Connect with us

Published

on

The body of a woman has been found buried in concrete in her basement two months after she was reported missing, authorities say.

According to police, Lynn Gay Keene, 70, from North Carolina, was killed and officers are now hunting for her live-in carer.

Ms Keene last spoke to her family on 14 June and was reported missing on 30 July.

Detectives searched her home, in the area of Linville Falls, and found it to be secured.

But her car was missing and was later found abandoned around 100 miles away in Cherokee, North Carolina on 2 August.

The vehicle, a 2000 Lincoln Town Car, was locked and the keys were found underneath the driver’s seat.

Officers got a search warrant for her home, where they found human remains entombed in concrete in the basement of the house.

More on Police

A post-mortem was carried out and dental records confirmed the human remains were Ms Keene’s.

It concluded the cause of death was homicide.

Avery County Sheriff’s Office said a “person of interest” has been established in connection with the death.

Authorities are looking for Elizabeth Freeman, 53, who was hired by the family to be a live-in carer for Ms Keene.

Police said she may also be going by the name Elizabeth Carserino of South Carolina and described her as 5ft4 tall, with shoulder length sandy blond hair.

She is wanted on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, financial card theft and identity theft.

Officers said she has not yet been found for questioning, but believe she could be in Dorchester County, South Carolina, or in Cumming, Georgia, where she has family.

Ms Keene’s neighbour and family friend John Thompson said he used to get birthday cards from her every year on 19 July, but did not get one last month.

He described her as a generous neighbour who enjoyed listening to Prince and the Grateful Dead, NBC News reported.

Mr Thompson said Ms Keene’s son died during the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

He said her husband had died about two years ago while her mother, who Ms Keene used to care for, died last year.

Mr Thompson said it was “a lot” for one person to take on, adding: “It’s not fair. Nobody should have to go through that.”

Continue Reading

US

Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Published

on

By

Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.

The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.

One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
Image:
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP

In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.

Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”

Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.

But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.

The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.

In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.

Read more from Sky News:
Kremlin urges caution in nuclear rhetoric following Trump’s submarine order
Still wanted: UK riots suspects pictured in new police appeal

Trump knows all publicity is good publicity

They say all publicity is good publicity, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is certainly notching up the column inches, especially now Donald Trump has intervened.

The US president must have been breathlessly excited when he found out Sweeney was a registered Republican because he wrote a Truth Social post in support of her before deleting it twice and reposting three times to correct various spelling and grammatical errors.

He clearly could not wait to get involved in the discourse.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote. “Go get ’em Sydney!”

In any other era, the president weighing in so heavily on one side of a pop culture issue would’ve been unusual.

But the current president knows people are talking about the ad around their dinner tables and at parties right now. By injecting himself into the discussion, they will now be talking about him too.

In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.

“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.

Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.

Continue Reading

US

Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Published

on

By

Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.

The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.

“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.

Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.

The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.

Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.

Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.

More from Ents & Arts

Read more US news:
Man tries to detonate 14 IEDs while being arrested
Trump orders two nuclear subs closer to Russia

Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.

The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.

In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.

Continue Reading

US

Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Published

on

By

Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.

Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.

After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.

Kevin Wade O'Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Image:
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.

Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.

Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O'Neal's home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Image:
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Kevin Wade O'Neal's home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Image:
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.

He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.

More on Tennessee

Read more from Sky News:
World champion sprinter arrested for ‘assaulting boyfriend’
Trump says “nobody has asked” him to pardon Maxwell

O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.

Continue Reading

Trending