ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - February 3, 2026

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

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Right now at four, your first alert to cold rain and the chance for flurries tomorrow, the latest timeline of when we can see the next round of wintry weather. An emotional testimony today inside of Wake County courtroom as we wait for the sentencing for Austin Thompson. Charged in the 22 Raleigh-Max shooting, we're hearing from the wife of Gabriel Torres, the Raleigh police officer killed in that shooting. State lawmakers address immigration operations in North Carolina, the call to action from state Democrats and the response from Republican leaders. And we are following breaking news on Capitol Hill.

the House passing a funding bill to end the partial government shutdown. The measure now awaiting the president's signature. Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, keeping you connected to your community and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11. I witness news. And we begin with first alert weather. I see rose remain in parts of the viewing area. This is Englewood Avenue and Durham. And we're also tracking school up and delays for tomorrow. Johnson County Schools will once again be operating remotely, but other students will be heading back to the classroom.

Chapel Hill Carborough City Schools returning to normal operations for all students and staff tomorrow. And this just in Wake County Schools says they are heading back to the classroom, but will operate on a two-hour delay. So far there has been nowhere yet from Durham. And thanks for joining us here for the news at 4. I'm Amber Repenta. And I'm Barbara Gibbs. Tomorrow is the first alert day here on eyewitness news.

Rain is expected for much of the day. That could turn into a mix of rain and snow by the evening. Let's go to meteorologist Cruz Medina to explain and track all the rain that's moving in. Hey, Cruz. Hey there, this is going to be a beneficial rainfall for our region. We know that we've been in a prolonged period of drought. So tomorrow, most of the day is just a cold rain. And for most of you, this could be at least a half inch of rain, if not a little bit more, especially to the south and east of Raleigh. Notice, tipters are above freezing, low 40s. But as we go, into the late parts of the day. That's where the tipter start to drop.

So we get winds out of the north. That's gonna drive in some colder air into our region. That helps to transition us to some light snow. There could be some periods of sleep as well, but this will likely be toward midnight, tomorrow night and into early Thursday for areas like the triangle. Now by Thursday, we're dry then.

There could be some black ice concerns for the morning. Tippedgers four highs on Thursday will reach into the mid-30s, so that's a cooler day. And then 40s again, expected by the time we get into Friday. So here's our system. We say it all the time, but anytime you don't have the cold there already locked in.

Yes, I know it's cold outside, but I'm talking true cold, like 32 and below. Anytime you don't have that already locked in and it's chasing the moisture, it's never a good setup for a good snowfall here. That's it, that's exactly what we see tomorrow is the cold air chasing the moisture. So it's really toward the back end of that that we finally start to see some of that wintry mix, but into Friday, we should be dry again with temperature is in the 40s, even though snow could be ongoing to our north. Now we were showing you a shot there a second ago in the storm chaser of some icy roads. You can see the sidewalks here in Uptown Roxborough still looking pretty icy at this time. So for your evening commute, just keep in mind there could still be some slick spots.

It's not going to be a widespread thing because tipsters have been above freezing today. But temperature's in the 40s until about 8 p.m. tonight we stay above freezing. We'll talk about how that benefits is going into tomorrow coming up in your extended forecast. Amber. All right, Chris, see you soon with more thanks. And be sure to download the ABC 11 app to stay up to date on. current weather conditions. You can check the warming temperatures and the first alert Doppler net at your fingertips. We'll also send you any watches and warnings right to your device. Well now to the

Raleigh mass shooting and the sentencing phase for the shooter who pleaded guilty, Austin Thompson. Today is survivor and family members of victims testified in court sharing their experiences from that horrific day more than three years ago. Thompson is facing five life sentences for the 22 shooting that killed five people, including his own brother. Elena Athens following this story for us, Elena, it was such an emotional day in court today. Yeah, this afternoon we heard from Officer Gabriel Torres's wife. She cried almost the entire time on the stand and gave an incredibly heartbreaking account of that day. It was difficult for all of us who were in the courtroom for that.

And at one point, I did see the spouse of another victim walk out of the courtroom. So Jasmine Torres says she was on her way home and on the phone with her husband when she heard a series of shots being fired. She had the couple's baby in the car with her. When she pulled up to the house and into the driveway, she realized what happened to her husband. She left the baby, strapped into the car seat and ran to Torres's vehicle. I do want to warn what she described next could be difficult to hear. Jasmine Torres says when she opened her husband's door, he was shot. multiple times barely holding on and she did everything she could think of to save him.

I tried to stop bleeding so I had my fingers in every wound that I could get to. And I used my other hand to prop up his neck because he kept falling down and I wanted to keep his airway as open as it could. I was trying to help him so that he could breathe because his lips were turning blue, but he was alive because I felt his pulse when I had my fingers. He was alive. Jasmine Torres says she ended up giving her baby to a neighbor so she could follow her husband to the hospital and be by his side. Today on the stand, we also heard from a man who witnessed Officer Gabriel Torres being shot.

So we'll have his testimony coming up ahead at 5 o'clock for now we're live in Rale. Elena Athens, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Elena, I've got to ask you, I can't imagine how emotional it was watching and listening. I'm curious if Thompson himself reacted. For the most part, and I have been keeping an eye, he's mostly either looked down or kept his head entirely down as people are on the stand.

There's been a real series of people. The testimony is still underway, and right now we're hearing from another victim's spouse about when he realized his wife, had not come home when she should have been there at that time. But for the most part, Barbara, he really has kept his head either entirely down or just looked down at the table in front of him. All right, Elena, Athens, thank you for that report. Heartbreaking. And now here at four dozens flocking to the state capital today, all to echo calls for change. It was an effort to address

things like immigration and ice activity. John Dowding is live outside the state legislature for us now. So, John, what message did they share here? Well, Amber, today's event was serving as a call for action. Those we heard from today were saying they want greater accountability over the actions of ICE agents and say they want to have less fear in their communities. There needs to be a massive gathering that focuses on what we want, what we love. A call for change coming from the state capital today. North Carolina Democrats joined civil rights leaders at the state legislature, echoing calls for greater accountability over ICE agents. and an end to the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Now is our time, the time, to take a stand, to refuse to cower to injustice and to oust ICE and CBP agents from our cities and counties. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem announced ICE agents would wear body cameras after massive protests in Minnesota following the death of Alex Preti. Republicans in Washington have signaled they will only support changes to DHS policy in exchange for ending sanctuary. cities. North Carolina Republicans say actions by the administration is what North Carolinians voted for and say ICE agents are only targeting criminals. Stop obstructing federal law enforcement, let them do their jobs and really let these operations continue because it's what the people of North Carolina and the American citizens have voted for. The immigration was not the only topic of discussion today at the state legislature. We also

were hearing from those during today's press event who were urging for the need to pass a state budget as well. Coming up at five, the specific details about that call to action from civil rights leaders and what people on both sides of the aisle are saying about the status of the North Carolina state budget this year. Live outside the state legislature, I'm John Dowding. ABC 11, eyewitness news. Many making their voices heard today. John will see you in an hour. Thank you. In the meantime happening this week, Durham Public School leaders will gather to discuss the district's policy on relationships with law enforcement. That includes the Department of Homeland Security. The meeting is set for Thursday. New at four, a federal judge in

D.C. is maintaining temporary protected status or TPS for Haitians for now. TPS lets them live and work in the U.S. due to crisis in their homeland. However, the Trump administration is trying to terminate the TPS designation for Haiti, saying conditions there have improved. The judge is blocking that effort while a legal challenge plays out. Well, now to breaking news from Washington after what was expected to be a brief delay, the partial government shutdown is over. Lawmakers passed an amended version of a funding bill that,

separates funding for DHS from the main bill, buying two weeks to debate potential reforms to the nation's immigration enforcement. ABC's Christiane Cordero has the details now from Washington. On the fourth day of the partial government shutdown impacting thousands of federal workers, today the House voted to pass a bipartisan deal to fully reopen it.

Without objection, the motion is adopted. Following the nationwide protests against ICE tactics in Minneapolis, the amended bill separates the Department of Homeland Security's fiscal year funding from other programs and agencies. Congress instead extended DHS funding for two weeks as it negotiates reforms to ICE, which would ultimately need the president's signature to go into effect. We're willing, obviously, to have this dialogue and to talk and to listen, but we are not going to concede in enforcing our nation's immigration laws and delivering on the mandate the

president was given by nearly 80 million Americans. Some Democratic lawmakers are demanding Congress abolish ICE, while others call for reforms to DHS policy. off the masks, putting the badges on, requiring the body cameras, real accountability for the egregious abuses we have seen. DHS Secretary Nome says every agent in Minnesota will be issued a body-worn camera effective immediately. It's unclear what other changes Republicans would support, but abolishing ICE is not among them. Some appear willing to negotiate certain reforms in exchange for ending sanctuary cities. I would be open to some reforms, but they, Again, we want some too.

So it depends on what they're willing to provide. This four-day government shutdown follows the longest in U.S. history, 43 days in the fall when Democrats unsuccessfully fought to extend health care subsidies. Kristjianne Cordero, ABC News, Washington. Christjian, thanks. In developing now a U.S. fighter jet shooting down an Iranian drone. Officials say that drone approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, approximately 500 miles from Iran's southern coast.

The drone was shot down by a Navy F-35C fighter jet from the carrier. In a statement, Central Command says the shot was, quote, in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board. No service members were injured. No U.S. equipment was damaged. For more on today's strike, you can watch World News tonight with David Murrett, airs right here after eyewitness news at 6 o'clock. Breaking news right now.

We have a major leadership change. about the Walt Disney Company. Josh Tomorrow will be the new chief executive officer of Disney, a 28-year Disney veteran and current chairman of Disney experiences succeeding Bob Iger after nearly two decades at the helm. Board Chairman James Gorman praised tomorrow's rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, adding that his strategic vision and passion for the Disney brand

make him, quote, the right person to lead Disney's next chapter. Iger echoed that confidence calling DeMaro an exceptional leader, with, quote, an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand and a deep understanding of what resonates with audiences. And saying his ability to combine creativity with operational excellence is exemplary. Iger will remain a senior advisor and board member through 2026 to help guide the transition. Dana Walden will become Disney's first ever president and chief creative officer meantime. Tomorrow, who has led Disney's Parks and Experiences Division, said he is, quote, immensely grateful for the opportunity. adding, there's no limit to what Disney can achieve.

This is a special and exciting day for the company. Iger and tomorrow will sit down with David Muir later today on World News tonight here for that exclusive interview. We want to wish them a big congratulations and say thank you to Bob Eiger. From all of us here at ABC 11, Disney is our parent company. And coming up, parents speak out about heating issues at a dorm at Shaw University, the answers they want from the university. Let's take a live look now at Okra Coke Island as the North Carolina Coast, of course,

continues to recover from the winter storm. Parts of NC12 are now back open. Now to some other local headlines in your speed feed here at 4. First, Zebulan police are searching for a bank robber. The robbery happened at the first Citizens Bank on Wakelon Street. Around 9 this morning, police say someone entered the bank, threatened the teller and demanded money. It is not clear if the robber left with any money or how much was taken, if any. This is the second time in just over a month. This specific bank branch was robbed. Zebulan police are sharing these photos of the robber and the dark-colored Nissan Ultima involved. Anyone with information is asked to contact Zebulin Police.

In Robinson County, three people are dead, killed in two separate shootings. The first one happened around 1030 last night on Highway 711 near Lumberton. 37-year-old Carlos Carmona and 30-year-old Jeremiah Moore were both shot and killed. 35-year-old Mike Carmona was also shot. He is expected to recover, but authorities say he will face charges once released. 45-year-old Jerry Scott was arrested in connection with the shooting. He is charged with felony conspiracy and felony larceny. Around 1.30 this morning, 42-year-old Robert Taylor Jr. was found dead on Lewis Farm Road.

Investigators are still searching for the shooter. And that is just beefing, and we're back to you. All right, Barbara, thank you. Now here at 4-Ewoodness News is hearing from parents and students at Shaw University after claims of no heat or running hot water in the Dimple-Nusome Dormitory. We first brought you this story ahead of last week's snowstorm when some students say they decided to leave the residence halls ahead of the storm. Akela Davis is joining us live now in Raleigh. So Akela, what are you hearing from students?

Hi, Amber. Students here at Shaw University say, depending on what floor you stay on, you might have heat and hot water, or you might not. Parents say they simply have questions. We didn't know everything that was behind closed doors until we got in there.

Shaniqua Smith says no hot water or heat is what her son has been dealing with. He lives in Dimple Newsom Living and Learning Center. During last week snowstorm, she had to fork over money to get him to a hotel when the university sent this email to students. It says due to the anticipated weather conditions, we strongly encourage all residential students to vacate the residence halls as soon as possible and return home or to a safe off-campus location. Cheniqua lives an hour away in a Hoski and was not able to pick her son up before the snowstorm hit. She tells eyewitness news she's called the university a number of times and hadn't heard back. Meantime, students like sophomore Kyrie Talley tell me he's had to switch rooms three times because it's been too cold.

I switched rooms. Well, I'm on my third room change. I definitely sleep, you know, covered up a lot and I sleep under two covers, two covers. Two blankets. Two blankets. Two blankets. To stay warm. And eyewitness news reached out to Shaw University for comments. We haven't heard back. Ahead of five, we're hearing from a parent who says she now has questions around the university's finances. reporting live in Raleigh, Akela Davis, ABC 11, eyewitness news. A lot of questions there. All right, Akela, we'll press for answers. Thank you.

And an urgent search underway in Tucson, Arizona for today's show host Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie. The FBI now joining the investigation. Lauren Johnson is here with the latest developments. Lauren, what a just devastating story. This story has really gripped the entire nation. And today we learned from local and federal investigators in Arizona. They're talking about just how dire this search.

for Nancy Guthrie. The 84-year-old was last seen by Savannah's siblings on Saturday night around 945. They alerted police on Sunday after Guthrie missed church. Police say her cell phone and life-saving medication were left behind. Today, the sheriff revealed DNA samples collected at Nancy Guthrie's home did in fact belong to her. Investigators did not say where those samples came from. The sheriff says the evidence at the home made it clear this wasn't a typical missing person's case. We do believe that Nancy was taken from her home against her will. We've submitted all kinds of samples for DNA,

and we've gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects. Focusing on Nancy Guthrie's electronic devices at this time, trying to see if that will lead to anything, and if the data there could help point to the timing of that abduction. Barbara. All right. I know the finding her is critical. Timing is everything. Lauren, thank you.

Now, this hour, NC12 on Okrako Island is now reopened. and after being closed for days due to the overwash during the winter storm. Ferry service to Hatteras has also resumed, but NC12 on P. Island is still closed. Officials say progress is being made, but we've seen how this can go, whether it's a hurricane or this unusual incident with the snow, that that can often take a lot of time to get things back to normal. From that vantage point, it looks like they have a lot of melting. They probably did. I mean, it was above freezing across the state today. Finally, and thankfully, and thankfully, I saw all. all of the melting. I mean, to your point earlier, there are still some sidewalks that look really bad. But as far as the roads go, those are starting to improve. And I think we continue to see that improve as tipters stay above the freezing mark for the next, I'd say at least 24 hours. So for tonight, tipters are actually not expected to drop below freezing in most areas. I'll show you that in just a moment. For tomorrow, tipters will be back in the upper 30s, low 40s. So we'll see more melting. But we'll start with the rain. It'll be a very chilly rain. throughout the day. So tomorrow you need your umbrella late in the day. This is mainly getting

closer toward midnight. That's when we see the transition from rain to a little bit of sleep and then eventually some light snow showers for some of you. And that'll be out of here by the time we get into Thursday. Now Thursday morning and beyond is going to be a bit chilly. It's going to be chilly as we go into this weekend as well. And that's going to keep some ice potentials around as we go through the weekend though. At least it's expected to be dry at this time. Now for tomorrow, since it's going to be a pretty wet day, here's just an overall idea of what to expect. There will likely be a dry period sometime through the morning into the early afternoon before the rain starts. By the middle of the afternoon and into the evening, that's when you're most likely going to need your umbrella.

And I'll show you on First Alert Predictor when we're expecting that transition to that mix. And I'll give you a heads up here. I think this model is actually overdoing the coverage of the rain that we're going to see tomorrow. So this is showing showers at 7 o'clock. I think these could be a little farther to our south and east. By the time we get into the afternoon, we'll see these ride back up from the south as low pressure rides up our coast. And then here we go into the evening. So rain showers continue from the triangle and point south.

Notice the colors get very busy here, but what we're looking at is a transition from rain to some sleet in the middle. And then eventually some light snow showers up in areas right along the North Carolina, Virginia border. Now as time goes on, that cold air will sink farther south. That means we will see that transition eventually to some light snow showers, even in areas like the triangle. And I wouldn't rule out a few flakes down in the sand hills as this pulls away, but into Monday or Thursday morning, I should say, we should be drying out by that point. So this is mainly going to be a rain system for our region, and we could really use the rain. So many of you pick up a half inch to an inch of rain tomorrow, slightly lesser amounts to the northwest of Raleigh. I'd say a quarter to a half inch of rain there.

And then of course as the cold air sets in, later in the day, we get a period of snow and sleet. So snow and sleet accumulations up to an inch possible across the North Carolina-Virginia border. Most areas like the triangle, at best, a quarter of an inch. And keep in mind, it's going to have rain, so those snowflakes falling on a wet surface might not amount to much. So just keep that in mind. Here's a live look outside and Raleigh right now. Tipgers are in the upper 40s, so we've got a good bit of melting going on today. For your evening drive, tipgers will stay in the 40s through about 8 p.m.

And so watch out for the slick spots, but overnight we actually stay above freezing in most spots. And then tomorrow we're looking at tipgers staying in those upper 30s to around 40 degrees. Your seven day forecast, obviously this one's going to show up and down tipters as we go forward. So on the backside of that cold rain and snow mix that we get on Wednesday, Wednesday night, a first alert day as well. Thursday morning could feature a little bit of black ice, tipgers in the 30s for highs, 40s as we go into Friday and the weekend. Once again, it's at least dry, and then we see those temperatures keep rising as we go into early next week. Low 50s for Monday and Tuesday. Back to you. Just hang on a little while long. Just a little while. Just a little while. Okay, thank you, Cruz. Coming up next, a warning for those who use Grubhub, what you need to know about the recent data breach leaking personal information.

Plus, we have an update on the soccer tournament. It's a $1 million winner. Take-all tournament with both men's and women's competition. Of course, a new million dollar price has been introduced. What you need to know is next. We're back. Time now for some news you can use this Tuesday. The popular food delivery service Grubhub has announced a data breach impacting North Carolina users. The breach involved unauthorized access to personal information, including customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, and limited order related details. Grubhub says that payment card information and banking details were not accessed. If you use Grubhub, the company says to be cautious of unexpected emails or messages.

Now to a recall alert, Costco is recalling some bakery items over an undeclared allergen. The company said its caramel-filled mini bignets were accidentally packaged with chocolate hazelnut. So that means that this could pose a serious risk to those with an allergy to tree nuts. The products were sold in more than 20 states between January 16th and January the 20th. And some relief for you foodies. Triangle Restaurant Week is being extended due to the winter storm. The popular event fell right in the... the middle of the two winter storms we experienced when many restaurants shut down and people

stayed in their home. So now some restaurants have agreed to extend their special pricing and menu offerings through the weekend and they really could use the business because it all came to a standstill. That's news you can use. Barbara, back to you. Yeah, tough on those restaurants, Amber, thank you. New at four, the soccer tournament will now include three, one million dollar competitions. There will be both the men's and women's competition and new this year they've added a A TST mixed competition, competition featuring men and women. Former U.S. women's national team star goalkeeper Hope Solo will headline the mixed event. Today we spoke with TST CEO John Mugar on the new competition.

The response from our participants was, so you're telling me that we might be able to win $3 million over six days now playing 7 v.7 soccer. So it was no-brainer territory for them. So a lot of our general managers and team owners in our competition want to enter all three now. And they're going to win, they're going to play for $3 million. So it's very exciting for them. And among the fans we talk to, they love the idea of seeing men and women competing on the same team and sharing for one another and going through this high stakes journey together. The fourth annual TST is happening from May 27th through June 1st at Wake Met Soccer Park and Carrey ticket pre-s are beginning February 24th. Up next here at 4.30, a local business in Fayetteville damaged by floodwater as freezing temps continue to put a strain on pipes.

And in your voice, your vote, legal experts weighing in on the importance of upcoming primary elections as we are just one month away. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Well, this evening, as so many communities are working to return to normal after the weekend snowstorm effects are still being felt. In fact, we just learned that Cumberland County schools will once again be on a remote learning day tomorrow. In the meantime, some people on Mercosan Road in Fayetteville are dealing without power and water for part of the day, while others had to deal with burst pipes. Penelope Lopez has more on how the frigid temperatures are affecting the community. The effects of the freezing weather are still being felt throughout the city. I feel like I'm probably in a little bit of shock.

Hanna Rodriguez is trying to save whatever she can. She owns Hannah's Rock and Gem, a collectible stone shop on Fort Bragg Road. She says this morning's unexpected flood has been a major setback. We had the pipe freeze up. It looks like it has flooded the shop completely to the point that it's going to be very big loss for me. This happened just one day after Fayetteville saw a record low of 12 degrees. Hannah says a pipe burst out the back of the building leaving several inches of water damaging her antique cabinets, carpet, and

collector items including her Pokemon collection. There's probably a few thousand Pokemon cards. I'd have to like look to see if all of them are damaged, but water on a car no good anymore. And Hannah says she has a long road ahead but she's determined to recover. Reporting in Fayetteville, Penelope Lopez, ABC 11. I witness news. Thank you. Also breaking here now at 430, water troubles in the town of Nashville as well. Town officials say that the water supply has been shut off because of a series of water main breaks in Nashville.

So that means residents may experience low water pressure or even no water across the entire town. So people are being asked to use as little water as possible right now. that means avoiding laundry, dishwashing, and any unnecessary flushing. Well, now to some other headlines in your speed feed. First, Wake County has approved its one water plan, becoming the first county in the state to take a comprehensive long-term approach to managing water resources. The plan focuses on protecting water supplies, improving public health, reducing flood risk, and ensuring clean, reliable water. Officials say the 50-year plan will help address the growth across the county as Wake County's population is projected to grow more than 2 million residents by 20. 70 and water demand is expected to more than doubled.

Happening tonight, Carolina Hurricanes will be back on the ice at the Lenovo Center. Tonight, this will be the last home game before a nearly two-week break. The NHL will take a break from February 6th through 24th for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Tonight, Keynes take on the Ottawa Senators. The pump drops at 7 p.m. The Mega Millions Jackpot now soaring to $323 million. There were no tickets that matched all six winning numbers during last night's or last week's drawing, The prize is still up for grabs.

The next mega millions drawing is tonight. Your odds to strike it big and win the jackpot about one and two hundred and ninety million. So you're saying there's a chance. Amber back to you. Took the words right out of my now, but thank you. To your voice, your vote now and today marking one month until the primaries, the voter registration deadline on Friday is Friday, and in-person early voting starts next Thursday.

The impact of redistricting continues to be felt in North Carolina. The state legislature redrew the congressional map in eastern Carolina aimed at flipping a seat to Republicans in D.C. NC state political science professor, Dr. Stephen Green, explaining that that puts even greater importance on the upcoming primaries. The truth is, because of gerrymandering, because of the way we draw the districts, and to some degree just the natural distribution of voters, there's just not that many competitive districts within the state. And so who you are choosing in the primary is very likely going to be. representing you in the state legislature or in Congress. And you know. Coming up here at 6 o'clock, Michael Perchick speaking with party leaders, Michael will be joining

us with a full report previewing the primaries. In the meantime today, the state board of elections is sending letters to more than 240,000 voters who provide invalid identification numbers when they registered to vote. Election officials are now encouraging voters to update their voter records by providing their driver's license or Social Security number or by ensuring the name on their voter registration matches other official government records. This is part of the ongoing efforts by the State Board of Elections to maintain accurate and current voter rolls. Still ahead on eyewitness News 4, 2 young sisters are back home after being kidnapped. My man, authorities say they met

on a popular gaming platform, how authorities were able to find the girls, and we have reaction from the gaming community. And as we head to break, here's a live look into downtown Raleigh from our Pindo Sky Cam. And you can see the little temperature bug there, 47, process and following occurred today. Yes, it did. So we saw some of that melting and that'll continue through parts of tomorrow. But I can tell you as we end the week, still looking to be below average. On the seven day, though, there is some relief in sight. I'll see you that coming up in just a bit.

Well, now to a suspect in custody in the alleged kidnapping of two Florida sisters who police say were groomed for months on Roblox as the online gaming platform has exploded in popularity. Yeah, police say those sisters, ages 12 and 15 met this 19. year old man on Roblox before moving their communication over to Snapchat, where he allegedly spoke to them for months. According to police, the suspect traveled more than 1,500 miles, driving 23 hours straight from Nebraska to Florida, telling the girls to meet him. They disappeared around 5 p.m. Saturday. Investigators found their conversations with the suspect, though, on one of the girls' phones, along with a detailed plan to take them to Nebraska.

The police were able to link the man to a Honda. Georgia State Police located the car and the girls were found safely inside. The suspect was arrested in charge with two counts of kidnapping. The two girls just mysteriously vanishing from Florida, ending up potentially Nebraska, all types of bad things. You can imagine the bad things that could come out of it. And Roblox releasing a statement saying they are, quote, investigating this deeply troubling incident and will fully support law enforcement. The company says they have robust safety policies in place to protect users, including filters to block sharing personal information and age checks to limit minors to chatting with others their age. Developing now, the Paris Prosecutor's Office says it has rated the French headquarters of the social media platform X.

It says it's widening its investigation into alleged algorithm abuse to include X's AI chatbot Grok. That's after allegations that Grok produced sexualized deep fakes. The Paris prosecutor says ex-chairman Elon Musk is among those summoned to hearings in April. Ex-officials say it removes illegal content. Another Grammy in the record books for gospel artists and local pastor Shirley Caesar. It's like one Grammy per child, including me. Arjwan Hogarth sat down with Shirley Caesar reacting to her big win Sunday night. Oh, your new foundation.

Use media spaces to generate. presentation grab your docs your permits your moves AI levels of your pitch gets it in a groove choose a template with your timeless graph design deliver make it the deck so you can build or at adobe com slash do that with acrobat weekday mornings on ABC 11 eyewitness news well she's done it again the queen of gospel and durham native pastor Shirley caesar won another grammy congratulations juan hogart sat down with her and here's the story well I sat down with the gospel legend herself at her home today to talk about her 13th Grammy win and how this past weekend's winter weather kept her from actually attending the show in Los Angeles. And the Grammy goes to

Come Jesus, come. I was expecting a call. My phone rang and everybody on the other end of the phone was screaming, we won, you won, we won. That announcement and Pastor Shirley Caesar's powerful voice enough to net the Queen of Gospel her 13th Grammy Award. This time as a feature, on Come Jesus Come, a record by Gospel Great Cici Wynets. The song itself is so powerful. And I'm just glad that I am a part of this song. I am. And then to get a Grammy.

The award was given during a ceremony before the televised broadcast in Los Angeles. But Pastor Caesar didn't make the trip. I'll accept on their behalf. Congratulations once again. This weekend's winter weather, grounding pastor at her home in Wake County. We didn't want to get out. and the planes were canceled, and we couldn't have got back home for a while. So we just decided that we would stay home.

I just thought that it would have been a bad decision for us to go. Nonetheless, the celebration continued nearly 2,600 miles away. I'm excited. I'm one of 13 children, and now it's like one Grammy per child, including me. And Pastor Caesar, she looks great. She tells me she still feels good and that there's a lot left to do. Now I head for you at 530. What she says she plans to do next and how she plans to celebrate this latest Grammy win. In Raleigh, Dwan Hogarth, ABC 11, IWitness News. Juan, thank you so much and congratulations, Pastor Caesar. Valentine's Day, less than two weeks away now. And the SPCA of Wake County is inviting the community to fall in love with a new pet. Now through Saturday, February 14th, Adoption fees have been dropped to just $2.14. All pets will be spayed or neutered with a microchip and up-to-date vaccinations.

They say this Valentine's Day deal is an effort to help get more pets into their forever home and for families to have four-legged soulmates. It's often said that the rescuing is done on both sides. Who rescued who? That's right. Yeah. I have a rescue and his birthday is Valentine's Day. Boy, he hit the jackpot. He's not spoiled at all.

That means you're buying Valentine's gifts for more than just one person. Probably your kids too, right? Who? I heard that. The baby. The baby meaning the dog gets it all. Yes, of course. All right.

So tomorrow we know you've got some rain on the way and then a little bit of a winter mix later in the day. So let's get into those details. We'll recap this and Don's going to have more for you coming up at 5 o'clock. But once again, not a major storm. This is a much weaker system that what we had last week. So tonight we could see a little bit of rain. Most of that rain comes throughout Wednesday afternoon and transitions to some light snow before all is set and done. Minor accumulations near the North Carolina, Virginia border.

And black ice will be possible into Thursday morning as temperature is then dropped below freezing. So that system is still back to our west. Clouds have increased out ahead of it. But if you are going out to the Canes game tonight at the Lenovo Center, you're good to go. No rain jacket needed, no umbrella. Tupters will be in the mid-40s, dropping into the 30s as you're leaving the game. So definitely dress warm there. But as we go into later parts of tonight, we actually stay above freezing in most spots.

Now, there could be a few areas right around freezing. That's along the North Carolina, Virginia border. But these tipters are staying above freezing tonight. That should keep us in good shape to start off tomorrow. So much of tomorrow is spent above freezing. The afternoon hours, even when that rain is falling, tipter should be in the low 40s then. And then later in the day, that's when we'll see. Once again, that transition to some light snow, mainly as we get closer to midnight.

Now Don's got more on that and your seven day forecast coming up on eyewitness dues at 5 o'clock. For now, let's get over to Steve and Lauren. What's what's going on? Hey guys. Hello, Cruz. More live coverage from the Wake County Justice Center coming up at 5 o'clock. Gripping testimony continues in Austin Thompson's sentencing hearing after he admitted to murdering five people in his Raleigh neighborhood. The victim impact statements being shared before the judge is ruling.

Also coming up, Team USA is changing the name of its venue for celebrations at the Winter Olympics. It's no longer the ice house. Now it'll be the Winter House after the Trump administration said it's sending ice agents over to Italy to help with security. We are counting down to the Super Bowl on Sunday. The players are doing meet and greets with the fans and the media. We're taking you live to San Francisco, new at 5 o'clock. And we'll explain why McDonald's is putting caviar on the menu. Yeah, caviar on the menu under the golden arches.

That's interesting. All right. We'll see you for the news at 5 o'clock in just a few minutes. Barbara and Amber. What? What? McDonald's is getting bougie. That's right.

All right, thank you. New here at 430, their shocking story made global headlines. 13 siblings rescued from extreme abuse and neglect all at the hands of their own parents. Several of the older Turpin children have already spoken out about the horrors they endure. But now, for the first time, we're hearing from the three youngest. Tony Cabera talks with ABC News as Diane Sawyer about her sit-down interview. Is this the first time they've spoken publicly? It is the first time they've spoken publicly about this.

And they came forward with such, first of all, vitality, wonder, excitement about the world that you would never know the suffering that they had lived. I remember thinking, we're all going to die. I remember Jordan saying it's now or never. She was right. She really was right. She did it just in time. We were all going to be chained to our bed.

But being rescued from that house of horrors was not the end of their suffering. As inconceivable as it was, that first home, and the level of abuse they had from their own parents, they go into yet another situation from which they have to escape. I mean, something bad did happen the first night I was there. Didn't know very much, but I didn't know that that was, did it feel right? What happens in the foster home, a combination of psychological abuse and also things that they really want everyone to understand about kids going into homes like these

and not having a voice, not even having experience of what good parenting is. To me it feels like, why does, like, why do people get to have a family and we don't? And like we have each other, and that's the world, you know. But we still want a mom. Despite a childhood full of endless terror, the Turpin siblings exude endless optimism.

It's not just a story of, as I said, not just hard, but hope and not just suffering, but real bravery and real rededication to life. Tony Cabrera, ABC News. Wow, out of the mouths of babes. Watch the Turpins and New House of Horror, a Diane Sawyer special tonight at 10 right here on ABC 11. Also streaming tomorrow on Disney Plus and Hulu. I witness news continues right after this.