Leigh Egan

Leigh Egan is a crime-fighting journalist and editor who specializes in breaking news and investigative true crime coverage. With more than a decade of experience under her belt, Leigh’s work can be found in a number of high-profile national publications. For Leigh, learning didn’t stop after college. She considers herself a lifelong learner who frequently takes media and journalism courses to keep abreast of the latest happenings and innovations in her field. Tips: legan@crimeonline.com

‘I’m dying over here… This recovery is brutal’: Popular Fox News meteorologist apparently hanged herself in shocking suicide [Officials]

 ‘I’m dying over here… This recovery is brutal’: Popular Fox News meteorologist apparently hanged herself in shocking suicide [Officials]
Suicide

Officials announced Thursday that a popular, beloved FOX News meteorologist who took her own life this week apparently hanged herself. New York Post reports that 35-year-old Jessica Stare, of Novi, Michigan, died via suicide, according to the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Wixom Police Department declined to provide additional details surrounding her death at this …

URGENT: Missing little boy considered ‘in danger,’ likely with mom and man ordered to stay away from him [Police]
Missing
December 13, 2018

URGENT: Missing little boy considered ‘in danger,’ likely with mom and man ordered to stay away from him [Police]

A father searching for his 6-year-old is hoping he’ll have him home by Christmas. He hasn’t seen his son since August. KY3 reports that Braedence Jones disappeared on August 3 from Bourbon, Missouri, and is said to possibly be with his mother, 30-year-old Aubrey Ferguson. According to the boy’s father, Ryan Jones, the little boy’s grandmother, …

Internal Affairs to investigate why police didn’t arrest accused Hania Aguilar killer for 2016 rape he’s been linked to [Prosecutor]
Violent Crime
December 13, 2018

Internal Affairs to investigate why police didn’t arrest accused Hania Aguilar killer for 2016 rape he’s been linked to [Prosecutor]

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins of Lumberton, North Carolina, has started an internal affairs investigation following the death of teen Hania Aguilar, to determine if the correct protocol was taken for a reported 2016 rape, which has now been linked to the man accused of raping and killing Hania. The Robesonian reports that Wilkins announced during a …

Family says little boy was savagely attacked, mauled by older child at daycare
Juveniles
December 12, 2018

Family says little boy was savagely attacked, mauled by older child at daycare

Parents of a toddler boy in Mississippi are hoping for justice after he was reportedly attacked by an older child at a daycare last week, when the daycare worker stepped out of the room. ABC reports 18-month-old Dakota Hudson can’t yet talk to tell what happened to him, but to his parents, photos tell a thousand …

Hania Aguilar Update: Police overlooked evidence in 2016 rape that would have put suspected killer behind bars before he raped, killed teen girl [Prosecutor]
Murder
December 12, 2018

Hania Aguilar Update: Police overlooked evidence in 2016 rape that would have put suspected killer behind bars before he raped, killed teen girl [Prosecutor]

North Carolina authorities apparently didn’t follow up with evidence left behind after a woman was raped in 2016, which could have put the man accused of killing teen girl Hania Aguilar behind bars, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. The News & Observer reports that Robeson County District Attorney Johnson Britt said authorities let evidence “slip through …

Developing: Newborn baby found in trash bag on residential front porch
Unsolved
December 11, 2018

Developing: Newborn baby found in trash bag on residential front porch

Authorities are investigating the death of an infant in Kentucky after someone spotted the baby early Tuesday morning, left in a trash bag outside of a home. CBS reports that the Kentucky State Police responded to a caller who noticed the baby outside of a home in Clay County, off of Ham Hollow Road. Troopers arrived …

Hania Aguilar Update: Suspect accused of killing teen girl also charged with unsolved 2016 rape after DNA evidence links him to both cases [Prosecutor]
December 11, 2018

Hania Aguilar Update: Suspect accused of killing teen girl also charged with unsolved 2016 rape after DNA evidence links him to both cases [Prosecutor]

A North Carolina man accused of abducting and killing 13-year-old Hania Aguilar is also facing charges for a 2016 rape case that was previously unsolved, a prosecutor announced Monday. ABC11 reports that Michael McLellan, 34, appeared in court Monday to face charges in connection with the abduction and death of Hania, as well as unrelated charges …

Brief that aims to get Scott Peterson off death row blames attorney Mark Geragos for botching murder trial & making false promises
Court
December 10, 2018

Brief that aims to get Scott Peterson off death row blames attorney Mark Geragos for botching murder trial & making false promises

In a new habeas corpus brief released this week in connection with Scott Peterson’s 2004 murder conviction, attorney Mark Geragos is accused of botching the trial, which ultimately led to infamous killer’s death sentence in connection with his deceased wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner. According to court documents obtained by the Modesto Bee, defense …