Body of airman recovered at Elephant Butte Lake, Kirtland Air Force Base says
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (KRQE) – The body of an airman assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base was recovered from Elephant Butte Lake just before 1 p.m. Monday.
The airman went missing Saturday night at the lake. At this time, KAFB is withholding the name of the deceased until after next of kin notification has been made.
Story continues below
Crime: Two ABQ police officers placed on leave in critical pedestrian crash on Central
Real Estate: 'Nothing short of a personal resort' luxury property listed for $12M in Santa Fe
National: 'I'm sincerely sorry': Billy Joel cancels all concerts due to brain disorder diagnosis
Multiple agencies participated in the search and recovery efforts, including New Mexico State Park Rangers, Elephant Butte Fire Department, New Mexico Department of Fish and Game, New Mexico State Police, Texas Department of Public Safety Divers and the Combat Search and Rescue Team from the 306th Rescue Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The incident remains under investigation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What we know about Grayson Meyers, victim of deadly Myrtle Beach shooting
Grayson Meyers, an 18-year-old Myrtle Beach resident, was shot and killed on Friday night at the popular Ocean Boulevard restaurant Peaches Corner. Police claim that following a verbal altercation between Myers and an employee at Peaches Corner, 17-year-old Evony McCray of Conway, Myers was shot by McCray and killed on scene. McCray has now been charged with murder, among other charges, and remains in J. Reuben Long Detention Center. He will be tried as an adult. Meyers was identified as the victim by the Coroner's office on Monday morning. Friends and loved ones have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Meyers. Meyers' own social media presence does not reveal much about his life or background, primarily made up of emoji reactions to other accounts' comedic posts. Over the years, he has posted several photos of himself with friends on Facebook, as well as a few videos of himself smoking and vaping. There are some posts showing Meyers with firearms on his Instagram page. It is unclear where Meyers went to school. The Sun News has requested information about Myers' enrollment from Horry County Schools. Meyers did have a history with law enforcement, according to the Horry County Public Index. Meyers was charged with trespassing earlier this year, and had also been charged with kidnapping, which was dismissed, and assault and battery first degree last year, to which he pled guilty, The Sun News previously reported. The latter two charges were in connection with a Conway-area party at which a minor was assaulted, and Meyers was arrested alongside three others involved in the incident. No further records of criminal activity were shown in the Horry County Public Index for McCray. The memorial service for Meyers will take place on July 8th, according to the GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his mother. The page states that Meyers' mother, Crystal Sparkman has been the sole caregiver for Meyers and three other children. One other victim suffered a non-life threatening injury from a gunshot during the shooting, but no further information has been released about this individual. Meyers was a victim of what is now the third shooting along Ocean Boulevard in recent months. In April, a shooting in the area injured 11 people and left one dead, and earlier this month, another shooting near Peaches Corner left one person injured from a gunshot. At a city-run press conference on Saturday, Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said that this kind of violence is a state- and nationwide issue. She also noted that the city may be eyeing its curfew for minors, as well as 'mitigating' factors of open carry laws. However, she acknowledged that, in this case, the minor in question was exempt from city curfew because he was at work, and the firearm he used was in his possession illegally. Also at the press conference, police were asked whether Meyers came into the restaurant with a weapon as well, but they responded that this information is part of the ongoing investigation into the incident. Peaches Corner declined to comment on Monday morning. The Sun News has reached out to several of Meyers' friends and family members for more information.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Major health care fraud takedown more than doubles prior record of $6 billion, officials say
The Justice Department announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud takedown, charging 324 defendants, including 96 medical professionals, across the United States for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes totaling over $14.6 billion in intended loss. Officials say the takedown involved coordinated efforts from federal and state law enforcement agencies, marking an unprecedented initiative to combat health care fraud that exploits patients and taxpayers. Among those charged were doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals across 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General's Offices. The government seized over $245 million in assets, including cash, luxury vehicles, and cryptocurrency, as part of the enforcement efforts. This demonstrates the significant return on investment from health care fraud enforcement. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it successfully prevented over $4 billion from being paid out in false and fraudulent claims. In addition, CMS suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers before the Takedown. Officlas reported that twenty defendants were charged $14.2 million in alleged fraud, and civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million were also announced. The Justice Department states that the takedown is likely to discourage future fraudulent activities and boost the integrity of the health care system. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
A plea deal is set to end the yearslong case against Bryan Kohberger. The family of one of his alleged victims is furious
CrimeFacebookTweetLink Follow The grieving family of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves had to wait over a month before a suspect in her 2022 killing was arrested. Since then, they and the families of three other University of Idaho students killed at the same time have been forced to endure an agonizingly slow legal process, punctuated by delay after delay. Now, a month before the suspect's murder trial was finally set to begin, the families' long wait for justice is poised to end in what one Goncalves family member calls a 'shocking and cruel' plea deal – that removes the possibility of the death penalty. 'After more than two years, this is how it concludes — with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims' families on the plea's details,' the Goncalves family said in a statement shared with CNN. The plea deal would bring an abrupt end to a case that has captured national attention since the four brutal killings rocked the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, more than two and a half years ago. Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old former PhD student of criminology at Washington State University, was charged in January 2023 with fatally stabbing Goncalves, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle and 21-year-old Madison Mogen in their off-campus home in the early hours of November 13, 2022. Under the deal, Kohberger will plead guilty to four counts of murder in exchange for the government dropping the death penalty, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Shanon Gray, an attorney for the Goncalves family, also confirmed the deal to CNN. CNN reached out to the families of Chapin, Kernodle and Mogen about the reported plea deal. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday. Jury selection in Kohberger's murder trial was scheduled to begin on August 4. Prosecutors previously indicated they would pursue the death penalty. The Goncalves family said they 'weren't even called about the plea' and merely 'received an email with a letter attached.' The letter, from Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson, indicates that Kohberger will likely be sentenced to life in prison if he pleads guilty, and that the deal requires him to waive his right to appeal, the Idaho Statesman reported. But the Goncalves family blasted prosecutors' 'very unexpected' decision in a short social media post, writing, 'We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us.' Thompson told CNN his office could not comment on news of the plea deal because of the wide-ranging gag order in the case. He defended the deal in the letter to the Goncalves family as 'our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,' arguing it will ensure Kohberger 'will spend the rest of his life in prison,' according to the Idaho Statesman. In a lengthier statement posted by the Goncalves family, Kaylee's 18-year-old sister Aubrie took issue with the suddenness of the deal after a painfully long legal process, calling it 'both shocking and cruel' to bring it to the families 'just weeks before the scheduled trial.' 'Had this proposal come a year and a half ago, the families could have had time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence – however difficult that may be,' the statement said. Goncalves' sister said her family is 'not asking for vengeance' but casts the possibility of life in prison as an unfair outcome. 'Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever,' she wrote. The possibility of the death penalty has loomed large over the yearslong proceedings, with Kohberger's defense team repeatedly arguing for it to be taken off the table. The victims' families have endured a sprawling legal case – which began with a lengthy wait for a suspect in their loved ones' killings to even be identified. For weeks, law enforcement searched for a suspect, releasing few details about their investigation. It wasn't until December 30, 2022 – more than a month after the November 13 killings – that Kohberger was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said Kohberger's arrest was largely based on DNA evidence, including a sample found on a knife sheath near one of the victims' beds and DNA retrieved from trash outside the Kohberger family home. The arrest was only the start of what would become a protracted legal battle. Over the past two years, Kohberger's case has been marked by one delay after another. One of the starkest early moments came during the arraignment in May 2023, as Kohberger kept silent when the judge asked for his plea on the murder and burglary charges outlined in the indictment against him. Kohberger's attorney rose and said, 'Your honor, we are standing silent,' and the judge then entered not guilty pleas for him. As the case proceeded, the defense team challenged the prosecution's case, filing motions to suppress DNA evidence obtained through the forensic genealogy process and questioning the validity of other evidence, including cell phone records and the accuracy of the search warrant affidavit. Kohberger's trial was pushed back multiple times amid disputes over evidence and witnesses. Last September, the trial's venue was moved from Latah County, where the crime took place, to the state capital of Boise. Last year, the Goncalves family expressed their frustration at the repeated delays, saying the case had turned into a 'hamster wheel of motions, hearings, and delayed decisions.' Recent rulings narrowed Kohberger's legal defense options heading into trial. Last week, the judge rejected the defense's attempt to present an 'alternate perpetrator' theory. Kohberger's lawyers had planned to argue that one of four other people committed the murders, but the judge ruled there was no evidence beyond 'pure speculation' to support the claim. Earlier, the judge also barred the defense from submitting an official alibi, as no one could confirm Kohberger's whereabouts at the time of the killings. CNN's Jim Sciutto, Jean Casarez, Lauren del Valle and Jason Kravarik contributed to this report.