MISSING MOM AMBER ELKINS' BODY ID'D

THE SEARCH for missing mom Amber Elkins reached a tragic conclusion yesterday, when forensics teams identified her body yesterday.
The 20-year-old vanished on July 24 and cops have charged her boyfriend James David “JD” Clarke, with her murder after a huge amount of blood was found on her abandoned green pickup truck.
According to investigators, he did not help them find the body, of the woman he'd been dating for just over a month.
Instead members of the Texas Equusearch Church her corpse which had been dumped in a wooded area near her home in Humble.
 On Monday, the medical examiner positively identified the body as Amber Chantel Elkins and ruled the cause of death to be homicide.

According to Harris County District Clerk records, Clarke did not request an attorney at his first court appearance Monday, and no attorney is listed.
He is being held on a $250,000 bond and his arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 12 The Courier reports.
Elkins’ family meanwhile, has set up a memorial fund, according to a family friend, for donations for services, while any additional funds will be put in a trust fund for Elkins’ 9-month-old daughter Ava.
They can be made at Wells Fargo or Wachovia Bank locations under the Amber Elkins Memorial Fund, account number 9740341004.

MEDICAL EXAMINER: CAYLEE ANTHONY 'WAS HOMICIDE'

IN HAPPIER TIMES

TRAGIC tot Caylee Anthony was definitely murdered, but it is impossible to say how Orange County's Chief Medical Examiner told the court in party mom Casey Anthony's murder trial.   
Dr. Jan Garavaglia told the rapt jury she had concluded that the two-year-old's death was a homicide because of three factors.
First, Caylee was not reported missing because she thought an accidental death, such as drowning, would have been reported.
Second, the fact that  Caylee's body was hidden, and finally, the presence of duct tape on Caylee's face led her to believe the tot was definitely murdered, but she could not say how the tot had died.
She said: "It's very difficult, when the body is that decomposed, to say why they died," she said, reports the station."
She added there was no noticeable trauma to Caylee's bones, but it is impossible to know if there was trauma to her tissue.
The trial continues.

MISSING2: MICHELLE LE CASE RECLASSIFIED A HOMICIDE

THE FAMILY of a California nursing student who vanished 11 days ago are praying for her return--even though cops fear she's dead. Michelle Le, 26, was last seen leaving a Hayward, Calif. hospital May 27--her car was later found locked blocks away. Forensics have forced detectives to classify the case as a homicide, including surveillance, cell phone records and evidence garnered via search warrants. But her family is not having it.
Her father Son Le said: "To us, if you call something murder case, you have to have a body." He added the family has been kept in the dark regarding the probe.
So far police have questioned more than 25 people and identified several persons of interest, but so far no arrests have been made. Le's family is offering a $65,000 reward for information leading to her return. Relatives plan to keep distributing fliers in the neighborhood where Le went missing, Son Le said. He added: "There's still a lot more work that needs to be done. Please do not give up hope, because we know we still believe she is alive."

WHERE IS MICHELLE LE?

MILITARY LINK IN MYSTERY OF DEAD MAINE BOY?

IS THERE a military link to the tragic death of a young boy in Maine? The unidentified blonde child's body was found on a remote road on Saturday. So far cops have ruled the death as suspicious but add he seemed well cared for. Now, they're seeking the help of Naval Criminal Investigative Service to help ID the child.



An eyewitness who spotted a woman driving a blue Toyota Tacoma in the area the day the boy's body was found said she saw a Navy insignia embossed in or around the truck's license plate.
MORE ON THE MYSTERY FROM ABC