Mother, daughter hit by driver
One succumbs
ACTON—9-year-old Acton girl was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, after a vehicle struck her and her mother, killing the woman, authorities said.
Missy Durnell, 43, identified by the California Highway Patrol this morning, died at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster.
The crash was reported at 8:13 p.m. Monday on Antelope Woods Road near Crown Valley Road and the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Durnell and her two daughters were walking south on Antelope Woods, when she and her 9-year-old daughter were hit by a silver Toyota Scion xB, a CHP investigator said in a statement.
Durnell’s other daughter was not injured.
The driver of the Scion—identified by the CHP as 22-year-old Angela Hubb—stopped, reported the crash and waited for authorities, CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said.
Hubb, of Acton, was not arrested, but the Scion was impounded for evidence, Kimball said.
The 9-year-old girl was flown to Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, Dispatch Supervisor Ed Pickett of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
BOYLE HEIGHTS, Calif.—The father of a 27-year-old woman rescued from a fiery crash that killed her 9-year-old daughter said that he expects his wife will walk out of the hospital, despite her being hospitalized in critical condition with burns over 80 percent of her body.
Rodney Taylor, the husband of aspiring singer Gilani Taylor, told a news conference at County-USC Medical Center where his wife was hospitalized, “I lost my baby girl... just her smile—you’ve seen the pictures—got me going.”
LANCASTER, Calif.—A Quartz Hill woman convicted of murder and other charges in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, whom she initially claimed was taken from her in a violent kidnapping, is facing a 25-year-to-life prison term.
Stacey Marie Barker, now 26, is set to be sentenced June 17 by Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky for the March 18, 2009, slaying of her daughter, Emma.
Mom’s smiles can brighten any moment,
Mom’s hugs put joy in all our days,
Mom’s love will stay with us forever
and touch our lives in precious ways...
The values you’ve taught,
the care you’ve given,
and the wonderful love you’ve shown,
have enriched my life
in more ways than I can count.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A fire inside the attic of a one-story strip mall in South Los Angeles this morning damaged two businesses, but didn't hurt anybody, according to fire officials.
Firefighters responded to 8712 Western Avenue at 3:56 a.m., said fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey. They discovered heavy smoke coming from a liquor store at the north end of a six-tenant row of businesses.
The fire, in a common attic, was put out in about 35 minutes by 119 firefighters, Humphrey said.
COMPTON, Calif.—Sheriff’s homicide detectives today continued to investigate a “suspicious” fire at a two-story home in an unincorporated area near Compton that took the life of a 3-year-old boy.
The fire at 835 E. Lennon St. in the Rosewood section of the county east of Compton broke out around 4:30 p.m. Thursday and was brought under control at 5:11 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Damage was estimated at about $250,000.
Ivan Buggs died at a hospital, said coroner’s Chief Craig Harvey.
