PULLMAN — As Allegan County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate a shooting that left a family of four dead a week ago other family members and the community are grappling with its aftermath. Roger Kyle Hagger, 34, his long-time partner Cindy Clouse, 35, and their two children, 14-year-old Autumn and 10-year-old Mackenzie, were killed in their home in what sheriff’s officials have … [Read more...]
Help ProPublica and NBC News Investigate Termination of Parental Rights in the Child Welfare System
Journalists at ProPublica and NBC News would like to connect with people whose parental rights have been terminated in the past decade. We have received an outpouring of responses, and at this time, we are only looking for people with cases in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. We want to understand how … [Read more...]
4 Family Members Die in Murder-Suicide Days After Judge Denied Woman’s Order of Protection Petition
Four people were found dead early Sunday morning in Roscommon County, Mich., in what police say was a murder-suicide. According to a release from the Roscommon County Sheriff's Department, the deceased have been identified as Tirany Lee Savage, 35, her son Dayton Cowdrey, 13, her mother Kim Lynnette Ebright, 58, and Bo Eugene Savage, 35 — who according to court documents was Tirany's husband. … [Read more...]
Norton Shores Mom Accused of Torturing, Killing Son Faced ‘Similar Allegations’ in Custody Case
Shanda Vander Ark, then Shanda Ferguson, voluntarily surrendered custody in 2012, court documents show. Data obtained by 13 ON YOUR SIDE showed Shanda Vander Ark, also known as Shanda Ferguson, had 18 different addresses between Oklahoma and Virginia before settling into this quiet stretch of Norton Shores. It’s where 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson, the alleged victim, came to live with his … [Read more...]
Task Force: Systems Need Better Understanding of Domestic Violence ‘Lethality Factors’
After reviewing what led up to the murder-suicide of a 3-year-old boy by his father last year, a Kent County task force on Tuesday released several recommendations for how systems can more effectively identify domestic violence and work to prevent killings. The Kent County Domestic Violence Community Coordinated Response Team stressed that the only person to blame for the death of 3-year-old … [Read more...]