Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Grandfather Tries to Kill Man Responsible for Grandchildren's death | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 05.10.25

Episode Date: May 10, 2025

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here are some of our top stories this week: A grandfather shot and killed by deputies as he tries to strike out against the man who killed his grandchildren in a fiery car crash.  A Texas mother is arrested after police find her 7-year-old daughter locked in a closet and starving, leading to the discovery that another daughter has been missing for seven years A missing toddler, Alabama officials believe is 'missing' no more. Little Kahleb Collins remains have been unearthed in a backyard fire pit of the family home Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How could a beautiful young first grade teacher be stabbed 20 times, including in the back, allegedly die of suicide? Yes, that was a medical examiner's official ruling. After a closed door meeting, he first named it a homicide. Why? What happened to Ellen Greenberg? A huge American miscarriage of justice. For an in-depth look at the facts, see what happened to Ellen on Amazon. All proceeds to the National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children. Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now. I'm Jackie Howard. Mark Bauchner stands near the Danville, Indiana courthouse as two Hendricks County deputies began escorting inmates from a transport van. The 65-year-old reveals a concealed weapon, a handgun. He fires at least once toward the group of inmates and officers. Two deputies returned fire, striking Vaughtautner who died there. No one else is injured. Indiana State Police take over the investigation and reveal the intended target thought to be on that transport had had his court date postponed. That intended victim was Sedani Pettus who killed Vautner's young grandchildren in a fiery car crash during a police chase in February.

While trying to evade the police, Pettis, 25, slammed the stolen Honda Civic he was driving into a Ford Explorer containing Faulkner's three-year-old and two-month-old grandchildren. The Explorer was being driven by their dad, and it exploded in a fireball in the crash. The two deputies involved in the deadly shooting were placed on administrative leave. More crime and justice news after this. I'm Drew Nelson. A Texas mother is arrested after police find her seven-year-old daughter locked in a closet and starving, leading to the discovery that another daughter has been missing for seven years. Austin police responded to a call from a grandmother who found her seven-year-old daughter, quote, malnourished, soiled, and barricaded in a bedroom closet.

The girl weighed just 29 pounds and told hospital staff, quote, my bones hurt. Police say she had been locked in the closet for a month and was only fed a corn dog or hot dog twice a day, along with half a cup of water. The closet had no light, no ventilation, and was blocked by boxes that weighed at least 75 pounds. The child's mother, Virginia Marie Gonzalez, age 33, was arrested and charged with serious injury to a child. Six other children were found in the home and appeared to be healthy. But when investigators began checking on all the children in Gonzalez's custody, they found that one was missing, 9-year-old Ava Marie Gonzalez. Austin Police Department's missing person detectives are seriously concerned about Ava's welfare given the circumstances in which Ava's 7-year-old sibling was found.

If you have any information, please come forward. We are not trying to get anyone in trouble. We're trying to ensure everyone's safety. Detective Russell Constable says Ava has not been seen by family or friends since December of 2017 when she was two and still in her mother's care. She was never reported missing. Police only learned that she was unaccounted for during the investigation into her younger sister's abuse. Virginia Gonzalez has given quote-unquote conflicting information to family members about Ava's whereabouts. Police say Ava's father has not been identified. None of the children in Gonzalez's home were enrolled in school, according to police. They released a photo at age two and an age-progressed rendering showing what she might look like now at age nine.

She is Hispanic with straight brown hair and brown eyes, weight and height unknown. Anyone with information about Ava's whereabouts is urged to email Ava at AustinTexas.gov or call Crime Stoppers anonymously 512-572-8477. You don't have to leave your name. I'm Jennifer Gould. A horrifying discovery in a family's Alabama backyard has brought a missing child case to a grim conclusion, revealing shocking details of alleged abuse and neglect. This neighbor spoke to ABC 3340. I was just praying that I could find the little fellow's body where they could put him to, you know, put him to rest. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office announced that human remains believed to be those of one-year-old Caleb Collins were found

charred in a burn pile at the family's Highway 129 residence. The announcement follows months of searches and paints a disturbing picture of the toddler's final days. Fayette County Sheriff Byron Yerby called it, quote, heartbreaking as forensic teams work to confirm the toddler's identity. The horror surfaced after a December 8th, 2024 car crash that killed Caleb's father, Stephen Collins, 40, and sister Riley, 2. Stephen, driving at 92 miles per hour on a slick road, smashed into a tree, ejecting everyone. Wendy Bailey, 23, Caleb's mom, survived with injuries. Riley, unrestrained in a car seat, died instantly. Caleb's absence from the wreck raised red flags because he hadn't been seen since

September 4th and no one realized he was missing until the crash. Court filings lay bare a stomach churning tale. Stephen, the main abuser, allegedly tied Caleb with rope, battered him and hung him from a ceiling in July of 2024. He texted Wendy photos of Caleb bloodied and dangling, writing, quote, he won't move, end quote. Wendy's chilling reply, quote, he just looks wore out, end quote. She admitted Caleb's body was bagged, stored and later dumped. Charged with aggravated child abuse, domestic violence, abuse of a corpse, and

criminally negligent homicide for Riley's death, Wendy faces a $1.8 million bond, but prosecutors are seeking to hold her without bail under Anaya's law, which allows for denial of bond for certain violent offenses. John Bailey, 55, Caleb's grandfather and household resident, is also charged with aggravated child abuse, domestic violence, abuse of a corpse, and hindering prosecution. He allegedly zip-tied little Caleb to objects, struck him, and failed to report his absence. Prosecutors are also seeking to hold him without bail under Anaya's law. Arraignment for both is set for August 7th. Neighbors reportedly rarely saw little Caleb, with Stephen claiming he was with relatives.

A November Facebook post by Stephen falsely suggested Caleb needed surgery. The Alabama Department of Human Resources had prior family contact, but details remain sealed. I'm Nicole Parton. A grandmother in Georgia was reportedly murdered by an unknown assailant who followed her from a local Dollar General to her home, ultimately choking her to death by applying his full weight on her neck while she lay on the ground. Family members and police have described the crime as, quote, horrific and mind-blowing. The suspect, 21-year-old Hector Rivas, is accused of killing 52-year-old Camelia Williams sometime between 11 p.m. on March 12 and 1 a.m. on March 13, as detailed in an arrest warrant obtained by an Atlanta affiliate of ABC-WSB.

Authorities in Cobb County allege that Rivas strangled Williams before abandoning her body in a yard near her residence in Marietta, where it was discovered the following Thursday morning, leaving her family in disbelief. Camelia's brother, in an interview with WSB, spoke about the devastation of losing his sister. To accept, it's hard to believe that this is really, truly happening. And I just really don't know how to absorb it right now. According to the victim's brother and other family members, Camelia, a native of Louisiana, contacted a relative the night before her death, expressing concern that a man, believed to be Rivas, was following her.

She didn't know him, stated Tony Williams, her brother. The night prior, while at the dollar store, she informed one of my nieces, a man was telling me, followed me home, she believed. Law enforcement has indicated that the suspect has yet to provide a motive but has confessed to the crime. He reportedly detailed the incident to investigators, stating he used his knees during the attack after struggling to apply a chokehold. I can't fathom what would drive someone to commit such an act of violence, said Danielle Williams,

Camilla's niece, when speaking to local NBC affiliate WXIA. What he did was truly horrific. It's mind-blowing, she said. Rivas is currently in custody facing charges of felony murder. He has been denied bail and is awaiting the next court appearance. For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcasting app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Nicole Parton. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.