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Police: Remains Found Belong To Missing Boy

Johnathan Ramsey
Family Photo
Johnathan Ramsey

Police say skeletal remains found in a rural creek near Dallas are those of a 10-year-old boy allegedly starved to death by his father and stepmother.

Dallas police say they confirmed with the Dallas County Medical Examiner that DNA tests have linked the remains to Johnathan Ramsey. The boy's remains were found April 21 in rural Ellis County south of Dallas.

The medical examiner declined to comment on the case.

Police have jailed the boy's father and stepmother, Aaron and Elizabeth Ramsey, on charges of felony injury to a child. It was not immediately clear Monday afternoon if those charges would now be upgraded.

According to police records, Aaron Ramsey allegedly told investigators he starved the boy and confined him to the bedroom of his Dallas home as punishment.

AP

Hostess Will Lay Texans Off Independence Day

Irving-based Hostess, which makes Twinkies and Wonder Bread, says 250 Texas layoffs are slated for July 4th.

Hostess says 94 Dallas County jobs will be lost, and 33 in Tarrant County will go.

That’s just a portion of bigger, national Hostess job cuts announced by the company as it continues to negotiate union contracts. Hostess has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, and employs 18,500 people nationwide.

Bill Zeeble, KERA News

Crews To Count Drought-Related Dead Trees In Texas

Texas has started a more specific drought count to determine how many trees died from last year's devastating dry spell.

The Texas Forest Service on Monday announced forestry crews will spend the next two months on the ground surveying 700 plots of land. The areas were targeted by analysts who studied satellite images of tree covers.

Crews will count the number of dead trees in a 75-foot radius per plot. Experts will also seek information on insects and diseases that can endanger drought-stressed trees.

Coordinator Chris Brown says knowing the mortality rate of trees will help communities plan for reforestation.

The Texas Forest Service last December announced a preliminary estimate of up to 500 million trees killed by the drought. A longer-term study will also be done.

AP

Court won't consider giving man new trial

The Supreme Court won't consider giving a man convicted in the death of a Texas toddler a new trial because the medical examiner changed her opinion on the cause of death.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Neil Hampton Robbins, convicted in the death of 17-month-old Tristen Skye Rivet, who died on May 12, 1998.

At the trial, Dr. Patricia Moore testified that Tristen's death was a homicide caused by asphyxia. But Moore later changed her opinion and said the cause of death was undetermined. Robbins asked for a new trial but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused.

The high court, without comment, decided not to hear Robbins' appeal.

Robbins is serving a life sentence and is eligible for parole in 2038.

AP

Tree trimmer electrocuted in Fort Worth

Police say a tree trimmer has died at a North Texas job site after his equipment came in contact with power lines.

Emergency personnel in Fort Worth say the 23-year-old man apparently was the victim of an accidental electrocution Monday.

A co-worker who witnessed the incident called 911. Power had to be cut to the neighborhood before authorities could remove the victim's body from the tree.

The name of the man who died was not immediately released.

AP

Dallas woman gets 30 years for cellphone porn

A Dallas woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using her cellphone to share sexual images of a 6-year-old girl.

A federal judge in Dallas on Monday sentenced 38-year-old Holli Chapman.

Chapman in February pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.

Investigators say Chapman used her cellphone to create images of the girl engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Prosecutors say Chapman then texted the images to another person.

Further details on the girl and the recipient of the images were not immediately released.

AP

Perry makes radio ad defending Dewhurst for Senate

Gov. Rick Perry has made a radio ad defending Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in his run for the U.S. Senate.

Perry rejects conservative critics who have called Dewhurst a moderate who supported raising taxes. National tea party organizations say Dewhurst is not conservative enough.

In the radio ad that began airing on Monday, Perry calls the groups opposing Dewhurst "Washington insiders" using "doubletalk" to mislead Texas voters. Perry has courted tea party groups in the past.

The anti-tax group Club for Growth has said it will spend $1 million on ads targeting Dewhurst. The National Tea Party Express has also endorsed former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

The other major candidates include former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and former broadcaster Craig James.

Early voting began Monday.

AP

1 slain, 2 wounded in parking lot of Dallas lake

Dallas police say a man has been slain and two women wounded by a gunman who fled after the shootings near a lake.

Police on Monday searched for the suspect and tried to determine what sparked the attack.

Investigators say the shootings happened Sunday night in a parking lot along Bachman Lake.

Authorities say some men and women were talking when another man drove up, apparently began upset and opened fire before fleeing.

Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed. Authorities say the women suffered gunshot wounds that are not believed to be life-threatening.

AP

3 run over, seriously hurt during fight in Tyler

Police say three people have been run over by a driver who then fled a fight in an East Texas parking lot.

Tyler police say two men and a woman were seriously hurt early Monday in the dispute involving nearly a dozen people. Investigators are looking for a woman who was driving an SUV that sped away.

Sgt. Jason Burton says the fight mainly involved women. Investigators are trying to determine what prompted the violent argument that began in a building owned by a motorcycle club, then moved outside.

Police say all three victims were taken to hospitals. Their names and further details on their injuries weren't immediately released.

Tyler is about 95 miles east of Dallas.

AP