Teens accused of killing their step-father, man falls off cliff while taking a photo: this week's top stories
Photo collage: (Top left) Police arrested three people suspected of distributing fentanyl pills across the Phoenix area. (Top right) For a number of Americans, their current smartphones will stop working this year, as major cell service providers say
Eight out of the 10 top stories from Jan. 23-29 were local to the Phoenix area and included a man falling off a cliff while reportedly taking a photo, two major drug busts and the sentencing of an Arizona couple whose children and niece drowned while attempting to cross the flooded Tonto Basin back in 2019.
1. Teens accused of killing stepfather for what he allegedly did to their sister: Alejandro and Christian Trevino, along with friend Juan Eduardo Melendez, all 18, are accused of beating Gabriel Quintanilla, 42, and leaving him to die in a field where his body was discovered by a farmer.
From left to right: Alejandro Trevino, Christian Trevino, Juan Eduardo Melendez (Hidalgo County Records)
2. Hiker falls off Flatiron Summit, dies after trying to take a photo at the trail's edge: A hiker died after falling from the Flatiron Peak at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. He reportedly fell while trying to take a picture and his body was recovered about 700 feet below the camping spot.
3. 3 arrested in Avondale drug bust after 35K fentanyl pills, $300K in cash seized: Officers arrested Aaron Camacho, Samantha Perry and Jose Arvayo for allegedly distributing fentanyl pills. They were booked into Maricopa County Jail and face multiple charges.
4. Parents of children killed in Tonto Basin flooding avoid prison time; judge sentences both to probation: An Arizona couple whose two children and niece drowned when the family drove into a flooded wash in Tonto Basin will not serve jail time for what happened. Relatives of the couple also asked the judge for leniency. They say that losing one's children is already a heavy punishment to face, and that the Rawlings' two remaining children need both parents.
No jail time for Arizona couple whose children and niece drowned at Tonto Basin
A Gila County judge has sentenced Lacey and Daniel Rawlings to supervised probation for the drowning of two of their children, as well as a niece, while they drove into a flooded wash in the Tonto Basin in 2019. FOX 10's Irene Snyder reports.
5. Dog survives incident with mountain lion in Arizona: 'Most horrifying thing I've ever seen': It's a miraculous story after a couple took their dog hiking at Oak Creek Canyon and the unthinkable happened – a mountain lion grabbed their dog and ran off. The amazing part: the dog survived. We have how the dog was found hours later.
6. Police seize over $100K in cash, 45K fentanyl pills in north Phoenix; suspects arrested: According to a tweet from Phoenix Police, officers stopped a vehicle near 40th Street and Thunderbird that was believed to have been related to illegal drug activity. Inside the vehicle, police found evidence of drugs and arrested 46-year-old Christopher Onei Consales and 32-year-old Natasha Rae McMurrian.
7. 3G devices will stop working soon as companies switch off networks: Here's what you need to know to plan ahead: For a number of Americans, their current smartphones will stop working this year, as major cell service providers say they will switch off their 3G network, also referred to on some websites as the 3G sunset. Here's what you need to know to plan ahead.
8. Red wine could reduce chances of COVID-19 infection, U.K. study suggests: The study, published in the scientific journal Frontiers on Jan. 3, found that people who drank red wine, white wine and champagne were less likely to get COVID-19 while those who consumed beer, cider, and spirits in heavy amounts were more likely to become sick.
FILE - Freeze frame from FOX News coverage on red wine COVID-19 study. (FOX)
9. Man shot, killed in Phoenix parking lot: police: "Detectives learned the victim, 20-year-old Darea Owens, was in the parking lot with a large group of people when there was an exchange of gunfire from people in the group," Sgt. Justus said in a statement on Jan. 23.
10. Phoenix teen, 15, found safe after parents believed she was out of state with adults she met online: Police found a teenage girl who was last seen in far north Phoenix on Jan. 21. Phoenix Police tweeted that 15-year-old Aspen Bell was safe and "in the process of being reunited with her family." She was reportedly with adults who she met online and was headed for the east coast.
Phoenix teen found safe after parents believed she was out of state with adults she met online
Aspen Bell, who also goes by Ariah, was reported missing after she was last known to be in the area of I-17 and Dynamite Boulevard. Police believed she was possibly traveling out of state with others to Maine.