​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. The execution of a former police officer convicted of murdering and raping a young girl nearly 40 years ago will remain on hold after the state Supreme Court on Monday denied the state’s request to lift the stay, according to court documents.. James Duckett, a former Mascotte police officer accused of preying on 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in 1987, was scheduled for execution on Tuesday.. The motion comes after DNA testing of biological material from the victim’s underwear, which the defense argued could prove Duckett’s innocence, came back inconclusive Friday, court documents stated.. Because the results failed to exonerate Duckett, Florida’s attorney general swiftly moved to lift the stay, urging the state Supreme Court to allow the execution to proceed as scheduled.. VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR’S RECORD ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS SCRUTINIZED AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN MOM’S MURDER. The high court, however, denied the request on Monday, with six of seven justices opting to keep the execution on hold while giving the lower court time to review “successive claims” tied to the DNA evidence and requiring status updates on any outstanding issues by Thursday, April 2.. The case against Duckett — who has spent nearly 40 years on Florida’s death row — has drawn intense scrutiny due to his former role as a police officer and his longstanding claims of innocence.. DEM SENATOR WARNS DEPORTATION COULD LET VIRGINIA WOMAN’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLER ‘ESCAPE ACCOUNTABILITY’. On May 11, 1987, then-29-year-old Mascotte police officer James Duckett was seen questioning a young girl at a convenience store near Orlando before ultimately placing her in his patrol car, arguing that it was past curfew.. The 11-year-old reportedly went to the convenience store that night, but never made it home, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Her body was reportedly found the next morning in Knight Lake, less than a mile from the store, and she had been sexually assaulted, strangled and drowned.. Duckett was identified as the last person to see her.. At the time, an FBI expert testified that a pubic hair found at the scene matched Duckett’s, although hair microscopy has since been discredited as an unreliable forensic method.. Fingerprints from both Duckett and Teresa were reportedly found on the hood of his patrol car, and tire tracks at the lake matched the Mascotte police department’s “mud and snow” tires.. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. In addition, Duckett’s radio logs showed a mysterious gap of more than one hour on the night of the murder.. Duckett represents one of the few former law enforcement officers on death row. The case currently hinges on whether 1980s-era forensic evidence, such as hair matching, is enough to uphold a death sentence when modern DNA testing fails to provide a definitive answer.  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. A Wisconsin mother on drugs allegedly stabbed her 14-year-old daughter to death and told police she ended the child’s life to protect her from billionaire tech executive Elon Musk.. Tyiece Oninski, of the Town of Turtle in Rock County, contacted authorities on March 20 and confessed to killing her daughter, Kuren Rein, the night before and that she then attempted suicide, according to a criminal complaint, WMTV reported.. During the call, which lasted about 13 minutes, Oninski said she killed the girl to “protect her from somebody else,” later saying she wanted to protect her daughter from Musk, according to the complaint.. PENNSYLVANIA MAN ACCUSED OF STABBING 3-MONTH-OLD BABY AFTER TALKING ‘SACRIFICE’. When she was asked if she needed an ambulance, Oninski said she needed a hearse instead.. “She’s dead, honey. She needs a hearse,” Oninski explained on the call.. Police responded to the home and found the teen girl dead from multiple stab wounds inside the home, and a knife and sheath were found nearby.. Oninski also had cuts to her neck and wrists from her suicide attempt.. REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL, HAS CRIMINAL HISTORY DATING BACK TO 2000: OFFICIALS. Investigators also reported discovering a partial bare footprint inside the home, later finding that Oninski’s left foot was stained with what appeared to be blood.. Oninski was transported to the hospital and tested positive for benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and THC in her blood.. At one point, as she was in the hospital, she asked a deputy if her name was in the news, and was disappointed when she was told it was not.. A GoFundMe page started to support family members after the loss of the 14-year-old girl has raised more than $17,000 as of Tuesday night.. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. “We are coming together to support a young man who has just lost his sister in a devastating and unthinkable way at the hands of their own mother,” the fundraiser reads. “No one should have to face something like this, especially at such a young age. As he navigates this overwhelming grief, we want to ease the burden of funeral expenses so he can focus on healing and remembering his sister.”. “She was loved deeply and will be missed beyond measure. Her life mattered, and she deserves to be honored with dignity and care,” it added.  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. A man has been arrested in the killing of Syed Hammad Hussain, a 40-year-old Northwest Washington resident found dead inside his condominium in the city’s ritzy Logan Circle neighborhood in February, in what police describe as a “particularly heinous” case involving a robbery, a violent assault and a fire set after his death.. Rico Rashaad Barnes, 36, of Northwest D.C., was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder while armed in Hussain’s killing, authorities said. Police have identified a second suspect, who is already in custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be charged in the case.. The killing occurred in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW, a well-trafficked area in the Logan Circle area known for its restaurants and high-end residential buildings.. “This was a particularly heinous case,” Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeff Carroll said during a Tuesday news conference. “Mr. Hussain was found suffering from blunt force trauma and thermal injuries inside of his apartment.”. CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS. Firefighters responding to reports of smoke around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 entered Hussain’s apartment, extinguished a small fire and found him unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma and strangulation. Investigators determined the fire had been set after Hussain’s death.. Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital detail the violent sequence of events.. According to a 27-page affidavit reviewed by Fox News Digital, surveillance footage shows Hussain entering his apartment building around 1:30 a.m., followed closely by two men.. “The video shows two suspects appearing to follow Mr. Hussain into the building,” Commander Kevin Kentish of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division said Tuesday. “Shortly thereafter, the suspects knocked on the door, and Mr. Hussain allowed them inside.”. Once inside, investigators say, the encounter escalated.. Video and witness statements, police said, revealed that Hussain was assaulted in the building’s lobby, struck and knocked to the ground before being forced toward his apartment. Detectives believe he was then dragged or carried inside, where the attack continued out of view of cameras.. When emergency crews later entered the apartment, they found Hussain lying face down with his wrists and ankles bound. Blood was visible on floors, walls and furniture, according to investigators.. The autopsy found multiple blunt force injuries, including skull fractures, as well as evidence of ligature strangulation. Burns to Hussain’s body were determined to have occurred after his death. Investigators allege the killing took place during a robbery.. The apartment had been searched, with drawers opened and items missing, including electronics, jewelry and cash. Authorities said that $50,000 worth of it  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. The family of a missing Oakland business owner is ramping up search efforts across the East Bay, calling on residents to review security footage as volunteers and law enforcement widen the hunt.. About 60 people from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office joined the search, which began around 8 a.m., with mutual aid teams from Contra Costa and Marin counties also assisting, as well as volunteers, according to KTVU.. Amy Hillyard, 52, disappeared March 25 around 2 p.m. after she was seen walking along Radnor Road in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood, according to authorities. Nearly a week later, her whereabouts remain unknown.. “The search to bring Amy home continues, and we remain hopeful,” family friend Sarah Wachs told Fox News Digital. “We’ve had hundreds of people come together to look for Amy.”. BELOVED COFFEE SHOP OWNER, MOTHER OF TWO DISAPPEARS NEAR HOME, URGENT SEARCH UNDERWAY. Oakland police said Monday Hillyard’s family had asked for another search, SFGate reported.. Authorities have classified Hillyard as an at-risk missing person due to a medical condition. Wachs told Fox News Digital she is dealing with a health condition that may leave her disoriented and in need of help but declined to share further details to protect her privacy.. According to Wachs, search efforts now include Oakland police, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and neighboring search-and-rescue teams. Volunteers have been combing hiking trails, canvassing neighborhoods and checking in with local businesses in hopes of finding any trace of Hillyard.. The family is now urging residents, particularly in Cleveland Heights, Lake Merritt, the Lakeshore District and Crocker Highlands, to check home surveillance systems for possible sightings beginning the afternoon she vanished.. Hillyard is described as 5-foot-4 and about 120 pounds with blonde hair. Police recently clarified she was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers with a black stripe, updating an earlier description of different clothing.. Authorities have classified her as an at-risk missing person due to a medical condition and issued an endangered missing alert Sunday evening, sending notifications to mobile phones across the East Bay days after her disappearance.. A neighbor told KTVU that Hillyard left without her cellphone and has not been heard from since.. NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE SPARKED HARROWING 12-HOUR ODYSSEY FOR SAVANNAH. As concern grows, missing-person flyers have spread throughout Oakland and San Francisco, appearing near Jack London Square, along Grand Avenue and at the Powell Street BART station, SFGate reported. Posters have also been displayed at Farley’s East coffee shop, the East Bay café Hillyard co-owns with her husband.. Despite the expanding search, her husband said the family is still searching for answers.. “Missing since 2 p.m. Wednesday. That’s all we know,” Chris Hillyard said in a me  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. A disturbing discovery by two young brothers playing near a South Carolina creek has sparked a death investigation after authorities say they uncovered a human skull and dozens of additional bones.. Anderson County deputies responded around midday Sunday after a mother reported her children had found what appeared to be human remains near a creek.. The boys, identified as Benson and Colton Saxon, told Fox Carolina they were playing when they noticed something sticking out of the ground.. “I digged it up, thinking it was just a piece of rock,” Benson Saxon said.. CONSTRUCTION WORKERS UNCOVER CHILLING REMAINS AT FLAGSHIP PUBLIC UNIVERSITY, HALTING PROJECT. But after turning it over, his brother realized it looked far more serious.. Colton Saxon said they saw what appeared to be eye sockets in the object, prompting them to bring it home to their parents.. Their mother, Megan Saxon, initially believed the children had found animal bones.. SKELETAL REMAINS IDENTIFIED AS 19-YEAR-OLD FLORIDA MAN REPORTED MISSING NEARLY A DECADE AGO. “I honestly thought that they had found an animal one. I did not think that it was human at all,” she told Fox Carolina.. However, after taking a closer look and noticing what appeared to be bone marrow, she called 911.. Deputies, detectives, forensic investigators and the coroner’s office responded, launching an extensive search of the area.. The coroner later confirmed the skull was human.. GOT A TIP?. A search of the area led investigators to uncover roughly 45 to 50 additional bones believed to belong to one person.. Officials said the remains appear “pretty weathered,” suggesting they are not recent and may be at least a decade old.. FOLLOW US ON X. “I want to say that these remains are probably ten-plus years because of the roots that were around the bones and things like that,” the coroner said, cautioning the estimate is preliminary, according to Fox Carolina.. The remains are believed to belong to a person between the ages of 15 and 25 and may have been carried downstream by the creek, according to WSPA.. GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL. Authorities noted there were no visible fractures on the skull and said it remains too early to determine whether foul play was involved.. An identity has not yet been released.. CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS. Officials are working with an anthropologist, cadaver dogs and additional law enforcement resources as the investigation continues.. Law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital the remains are believed to belong to one person, though the skeleton is incomplete.. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. The Anderson County Coroner’s Office and sheriff’s office continue to investigate.. Fox News Digital reached out to the coroner’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.. Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.