Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Missing Toddlers Recovered in Mexico After Harrowing Week with 'Severely Depressed' Father | Crime Alert 05.29.26

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

Two young boys recovered in Mexico after their father abandoned Utah home and violated custody agreement. Family grieving Chicago Honor Roll soccer captain shot dead on daily commute to school. Illinois three-decade cold-case finally solved, Randy Gail Sperino's killer behind bars. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Sidney. A terrifying search for two missing toddlers has culminated in a dramatic rescue across international borders, exposing a mother's worst nightmare. Lizzie Tomic reported her two young sons,

22-month-old Will and 10-month-old Wesley Richmond, missing from their father's home in Saratoga Springs, Utah on Saturday, May 23rd. The children were last seen a full week earlier in Shelton, Washington, where their father had picked them up from Tomich's residence. The Utah Department of Public Safety issued a critical Amber Alert, stating that the two boys were in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, officially naming their 46-year-old father, Dane Stephen Richmond, as the primary suspect. Tomic took to TikTok alongside her family attorney, begging the public for any information that could lead to the recovery of her sons. The panic began Friday morning. when Richmond completely failed to appear for a scheduled legal deposition.

I flew in on Thursday night of this week for a deposition on May 22nd. Minutes before the deposition was to start, we learned that Dane had fired his attorney and would not be attended the deposition. I immediately contacted him via calling his phone and texting. He did not respond. Tomic immediately requested a welfare check at Richmond's residence. The home was entirely emmer. stripped of personal belongings and abandoned. We learned that the house was vacant and there were things being moved out. There was no car and Dana and the boys were not home.

When we learned this, we knew something was wrong. As investigators scrambled to trace Richmond's movements, a deceptive text message popped up on Tomic's phone. Richmond claimed that he had merely taken the two young boys on a spontaneous camping trip. However, law enforcement quickly unmasked the lie. Cellular tracking revealed that Richmond sent the text while positioned near San Diego, California, and he had already crossed the United States-Mexico border. For days, the family endured agonizing uncertainty until a major

breakthrough on Tuesday. Saratoga Springs Police announced that the children had been located safe in the northwestern Mexican city of San Felipe. Following their rescue, family member Jenny Hirsch-Tomich expressed the family's profound relief on Facebook, writing that she had never experienced true terror like this before, noting that the thought of never seeing the little guys again was more than they could process. While the children are being safely brought home, details about the suspect's unraveling life have emerged. Authorities revealed that Richmond was severely depressed, had abruptly quit his job, sold or gave away his worldly possessions, and entirely abandoned his home before fleeing across the border. Richmond has since been

arrested and faces two counts of custodial interference. More crime and justice news. after this. Tragic daylight violence in Chicago has claimed the life of a promising young student, leaving a community reeling and a family broken. 17-year-old Pedro Ramirez was an honor roll junior at Tilton High School. Loved by his peers, Pedro served as the captain of his school soccer team and was a dedicated volleyball player. On Tuesday morning, around 7.40 a.m., Pedro was walking toward a local bus stop to make

his usual commute to school in the back of the yard's neighborhood. He never made it. An unknown assailant opened fire striking the teenager multiple times. Pedro was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was tragically pronounced dead. Speaking to reporters from ABC 7, his grieving mother, Aloisa Garcia, described the crushing shock of losing her son so suddenly. Our lives changed completely, and this is like a dream. Her partner, Azusaena Velazquez, spoke to ABC 7 in Spanish, pleading for an end to the rampant

violence plaguing the city streets during morning hours when children are simply trying to walk to school. According to the Chicago Police Department, an unknown offender exited a dark-colored SUV and unleashed a hail of gunfire that targeted multiple people. Two bystanders, men aged 55 and 61, who were sitting innocently inside a nearby vehicle, were also struck by the bullets. Both were rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. While the motive remains unclear, Chicago police confirmed that a person of interest has been taken into custody. The loss has devastated Pedro's classmates, including his best friend, Mario Rosales, who shared a heart-wrenching memory with ABC7 about Pedro's unyielding commitment to his education.

Oh, he always said, I will never miss school unless I'm very sick or unless I'm dying. He actually died, so it really hurts my heart about those words that he said now. Online, a GoFundMe page established to cover funeral expenses describes Pedrito as a kind, cheerful and helpful young man who left an indelible impression on everyone he met, adding that no mother should ever have to endure such profound pain. Finally, a decades-old mystery in Southern Illinois has been solved, proving that time is no escape for a killer. For over 30 years, the brutal murder of 34-year-old Randy Gale Sparino remained a haunting cold case. On November 9, 1993, Sparino's body was discovered abandoned in a rural field in unincorporated Granite City,

having suffered massive blunt force trauma to the head. Generations of law enforcement officers chased down thousands of leads, re-interviewed witnesses, and repeatedly analyzed DNA evidence, yet the killer managed to evade justice until now. On Tuesday, Madison County State's attorney Tom Hane announced that first-degree murder charges have been filed against 70-year-old Albert Buddy Ziegler of Caseyville. Hayne emphasized that a monumental breakthrough in forensic genealogical DNA evidence broke the case wide open.

The scientific breakthrough led to a stunning confession. Ziegler admitted to investigators that he picked Sparino up in Granite City, brought her back to his residence, and brutally beat her to death using a metal baseball bat or a steel pipe, before dumping her body in the rural field. Prosecutors are aggressively fighting to keep Ziegler detained without bond pending his trial. Ziegler's public defender argued that because he is 70 years old, in recovering from a recent heart attack, he is far too ill for a prison environment. However, Judge James Hackett determined that the sheer gravity of the murder allegations outweighs his medical condition, ordering that Ziegler remained securely in custody.

For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.