Month: September 2025

By Laurie Perez, Matthew Rodriguez

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    California (KCAL, KCBS) — After 13 months of isolation, a baby from Los Angeles County received the potentially life-saving implant that could kick-start her immune system and allow her to live a semi-regular life.

Since the birth of their daughter, Syanne, the Landrons have quarantined themselves inside their Santa Clarita home to protect their baby, who was born without a thymus gland. Lacking an essential part of her immune system, any exposure to germs or infections could be deadly for Syanne.

The diagnosis changed the way they lived. They’ve celebrated holidays and birthdays from afar while family and friends drop off deliveries of food and supplies.

“We don’t see anybody,” mother Marilyn Landron said. “There is no six feet apart. You don’t go near anybody. We wear a mask anywhere and everywhere. Even if we’re going to the trash, we put a mask on … We don’t go to stores. We couldn’t even do our own laundry for a good minute at our old apartment.”

Most children without a thymus gland don’t survive past their first birthday, according to Duke University. However, in 2021, doctors from the university’s medical center received FDA approval to begin their pioneering thymus implant procedure. In August, doctors from Duke invited the Landrons to visit North Carolina so Syanne could be the 52nd person to receive the potentially life-saving operation.

For their trip to North Carolina, the Landrons took special precautions to prevent exposure, including ambulances and a private medical jet.

“I handed her over, and I think that was probably the hardest part. I cried,” Marilyn Landron said.

After the medical team took their daughter into their care, the family waited in anxious excitement as surgeons implanted tissue from another baby into Syanne. Friends and family rejoiced when doctors told them they had successfully completed the procedure.

“Since getting the call, since coming out here, and her getting her surgery, there’s finally a light at the end,” father Alex Landron said.

The Landrons said that the $3 million procedure has a 70% success rate, which increases over time. When they return home, they will still have to isolate themselves for at least six months as Syanne’s immune system develops. After that, Syanne will still be immunocompromised and experience more severe symptoms from the common cold compared to others, but in the end, she’ll have a better chance at surviving.

“Her immune system will always be a little weaker than everyone else’s,” Alex Landron said. “Sicknesses will hit her harder than regular people, but she’ll live.”

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By Brian New

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    Texas (KTVT) — Before allegedly beheading a Dallas motel manager last week, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez had already built a criminal arrest record across Florida, California and Texas, according to court and law enforcement records.

Cobos-Martinez, 37, is charged with capital murder in the death of Chandra Nagamallaiah, who police say was attacked with a machete in front of his wife and child at a Dallas motel on September 10. Cobos-Martinez is currently being held at the Dallas County Jail.

Court records reviewed by the CBS News Texas I-Team show Cobos-Martinez, a Cuban national, had been arrested multiple times over the past eight years.

Cobos-Martinez was arrested in Florida in 2017 In 2017, he was arrested in Florida by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office for felony grand theft auto after allegedly stealing a Mercedes-Benz. The charge was later dropped.

That same year, Cobos-Martinez was arrested in California Later that year, Cobos-Martinez was arrested in South Lake Tahoe, California, for attempted carjacking. According to the police report, he tried to drag a woman from her car, climbed in with her, and assaulted her. He was released on bail and then fled the state.

Arrested in Harris County in 2018 In 2018, he was arrested in Harris County, Texas, for indecency with a child. That charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. While in jail awaiting trial, Cobos-Martinez allegedly punched a jailer in the jaw, according to his court-appointed attorney. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to one year in jail. But since he had already served more than four years awaiting trial, he was released.

Cobos-Martinez extradited to California Shortly after, officials extradited him back to California to face charges from the 2017 carjacking case. A jury acquitted him of carjacking but convicted him of false imprisonment. He was placed on probation in August 2023, but El Dorado County prosecutors told the I-Team he fled again.

Held in ICE detention in Texas Cobos-Martinez was eventually arrested by police in Texas on a fugitive charge and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth.

According to Homeland Security officials, Cobos-Martinez had a final order of removal to Cuba. However, on Jan. 13, 2025, he was released under supervision because Cuban authorities refused to accept him due to his criminal history.

Arrested in Harris County in 2018 In 2018, he was arrested in Harris County, Texas, for indecency with a child. That charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. While in jail awaiting trial, Cobos-Martinez allegedly punched a jailer in the jaw, according to his court-appointed attorney. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to one year in jail. But since he had already served more than four years awaiting trial, he was released.

Cobos-Martinez extradited to California Shortly after, officials extradited him back to California to face charges from the 2017 carjacking case. A jury acquitted him of carjacking but convicted him of false imprisonment. He was placed on probation in August 2023, but El Dorado County prosecutors told the I-Team he fled again.

Held in ICE detention in Texas Cobos-Martinez was eventually arrested by police in Texas on a fugitive charge and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth.

According to Homeland Security officials, Cobos-Martinez had a final order of removal to Cuba. However, on Jan. 13, 2025, he was released under supervision because Cuban authorities refused to accept him due to his criminal history.

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By Ramsay Fulbright, Felicia Jordan

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    GEORGETOWN, Ohio (WCPO) — One of two inmates who escaped from the Brown County detention center has been captured, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

The search for the second escaped inmate is still underway.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office said Roy Butler was located and arrested while Jerry Cooper is believed to be in the Dover area near the Mason-Bracken line.

In a release, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office said the two escaped between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Monday night.

The inmates damaged a security window, allowing them to escape through the police impound lot at the jail, the sheriff’s office said.

Cooper was in jail on charges of attempted murder, felonious assault and having weapons under disability. Butler had been charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs and having weapons under disability. The sheriff’s office said both men will now face additional escape charges.

According to court records, Cooper was indicted on his charges in May. Court documents say Cooper paid two other men to murder someone. Documents allege that on February 10, one of those men drove Cooper to the victim’s house and waited in the vehicle while Cooper rang the doorbell of the home.

When the man living there answered the door, Cooper allegedly shot him in the chest and ran, eventually jumping into the vehicle with the other man.

Court records show Butler was charged with four counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs in July. Documents filed in the case say Butler specifically is accused of selling methamphetamine.

The sheriff’s office said a search is currently underway involving several law enforcement agencies, canine units and aviation units.

BCSO said anyone who finds Cooper should not approach him and instead immediately contact Detective Sergeant Charles Ernst at 937.378.4435, ext. 126.

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By Michael Chen

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    NATIONAL CITY, California (KGTV) — A DJ who intervened to help several women being attacked after a boat party is recovering from serious injuries after being stabbed by one of the assailants.

On September 6, around 9:30 p.m., Ricky Haynes, 33, was packing up his equipment after performing at a birthday party on a small yacht two Saturdays ago when he heard something near the dock.

“Then out of nowhere, I hear some screams going on. Then I hear people getting pushed into the water,” Haynes said.

When Haynes reached the dock, he witnessed a disturbing scene.

“I see a bunch of people on top of the girls, two guys stomping on these girls,” he said.

Haynes immediately stepped in to help.

“I push two guys off the two girls. Another guy from behind me pushes me into water. I get to the dock, and as I was pulling myself out of water, I felt something come up to me and push me. One of the girls behind me said, ‘you just got stabbed,'” Haynes said.

The stab wound penetrated his chest, puncturing his lung and breaking a rib. The injury was just inches from his heart.

As blood gushed from his side, Haynes applied pressure to the wound and tried to stay calm. The group of more than 10 attackers fled the scene in their vehicles.

Haynes was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors diagnosed him with a punctured lung and broken rib. His recovery is expected to take several months.

“Even with pain medication, I have trouble breathing right now,” he said.

Despite his injuries, Haynes said he doesn’t regret his decision to intervene.

“It was the right thing to do. Those girls could have gotten killed, stabbed,” he said.

According to Haynes, police told him the altercation began when a woman from his group brushed up against a woman in the other group.

Haynes hopes sharing his story will lead to tips and arrests.

“It’s scary. If they get away with this, more people will be stabbed. I don’t want anyone else to go through this,” he said. “Just glad to be alive. There were a lot of moments in that whole situation where I thought I was a goner.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Haynes with medical and other expenses.

Any witnesses or tips can be directed to the National City Police investigations division at 619-336-4460.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGTV’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Laura Acevedo

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Catholic deacon at St. Jude Shrine of the West in Southcrest plans to self-deport after his legal resident status was revoked, the San Diego Diocese confirmed Monday.

Churchgoers say the Deacon made the announcement himself during mass at noon on Sunday, saying he would be going to Tijuana. Another parishioner says the same announcement was also made during the 8 a.m. mass.

The announcement shocked parishioners, prompting several to contact ABC 10News seeking more information about the situation.

Churchgoers said the deacon told the congregation he came to the United States when he was 13 years old and had served the St. Jude community for roughly four decades.

ABC 10News is not naming the deacon while we work to confirm details about his background and circumstances.

On Monday, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego confirmed the deacon was a legal resident and that he had agreed to self-deport. However, the diocese could not provide additional information, including how long he worked for the church, whether he had worked in other locations, or if the diocese was working to help with his immigration case.

Attempts to reach the deacon and his attorney about what prompted the self-deportation were unsuccessful.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGTV’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Keith BieryGolick

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    NEWPORT, Kentucky (WCPO) — When I ask Emily Robbins what she’d be doing if I weren’t here, she responds quickly.

“Working,” she said.

Robbins is a family attorney in Newport, a job she says requires her to be on her feet a lot — a difficult job that she says has been made much more difficult because of a problem in her neck.

“I had no idea just how debilitating a neck injury could be,” Robbins said. “And so I tried everything.”

Physical therapy. Two steroid injections. Massage therapy. More medications than she can list.

She describes the way she felt like this: “My body was a broomstick and my head was a bowling ball that at any point was going to tip over.”

All because of a herniated disc in her neck. Something that sent pain shooting down her arm, so much so that she once called her mom because she thought she was having a heart attack.

“It was that horrible,” Robbins said.

For months, the 30-year-old said she was misdiagnosed. And then, because of her age, she said people told her not to have surgery.

“I think there’s a stigma about having neck and back surgery,” Robbins said.

She felt it every day, when all she could do was lie down after work — forget having dinner with friends.

“It was lonely,” Robbins said. “It’s hard for people to understand that.”

Then, a doctor at Mayfield Brain and Spine recommended putting an artificial disc into her neck. It’s a procedure the surgeon tells me he’s performing more and more.

“The pain that people get from a herniated disc is unbearable,” said Dr. Bryan Krueger, an attending neurosurgeon there. “Life as you know it is essentially over.”

Krueger tells me the typical surgery would put more pressure on other joints, but an artificial disc helps maintain normal movement in the spine. That’s especially important when someone like Robbins has so much more life to live.

“When we operate on somebody in their late 20s, we have to think about the downstream effects of it on the rest of their life,” Krueger said. “This is what Emily needed to feel better.”

And at the coffee shop near her work, somewhere she once couldn’t even walk to, Robbins runs into a friend. Someone who remembers an embarrassing picture of her in a neck brace. Someone who is happy they can now go on longer walks together.

Someone who is happy she had surgery.

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By Stephanie Stahl

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A Philadelphia nurse is sharing the power of art, weaving her way through life as an artist and health care provider.

Taking care of people and knowing about their medical conditions supplies this nurse with all kinds of ideas for her art.

Weaving, creating art – this is what Linda Ruggiero does when she’s not working as a nurse at Penn Medicine.

“I definitely get my inspiration a lot from those experiences in the lab and in other areas of nursing,” Ruggiero said.

In the cardiac catheterization lab, she was inspired by all the tubing and stents. She explains this creation, depicting what happens when there’s a troubled artery.

The heart is such a great metaphor for artwork and for opening up and healing and life,” Ruggiero said. “And so it was sort of easy to make that connection.”

Ruggiero was a neuroscience researcher before she decided to become a nurse seven years ago.

“I just liked the learning aspect,” she said.

Early in her nursing career, COVID hit, and Penn was bombarded with sick and dying patients. Ruggiero was on the front lines at the hospital.

“It was terrible and it was so heartbreaking,” she said, “and it just felt like it wouldn’t stop.”

Making art became her salvation during those dark days of the pandemic.

“The piece is called ‘Contained’ because we have this sense of trying to contain this virus that really was not contained at all in any form,” Ruggiero said.

There are two pieces about COVID: one a mess of yarn and the other a little more organized.

“This was sort of our trying to keep things tidy and contained, with it sort of seeping out on the sides. And this is what I felt like it was in reality, just kind of chaotic,” she said.

Now, her art is more focused on patients and families in Philadelphia, struggling with gun violence and drug addiction.

“Being creative has always kind of helped me, like, feel better,” Ruggiero said.

And as if she’s not already busy enough, the Penn Medicine nurse also teaches weaving. Ruggiero said that in her early 20s, she started knitting as something to do on the bus.

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