Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 01.29.25 | Mom of 4 Strangled In Front of 5-Year-Old

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

Boyfriend strangles mom of four in front of their 5-year-old son. Houston Evidence locker has an infestation! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Police in South Brunswick, New Jersey, respond to a call about an unresponsive woman at home on Route 27. Inside, they find Lauren Saldana, 38, dead. Ex-boyfriend, 41-year-old Roman Romananovski is there along with their five-year-old son. He admits to strangling Saldana in front of her four children. The Middlesex medical examiner has yet to release an official cause of death. Police confirm it's no random act. Nancy, Lauren Saldana had just welcomed her fourth child into the world. She shared one other child with Romanovski and had two more children from previous relationships. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist the 19-16 five-year-old

and newborn after the loss of their mother. Saldana's five-year-old reportedly witnessed the murder, a trauma no child should endure. Saldana's oldest daughter, Madison, says her mother's relationship with Romanovski was volatile and unhealthy, but Saldana's oldest daughter, Madison, says her mother's relationship with Romanovski was volatile and unhealthy, but Saldana always returned after a breakup because she wanted to see her son. Madison is now seeking custody of her three younger siblings. Romanovski, now charged with murder one, two counts child endangerment. Rats invade the Houston Police Evidence Room eating seized drugs, jeopardizing nearly 4,000 cases. The infestation, first discovered in October, reveals long-standing issues in a facility which stores 1.2 million pieces of evidence,

some dating back decades. Rodents eating weed, coke, mushrooms, efforts to remove the doped up rats have been challenging. Only one active case involving mushrooms appears impacted, but to prevent future contamination, evidence from active cases will be moved to the Houston Forensic Science Center. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. In a case that has spanned decades, two native Hawaiian brothers are suing Hawaii County,

alleging they were wrongly convicted in the high-profile 1991 murder of a Virginia tourist. As Crime Online's Sydney Sumner tells us, new evidence and advancements in DNA technology have reignited questions about justice in a case that has haunted Hawaii's Big Island for more than 30 years. Albert Ian Schweitzer spent over 20 years in prison, insisting he had no role in the brutal 1991 killing of 23-year-old Dana Ireland, a Virginia tourist found raped and beaten along a remote fishing trail on the Big Island. She later died in a hospital. Ian Schweitzer was released in 2023 after DNA evidence pointed to another man. His brother, Sean Schweitzer, had pleaded guilty to lesser charges in 2000 to avoid harsher penalties. Now, the brothers are suing Hawaii

County and others, alleging police framed them under pressure to solve the high-profile case. The lawsuit claims investigators ignored the lack of physical evidence linking the brothers to the crime and later mishandled new DNA findings. Attorneys say the DNA identified a new suspect, Albert Loro Jr., who lived just two miles from the crime scene. Loro reportedly took his own life after DNA linked him to the case, yet police failed to investigate him further. The lawsuit seeks damages for constitutional violations, malicious prosecution, and conspiracy. Ian Schweitzer is also pursuing state compensation for his wrongful conviction, which could amount to $50,000 per year he spent in prison. A Wisconsin man has been charged with arson and other felonies after allegedly setting fire to the office of Congressman

Clint Grothman. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Caden Statuettes admitted to the act, citing anger over federal efforts to ban TikTok, which he claimed violated his constitutional rights. According to the complaint, Statuettes attempted to break into Grothman's Fond du Lac office but failed. He then set fire to the exterior using gasoline and matches. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, limiting the damage. Statuettes told police he targeted Grothman because of the congressman's votes supporting TikTok restrictions, but stated he did not want to harm anyone. Facing multiple charges, including making terrorist threats, he could face over 50 years in prison if convicted. Thanks, John.

17-year-old Paige Summer Moore, known as Penny, vanishes from her broken-era Oklahoma home. Paige, last seen at home in the early morning hours, wearing pink polka-dot boxer shorts, a gray Goo Goo Dolls shirt with long black sleeves and red house slippers. She leaves with a few belongings, including her phone, but never shows up for summer school class. The missing 17-year-old, initially classified as a runaway, now police think foul play. Page 5-4, 130 pounds, blue eyes, pink dyed hair, multiple piercings. Page now 29, remains missing despite extensive investigations. If you have info, please contact

Broken Arrow PD, 918-259-8400. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com. And please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best, with your help, to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.