The sister of murder and arson suspect James DiMaggio hopes the family of teenage kidnap victim Hannah Anderson will agree to a DNA test to rule out paternity rumors a family spokesperson said. 

Lora Robinson, DiMaggio’s only sister, is not contesting her brother’s decision to leave thousands of dollars to a grandparent of the Lakeside teenager.

She wants to know more about the relationship between her brother and Hannah in the hopes it may offer answers into what caused the deaths of Christina Anderson, 44, and her 8-year-old son Ethan.

“There’s an odd similarity between Hannah and her appearance and Lora’s appearance,” DiMaggio family spokesperson Andrew Spanswick explained. “[DiMaggio] knew the family for over 20 years. It’s possible he could have been the father of either child."

Robinson (pictured in comparison photo with Hannah below right) requested samples of DiMaggio’s hair in the hopes of determining paternity, Spanswick said.

A family spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday night that Brett and Christina "Tina" Anderson had not met DiMaggio until they were already expecting a child.

"Brett and Tina Anderson did not meet Mr. DiMaggio until the sixth month of Tina's pregnancy with Hannah. Brett Anderson's DNA was used to identify the body of his dead son Ethan Anderson," the statement said.

Spanswick questions why Brett Anderson is returning to Tennessee and Hannah plans to stay in California. Instead, the teenager will stay with a grandmother in Lakeside where she attends El Capitan High School.

“What’s going on with that family that the father can’t keep control of his own daughter,” Spanswick asked. “How does that point to the fact that Jim had to step in and act as the father figure all this time."

Several Anderson family members have said they considered DiMaggio an uncle figure to Hannah. He lived with the teenager’s grandmother Bernice Anderson for several years while he saved up money to buy a home.

DiMaggio designated Bernice Anderson as the beneficiary of his $112,000 life insurance policy in 2011.

Once Hannah was recovered by federal agents, Bernice Anderson described DiMaggio as a nice guy and said she loved him.

“I keep asking myself and all of us, all of us who knew him and loved him are saying the same thing. How does this happen? What happened? What caused this to happen? We don’t know and if we ever will know we’re not sure,” she said after learning of DiMaggio's death. 

Spanswick said the choice was made because DiMaggio shared concerns with family members about the ability of Brett and Christina Anderson to manage the money.

Robinson also wants answers to what led to the death of her brother in a shootout with FBI on Aug. 10.

The family has not seen the rifle DiMaggio was said to be carrying when he was shot by federal agents, according to the family spokesperson. Neither the FBI nor the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department have contacted Lora to go over the findings in the case, he added.

Robinson feels a responsibility to clear her brother’s name.
“The whole thing just is sort of spiraling out of control continually. She’s looking for more closure from the investigators,” Spanswick said.

“As Hannah continues to make statements… her affect and behavior don’t seem appropriate for someone that’s been through trauma and just lost her mother and brother. We’re beginning to become more suspicious about what really happened,” he told NBC 7. “We definitely don’t want to see James as the sole scapegoat in this story.”

Spanswick also believes that James DiMaggio is being treated unfairly in the media, where television analysts have poured over details from search warrants — and jumped to conclusions he believes are false.

“It’s trying a dead man in the media without giving him the right to any sort of due process of justice. Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean he still doesn’t have rights to have his name cleared.”

For Lora, whose kids played with Ethan and who was a longtime friend of Christina Anderson, she’s looking for closure in the deaths as well.

“We find it very strange that nobody’s talking about the double homicide. It’s like it just got washed under the table and everybody’s just concerned about Hannah who doesn’t appear to really be a victim of anything more than the trauma of a double homicide,” Spanswick said.

As for the letters listed as evidence seized by deputies from DiMaggio’s Boulevard property on search warrants, Spanswick said those should be considered personal affects and returned to the family.

Sheriff’s department spokesperson Jan Caldwell described the letters as those written by Hannah to DiMaggio. While the suspect’s sister believes they may hold some insight into what happened to her brother, deputies say they will not be made public.

“It’s an investigation we can’t discuss in detail. We don’t discuss any of our investigations in detail. Hannah is a minor and Hannah was a victim,” said Caldwell.

Timeline: Hannah Anderson Abduction

The San Diego County medical examiner has reported Christina Anderson died of blunt trauma to the head. Homicide investigators have not released details on the cause of Ethan’s death.

According to search warrants, detectives uncovered explosives and incendiary devices inside the log-cabin style home DiMaggio owned in Boulevard along with a map, handwritten letters and military-style ammo.

Firefighters were called out to the home on Sunday, Aug. 4 for a house fire that had spread to a detached 3-car garage. When they stumbled on a body in the rubble, they called in homicide investigators.

Investigators revealed Tuesday that the 40-year-old DiMaggio and Hannah Anderson were captured on the cameras at a highway checkpoint traveling westbound on Old Highway 8 at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.

“We knew he had about a 20-hour head start on us at that point,” sheriff’s spokesperson Caldwell told NBC 7.

On Saturday, Aug. 10, Hannah Anderson was recovered by federal agents at a campsite near Morehead Lake in northern Idaho. DiMaggio was shot "at least" five times according to a coroner’s report. The FBI said it is weeks away from releasing details on the shooting.

In the days after Hannah Anderson returned home to Lakeside, she spoke publicly about her abductor and said he "deserved what he got."

She also appeared at a fundraiser held at the Boll Weevil restaurant on Aug.15 and at a carwash held Aug. 17. At the latter, she spoke to an NBC 7 camera saying "thank you" to those supporting her and her family.

Sheriff Bill Gore has said publicly that Hannah Anderson was a victim in the kidnapping and in the murder of her family members.

Her father Brett Anderson has asked the media to give Hannah time to heal from what he described as a “horrific ordeal.” 

A public memorial service for Christina and Ethan Anderson is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 in Santee. 

There's no way to predict how long it'll take for the legal mediation process in the scandal surrounding Mayor Bob Filner to play out.

But if and when Bob Filner's chapter in the history of San Diego politics ends, there'll soon be new plot lines.

It's expected that a power vacuum in the mayor's office will attract a big field of replacement candidates, vying in a special election within 60 to 90 days – the top two finishers in a runoff, if no one gets an outright majority.

Cost for each election is pegged at between $3 million and $6 million, roughly.

The winner inherits a demoralized staff and a municipal government that City Hall insiders say is in a state of chaos.

"Quite frankly, we've had 12 department heads, I think it is, leave the city," said Councilman Scott Sherman. "And trying to recruit people from other cities to come and work in San Diego under these circumstances is virtually impossible. So, I think people are really going to start seeing the ramifications of this sideshow six, eight, 12 months down the road."

Council President Todd Gloria, who has been a participant in daily mediation efforts over a sexual harassment lawsuit that could lead to Filner's resignation, would become acting mayor under the city charter.

Political consultant John Dadian says he does not forsee the possible new council make-up as preventing the city from moving forward against the backdrop of election-cycle politics.

"I think they're all going to be smart enough not to -- for example -- snipe at Todd because he's acting mayor. And vice-versa, he's not going to snipe at them as acting mayor," Dadian said. "You're going to see, I think, an actual -- what we always like to see -- a policy discussion."

Meantime, mayoral spokeswoman Lena Lewis said the mayor was back in his office today and "hard at work."

NBC7 caught up with Filner briefly as he was leaving his office on his way to mediation efforts at 101 West Broadway.

"Nice to see you guys," he told reporters who have camped out for weeks outside City Hall and other downtown buildings waiting to speak with him.

The mayor has not been glimpsed in public since leaving to enter therapy, and then taking a week of personal time.

A source within the mayor's office says he met with staff this afternoon, encouraging them to keep up their good work.

A former U.S. Marine Captain stationed at Camp Pendleton has pleaded guilty to submitting tens of thousands of dollars in false receipts to the Marine Corps and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced Wednesday that Capt. Shawn A. Joyce, 33, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in connection with a scheme involving fake lodging receipts he allegedly turned in from 2009 to 2011 while stationed at Camp Pendleton.

According to his plea agreement, Joyce had been discharged from active duty in October 2008, and then entered the Marine Corps reserves. A short time later, he sought and obtained orders placing him back on active duty at Camp Pendleton.

Officials say that under certain circumstances, reservists called to active duty become eligible for a housing reimbursement benefit during the term of their active duty, in addition to their basic housing allowance.

Prosecutors say Joyce allegedly exploited this housing reimbursement benefit by falsely claiming reimbursement for rent that he never paid.

For instance, in 2009 and 2010, Joyce falsely claimed to be paying rent up to $4,030 per month for an address in Solana Beach. In 2011, he claimed to be paying rent of $3,700 per month for an address in Fountain Valley.

To conceal the fraud, prosecutors say Joyce submitted false rental receipts to the Marine Corps. He also allegedly created a fake email address in the name of his former landlord at the Solana Beach address.

Investigators say the email address was used without his former landlord’s consent to facilitate the fraud.

Joyce’s scheme didn’t end there.

In his plea agreement, Joyce also admitted to defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Under federal law, as service member receiving VA disability benefits is not entitled to simultaneously receive active duty compensation.

To avoid this, service members who receive VA disability benefits are required to tell the VA when they receive orders placing them on active duty. Joyce failed to do this, and continued to get VA disability benefits to which he was not entitled.

From time to time, Joyce contacted the VA trying to increase the amount of his disability payments, prosecutors said.

In the end, Joyce pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, and acknowledged defrauding the Defense Department of $48,740 and the VA of $41,862. Joyce has agreed to pay restitution in the full amount of the losses.

Joyce faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine for each count. He also faces three years of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture and a $100 special assessment.

His sentencing is scheduled for November 18 before U.S. District Judge John A. Houston.

After three days of mediation, San Diego city leaders have reached some sort of “proposed solution” regarding efforts to oust embattled Mayor Bob Filner from office.

On Wednesday just before 7 p.m., San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith – accompanied by other leaders, including City Council President Todd Gloria and City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer – released a brief statement about mediation efforts in downtown San Diego.

“We have just completed three days of mediation. We have reached a proposed solution,” said Goldsmith. “It will be presented to the City Council at a closed session Council meeting on Friday at 1 p.m. at City Hall.”

Goldsmith said that immediately thereafter, at a closed session, they may have a report at a public Council meeting.

SPECIAL SECTION: Mayor Under Fire

The City Attorney went on to say that the City Council has not yet heard the proposal, due to confidentiality requirements.

“This is the process we follow. Any rumors you hear about the proposal, you may deem to be untrue because the people standing here are the ones who know of it and we have all committed that we will maintain the confidentiality of the mediation,” added Goldsmith.

Goldsmith said there will be no mediation on Thursday. Leaders will not release any further details until Friday afternoon.

READ: Key Players in Mayor Bob Filner Scandal

City leaders had been holed up at the AT&T building in downtown San Diego since Monday for these mediation sessions.

NBC 7 San Diego learned earlier this week that Goldsmith and Filner, two men who have fought publicly in the past eight months, were seated on opposite ends of a long conference room table in Monday’s session.

A 20-year-old woman who lost her arm in a shark attack in Hawaii before an Irvine, Calif. pastor rescued her has died, officials said Wednesday.

Jana Lutteropp, 20, of Germany, was swimming off of the coast of Maui last week when a shark attacked her and tore off her right arm. The shark was not found.

Rick Moore, a 57-year-old pastor and physical education teacher in Laguna Niguel, was vacationing at the beach at the time. He immediately put on his fins and swam out to rescue her and performed CPR until help arrived.

Moore described the gruesome scene -- the blood in the water and the young woman's grievous injury.

As he swam her to shore, she told him, "I'm dying. I'm going to die."

She initially appeared to be making progress, according to Maui Memorial Medical Center.

About a week before Lutteropp was attacked, a shark attacked Cerritos, Calif. resident Evonne Cashman.

Cashman survived, and she spoke to NBC4 on Wednesday.

"I feel very blessed that I was not injured worse than I was," Cashman said. "My prayers and heart go out to (Lutteropp's) family and friends. It’s scary, not knowing what could have happened, I don’t know why God is not done with me yet. I hope and pray for her family. It is a difficult thing."

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A man repairing a vehicle just outside his home in Chula Vista was killed after the car fell on top of him, trapping him underneath, officials said.

The deadly accident happened Wednesday evening near a home on Colorado Avenue.

Chula Vista police officer Patrick Alvarez said the victim’s son-in-law called police around 5:10 p.m. to report that the car – an older Mercedes-Benz – had fallen on top of his father-in-law.

When officers arrived, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alvarez said emergency crews were called to help recover the man’s body from underneath the vehicle.

Alvarez said the man’s death likely occurred a few hours earlier, and he had been underneath the car ever since. No one witnessed the incident, as the victim was outside alone working on his car.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, but officials say he’s in his 60s. He is survived by several family members, including his wife.

Alvarez said the incident was a tragic accident, and no foul play is suspected.
 

A federal judge Wednesday awarded $3 million to the parents of an 18-year-old man killed by a plainclothes agent in Studio City, but found that authorities were not negligent in the fatal shooting.

In 2010, Zac Champommier was sitting in a parked car waiting to meet a friend in a shopping center, his parents said, in Studio City, Calif., about 6 miles northwest of Hollywood.

The Granada Hills High School graduate mistook undercover, plainclothes Drug Enforcement Agency agents for gang members, drove in their direction and was fired upon, they said.

Champommier’s mother, Carol, said it was her duty as a parent to file a $10 million wrongful death suit.

"I had to do this. I had to do this for Zac," she said.

Because the fatal shot was fired by a federal agent, the case was decided by a judge in federal court.

"This was a bad shooting that was out of policy and never should have occurred," said Gay Dordick, Champommier’s attorney.

The judge ruled Wednesday that authorities had reason to believe they were in danger but should not have fired.

Carol Champommier -- who will receive $2 million; her husband will get $1 million -- said she’s happy with the judge’s decision, but it won’t replace the loss of her only son.

"The rest of my life without him is almost unbearable," she said. "I have to push it out of my mind and just continue breathing every single day."

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Google debuted an animated Google Doodle tribute to classical French composer Claude Debussy Thursday to commemorate the musician's 151st birthday.

The animated doodle features a moonlit riverside scene set to the tune of "Claire de lune," perhaps Debussy's most famous and recognizable piece.

The doodle begins with floating balloons that transition to a slow-moving riverside panorama of cars, cyclists and a windmill, highlighted by a full moon and flickering lights. The flickering lights correspond to the cadences of the song.

The doodle eventually follows a boat and then transitions to two lonesome boaters crossing paths that end up sharing a red umbrella as a light rain begins.

Debussy was born on Aug. 22, 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. His revolutionary musical structure in the 20th century is often compared to the work of Impressionist and Symbolist painters, according to The Guardian.

The eldest of five children, Debussy's father owned a shop that sold crockery and his mother was a seamstress, according to The Independent. He was apparently encouraged to pursue music by Madame Mauté de Fleurville, who claimed to have studied with Polish composer Frédéric Chopin.

Debussy entered the Paris Conservatory in 1873, where he studied piano and composition. He later won the Grand Prix de Roma in 1884 at the age of 22.

At the age of 55, he died of colon cancer at his home in Paris on March 25, 1918.

The crowded field of Democratic New York City mayoral hopefuls met in a second major televised debate Wednesday, with Christine Quinn turning her attacks on a surging Bill de Blasio and Anthony Weiner struggling to remain relevant in a rapidly shifting campaign.

The first volley between the top contenders came during a discussion of efforts to prevent financially troubled hospitals from closing. Quinn mocked de Blasio for fighting against the shuttering of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn while aligning himself with celebrity activists like Susan Sarandon, who opposed a plan to renovate St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village before it closed in 2010.

Quinn, the city council speaker, invoked her favorite line of attack against de Blasio, a former city councilman and current public advocate. She called him a flip-flopper.

"You have to be what you're for all the time," Quinn told de Blasio.

He responded by accusing Quinn of creating a "smokescreen" to divert attention from the fact that the closure of St. Vincent's happened in her city council district.

NBC 4 New York hosts the next mayoral debate for the Democrats on Sept. 3, to be televised live at 7 p.m. The Republican candidates face off next on Aug. 28.

To a certain extent, the opening segments of Wednesday's debate were merely a prelude to inevitable questions about an issue that had preoccupied the campaign much of the day: comments by de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, that suggested Quinn wasn't reliable on children's issues because she wasn't a mother herself.

"I don’t see her speaking to the concerns of women who have to take care of children at a young age or send them to school and after school, paid sick days, workplace, she is not speaking to any of those issues," McCray was quoted as telling columnist Maureen Dowd.

Asked about it by debate moderator Errol Louis, Quinn -- a married lesbian and the race's only childless candidate -- said the comments were "very hurtful and upsetting because they basically raised the question of whether the fact that I have children is relevant to how hard I fight for families."

De Blasio, who has been emphasizing his interracial family in his campaign, said his wife did not intend to offend Quinn, and was trying to respectfully critique Quinn's stances on policies affecting children and families.

"It is not personal, it is substantive," de Blasio said.

Former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who has struggled for traction despite having won the Democratic nomination in 2009, showed signs of trying to escape his conciliatory image. His strategy was to go after de Blasio, who has surged past him in recent polls.

First, Thompson lampooned de Blasio's proposal to raise taxes on the rich to finance universal pre-kindergarten as "a tax in search of an idea." Then, Thompson invoked a controversial de Blasio campaign advertisement, since debunked, that claimed he was "the only candidate to end a stop and frisk era that targets minorities.”

Then, Thompson took a page from Quinn's campaign book, accusing de Blasio of switching sides on term limits and the council appropriations known as “member items," which became the target of a federal investigation that resulted in criminal charges against several lawmakers and staffers.

"Will the real Bill de Blasio please stand up?" Thompson said.

Under attack from both Quinn and Thompson, de Blasio said that he felt like he was in a professional wrestling match, getting tag-teamed.

For all the sniping the candidates made against each other, much of their criticism was focused on Mayor Bloomberg, particularly his unwavering defense of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactics, which a federal judge recently found to be unconstitutional.

The candidate most associated with Bloomberg is Quinn, who helped the mayor change city laws to run for a third term and has expressed support of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Quinn's rivals have accused her of siding with Bloomberg on stop and frisk.

A key moment  in that argument will come Thursday, when the council will vote on whether to override Bloomberg's veto of two bills meant to rein in stop and frisk. One would create a position of inspector general to oversee the police. The other would make it easier to sue for racial profiling.

De Blasio asked Quinn how she would vote on the profiling measure. Quinn sidestepped the question at first, saying she'd done more than any of the candidates to end racial profiling. She accused de Blasio of misrepresenting her positions. But when de Blasio pressed her, she said she would not vote in support of the profiling bill.

Weiner, the disgraced former congressman, watched much of the wrangling with his arms crossed, unable to get a word in. This was the first major debate in which he was a sideline act rather than a headliner. His support has been dwindling since he admitted last month that his online sexual relationships with women continued after he resigned from Congress in 2011.

So, late in the debate, when he was given a chance to ask another candidate a question, Weiner lobbed a bomb. He challenged Quinn to release council documents related to the 2008 council appropriations scandal. Thompson had made a similar demand earlier this month, but Weiner added an inflammatory addition: he asked Quinn to say whether de Blasio, then a councilman, had been "implicated in any way."

Quinn, looking aghast, said she didn't know what Weiner was talking about. Then, in a twist, she defended de Blasio, saying he'd never been implicated.

"Casting aspersions on the public advocate like that is just outrageous," Quinn said.

De Blasio later thanked Quinn.

The other Democratic candidates in the debate were Comptroller John Liu, whose campaign has suffered from allegations of illegal fundraising, former City Councilman Sal Albanese and Bronx pastor Erick Salgado.

Liu spent a good portion of his speaking time criticizing Thompson's work as his predecessor in the comptroller's office, which monitors city finances. One of Liu's targets was CityTime, a highly touted project to modernize municipal payrolls that ultimately cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars and ended with allegations of fraud. The scandal unfolded while Thompson was in office.

"What happened, Bill?" Liu asked.

Thompson admitted he could have done more, but added that Bloomberg and the council could have done more, too.

Albanese and Salgado, the most marginalized of the Democratic candidates, struggled to be heard. At one point, after going several minutes without being asked a question, Albanese shouted out: "Do I get to talk at all? This is ridiculous."

Salgado added: "I may have an accent, but I can talk."

After that, the panel of questioners asked for their opinions more often.

With the Sept. 10 primary drawing closer, and small margins separating the leading candidates, it seems likely that none will receive the 40 percent of votes needed to avoid an Oct. 1 runoff.

One of the houses damaged in the deadly East Haven, Conn., airplane crash earlier this month will be demolished this morning.

The house at 68 Charter Oak Avenue is one of two that was destroyed when a small propeller-driven plane crashed on approach to Tweed-New Haven Airport on the morning of August 9.

Four people were killed, including sisters Sade Brantley, 13, and Madisyn Mitchell, 1, who were both in  their home. 

William Henningsgard, of Medina, Washington, was operating the plane and his son, Maxwell, was a passenger, according to officials. Both were also killed.

The Cherry Hill Construction Company will be demolishing the house.

Mayor Joseph Maturo said the company has the demolition permits. Environmental testing was completed on the property late last week and the State Health Department, along with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and local utilities gave the necessary clearances. 

The house at 64 Charter Oak Avenue is the one that was directly hit by the plane.

Officials have not said when it will be demolished.

Maturo said the town is working with the insurance company to facilitate the demolition of that property “in the coming days.”

"Environmental concerns from the jet fuel deposited on 64 Charter Oak Avenue have made the process of demolishing that property a bit more complex than the one being taken down tomorrow.  Nevertheless, the Town has indicated to the insurance company handling the matter that if the home is not taken down expeditiously, the Town will exercise its authority to have the home demolished,” Maturo said in a statement.
 
Maturo is asking people to be sensitive at this stage in the process.

“Precious lives were lost on August 9th and I’d ask everyone, including the media, to continue to be sensitive to that. As painful as it is for the homeowners to watch their homes come down, the raising of these homes is a difficult but important step in the healing process for these families and for the neighborhood,” Maturo said.

A famous statue stolen from the home of late author Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel last year was found buried in thick brush off a canyon in San Diego Wednesday, police confirmed.

The San Diego Police Department says the Lorax statue – a 300-pound, 2-foot-tall bronze statue stolen from Dr. Seuss’ La Jolla home in March 2012 – was recovered by detectives in a canyon in the 7500 block of Country Club Drive in La Jolla.

Detectives searched the canyon Wednesday morning after receiving a tip from a man in Montana claiming to know about the theft of the statue and where it was stashed.

According to police, the unidentified 22-year-old tipster came forward to authorities at the Bozeman Police Department in Montana last week, saying he had information about the crime committed in San Diego. His details then led police to find the Lorax statue, officials said.

The tipster’s name was not released. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

At this point, police have not released details about how the statue was stolen or who stole it.

Police say the Lorax statue – valued at approximately $10,000 – has now been returned to its home at the Geisel estate.

The statue is one of only two in the world created by Dr. Seuss’ stepdaughter, Lark Dimond-Cates, and was priceless to the family.

Dimond-Cates sculpted the statue for her stepfather’s memorial. Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, loved it so much so asked her daughter for a copy of the bronze artwork for their Mt. Soledad home.

Last March, Audrey Geisel called police when she discovered the statue was missing from her home.

Dimond-Cates spoke to NBC 7 San Diego at the time of the crime and said she was upset about the theft.

"It's crummy to sneak into a 90-year-old widow's home in the dead of night and steal her Lorax," Dimond-Cates told NBC 7 last March. "You can't be doing that."

"It gave her so much happiness to get up every morning and look out and see her little Lorax out there," Dimond-Cates said. "And she got up the other day and he wasn't there."

At the time of the theft, the Geisel estate was in the process of installing security cameras, so the act was not captured on tape.

The home’s manager, Carl Romero, told NBC 7 last March that thieves likely dragged the statue from the home, down a hill, over a fence and possibly into a car.

“The Lorax” was published as a book in 1971. The story follows a young boy through a pristine pollution-free world. The boy encounters the Lorax – a small creature who "speaks for trees" on the importance of preserving the ecosystem.

A man from Mexico has admitted to killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2009.

Marcos Rodríguez-Perez, 28, entered a guilty plea on Thursday in federal court that stated he was one of the three gunmen who murdered U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas, Jr. when they tried to steal his night vision goggles in Campo, Calif.

The three men allegedly shot Rosas multiple times before fleeing to Mexico with his firearm, gear bag, handcuffs and night vision goggle, according to court documents.

Rodríguez-Perez was arrested in 2011 and was later extradited from Mexico. His plea agreement has a sentence of 58 years in prison, but he will not be officially sentenced until later this year.

Three other defendants in the case have also pleaded guilty. Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, while Emilio Samyn Gonzalez-Arenazas and Jose Ramirez-Dorantes will be sentenced in November.

One fugitive in the case remains: Jose Juan Chacon-Morales.

The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations are still investigating Rosas’ murder.

Hannah Anderson, the teenager who was kidnapped this month and found in the Idaho wilderness after being held hostage, has spoken exclusively to NBC's Today show Thursday about her ordeal.

The 16-year-old Lakeside, Calif., resident thanked people for paying attention to the Amber Alert and offered explanation for the phone calls and text messages she exchanged with her kidnapper.

She said the 13 calls between her and kidnapper James Lee DiMaggio on the day of her abduction -- as revealed by search warrants — weren't calls at all. They were texts because he was picking her up from cheerleading camp and she was telling him where to find her.

“And he didn’t know the address or what — like, where I was," Hannah said.  "So I had to tell him the address and tell him that I was gonna be in the gym and not in front of the school. Just so he knew where to come get me.”

Hannah said the letters she wrote to DiMaggio were from a year ago. She had a strained relationship with her mom at the time and he was helping her cope with it.

“Me and him would talk about how to deal with it,” she said. “And I’d tell him how I felt about it. And he helped me through it. They weren’t anything bad. They’re just to help me through tough times.”

Hannah said she considers herself a survivor.

"In the beginning I was a victim, but now knowing everyone out there is helping me I consider myself a survivor instead," she said "My mom raised me to be strong."

Timeline: Searching for Hannah Anderson

Hannah's brother Ethan and her mother Christina were found dead on Aug. 4 at the burned property of kidnap and murder suspect DiMaggio, 40, in the community of Boulevard, near San Diego.

According to search warrants, investigators believe DiMaggio – a longtime friend of the Anderson family – “tortured and killed” Christina and Ethan on Aug. 4 before allegedly kidnapping Christina’s daughter Hannah.

Hannah was overcome with emotion when talking about her brother. "He had a really big heart," she said, choking back tears.

DiMaggio fled San Diego with Hannah, sparking an Amber Alert that spanned across six states. Hannah told the "Today" show that she didn't know there was a nationwide search for her and that she had never heard of an Amber Alert.

“I know it helped people find me,” she said. “And it made them, like, realize that it’s hard to find people out there. But with everyone’s support, it can help a lot.”

Hannah and DiMaggio ended up in the rugged Idaho backcountry near Cascade and Morehead Lake, where they were spotted by a group of horseback riders on Aug. 7.

After seeing the Amber Alert, the riders reported the sighting to authorities, leading more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials to the rural community in Idaho in search of Hannah and DiMaggio.

The pair was ultimately found by an FBI tactical team near Morehead Lake on Aug. 10.

Hannah was rescued safely by officials. DiMaggio was shot at least five times and killed at the scene.

Hannah thanked the horsemen who tipped off authorities. "I'd like to say thank you because without them I'd probably never be here right now."

She also thanked her FBI agents, law enforcement, the news media and her friends and family.

Hannah has since reunited with her family and returned home to San Diego. Days after her rescue, the teen was fielding questions about her kidnapping on social media. Last week, she made her first public appearance since her rescue at the fundraiser in Lakeside.

The teenager’s family has asked for privacy as Hannah continues to recover. She has since appeared at multiple fundraising events and thanked people for their support.

Hannah's family sent a public statement about the NBC News interview, asking people to respect their privacy as they prepare for the funerals of Christina and Ethan this weekend.

A 7-month-old baby left for 30 minutes in a car where the temperature had reached 119 degrees died Wednesday, and his father was arrested, a police source said.

The 25-year-old dad, Devon Fenner, returned to his Hempstead home on Long Island after taking his girlfriend to work and dropping off two other kids, a 7-year-old son and 4-year-old girl, at day camp. He parked and went inside.

Police say he called 911 at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to report he had accidentally left the baby in the car, and when he went to get the boy, he wasn't breathing.

The baby was pronounced dead an hour later at the hospital.

The child was in his car seat behind the driver's seat. All the windows were closed, except for the driver's, which was cracked open about 2 inches, the source said.

The temperature inside the car about half an hour after the baby was removed was 119 degrees.

Fenner was charged with criminally negligent homicide. 

An attorney for Fenner did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Video released by authorities on Wednesday shows an irate customer pistol-whipping a Florida Dunkin’ Donuts employee during a fight after authorities said he was given the wrong coffee order.

Employee Rajay Hall said that when Jeffrey Wright, 27, and his wife Alexis Longo, 22, of Plantation came through the drive-thru, he provided the wrong flavored coffee. He said he offered to fix the mistake.

"I asked them what do they want in the coffee. She was like I don't know – like, just make back the coffee," Hall said, adding that Longo was cursing at him.

Wright struck Hall multiple times against his head with his 9mm Taurus Slim handgun, Lauderhill Police said in a probable cause affidavit. He faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for hitting the employee in the incident, which happened early Tuesday afternoon at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 7125 W. Oakland Park Boulevard, the affidavit said.

Woman Pistol-Whipped in Robbery in West Park

Broward Circuit Judge John Hurley ordered Wright held on $20,000 bond Wednesday.

Police said that after Wright received his coffee, the couple went inside. Hall said Longo threatened to punch him in the face. When he said go ahead, she allegedly lunged at him. That is when Wright allegedly punched Hall.

The ensuing fight went on for two minutes. The manager was in between Wright and Hall amid the flurry of punches, surveillance video shows. Longo was also involved in the fight, the affidavit said.

VIDEO: Robbers Shoot Miami Clerk, Pistol-Whip Miramar Employee

While police initially said that the video showed Wright hitting the manager in the head with his gun, Hall said it was him being pistol-whipped.

Wright's firearm was loaded with seven bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber, the affidavit said.

"It was busy at 1:00 in the afternoon. Several of them do indicate that the wife did mention that he should shoot the actual manager,” Lauderhill Police spokesman Lt. Mike Butkus said.

Names Released of Pair Arrested in Landlord-Tenant Dispute

Customers jumped in to break up the fight, and police said the situation had the potential to get really ugly.

"(He) does have a concealed weapons permit and is licensed to be armed, but enters the gun in the situation by striking the victim with the gun,” Butkus said of Wright.

Longo, who is charged with battery, is being held on $1,000 bond, online jail records said.

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Minutes after news broke of a possible deal with city officials, Mayor Bob Filner was spotted in downtown San Diego climbing into his SUV with packing boxes in the back seat.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to San Diego City Councilmember Scott Sherman captured the video around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, just a few minutes after city officials released a brief statement about a possible deal reached in the mediation process.

Diana Palacios captured the video and posted what may be the last image of Bob Filner as mayor with this Tweet: "Walking home from dinner and guess who we spotted leaving city hall. Boxes in the backseat."

SPECIAL SECTION: Mayor Under Fire 

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said the details of the proposed solution will be presented to the City Council at closed session Friday at 1 p.m. Goldsmith said there will be no mediation on Thursday. Leaders will not release any further details until Friday afternoon.

City leaders had been meeting inside the AT&T building in downtown San Diego since Monday for these mediation sessions.

Maybe it's more Mayer magic.

For the first time since 2008, Yahoo! has topped Google in U.S. web traffic, according to the latest monthly figures from ComScore. Those numbers show Yahoo! sites edging out Google sites for the month of July, with Microsoft, Facebook and AOL sites rounding out the top five.

Now, before you unload all that Google stock, this doesn't mean the balance of power has completely shifted. After all, it's how much money Google pulls in that really wows investors - that's something Yahoo! has to do better no matter how many people are watching.

That said, it's the first time in five years that Yahoo! has such bragging rights, and they're probably feeling pretty good in Sunnyvale.

ComScore says it still counts recent Yahoo! purchase Tumblr as its own entity, but Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has been on a buying spree lately, and that's likely brought many new viewers into the fold.

Yahoo! (YHOO) shares have also been on a roll lately, doubling over the last 12 months.

Scott can be viewed on Twitter: @scottbudman

In spectacular fashion, the Fort Worth Zoo announced Thursday that a second Asian elephant had been born at the zoo this summer.

Over the last few days, the zoo had hinted that an animal had been born at the zoo, and that whatever the animal was was a boy, but they wouldn't reveal what the animal was until Thursday morning.

The mystery bundle of joy was revealed to be a 230-pound Asian elephant named Bowie, who was born six weeks early and delivered Aug. 5 by first-time mommy Bluebonnet. 

Bowie is only a month younger than his Aunt Belle, who was born at the zoo on July 7 to Rasha, his grandmother. Bowie is only the third to be born at the zoo in their 104-year history.  His mother Bluebonnet, also Rasha's daughter and Belle's full sister, was the first.

With Bowie's birth, Asian elephants at the zoo now span three generations. 

"There's a number of things that make this significant; Most especially for this herd, that it truly is beginning to mimic what happens in the wild.  We have three generations of elephants in this yard now, and so grandmother is here, aunt is here ... so people are going to see how a herd behaves in the wild," said Alexis Wilson, with the Fort Worth Zoo.

Thursday is the first day Bowie will be visible to zoo visitors.  He is expected to be seen, and heard (zookeepers say he has been very vocal since birth), at various times of the day as he gets acclimated to his home. The zoo said Rasha, Belle, Bluebonnet and Bowie can be seen daily at the following times (subject to change): 10:15 a.m. to noon, and briefly at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

The Fort Worth Zoo is now home to seven Asian elephants, four females and three males.

In other zoo baby news, Asha, a young rhino, celebrated her first birthday at the Fort Worth Zoo on Aug. 16.  Meanwhile, across town at the Dallas Zoo, a rare ocelot was born to new parents on June 26.

San Diego is facing a lengthy power void in City Hall, as lawmakers consult recently rewritten rules to determine how the government will operate after the expected resignation of Mayor Bob Filner.

If Filner steps down on Friday as expected, City Council President Todd Gloria will lead the government until the city elects a new leader in special election. But thanks to changes made to the City Charter in 2010, Gloria will have far less power than an elected mayor.  

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

“It isn’t much of an impediment to what the city needs to do. We just wanted to make it so someone couldn’t go out and do nutty things,” said James Ingram, an urban politics lecturer at San Diego State University and the University of California at San Diego who helped rewrite the city charter.

But in 2010, voters agreed to a new form of government that gave the mayor more authority over day-to-day operations of the city. Those new rules stipulated that the interim leader would have far less power.

The new rules also mean that the council could force through legislation without fearing the normal checks and balances, Ingram said.

So, according to Ingram, if the council wanted to change the municipal code to allow more time for recall petitioners to collect signatures, it could do so without worrying about a veto.

If Filner indeed resigns, this transition period could last nearly five months.

The city has 90 days after the mayor’s resignation to hold a special election. But if no single candidate gets majority of votes, the top two finishers must go head-to-head in a runoff election. Another 49 days can pass before the second vote.

Each election is expected to cost taxpayers between $3 million and $6 million. 

At least 50 people were injured Thursday when a casino-bound tour bus rolled over on the Foothill (210) Freeway near the San Gabriel (605) Freeway about 20 miles east of Los Angeles in Irwindale, Calif., the CHP said.

NBC4 I-Team: Tour Bus Company Had Mutiple Safety Violations

The crash was reported just after 10 a.m. on the eastbound 210, the CHP said.

Aerial footage showed a large emergency response off the side of the freeway with firefighters tending to people on green, yellow and red triage tarps. The color-coded tarps indicate severity of injuries, with red being the most severe.

Of the 55 injured, 52 were bus passengers. The other three people injured were from other vehicles that were involved in the collision.

A majority of the injuries were minor. Some were moderate and a few suffered major injuries. All were adults, ages 60 to 80.

By Thursday night, five victims remained in the hospital, including an 86-year-old man suffering from broken ribs.

The son of one of the injured passengers told NBC4 his mother was nervous about the driver's speed before the crash.

"She told me that she was talking to the person next to her, the bus was driving a little fast and right after that, the accident happened," Steven Zhang said.

"She was in shock. She almost cannot remember anything because it happened all of a sudden."

The crash shut down a major Southern California freeway. It prompted some motorists to get out of their cars to get a look as some victims were carried away in stretchers and a heavy tow vehicle was sent in to pull the bus from a ditch.

The bus, belonging to Da Zhen out of Monterey Park, was due to arrive at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino at 10:30 a.m. on a day trip, a casino spokesman said. Da Zhen is a Chinese tour bus company that frequently offers day trips to casinos in California and Las Vegas.

None of its nine buses have been involved in crashes in the last two years, according to the U.S. Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

But an NBC4 investigation found the company did have a poor safety record.

The CHP's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, which investigates all major crashes throughout the state, was leading the probe.

"It's a little early to determine whether it was driver error," said Saul Gomez, a CHP spokesman. "We are worried more about the injured people than the actual investigation itself."

Lt. Mark Garrett of the CHP said officers would conduct a "very thorough mechanical inspection" of the bus.

Traffic was backed up for miles as both sides of the freeway were shut down.

NBC4's Phil Drechsler, Chris Henao, Nyree Arabian and Rosa Ordaz contributed to this report.

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