Author: Emmy Phem

A 55-year-old Long Island mortgage business owner died Monday afternoon after losing control of his motorcycle on a busy Shirley roadway.

Suffolk County police said Robert Haufler of Holbrook was riding a 2007 Yamaha motorcycle southbound on William Floyd Parkway around 1:20 p.m.

As he approached the intersection near Ridgewood Drive, Haufler suddenly lost control of the bike.

The motorcycle veered off path and struck the driver’s side of a parked 2016 Jeep, throwing Haufler into the street.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and transported Haufler to NYU Langone Hospital–Suffolk in Patchogue for immediate care.

Medical personnel evaluated the Holbrook resident upon arrival, but doctors pronounced him dead from his injuries shortly after.

Haufler served as the president and owner of Monster Lending Inc., a local mortgage firm he started in February 2022.

His professional work focused heavily on helping real estate investors secure financing for residential property purchases and new construction.

Before founding his own firm, Haufler built a long career in mortgage sales across Long Island, including management roles in Melville and Garden City.

Seventh Squad detectives impounded the Yamaha motorcycle for a standard safety inspection as they continue investigating what caused him to lose control.

Atlanta police officers launched a suspicious death investigation Wednesday night after firefighters discovered a dead woman inside a local apartment.

First responders dispatched to the 1700 block of Staunton Road around 9:45 p.m. found no active fire outside the building.

Firefighters made entry into the complex and found smoke damage confined to a single apartment.

Crews found a woman in her 20s dead inside the smoke-damaged unit.

Investigators deemed the situation suspicious based on how the body and scene were found.

Atlanta Fire Rescue arson teams joined police detectives to inspect the apartment for potential points of origin.

The Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine how the woman died.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the Atlanta Police Department.

Firefighters responded to an emergency fire call at an apartment complex along the 1700 block of Staunton Road in Atlanta around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Emergency crews arrived at the property expecting active flames but found no visible fire or exterior building damage.

Firefighters entered one of the units and discovered smoke damage throughout the residence.

Crews searched the smoke-filled rooms and located an adult woman dead inside the apartment.

Authorities believe the victim lived at the apartment and was in her 20s.

Officials have not released the woman’s name while they work to make a positive identification and notify her family.

Atlanta police officers secured the property to preserve evidence inside the unit.

Homicide detectives, arson investigators, and the Medical Examiner’s Office are treating the case as a suspicious death while the investigation continues.

Norfolk traffic officers shut down a major stretch of North Military Highway Thursday morning following a fatal two-vehicle collision.

Emergency dispatchers received multiple 911 calls at 9:06 a.m. reporting a severe crash between a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Hyundai Elantra.

Traffic officers diverted northbound vehicles at Robin Hood Road and routed southbound drivers onto Azalea Garden Road to clear the crash site.

Preliminary findings show the Hyundai pulled out from a roadside parking lot into oncoming northbound traffic along the 2700 block.

The northbound Jeep struck the side of the sedan, causing heavy damage to both vehicles.

First responders treated two drivers and one passenger at the scene before transporting all three to the hospital with critical injuries.

Medical staff confirmed one person died from their injuries, while the other two remain under care.

The Norfolk Police Department Traffic Unit continues interviewing witnesses and analyzing physical evidence from the roadway.

A morning crash along a busy commercial strip in Norfolk left one person dead and two others fighting for their lives.

Patrol officers dispatched to the 2700 block of North Military Highway arrived at the scene around 9:06 a.m. Thursday.

Responding crews found a Hyundai Elantra sedan and a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV with severe collision damage.

Investigators determined the Jeep was traveling northbound on Military Highway when the Hyundai pulled out of a parking lot directly into its path.

Paramedics loaded both drivers and a passenger from the Hyundai into ambulances and rushed them to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Emergency room staff provided medical care, but one of the three individuals died from severe injuries shortly after arriving.

Norfolk police officers closed off North Military Highway in both directions while crash reconstruction teams examined the scene.

Authorities are withholding the name of the deceased victim pending notification of family members.

A Washington County jury convicted Joshua Maggard on Wednesday of felony murder and distributing a Schedule II controlled substance following a three-day trial in Abingdon.

The felony murder charge applies under Virginia law when an accidental death occurs while someone is committing another felony offense, such as illegal drug distribution.

Court records show the criminal investigation began on August 18, 2024, when emergency crews responded to a suspected overdose on Oak Grove Road.

Deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and first responders from Goodson Kinderhook Fire and Rescue found Richard Jason Maggard dead inside the home.

Investigating officers gathered physical evidence at the house and determined that Joshua Maggard handed his brother a pill he thought was prescription Roxicodone.

Lab testing conducted by state forensic scientists confirmed the pill actually contained illicit fentanyl, which caused Richard Jason Maggard’s death.

Jurors deliberated for more than six hours on Wednesday before returning guilty verdicts on both felony counts against the defendant.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Cumbow expressed gratitude to the jury and praised the responding deputies for immediately launching a criminal probe into the fatal overdose.

A 2024 overdose response at a home on Oak Grove Road in Abingdon ended with the death of Richard Jason Maggard after he swallowed a counterfeit pill.

Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and emergency workers from Goodson Kinderhook Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene on August 18, 2024, finding the man unresponsive.

First responders evaluated the victim inside the residence, but medical personnel pronounced Richard Jason Maggard dead at the property shortly after arriving.

State toxicology reports later confirmed that the pill Richard took contained lethal amounts of fentanyl instead of legitimate Roxicodone.

Detectives learned during the death investigation that the victim obtained the single pill directly from his brother, Joshua Maggard.

Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Joshua Maggard shared the pill believing it was actual prescription pain medication.

A Washington County jury listened to three days of testimony and spent over six hours deliberating before finding Joshua Maggard guilty of felony murder and drug distribution charges.

Washington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Cumbow noted that deputies immediately treated the death scene as a crime investigation rather than a standard medical call, leading directly to the criminal conviction.

Police officers took a 31-year-old foreign national into custody Thursday morning following a fatal stabbing at a Catholic convent.

Patrol units swarmed the grounds of the Jarosław abbey after receiving reports of an active assault around 9:30 a.m.

Officers located the suspect on the abbey property and detained him before he could flee the area.

Investigators confirmed the suspect attacked five individuals during the violent incident, injuring four men and one woman.

Police secured the crime scene and recovered physical evidence from the grounds while paramedics treated the wounded.

Law enforcement later confirmed that one male victim died at the hospital from severe knife wounds.

Detectives are currently interviewing witnesses and reviewing physical evidence to figure out what led up to the attack.

Authorities have not released a motive as homicide officers continue questioning the suspect in police custody.

State prosecutors remain on scene supervising forensic officers as they document the timeline of events.

A morning attack at a Catholic convent in southeastern Poland turned deadly Thursday when a knife-wielding assailant targeted clergy and visitors on the abbey grounds.

Emergency responders rushed to the historic Benedictine abbey in Jarosław shortly after 9:30 a.m. following urgent calls to local dispatch.

First responders arrived to find five people suffering from severe stab wounds spread across the property.

The victims included four men and one woman who were caught in the sudden outburst of violence.

Ambulances transported all five victims to regional hospitals for immediate emergency medical care.

Doctors worked to stabilize the wounded, but one of the men died from his injuries shortly after arriving at the medical center.

Three of the surviving men remain in serious condition as surgical teams continue treatment.

Local church members gathered outside the convent grounds as news of the fatality spread through the surrounding community.

Medical teams continue monitoring the surviving victims while local leaders offer support to those affected by the violence.

A Frankfort mother accused of killing her two-year-old son pleaded not guilty during a court hearing Thursday morning.

Corie Walsh, 40, faces three counts of first-degree murder following the asphyxiation death of her toddler son, Barrett.

Prominent defense attorney Andrea Lyon, who previously defended Casey Anthony in 2011, represents Walsh in the criminal case.

Defense lawyers stated in court that Walsh experienced a severe psychotic episode at the time of the toddler’s death.

Court documents state Walsh told arresting officers she killed her baby because she believed he was a devil and the anti-Christ.

Prosecutors revealed in court that Walsh was actively texting friends about the Massachusetts Lindsay Clancy murder case prior to the incident.

The judge ordered Walsh to remain held in county custody without bond until her next court date on October 26.