The story of ‘Baby Kevin’

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babykevinAbout a year ago I read a story by Sheryl James, formerly with the St. Pete Times, who wrote about a baby thrown in a dumpster and left for dead in a local suburb. The story covered the child’s recovery and the court case that ensued after authorities found his birth mother. You can read Sheryl’s story here.

Shery’s story went on to win the Pulizter for features. And when I read it, I latched onto a bit about another abandoned infant found in Naples in 1988. I spent about a year periodically digging until I found the boy. He’s 27 now, and the story I wrote for Sunday’s Mother’s Day edition details his own abandonment and adoption.

It’s probably the piece I’m most proud of from the past year or so. And the family was great to work with. Check out the story here.

Photos by Luke Franke and Calvin Mattheis.

Students delve into 30-year cold case

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I heard about students from our local university going up to help a sheriff’s office in another county crack a 30-year-old cold case. Six students in a forensic anthropology class at Florida Gulf Coast University went to Martin County to help authorities unearth the remains of two unidentified infants.

One of the children is Baby Moses, a child who was thrown into the river and drowned the day he was born. Authorities later buried the child in an unmarked grave. When the case was reopened this fall, detectives decided they needed to exhume Baby Moses to collect potential DNA evidence.

The story I got to write took a look at the cold case itself as well as the graduate program at FGCU. What these students do is so neat and to be able to practice it first hand as a student is even cooler. I’m really happy with how this centerpiece turned out.

Cold case cracked 25 years later

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On Friday, we got a press release about a woman whose body was found in the Everglades back in 1990. For 25 years she went unidentified as the victim of a homicide. Then this summer, forensics experts in Texas matched her DNA to that of a woman whose mother went missing around the same time.

The Aug. 1, 2015 issue of the Naples Daily News.

The Aug. 1, 2015 issue of the Naples Daily News.

The story I wrote for Saturday’s paper details the gruesome discovery of the body by a group of prison workers who were repairing a road through Big Cypress National Preserve that day in August when they discovered the woman.

The woman, Patricia Minnis, was reported missing from Turlock, California in 1992. I wasn’t able to contact any surviving family members, but I did interview ones of the former prisoners who found her body that day. It made for a compelling lead.

Deputies here say they have a person of interest in the case but no arrests have been made.

Our writers group

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A couple of months ago, I started a writing blog along with fellow reporter Jessica Lipscomb.

Each week, a group of Naples Daily News reporters meets to talk about how a reporter pulled off a story that we read and liked. Hence the name of our blog: storieswereadandliked.com.

Jessica and I take turns interviewing the journalists behind the stories for more insight into how they reported and wrote each piece. Often, the stories are narrative or long-form, but we’ve also looked at daily stories and columns.

So far the group has been pretty productive, and the blog is our way of sharing what we discuss for those who can’t attend in person. Check it out!

New radio segment

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been recording a two-minute radio spot to be used on B103.9’s internet radio station.

This week, I started a new weekly spot for Fox News 92.5. Each Thursday at 7:38 a.m., I’ll call in to the local radio station to give an update of Collier County news and the biggest stories we’ve had that week.

This is a podcast of the first recording.

Transgender preteen faces hurdles

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I spent a few months with photographer Dania Maxwell checking in on a Lehigh Acres family whose daughter just started attending school as a girl. We wrote about Dee-Vyne Valentine’s transition from Dante Valentine and explored what the future will look like for this young girl, who also has learning disabilities.

I hope we’ve brought some awareness to the issue locally and that by publishing a story like this, we can pave the way as a society for other girls like Dee.

Dee-Vyne "Dee" Valentine, 11, plays in the backyard of her home on October 18, 2014, in Lehigh Acres, Fla. "Judge(s) should make rulings about letting me in the girlsÕ locker room and the girlsÕ bathroom because I'm a girl," Dee said. Photo by Dania Maxwell

Dee-Vyne “Dee” Valentine, 11, plays in the backyard of her home on October 18, 2014, in Lehigh Acres, Fla. “Judge(s) should make rulings about letting me in the girls’ locker room and the girls’ bathroom because I’m a girl,” Dee said. Photo by Dania Maxwell