PHOENIX — From a woman falling 80 feet to her death in northwest Arizona to a Mesa mother allegedly shooting her son, here are some of the Valley’s top news stories from May 16-18.
Unidentified female apparently fell 80 feet to her death in northwestern Arizona
Authorities are asking the public for help identifying the body of a female who apparently fell to her death off a cliff in far northwest Arizona.
Human remains were discovered on May 9 at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff in the Beaver Dam area, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.
The decomposed body was located approximately 4 miles south of the TA Express Travel Center in Beaver Dam and 1 mile west of Interstate 15, about 10 miles from both the Utah and Nevada state lines.
It appears the body had been at the site for several weeks before being discovered.
Man accused of attempting to smuggle over 6,000 rounds of ammunition across border
A man was charged with a criminal complaint on Wednesday after he reportedly attempted to illegally transport ammunition into Mexico, authorities said.
On Tuesday, Jose Herrera Daniel, 56, allegedly tried to smuggle 6,339 rounds of 7.62 mm through the port of entry located in Douglas, Arizona, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Authorities said when Daniel, who is from Agua Prieta in Sonora, Mexico, tried to cross at the port, a United States Customs and Border Protection K-9 officer — who was trained to detect weapons, ammunition and currency — searched and alerted to his vehicle.
Officers proceeded to scan Daniel’s vehicle which showed anomalies in the driver and passenger side rocker panels. A physical search of the vehicle was done and police discovered plastic bags filled with thousands of rounds of ammunition.
This isn’t the first time someone has tried to do this. In April, a woman was indicted for attempting to smuggle around 8,000 rounds of ammunition across the Arizona-Mexico border.
Kitten recovering at Arizona Humane Society after reportedly being thrown from vehicle
A 5-week-old kitten is recovering with the Arizona Humane Society and looking for a foster family after it was reportedly thrown from a vehicle.
The kitten, named Sponge, was rescued by another person after the reported incident. This quickly led to a medical evaluation at the recently expanded trauma hospital at AHS’ Sunnyslope campus.
Evaluators were surprised to find no physical wounds on Sponge after the incident, but she is dealing with an upper respiratory infection and is understandably shaken up.
The AHS says she is now cleared to be fostered in an environment with additional medical care.
Video of her recovery process is available.
Greer Fire continues to grow in eastern Arizona as windy conditions persist
Hundreds of firefighters are battling the Greer Fire in eastern Arizona and another Red Flag Warning came with high winds continuing into Sunday.
Sunday afternoon’s incident report showed the fire’s footprint at 18,617 acres, an increase of more than 2,600 acres from Saturday, with no containment.
Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency due to the fire on Saturday, permitting additional state resources in the fight.
The Greer Fire started Tuesday and spread east and northeast through inaccessible terrain toward Eagar and Springerville, fueled by dry grass, shrubs and timber.
All evacuation orders and road closures in the area remained in effect as of Sunday morning.
Mesa mother allegedly shoots son after argument
A Mesa mom was arrested Saturday evening after allegedly shooting her adult son, according to authorities.
Hazel Benson, 72, was charged with multiple felonies in the shooting of her 38-year-old son, according to the Mesa Police Department. Police did not release the son’s name.
At 8:50 p.m., officers received a call about a domestic violence dispute near 205 S Higley Road.
When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to Mesa police.
Benson was reportedly upset because her son was playing video games too loudly, according to a Mesa police report.
The post Weekend wrap: Here are the biggest Arizona news stories from May 16-18 appeared first on KTAR.
