless Robinson can convince Toronto city council to intervene.

“There seems to be a loophole in the bylaw,” she said, while warning if this build is allowed, there could be “deep digging” basements added to projects all across the city.

Perhaps in some places it will work fine. Maybe there are times when it could be a solution.

But in Hoggs Hollow, everybody knows it’s terrain where water decides what stays and what goes. It seems like a weird place to try something new like this.

“This is a flood plain,” Lamarche said. “The Don River runs right through here, so it doesn’t make any sense.”


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This area, after all, is often referred to as Toronto’s ditch.

Several neighbours told me they are very worried their foundations will be affected by this massive dig and upheaval of the root systems below. It didn’t stop it from happening. In fact, the tree skyline around the area changed forever Thursday when this massive legend was chopped down — first section by section and later with a giant thud.

If it was screaming, it was drowned out by the chainsaws and shrieking sound of the machine turning it into sawdust. There are always different sides to a story, but whatever side you may sit on, I must say it was emotional witnessing the killing a living treasure of our city. It was emotional, like watching the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald being torn down.

So interesting that this tree actually began to grow some 100 years before Macdonald created Canada.

The bad news is another Toronto icon is gone to make way for iceberg building. The good news is that a property owner is poised to get a cool new underground man cave.

jwarmington@postmedia.com
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