San Diego Police are searching for a local woman who has been missing since Monday.

Elizabeth Michelle Sullivan, 31, was last seen at her home near Liberty Station on Oct. 13, and a text message the same day was the last contact anyone had from her.

Her phone has since been turned off.

Police say her vehicle was found at home, so it's unclear what kind of transporation she was using Monday, if any. 

Sullivan is described as an African American woman who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 130 pounds. She has dark hair and dark eyes.

Police do not know what she was wearing when she went missing.

If you know anything about Sullivan's whereabouts, you are asked to call the SDPD Missing Persons Section at 619-531-2277 or Det. James Hunter at 619-531-2327.

A smartphone app that aims to reunite owners with lost dogs goes a few steps beyond missing posters.

The Finding Rover app uses facial recognition to help the pup find its way home.

Here’s how it works: a pet parent can download the free tool, take a picture of their dog and upload it to the app, adding his or her zip code.

If that pooch runs off, the owner can check the interactive map that shows where dogs have been found and when.

Someone who spots a lost dog can snap a picture and add it to Finding Rover, and the app will run it through the facial recognition system.

If the photo matches up with that of a missing pet, the app will send a notification to the finder with information on how to get a hold of the owner.

Users will also get a push alert every time a dog is lost or found within 10 miles.

For those who may want to plan some doggie dates, Finding Rover also acts as a social network to connect and share dog news.

Right now, the app is available only on iOS phones in the iTunes store, but developers hope to release an Android app this year.

The Humane Society says more than 10 million pets go missing every year.

A pop-up pumpkin patch helps parents get a jump on Halloween.

On Sunday, San Diego County Parks and Recreation will scatter hundreds of pumpkins along the southwest lawn of the Waterfront Park off Pacific Highway downtown.

Kids will “pick” their favorite (which will inevitably be the largest) and roll it over to a decoration station, complete with stickers and foam cutouts.

Creepy crawly animals will be on hand for a close-up look, courtesy of park rangers, and an inflatable obstacle course will give your little monsters a nice challenge.

On the center stage, an 11-year-old will sign her heart out at noon, followed by a magician with some mysterious fun.

You may want to bring some towels in case the kiddos take a dip in the fountain, which of course they will because… water.

When the tummies start rumbling, parents can turn to food trucks and a frozen yogurt booth for relief.

The ghoulish good time will run from at 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 

A teenage pedestrian was airlifted to the hospital after she was hit by a vehicle in Escondido Friday night.

The 14-year-old girl was struck while walking along La Terraza Boulevard, south of West Valley Parkway at about 9:30 p.m. Escondido Police say the driver stayed at the scene.

A helicopter took the victim to the nearest hospital.

There is no word on her condition.

Check back here for details on this breaking news story.

An elementary school teacher in Strong, Maine was placed on paid leave over Ebola fears after a trip to Dallas--even though there is no indication the teacher came into contact with anyone infected with the virus.

The school district posted a statement on its website indicating that parents had expressed concern about their children possibly contracting the virus from the teacher, who had recently traveled to Dallas. There have been three confirmed Ebola cases in the Texas city since Sept. 30, though the teacher, who was not identified, is not believed to have come into contact with anyone who has been infected or exposed to the virus, the district's statement said.

Still, "after several discussions with the staff member and out of an abundance of caution," the district decided to place the teacher on leave for 21 days--the amount of time health experts say it takes for possible symptoms to show. 

Locals had mixed opinions about the district's decision.

"They didn't want her to come back with it," said Strong resident Roscoe Libby. "They did the right thing."

Fellow resident Sue Kennedy disagreed. "She should be able to teach and go back to school...she wasn't in contact with anybody who might have had it," she said.

Dr. Gene Beresin, Executive Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a psychiatrist at Mass General and Harvard Medical School, says while over-precautions, like those taken by the Maine school district may only serve to breed fear, they reflect normal instincts.

“The first response is typically hysterical and catastrophic thinking," said Dr. Beresin. "Our brains just get tweaked because we’re afraid of dying, we’re afraid of contagion, we’re afraid of the unknown.”

Dr. Beresin says once we overcome that initial feeling of panic, it helps to focus on the facts and become educated about the disease. And he says that it starts with people in powerful positions, like community leaders, health care workers and even parents.

“Parents have to curb their own anxiety and hysteria because, it’s contagious," said Dr. Beresin. "It’s more contagious than Ebola.”

Four months after the naked body of a San Carlos woman was found in her apartment, the victim's wife was ordered to stand trial on murder charges.

Tiffany Nowden, 39, will stand trial for the death of her wife, Russina Vale.

Vale, 38, was found dead on June 5 inside an apartment unit at the Villa De Flores complex in the 7700 block of Mission Gorge Road.

Vale was found naked and dead in her bed on the day of her murder, prosecutors said. She had suffered two stab wounds, one to the stomach and the other to the upper right arm and chest, which proved fatal.

Nowden’s aunt Zanetta Moloi of San Bernardino testified Thursday at a pre-trial hearing that she was asked to pick up the defendant in San Diego because she was in trouble. She said Nowden looked stressed when she picked her up in San Diego.

Moloi said her niece called an attorney but decided not to meet with him. After showering, Nowden left her aunt’s home without saying where she was going.

Moloi said she didn’t learn about what had happened to Vale until several days later.

Nearly 20 days after Vale's body was found, San Diego Police arrested Nowden at a home on Market Street in Sherman Heights.

Before her death Vale had informed friends and family that she was planning to seek a divorce from Nowden, prosecutors said.

Nowden and Vale got into a heated argument at Nowden's place of employment, Barona Casino, shortly before the deadly stabbing. As a result of the argument, Nowden was escorted off the property, prosecutors said.

On Friday, Nowden was ordered to stand trial. If convicted, Nowden faces 56 years to life in prison.

What’s your passion? Whether it’s art, film or fitness, you can pursue it this weekend in San Diego. Here are some suggestions to inspire you.

Thursday, Oct. 16

Cocktails and Culture
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the San Diego Museum of Art
Feeling groovy? Then don your best “Mad Men”-inspired outfit and get to this month’s Cocktails and Culture at the San Diego Museum of Art. The museum’s new exhibit features pop artists from the 20th century, including the iconic Andy Warhol. You’ll enjoy go-go dancers and live interactive paintings while sipping the event’s signature drink, the Campbell’s Soup Bloody Mary.

Friday, Oct. 17

San Diego Italian Film Festival
7:30 p.m. in Balboa Park and Encinitas
Immerse yourself in the delicious Italian culture at this year’s San Diego Italian Film Festival. Friday night features screenings of two award-winning Italian films: “La Grande Bellezz” (“The Great Beauty”), which tells the story of a frustrated writer caught up in his social whirlwind lifestyle, and “Anni Felici” (“Those Happy Years”), where a 70s housewife rethinks her life after attending a feminist retreat. Both will leave you saying, “Bravo!” The film festival runs through Oct. 25.

Saturday, Oct. 18

7th Annual San Diego VisionWalk/Run
9 a.m. downtown
If you haven’t checked out downtown’s new Waterfront Park yet, this is the perfect opportunity. This 5K walk and fun run benefits Foundation Fighting Blindness, which is devoted to finding cures for macular degeneration and other diseases of the eye.

San Diego Comic Fest Masked Ball
8 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Town & Country Hotel
Need a reason to wear your Halloween costume early? Dancers will get down in disguise at the San Diego Comic Fest Masked Ball. San Diego Comic Fest has everything for the comic book enthusiast (minus the extreme lines of another comic-themed event we have in town...)

Sunday, Oct. 19

30th Annual Fall Plant Sale
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the San Diego Botanic Garden
According to gardening experts, October is the best time to plant a fall garden in Southern California. What better place to start your fall garden than at the San Diego Botanic Garden’s annual fundraiser? Growers from across San Diego County will have hundreds of beautiful (and drought-resistant) plants for sale. The sale begins Saturday and ends Monday, when all remaining plants will be half-off.

A La Jolla jeweler is accused of stealing the jewelry customers asked him to resell on their behalf.

Karl Winchell, 78, faces 27 felony counts ranging from grand theft to financial elder abuse and fraud.

He used to own Winchell’s Jewelry on Wall Street in La Jolla. The shop is now shuttered. According to Winchell’s criminal attorney, the store closed because rent jumped from $1300 a month to $6,000.

According to a criminal complaint, it appears there are 12 alleged victims. Some of them are elderly.
Winchell is accused of stealing money and personal property in excess of $950 from each.

Some of the alleged victims also sued Winchell to get their property, according to court documents.

Through his civil attorney in some of those lawsuits, Winchell told NBC 7 he did not want to comment on the allegations.

Bryan Garrie said Winchell paid everyone back with interest.

“Everytime he’s been sued he’s taken care of it,” Garrie said.

One client told NBC 7 that Winchell did a great job with her jewelry whether it be fixing it or designing it.
She said she received one piece back from him when he was unable to sell it on her behalf.

We also heard from an alleged victim who said he was pleased to see the story being covered and is hopeful more potential victims may come forward.

If convicted, Winchell could face 12 years, four months in prison.

A man armed with a knife robbed a furniture store in Little Italy Friday morning, police said.

The robbery happened just before noon at the BoConcept San Diego furniture store, 1550 Front St., when the man and a woman entered the store. San Diego police said the man pointed a knife at an employee and demanded money.

The man and woman fled with an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

The man is described as in his 20s, having a heavy build, a military-type haircut and wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and blue jeans.

The woman is described as also in her 20s, standing 5 feet 6 inches, having a thin build, with blonde shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a red-and-white flower dress.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

The family of a woman seriously injured in an Ocean Beach hit-and-run crash is pleading for the public’s help finding the driver responsible.

The collision happened as Katie Connor, 23, rode her red bicycle on West Point Loma Boulevard toward Sunset Cliffs Boulevard at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

San Diego Police say a white pickup truck with a camper shell struck her and immediately took off.

Connor was rushed to the UCSD Hillcrest hospital for a major head injury.

Her uncle Michael McGinty said her part of her skull had to be removed because her brain is swollen. On Friday, Connor, a Pizza Port employee, underwent surgery.

Connor’s family released a picture of her Friday, hoping someone will recognize the bike, the victim or the vehicle involved and call police.

A new bombshell dropped Friday in the race for California’s 52nd Congressional District when both candidates confirmed a Carl DeMaio campaign strategy book, allegedly stolen during an office break-in, found its way into the hands of incumbent Scott Peters’ staff.

It is the latest revelation in an already ugly race peppered with attack ads and sexual harassment allegations.

The two had a chilly meeting Friday morning at a taping of NBC 7’s Politically Speaking, as DeMaio walked right by Peters’ hand outstretched for a handshake.

During the session, DeMaio discussed the burglary and vandalism at his campaign headquarters on May 28. Cords and cables were cut, water was poured over laptops and printers, computer screens were smashed in and one important item was taken: DeMaio’s campaign playbook.

The candidate confronted Peters about the book on “Politically Speaking.”

“And Mr. Peters, I just want to ask a very simple question. Did your campaign come into possession of our strategy book, all of our direct mail pieces in the last five months?” asked DeMaio.

Peters responded with: “In early June, information was forwarded to our campaign which we immediately turned over to the police.”

DeMaio pressed the issue, asking Peters why he did not let his opponent’s campaign know that he had seen DeMaio’s playbook all along.

“I’ve obviously never seen it,” said Peters. “We turned it directly over to the police within 24 hours of getting it because what was contained in it was potentially part of a criminal investigation.”

He added his campaign manager “looked at it enough to know what it was.”

On Friday evening, Peters' Communciation Director Alex Roth sent out the following statement about the revelation:

"To clarify, we do not know what a campaign playbook is; nor has our campaign ever received anything that could be characterized as 'a campaign playbook' as Mr. DeMaio called it. To reiterate, our campaign staff received information in early June that we immediately transmitted in its entirety to the police.This is nothing more than an attempt by Mr. DeMaio to divert attention away from the Filner-esque sexual harassment allegations that have been made against him.”

During the show's taping, Peters said he felt as if he had been cast as the perpetrator of the break-in, which was portrayed with Watergate-like overtones when it first happened.

DeMaio told his opponent he does not believe Peters had anything to do with the burglary.

Instead, he blames former aide Todd Bosnich.

Bosnich has publicly accused DeMaio of sexually harassing him while he worked for the former San Diego City Councilman, releasing the results of a polygraph test that he says support his claims.

Called the allegations “outrageous lies,” DeMaio said Bosnich is trying to get revenge for being fired as a suspect in the break-in.

However, the candidate said he will not take a polygraph exam to rebut Bosnich’s allegations.

CNN reports Bosnich's lawyers sent the news outlet the results to a second polygraph test Friday in which Bosnich was asked if he broke into the campaign headquarters last May. The test shows Bosnich's "no" answers were "truthful and found "no deception."

Bosnich confirmed the story to NBC 7 via text message.

DeMaio's spokesman David McCulloch defended the candidate, saying in a statement, "Both Carl DeMaio and Tommy Knepper — named in a series of vile smear attacks — have taken lie detector tests that have shown these smears are baseless. Meanwhile, Mr. Peters admitted on NBC7/39 this morning that his campaign received stolen property from our campaign — begging the question: who provided this sensitive campaign material?"  

You can watch the full DeMaio-Peters debate during the full half-hour edition of “Politically Speaking” on NBC 7 Sunday morning at 9 a.m., following “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd.

The first group of people exposed to Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to die from Ebola in the United States, will no longer be considered at risk for the Ebola virus at 12 a.m. Monday.

After three weeks of isolation or self-monitoring, 47 people -- including Duncan's fiancee Louise Troh, her 13-year-old son and two nephews --- will be cleared and allowed to go on with their lives.

Louise Troh's pastor tells NBC 5, while in quarantine the family has heard all the concerns about them and speculation about what they may have known about Duncan's condition.

Since being placed under quarantine, Troh and her family haven't really been able to address any of the public's concerns.

Wilshire Baptist Church Pastor Mark Wingfield says they've heard people blame them for the Ebola situation in Dallas, but say Duncan would never have knowingly come to the U.S. from Liberia risking the spread of infection or knowing he was infected.

"They got caught in this situation unbeknownst to them and it's not that they've done anything wrong and it's very hard to understand when you're in their shoes, why anyone out there would try to place blame on them or on Eric, who they firmly believe did not know he was infected," said Wingfield.

Wingfield told NBC 5 his real concern is for the family's safety.

"We are working feverishly to come up with an appropriate plan to assist them in coming out of quarantine and having a place to go and being secure and safe in getting somewhere and trying to find a way to reestablish their lives even though certainly things have dramatically changed," he said.

Wingfield says the family just wants to mourn their loss and find a place where they can resume their lives in peace.

"Due to the isolation and the quarantine, you have all these family members and a close network here of folks who just have not had proper time to grieve this loss," said Wingfield. "And then on top of it, they've been subjected to this trauma of this international crisis that they find themselves in the middle of, so it's certainly insult to injury."

Two nurses who treated Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital before his death on Oct. 8 are now being treated for Ebola.

A 34-year-old Tustin man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of lewd acts on children after allegedly luring underage boys on Craigslist.

Sherwin Ngo allegedly lured teenagers by posing as a female on Craigslist and offering sexual contact, according to the Irvine Police Department.

One of the victims was described as a 15-year-old boy from Irvine. Police said his mother found out about the incident when she found explicit emails on his tablet computer.

A 16-year-old boy from Mission Viejo was also identified as a victim in the case.

A search warrant of Ngo’s email account allegedly uncovered a “large number” of messages that led detectives to believe that there may be more victims. The investigation is ongoing.

Ngo was arrested at his workplace in Irvine, described as a “financial institution.” He was booked into the Orange County jail.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7200.

A Palmdale pimp who tattooed and sexually abused his human trafficking victims was sentenced Friday to 27 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said.

Bruce Gordon, 30, who went by the name “King Kong,” pleaded no contest Thursday to one count each of assault with a firearm, lewd act upon a child, sodomy by use of force and human trafficking to commit another crime, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

For seven years beginning in 2003, Gordon forced one victim under 14 years old into prostitution, during which time he also sexually abused her and “stamped” her with tattoos, including one that said “King Kong” above her eyebrow, officials said.

The victim was able to escape earlier this year by jumping out of a moving vehicle when Gordon brandished a handgun at her, authorities said.

Another human trafficking victim was kidnapped from Washington state and “purchased” by Gordon, who tattooed her forearms with pictures of large boxing gloves.

Gordon used boxing gloves to punch his victims in the stomach, according to the release.

Gordon also admitted this week to an allegation of multiple sex crime victims. He has a prior conviction from 2007 for having sex with a different minor who worked for him.

An LA County Superior Court judge has ordered that Gordon be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Riot crews were out in full force twice Saturday during a pumpkin festival near Keene State College in New Hampshire after an afternoon party got out of control and raucous crowds returned at night.

In the afternoon incident, at least 30 people were injured near Keene State College. Twenty people were transported to hospitals, according to Keene Fire Chief Mark Howard, who said that injuries appeared to be minor at this time.

At that same time, there had been about 12 arrests.

Just before 10 p.m., fires were lit and police unloaded tear gas into another crowd that gathered.

Nashua Police was called in to assist Keene Police. Their Special Response Team has been activated.

Most of the injuries during the day were caused by people getting hit by objects, including bottles.

The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. at a party near the intersection of Winchester Court and Winchester Street, adjacent to the school's campus.

A large police and fire presence remained at the scene through the afternoon. The city, which already had four times the ordinary number of first responders on for the event, had to call in even more reinforcements.

"We have several resources here, but yes, it was well beyond a normal response," said Howard.

Bystanders describe the chaos as police tried to control the unruly crowd.

"They just started walking on the street, with, like, mace, tear gas and these rubber bullets," said one witness.

"I think this year, it was not as bad as last year, but I think the police are being much more aggressive," said another. "I think the pepper spray was a little much - rubber bullets were a little much.

Howard says officials are looking out for the safety of the community and will remain in the area all night.

"I was in Keene this afternoon and met with our public safety officials and visited the medical tent and other volunteers," wrote Gov. Maggie Hassan in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any assistance necessary to Keene."

According to the school, the large number of visitors to the Pumpkin Festival contributed to the incident.

"One large assembly on Winchester Street drew multiple responses from Keene Police on Saturday afternoon. The college is not able to report on injuries or arrests," said Keene State College in a statement. "These incidents do involve Keene State students, and also visitors to Keene."

The school added that it is communicating with current students and their parents.

"I am saddened and disheartened at the events surrounding this year's Keene Pumpkin Festival," said Keene State College President Anne Huot in a statement Saturday night. "Despite the concerted efforts of organizers, city officials, police, and Keene State College, there continued to be disruptive behavior at parties in multiple locations around the city, injuries, and property damage."

Huot said that the school intends to hold the students who "played a part in this behavior."

"This is an issue that we can only solve together and we, at Keene State College, are eager to renew in earnest the conversation that leads to meaningful change," she said.

According to Keene State College, off-campus incidents occurred Friday but subsided overnight.

NECN will have more as this story develops.

While there are countless unknowns and mysteries still associated with the Ebola virus and its effects on human beings, the reality is that scientists have been studying it for years and now know more about the illness than ever before. However, that’s certainly not the case when it comes to the virus’ impact on dogs – virtually nothing is known.

So, can dogs be carriers of or get Ebola? If they can get infected with the virus, are they contagious to humans and/or other animals? And, should we treat dogs exposed to Ebola like humans and quarantine them?

"All of these are open research questions that don’t have very easy answers. We don't know what role the virus actually plays in dogs," said Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The issue of Ebola and dogs came to the forefront this week after it was revealed that one of the Dallas nurses infected with Ebola may have exposed her dog, Bentley, to the virus as well.

A similar situation unfolded in Spain earlier this month where officials decided to euthanize the dog. However, in Dallas, authorities decided to quarantine the dog and see if he could be cared back to health.

The problem is that so little is known about canines and the virus.

To date, there’s only been one major study on Ebola and dogs. After a 2001 outbreak in Gabon, scientists tested more than 300 dogs and that as many as 25% formed antibodies to the virus, though, none actually showed symptoms of Ebola. However, researchers did conclude the following in the Gabon study: "Given the frequency of contact between humans and domestic dogs, canine Ebola infection must be considered as a potential risk factor for human infection and virus spread. Human infection could occur through licking, biting or grooming."

And, Dallas Health officials say they’re acting with caution.

"Bentley is being crated during his stay because he does have to be confined, because this is a public health situation," explained Jody Jones of Dallas Animal Services Commission.

Many scientists said they hope Bentley will provide some answers about the impact of Ebola in dogs.

Dr. Adalja is among them: “In this opportunity that we have in Dallas... I would hope that they would take some samples of the dog’s saliva, for example, and the dog’s urine and maybe the dog's stool and some blood, in order to know at what the virus is doing. We need to use this as an opportunity for research."

Your family may go all out with Halloween decorations, but probably nothing like Caleb Serban-Lawler’s.

Every Halloween for the past six years, the Sabre Springs family has transformed its backyard into a land of horrors that rivals any commercial haunted house.

“We spend almost all the month of October working on it,” said Caleb, 14.

Last year, Caleb decided to take the annual Halloween tradition to the next level.

“My (tumbling) coach’s mom just passed from breast cancer just as I was trying to decide what theme we were going to go for this year with the haunted house,” Caleb said.

That’s how Haunt for a Cure was born.

In 2013, some 500 people visited Caleb’s haunted backyard and donated $3,400 for breast cancer research.

This year’s haunted house will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1 at 13479 Cool Lake Way in Sabre Springs. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

The Carlsbad man who held the U.S. record for fastest mile for more than two decades is suffering from prostate cancer, according to Scripps Health. 

Steve Scott, 58, made the announcement Saturday at the Cougar Challenge cross country meet at Cal State University San Marcos.

The three-time Olympian is currently head coach of the cross country team and track and field team at CSUSM.

Between 1982 and 2007, Scott held the record for fastest mile among American men at 3 minutes 47 seconds.

About one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.
 

A Delaware man is dead after he was impaled by a tow hook that crashed through the windshield of a tractor trailer.

On Saturday around 8:45 a.m., George Lynam Jr., 66, of Middletown, Delaware was behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer fully loaded with corn that was stuck in a muddy field on the north side of Marl Pit Road in Middletown.

Robert Baker, 64, of Odessa, tried to tow the tractor-trailer out of the mud by using a farm tractor attached to a grain hopper.

As the tractor trailer was being pulled from the muddy field, the tow hook broke loose off the back of the grain hopper and was propelled through the driver’s side window, striking Lynam in the upper torso.

Lynam was taken to the Christiana Hospital Trauma Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Baker wasn’t hurt during the incident.

A New Jersey grocery store owner was arrested for allegedly selling heroin out of his business.

State Police raided the Stop and Save Market on Main Street in Pleasantville, New Jersey Friday afternoon. Authorities told NBC10 they began investigating the store about three weeks ago. Using drug-sniffing dogs, police found 400 bags of heroin and a large amount of cash, according to investigators.

“It was an open-air narcotic market going on from inside the store,” said Pleasantville Police Captain Rocky Melendez. “He wasn’t really concealing the fact that it was right over the counter.”

The store’s owner, 29-year-old Kamran Khalid, was arrested and charged with possession and distribution within a school zone and other related offenses, according to police.

“I was over there last week getting some items for dinner and I had no idea that that was going on,” said James Owens of Pleasantville.

Pleasantville is in the process of revitalizing and cleaning up its downtown area. Officials told NBC10 they conducted the heroin bust in the middle of the day in order to send a message.

“This is about show and tell,” said Pleasantville Mayor Jesse Tweedle, Sr. “We show better than we tell. Now they see that we’re for real.”

The Stop and Save Market was shut down and the city plans to revoke its business license.