Police have discovered skeletal remains in a Florida orange grove that could belong to a Savannah mother and her 3-year-old daughter who have been missing for over a year, and according to an arrest affidavit, they were acting on a tip from the wife of the man who they believe was responsible for their deaths.

Masaraha Ross & Ronkeya Holmes

29-year-old Ronkeya Holmes and 3-year-old Masaraha Ross were reported missing by family members on October 20, 2009 after Holmes traveled to Winter Haven, Florida to pick up Ross from the girl’s father, Lester Ross, who had been caring for her while Holmes finished technical school. When initially questioned, Lester Ross claimed that he met Holmes in a Wal-Mart parking lot on October 18, 2009 to hand over the child and he had not seen or heard from them since.

Ross, 32, has not been charged with causing their deaths, but he was arrested last week and charged with tampering with or harassing a witness in the investigation. Court documents now indicate that the witness he is accused of harassing is his own wife.

In a December 20, 2010 interview with police detailed in the arrest affidavit, Sharon Ross claimed that she came home to find Masaraha dead one day in late May 2009, that Lester Ross told her the death was accidental and that she believed he then kept the girl’s body in a deep freezer in their home for months.

Lester Ross

Sharon Ross also told investigators that on October 20, 2009—the day friends and family say they last heard from Holmes—her husband had her drive him out to an orange grove with two items wrapped in sheets in the trunk of her rental car that he appeared to be “struggling and/or straining to carry,” according to the affidavit filed by Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent Scott D. Gibson. She said that when she parked the car, he took the items out of the trunk and carried them off into the orange grove, returning several minutes later without them.

The current charges against Lester Ross stem from what the document says happened after they drove back home that day. Sharon Ross allegedly told authorities that he wrapped the power cord from a cell phone around her neck and “told her that if she ever told anybody about what happened, that he would kill her.”

Following her directions, investigators located a shallow grave on December 22 containing the remains of an adult and a child. Test results on their identities and causes of death are still pending.

While he had been considered a person of interest in the disappearances, the affidavit states that investigators now believe that Lester Ross “murdered Ronkeya Holmes to hide the fact that Masaraha Ross was dead and to avoid any criminal charges which may have levied regarding the death of Masaraha Ross.”

Police are awaiting autopsy results before pursuing additional charges against Ross. He remains in jail without bond.

Child Porn Suspect Allegedly Planned to Play Santa Claus at School

A Florida middle school computer information technology employee was arrested for possession of child pornography on the same day he planned to play Santa Claus for the students, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

Charlie Garcia / Broward Co. Sheriff’s Office

30-year-old Miramar resident Charlie Garcia was arrested at his home on December 17 after detectives from Boynton Beach and Toronto notified the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that they had discovered images of child pornography associated with his computers and address. A sheriff’s office press release states that more than 50 images depicting children, including 17 infants, in sexual acts with adults were found in an initial forensic preview of Garcia’s computer.

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Child Abuse Charges Filed Against Sylar Newton's Custodial Mother, Grandmother

The custodial grandmother of Sylar Newton was arrested Saturday by Flagstaff Police to face a charge of reckless child abuse that the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said was directly related to the events leading to the 2-year-old’s disappearance and death in July. 57-year-old Nancy Collins was taken into custody at a Flagstaff-area motel just after 10AM Saturday, where officers also charged her with felony drug violations, according to sheriff’s office media coordinator Dwight D’Evelyn.

Sylar Newton

On Thursday, the sheriff’s office announced new child abuse charges against Collins and Newton’s custodial mother Christina Priem, who was already in custody for allegedly exposing children under her care to illicit drugs. Priem, 36, was charged with child abuse when done intentionally or knowingly and her total bond increased by $50,000 to $300,000, but at the time authorities had asked for the public’s help locating Collins. Additional details on the child abuse charges and Collins’ arrest have not been released.

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Right in the middle of our show last night, a stunning report emerged adding another big twist in the disappearance of Las Vegas showgirl, 31-year-old Debbie Flores-Narvaez. A shocking police report just uncovered reveals Narvaez was the victim in an alleged domestic violence incident with her ex-boyfriend, Jason “Blu” Griffith, the man police confirms was the last person to possibly see Narvaez before she vanishes without a trace.

Debbie Flores Narvaez

Narvaez was last seen on the evening of Dec. 12 set to head to rehearsals at the Luxor hotel and casino where she was performing in the burlesque show “Fantasy”. Shortly after her disappearance her car was found abandoned in a vacant lot, her purse reportedly still inside and the license plate removed. According to the arrest report, in October, Jason Griffith is accused of attacking Narvaez during an argument, elbowing her in the chin, pushing her down, kicking her, pulling her hair and stealing her iPhone. And in another shocking twist, the alleged attack was all while Narvaez was pregnant with Griffith’s child, information confirmed by Narvaez’ sister, Celeste Flores-Narvaez, during a primetime exclusive on our show last night.

When cops were called in to investigate the alleged attack, Narvaez was found with bruises on her legs and a clump of her hair was pulled out. While investigators working on the case of Narvaez’ disappearance say Jason Griffith is not a suspect and has been cooperating, police did hold a news conference in the last hours, but refused to say whether the missing Las Vegas showgirl was a victim of foul play. Griffith was not in court for a scheduled hearing this morning on the domestic violence charges. Instead, his lawyer appeared on his behalf. While no plea was entered, a preliminary hearing has been set for April 2011.

A Master's Degree, a former law student and a Washington Redskins cheerleader…even with the long string of successes, it was still 31-year-old Debbie Flores-Narvaez’ dream to be a Las Vegas showgirl. But that dream would be cut short when Narvaez suddenly goes missing without a trace.

Debbie Flores Narvaez

After moving to Las Vegas two years ago to become a professional dancer on the Strip, Narvaez landed her dream job as a member of the Luxor Hotel and Casino’s “Fantasy” show. On December 12, Narvaez was set to head to rehearsals at the luxury hotel around 7 p.m. but she never makes it, something completely out of character for the dancer. But even more out of character was Narvaez missing an actual show, which she did, according to her boss, the following night. Her concerned roommate reported Narvaez missing.

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Brittany Smith

The search for a missing 12-year-old Virginia girl Brittany Smith intensified Wednesday and authorities told local and national media they are following up on hundreds of calls, emails and tips that have been coming in.

Roanoke county Police Chief Ray Lavinder said about 50 federal, state and local law enforcement officers are investigating the disappearance of Brittany, who is endangered and believed to be with a 32-year-old man her mother met on the Internet.

Police have extended the Amber Alert for Brittany, whose mother, Tina Smith, was found dead in a suspected homicide on Monday morning. Authorities then began searching frantically for the seventh-grader.

Tina Smith’s time of death is very difficult to establish, Lavinder said, but it’s believed to be sometime around this past Friday. Authorities say they have Walmart surveillance video from Friday night of Brittany and Jeffrey Easley, who met Smith online and moved into her home in October.

Lavinder says bad weather and their need for food means someone may be illegally hiding Easley and Brittany if they are still in the region. Lavinder says there’s no information to suggest Easley had a hand in Smith’s death but said the investigation is ongoing.

Brittany’s Facebook account has not been used in the past few days, according to Lavinder, who said she and Easley ‘’dropped off the face of the earth.’’ Lavinder conceded this means police have no idea where they are.

Authorities said Easley bought a Blue Ozark Trail tent at Walmart along with other camping gear in the sporting goods section.

They said Easley has two tattoos, a red star and another black one and that he may be taking refuge in several states, including Alabama, Florida, North Carolina.

UPDATE:
Exclusive: A Witness who saw missing 12-year-old girl Brittany Smith and the man suspected of kidnapping her recognized the two based on images she saw on Nancy Grace.
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Missing teen had accused ex of stalking

(CNN) – A surveillance video shows 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky walking out of her high school on May 4, 2007, before classes let out.

She was having a bad day. She'd forgotten one of her textbooks, and that morning she called home and asked her mother to drop it off at the school office. She also asked her mother to wash her uniform so she could work the 4 p.m. shift at Popeye's Chicken.

Kara Kopetsky

A bad day got worse when Kara had an argument with one of her teachers in class, according to police and her family. Frustrated, she left campus about 10:30 a.m., ditching school for the rest of the day.

When Kara didn't come home from school as usual, her family - mother Rhonda, stepfather Jim and stepbrother Thomas - grew worried. They filed a missing persons report later that afternoon. Police told them they believed Kara was a runaway, and that she'd come back on her own in a few days.

More than three years later, no one can say what happened to the high school junior from Belton, Missouri.

The case remains cold, but her parents are now going public with new details about what was going on in Kara's life before she disappeared.

They say she was being stalked by a former boyfriend and had obtained a restraining order against him two weeks earlier. Police confirm that there was a pending domestic violence case and protective order naming the boyfriend, when Kara vanished. The charged were later dropped.

Investigators say the ex-boyfriend is a person of interest in the case, because he may have information as to her whereabouts and the relationship between the two was tumultuous before she vanished.

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