Latest news with #WXII
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Haw River family picking up the pieces after home is flooded by Tropical Storm Chantal
We're still seeing the damage left behind by last week's tropical storm. One Haw River family spoke to WXII about that terrifying night, and what they're grateful for today.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Homicide investigation underway in McLeansville
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office has alerted WXII that a juvenile is dead. This is an active homicide investigation.
Miami Herald
01-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Driver had 2 license suspensions before crash that killed NC woman, officials say
A North Carolina man has been convicted in a December 2023 crash that killed a 19-year-old riding in the passenger seat, officials said. Codey Phillip-Wayne Jones, 25, was found guilty of second-degree murder, felony death by vehicle, driving while impaired and reckless driving, Forsyth County District Attorney James O'Neill said in a June 27 news release. Jones' driver's license had been suspended twice before the December 2023 crash that killed Victoria Rose Brown, officials said. Both incidents resulting in his suspension happened on the same interstate where Brown died, officials said. McClatchy News was unable to reach Jones' attorney on June 30. On the evening of the crash, witnesses said they saw the Chevrolet Silverado Jones was driving swerving across lanes, trying to run other cars off the roadway, flashing his high beams, and slowing down and speeding up at 'erratic intervals,' according to officials. After a small, red truck passed Jones' vehicle, he sped up — going 30 mph over the speed limit — and hit it, officials said. This caused Jones' truck to crash into a concrete median and roll over several times, according to officials. Brown was ejected from the truck in the crash and died at the scene, officials said. In an interview with law enforcement, Jones admitted to not having working airbags or seat belts in his truck, saying he never got them replaced after a prior crash, according to officials. He told investigators he put seat belt buckles he got at a junkyard in the receiver 'to avoid the car's alerts while driving,' according to officials. The investigation also found Jones was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.18 percent, 0.10 over the legal limit, officials said. Brown did not have alcohol in her system, officials said. Jones was sentenced to a maximum of over 20 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge and more than three months on the driving while impaired charge, officials said. 'Prior to sentencing, (Brown's) mother, Deanna Davis, delivered a moving and emotional victim impact statement to the Court. Mrs. Davis expressed the loss and heartbreak her family has suffered because of this tragedy,' officials said. Brown was remembered as having a 'joyous personality' that made everyone who met her fall in love, according to an online memorial. 'We'll continue to spread her story, let people know who she was,' Bree Thorpe, one of Brown's friends, told WXII. '... That way, her light is still shown in this world, even though she's no longer with us.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mom Dies Unexpectedly Outside of Daughter's High School Graduation: 'I Watched Her Take Her Last Breath'
A mother in North Carolina collapsed and died while walking through the parking lot before her daughter's high school graduation last week Jean Byrd is being remembered by loved ones as the "most caring person you will ever" meet The family has since launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to "make sure she gets her last wishes" of being buried by her father in Pennsylvania A mother unexpectedly collapsed and died in a parking lot moments before her daughter's high school graduation in North Carolina. On May 23, Jean Byrd was at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., ahead of her daughter Meilean's graduation when she died "just 200 feet" from the ceremony, her family wrote in a GoFundMe campaign description and told local NBC affiliate WXII. Marquan Matthews — Byrd's son, who was inside the venue at the time — recalled getting a phone call from his aunt about the incident, before a security guard drove him in a golf cart to the parking lot, WXII reported. He then performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Byrd died of cardiac arrest, according to the GoFundMe description, which was written by her son. "This was a curse," Matthews told WXII. "This was a curse because I sat there and watched my mom's soul lift out of her. I watched her take her last breath." "So it was very hard for me, and it's still hard for me to this day because I barely get any sleep," he added. "I just see them last few moments of my mom, just being gone." Meilean, who walked across the stage and earned her diploma from Parkland High School shortly after, had no idea what was happening at the time, per WXII. A guidance counselor was waiting for her and told her that her mother "had an accident," before Meilean was escorted out and to the hospital, the graduate told the outlet. "I thought it was like a car accident, so I wasn't really scared," Meilean said through tears as family consoled her. Three days before Meilean's high school graduation, and Byrd's death, her youngest son, Marsuan, attended his eighth-grade graduation ceremony. Matthews wrote on the GoFundMe page that his mother "had the honor of seeing him" walk across the stage at the event. He launched the family's fundraising campaign in an effort to "make sure she gets her last wishes" of being buried by her father and other family in Pennsylvania. As the son wrote, his mother — who was known as "Ma Dukes" — "shared a lot of infectious love through many years, touching the souls of the lost and being a saint to many who needed it." "We never thought that on this day, a day filled of joy, would be the worst day of our lives," Matthews continued. "As my sister was graduating high school, our mother is lying on the ground fighting for her life. As my sister is walking across the stage, I'm doing CPR on my mother. She died an hour later on my sister's graduation." Byrd, who was a "fighter," according to her son, had "a constant battle with heart issues" and previously suffered "two heart attacks." "She was so resilient and such a warrior, fighting for all her kids no matter how much pain and suffering she was in," Matthews wrote. "No matter what our mother went through, she always stayed positive and figured out a way. No matter how bad my mom was hurting, she still made people smile and feel at home in their hearts with every person who crossed paths with her." "Many lives were positively impacted by the love and resilience of our mother, and we're extending an invitation to you to help give my mom the celebration she always wanted and deserves. Mommy we love you, I'm lost without you, and I pray you give me the guidance you did once on this earth to make you proud. Rest In Paradise my beautiful lady," he concluded the note that was signed by family. Funeral services for Byrd will be held on June 14, per the GoFundMe. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dad Delivers Baby Son with Help of 911 Operator, Mom Says ‘He Was Our Calm in the Storm'
When Tiffany Seaford went into active labor at home, her husband, Chris, immediately called 911 The dispatcher, Ryan Hepler, helped ensure their baby, Levi, was delivered safely It was an experience Hepler said he'll "never forget"When Tiffany Seaford left the hospital, she was only one centimeter dilated and was told to rest at her Mocksville, N.C., home. But less than three hours later, her husband, Chris, helped deliver their son, Levi, with the assistance of a 911 dispatcher. On Nov. 1, 2024, the expectant mom told her husband that she could feel the baby's head, she told NBC affiliate WXII in an interview published on Wednesday, May 14. Chris immediately decided to call 911 for help. 'My wife's pregnant and I don't think we can make it to the hospital,' Chris told dispatcher Ryan Hepler, according to the 911 call shared by the outlet. 'Ryan's voice was steady, clear, and gave me the confidence I didn't know I had,' Chris told The Davie County Enterprise-Record. 'He talked me through everything — what to watch for, how to support Tiffany, how to care for the baby the moment he arrived. He was incredible.' The family and Davie County 911 Center did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. With Hepler's guidance, the nervous dad was able to help his wife give birth to to their baby boy. By the time the fire department arrived, Levi was already born. His cries could be heard in the 911 call, according to WXII. 'That was a sigh of relief,' Hepler said of hearing Levi's cry. 'Hearing a newborn baby cry is pretty amazing.' The dispatcher, who has been working at the Davie County 911 Center for 10 years, told WXII that it's the fourth such call they've received. In April, Hepler got to meet Levi and his parents during Telecommunicators Week at the center, where his heroic actions were recognized, according the Enterprise-Record. Hepler said it was an experience he'll 'never forget,' while Tiffany added, 'He was our calm in the storm. We'll never forget what Ryan did for us that night." Read the original article on People
