Former NFL defensive lineman and Notre Dame standout Louis Nix has reportedly been missing since Tuesday.
Nix, a third-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2014, reportedly went missing in Florida, according to Ben Becker of ActionNewsJax.com, who said Nix’s mother hasn’t heard from her son in a few days.
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“Last communication of anyone seeing him was Tuesday,” Nix’s mother told the outlet. “Can’t call him because voice mail is full and people he talks to daily have not heard from him. Not like him.”
Nix’s mother believes that her son is in danger. On Saturday, Becker tweeted out that she has no new information on his whereabouts.
A three-year starter for the Fighting Irish, Nix was shot in December while putting air in the tires of his car. Nix said at the time that the bullet hit his sternum and entered his lung, which was then removed during surgery.
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After his short stint with the Texans, Nix was eventually claimed by the New York Giants and then joined the practice squads of the then-Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2016. Nix had a handful of knee surgeries, which ultimately put an end to his NFL career.
If anyone has information about Nix’s whereabouts, his mother begs for people to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500.
The piano in the Didier family home in Rocklin has gone silent. The teenager who used to wake his parents and siblings with the sounds of beautiful music is gone – the victim of a growing and terrifying trend of fentanyl poisoning. Zachary Didier, 17, was a straight “A” student with what seemed like a limitless future. He was a standout athlete in soccer and track, and a talented self-taught musician. “Zach was just a beautiful soul. He loved life. He loved people, he loved his family,” said Zach’s mom, Laura Didier.The Whitney High School senior was set to graduate in June with honors and had his sights on Stanford or UCLA. “He lived the most incredible life. But we have to talk about how he died because it’s information we all have to know,” Didier said. On Dec. 27, during winter break, Zach’s dad found him slumped over his desk with his head resting in his arm. He wasn’t breathing and CPR had no effect. “I was utterly confused and obviously in a fog and traumatized,” Chris Didier recalled. “How does this happen? What happened? He just fell asleep.”What was first an inexplicable tragedy has since become a cautionary tale. Zach was a victim of fentanyl poisoning. Laura and Chris Didier didn’t know, but on a couple of occasions their son had experimented with prescription drugs — the same medications millions of people use for pain management every day. Zach thought he was buying Percocet, but what he got instead was a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl, a powerful prescription painkiller that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Just a few grains can be lethal.“Unfortunately, we’ve now come to know other parents who have suffered this tragic type of loss with fentanyl poisoning and it’s heartbreaking how many of us there are,” Laura Didier said. The Didier family is haunted not only by the fake pills but by the way Zach got them. He didn’t slip down a dark and seedy alley. He just opened Snapchat. The same phone app millions of people use. “This is an important message to get out that this is a big game-changer. And what may have been OK, or relatively safe in the 70s and 80s, or even the 90s … This is a very different environment right now,” Chris Didier said.It was not easy for Chris and Laura Didier to share their son’s story publicly. There is a stigma that surrounds drugs. Although Zach had no history of addiction, they were worried the truth might tarnish people’s memory of him. They are now committed to awareness and ensuring no other child is lost the same way.“We need to talk about this. We need to talk about what’s happening. We can’t protect Zach now, but hopefully, we can protect your kid,” said Laura.| Video | Parents warn about fake pills made with fentanyl
ROCKLIN, Calif. —
The piano in the Didier family home in Rocklin has gone silent.
The teenager who used to wake his parents and siblings with the sounds of beautiful music is gone – the victim of a growing and terrifying trend of fentanyl poisoning.
Zachary Didier, 17, was a straight “A” student with what seemed like a limitless future. He was a standout athlete in soccer and track, and a talented self-taught musician.
“Zach was just a beautiful soul. He loved life. He loved people, he loved his family,” said Zach’s mom, Laura Didier.
The Whitney High School senior was set to graduate in June with honors and had his sights on Stanford or UCLA.
“He lived the most incredible life. But we have to talk about how he died because it’s information we all have to know,” Didier said.
On Dec. 27, during winter break, Zach’s dad found him slumped over his desk with his head resting in his arm. He wasn’t breathing and CPR had no effect.
“I was utterly confused and obviously in a fog and traumatized,” Chris Didier recalled. “How does this happen? What happened? He just fell asleep.”
What was first an inexplicable tragedy has since become a cautionary tale. Zach was a victim of fentanyl poisoning.
Laura and Chris Didier didn’t know, but on a couple of occasions their son had experimented with prescription drugs — the same medications millions of people use for pain management every day.
Zach thought he was buying Percocet, but what he got instead was a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl, a powerful prescription painkiller that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Just a few grains can be lethal.
“Unfortunately, we’ve now come to know other parents who have suffered this tragic type of loss with fentanyl poisoning and it’s heartbreaking how many of us there are,” Laura Didier said.
The Didier family is haunted not only by the fake pills but by the way Zach got them. He didn’t slip down a dark and seedy alley. He just opened Snapchat. The same phone app millions of people use.
“This is an important message to get out that this is a big game-changer. And what may have been OK, or relatively safe in the 70s and 80s, or even the 90s … This is a very different environment right now,” Chris Didier said.
It was not easy for Chris and Laura Didier to share their son’s story publicly. There is a stigma that surrounds drugs. Although Zach had no history of addiction, they were worried the truth might tarnish people’s memory of him.
They are now committed to awareness and ensuring no other child is lost the same way.
“We need to talk about this. We need to talk about what’s happening. We can’t protect Zach now, but hopefully, we can protect your kid,” said Laura.
| Video | Parents warn about fake pills made with fentanyl
Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s free to run his mouth because he has bodyguards, but his baby mama says she doesn’t … and fears his escalating beefs are putting their little girl in harm’s way.
Sara Molina tells TMZ … she thinks the rapper’s been unhinged lately, going off on Instagram Live tirades and trading barbs with Chicago rappers like Lil Reese and 600 Breezy.
Sara says unlike 6ix9ine — who can afford hired muscle to keep him safe while he stokes feuds with other rappers — she and their 5-year-old, Saraiyah, are much more exposed … and she’s concerned they might become a target for his enemies.
6ix9ine’s baby mama also claims he hasn’t made any attempt to rekindle his relationship with Saraiyah — so he’s oblivious to the potential danger to her.
2/14/2021
Sara tells us she doesn’t want anything from Tekashi other than to think about their daughter’s safety and stop provoking possible violence, stay inside, and stay away from them.
6ix9ine’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, is pointing the finger right back at Sara though, telling us … “What she says is all BS.” He adds that everything the rapper does is for a reason and he’s as “sharp as can be.”
Data on the South Africa variant of the coronavirus is “sobering,” and current vaccines are less effective against it than the original strain or U.K. variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
Fauci, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said less is known about the South African variant than the U.K. version, which has proved to be more transmissible than the original version of the virus.
“But we do know that it (the South Africa variant) evades the protection from some of the monoclonal antibodies, and it diminishes somewhat the capability and the effectiveness of the vaccine to block it,” Fauci said. “It doesn’t eliminate it, but it diminishes it by multiple fold.
Fauci said there was “still some cushion left” so that current vaccines do provide some protection against it. He added that, in South Africa, there were people who got infected with the original virus, recovered and then got reinfected with the South Africa variant. That indicates prior infection does not protect someone from reinfection with the South Africa variant, he said.
“Somewhat good news is it looks like the vaccine is better than natural infection in preventing you from getting reinfected,” Fauci said.
USA TODAY is tracking COVID-19 news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Want more? Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
In the headlines:
►A Los Angeles County woman died shortly after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, local health officials said. Dr. Michael E. Morris, director of Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s vaccination program, said in a statement that the woman, 78, “passed away unexpectedly” Friday after being vaccinated. He also said that, according to her family, the woman had a history of heart illness. The county Public Health Department said her death appeared to be unrelated to the vaccine.
►New Zealand’s largest city went into lockdown for at least three days Sunday and police set up checkpoints at eight locations at Auckland’s border. The crackdown comes after three family members tested positive. The entire nation of about 5 million people has fewer than 50 known cases currently.
►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not currently recommend required COVID-19 testing before domestic air travel, the CDC said in a statement to CNN on Saturday. Federal officials had said this week they were considering domestic testing requirements.
►China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team’s investigators, Dominic Dwyer, told Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. The head of the WHO said Friday that all hypotheses into the origins of the coronavirus were still being investigated and analyzed after a team of investigators said earlier this week that the theory that the virus leaked from a virology lab in Wuhan would no longer be pursued.
►Florida state health officials reported that more than 10,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 27.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 485,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 108.7 million cases and 2.39 million deaths. More than 70 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 52.8 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading: People of color have suffered the most from COVID-19. But now that a vaccine is here, they are far less likely to have received a first dose – for many of the same reasons. Read more.
Ellen Yun loads Valentine’s Day gifts for her mom, sister and brother in-laws, nephew and her two children Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, outside a Chicago area grocery store. Yun said she had shopped for her husband earlier.
COVID-19 cases continue to decline, but variants are on the rise
New COVID-19 cases in the United States have been slowly dropping since a peak several weeks ago, with the average per day falling below 100,000 Friday for the first time since Nov. 4 and staying under that figure Saturday as well. That’s still more than one new case every second, but it’s less than half the rate the country was reporting in January.
However, the number of known coronavirus variant infections has surged in recent weeks. The 1,193 cases of variants reported Sunday represent nearly 200 cases more than on Thursday night, nearly doubling the total on Feb. 4.
The B.1.1.7 variant first seen in the United Kingdom, considered at least 50% more contagious than the original strain, accounts for the vast majority of the known cases with 1,173. It is spreading quickly and could become the predominant strain in the U.S. by the end of March.
Florida has nearly 1/3 of the nation’s known total cases with 379.
– Mike Stucka
New Orleans gets tough with Mardi Gras celebrations
New Orleans is tamping down its annual Mardi Gras celebrations this week and health officials in other cities are warning would-be revelers to do the same amid a spike in coronavirus variant cases across the nation. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered bars closed during the Mardi Gras weekend that started Friday and runs through Tuesday. Parades are canceled and there are limits on gatherings.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the annual pre-Lenten bash celebrated along much of the Gulf Coast. Last year’s revelry is believed to have contributed to an early surge that made Louisiana a coronavirus hot spot.
FDA policy to allow antibody tests without authorization ‘flawed,’ officials say
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy of allowing companies to market their COVID-19 antibody tests without authorization was “flawed” and allowed ineffective products to flood the market, two FDA officials wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday.
In March, the agency began allowing companies to market their antibody tests without FDA emergency use authorization as long as the companies notified the agency and could show that the test worked.
“As a result, the market was flooded with serology tests, some of which performed poorly and many of which were marketed in a manner that conflicted with FDA policy,” according to the FDA’s Jeffrey Shuren and Timothy Stenzel.
Inexperienced or dubious companies capitalized on the lack of FDA oversight, including one that sells vape pens and one headed by a self-proclaimed technology evangelist, a USA TODAY investigation last year found.
– Grace Hauck
Massachusetts program to vaccinate people who accompany seniors quickly ‘abused’
Some people in Massachusetts are offering rides and even money for a chance to take advantage of a state rule that allows those who accompany people age 75 and older to a coronavirus vaccination appointment to get a shot at the same time.
The rash of online ads from people looking to cut the vaccination line drew a stern rebuke from Gov. Charlie Baker, who warned against offers of help from complete strangers. “If you’re contacted by somebody soliciting to take you to a site, please report it to the authorities,” Baker said. Seniors should accept help only from someone they trust, he said.
“While it may have been well-meaning, it took less than 24 hours for this new state policy to be abused,” Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell in a statement.
Democratic state Rep. Steve Owens said a group of lawmakers have urged Baker to pause the program, noting that he saw an ad from someone offering $250 to drive an eligible resident to a vaccination site.
University of Oxford testing vaccine in children
The University of Oxford plans to test its COVID-19 vaccine – which is being produced and distributed by AstraZeneca – in children for the first time, becoming the latest vaccine developer to assess whether its coronavirus shot is effective in young people.
The trial announced Saturday seeks to recruit 300 volunteers ages 6 to 17, with up to 240 receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and the remainder a control meningitis vaccine.
Andrew Pollard, chief researcher on the Oxford vaccine trial, says that while most children don’t get severely ill from COVID-19, “it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID news: Anthony Fauci; South Africa variant; Mardi Gras; China
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a news conference at 3 p.m. on Saturday to release information about the abduction of Allie Broadaway.
10 News will be streaming that news conference live on WSLS 10, our website, our Facebook page and our app.
ORIGINAL STORY
Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert after a child abduction authorities say happened Friday afternoon.
12-year-old Allie Michele Broadaway is believed to be in extreme danger and was reported missing by her family at about 1:45 p.m. at 2373 Reed Creek Drive in Bassett.
Allie is about 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs around 107 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray James Madison University sweatshirt and dark-colored fleece pants.
Authorities believe she was abducted by a 21-year-old man from Texas, Kaleb Christopher Merritt.
Merritt is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 250 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.
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Police believe he’s possibly driving a 2000 light green Mercury Grand Marquis with Texas plate DMP-2294.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Southwestern Virginia Internet Crimes against Children Task Force on Thursday about a complaint regarding social media messages exchanged between Broadaway and Merritt.
Investigators discovered that Merritt has been frequenting a 24-hour fitness facility located on Greensboro Road where they were able to locate him and seize his electronic device for forensic analysis.
Through further investigation, authorities found that Merritt and Allie met in December 2020 on Instagram where they communicated until Merrit traveled to Virginia in early February 2021 to meet her.
Authorities discovered that Merritt set up a camp in a wooded area behind her home and met with her on several occasions before he used a messaging app to tell her to leave her home.
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Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry said with what they knew Thursday, they weren’t allowed to arrest Merritt.
“We checked. We pushed every avenue there was, but there just wasn’t probable cause at that time,” said Perry. “We’re just trying to safeguard against everything we can.”
Below is an interview 10 News reporter Shayne Dwyer did with Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry late Friday night about Allie’s abduction:
Authorities believe that after being coerced to leave her home, she was picked up by Merritt and hasn’t been seen since.
Perry said that while Allie may have willingly gone with Merritt, she is still a minor, so authorities are treating this as a child abduction case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751.
