Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Regional

Bailey Blunt. Photo courtesy of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in the Bailey Blunt missing person investigation.

Blunt was reported missing to Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 25, 2023.

She was last seen on Sept. 22, 2023, when she reportedly went to retrieve her belongings from a location off Berg Road and State Route 299, where she had been staying with her ex-boyfriend Tyler Burrow.

Since law enforcement’s first response to investigate Blunt’s disappearance, multiple searches of the Berg Road property were conducted, including the use of highly specialized K-9 teams and ground searchers without success.

Blunt has not utilized any credit cards or contacted any of her loved ones since the disappearance a year ago, authorities said.

Interviews have been conducted by investigators with more than 30 individuals, including Tyler Burrow. Search warrants have been issued and served on vehicles, properties, cellular phones and electronic records as part of the ongoing investigation, the sheriff’s office reported.

Tips received throughout the investigation have led to thorough searches of locations in Humboldt and Trinity Counties, and Oregon.

At this point, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has followed up on all possible leads and is requesting the public’s help in this investigation. Investigators believe there are people in this community that know what happened to Blunt.

Blunt is 29 years old and described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

She has a tattoo of a trident on her neck and a fishing hook on her left hand.

If anyone has any information, please contact Investigator Jennifer Taylor with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division.

To make an anonymous crime tip please call 707-268-2539 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina, Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli on Wednesday announced the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program provided an investigative lead that has led to the arrest of 75-year-old Michael Eugene Mullen for the brutal 1973 rape and murder of a young woman who lived in San Rafael with her husband and two-year-old daughter.

“I am incredibly proud of the endless hours of behind the scenes work our Bureau of Forensic Services put into this case,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are hopeful that this arrest will bring justice and closure to this devastating case. Thank you to our partners at Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. This arrest proves that when we work together, we get results.”

In 2021, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office sought assistance from the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program to generate new leads in the cold case of Nina Fischer.

Fischer had been sexually assaulted and murdered in her San Rafael home in November 1973, while her husband was at work.

The Familial Search Program worked for several months and provided a lead. This led to a three-year investigation and identified Michael Eugene Mullen from Idaho as the suspect.

On Aug. 14, 2024, Mullen was arrested by Marin County investigators, along with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police.

He was taken to Lemhi County Jail and is now awaiting extradition to California for prosecution that will be handled by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.

DOJ's Familial Search Program compares DNA from unsolved serious crimes against California’s Convicted Offender DNA Database to identify potential relatives of perpetrators.

If a potential relative is identified, and if additional investigation by DOJ’s Bureau of Investigation supports the genetic information, an investigative lead is provided to law enforcement.

DOJ’s Familial Search Program has provided investigative leads in 30 different cases since the genesis of the program in 2008.

The program uses technology and comparison data that is distinct from Forensic Investigated Genetic Genealogy.

The Familial Search Program is one of many programs within DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services, or BFS.

BFS is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art accredited laboratory system servicing 46 of the state's 58 counties.

BFS operates 10 regional crime laboratories for which forensic scientists collect, analyze, interpret, and compare physical evidence from suspected crimes.

DNA casework analysis is performed at the Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory in Richmond, as well as regional laboratories located in Ripon, Fresno, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento and Santa Barbara.

The Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory also houses the DNA Databank, Missing Persons DNA Program, Method Development, and the aforementioned Familial Searching program. BFS services are provided at no cost to law enforcement agencies in the 46 counties.

Cows at three California dairies located in the Central Valley have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

When herds began showing clinical signs consistent with HPAI on August 25, 2024, the dairy owners worked with their veterinarians and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, to submit samples to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory network for preliminary determination.

The samples were then submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, where the test results were confirmed on Friday.

No human cases of HPAI have been confirmed in California related to this incident. The California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, is working in collaboration with CDFA and will work with local health departments to monitor any individuals who may be exposed to infected animals to ensure prompt clinical and public health interventions, and CDPH would provide official confirmation of any human cases associated with this incident.

“We have been preparing for this possibility since earlier this year when HPAI detections were confirmed at dairy farms in other states,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Our extensive experience with HPAI in poultry has given us ample preparation and expertise to address this incident, with workers’ health and public health as our top priorities. This is a tough time for our dairy farmers given the economic challenges they’re facing in a dynamic market, so I want to assure them that we are approaching this incident with the utmost urgency.”

According to CDPH and the Centers for Disease Control, this influenza virus is not considered a significant public health threat and the risk to humans is considered low. The primary concern is for dairy workers who come into close contact with infected dairy cows. As we have learned from recent cases in other states, these workers may be at risk of contracting avian influenza. Public health officials have experience working with agricultural partners and supporting farm workers working with infected poultry to prevent and monitor for infection.

CDPH recommends that PPE  (masks, gloves, caps, face shields, and safety goggles) be worn by farm workers and emergency responders when working with animals or materials that are infected or potentially infected with avian influenza.

Earlier this summer, CDPH supported a one-time distribution of protective equipment for dairy farm workers and others handling raw dairy products, as well as for slaughterhouse and commercial poultry farmworkers. CDPH will continue to support dairies with confirmed positive cases with PPE.

Furthermore, affected farms can take advantage of a USDA grant that provides financial support for producers that supply PPE to employees. The CDC has confirmed four human cases of HPAI in dairy workers in other states since April 2024: one each in Texas and Colorado, and two in Michigan.

CDFA is working with public health officials and dairy owners to inform and monitor workers at affected dairies in California, and to assist the dairies with education and resources to protect their workers, including providing PPE.

For CDC guidance for employees and employers, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/avianflu/protect-yourself-h5n1.pdf.

California’s supply of milk and dairy foods is safe and has not been impacted by these events. As a precaution, and according to longstanding state and federal requirements, milk from sick cows is not permitted in the public milk supply. Also, pasteurization of milk is fully effective at inactivating the virus, so there is no cause for concern for consumers from milk or dairy products. Pasteurized milk and dairy items, as well as properly handled meat and eggs, continue to be safe to consume.

The affected dairies have been placed under quarantine on the authority of CDFA’s State Veterinarian, and enhanced biosecurity measures are in place. Sick cows are isolated and are being treated at the dairies; and healthy cows have been cleared to continue shipping milk for pasteurization.

Animal movement is being tracked and evaluated, as are other potential introduction pathways. Additional testing will be prioritized according to epidemiologic risk.

Background on HPAI in California

The HPAI virus has been detected in wild birds in the U.S. since 2022, with occasional transmission into domestic poultry or wild mammals in almost all states, including California. In March, 2024, the first US detection in cattle was confirmed in Texas, most likely due to a single spillover event from wild birds. Since that time, the USDA has linked new detections in cattle to the interstate and regional movement of infected or contaminated livestock, people and equipment.

CDFA has been engaged for years with an extensive network of private veterinarians, farmers and ranchers, backyard bird enthusiasts, and local, state and federal partners to actively monitor for this disease in livestock and poultry throughout California.

The department has taken steps to reduce the risk of entry of infected dairy cattle into the state, has extensive experience responding quickly and effectively to past detections of HPAI in poultry, and is fully prepared to respond to detections in cattle.

Most infected livestock and dairy cattle fully recover from an HPAI infection within a few weeks.

No California domestic poultry flocks are affected by the current incident. Avian influenza viruses continue to circulate normally among migratory and wild birds. Monitoring of both wild and domestic bird populations is performed on a continuous basis by multiple public agencies, as well as farmers and ranchers and private bird owners.

For the most up-to-date information regarding highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock in California, please visit CDFA - AHFSS - AHB - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 Virus in Livestock.

The Park fire. Image courtesy of Cal Fire.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — A fire that began Wednesday afternoon in Chico’s Bidwell Park has burned thousands of acres and prompted calls for evacuations in Butte and Tehama counties.

The Park fire began just before 3 p.m. Wednesday off Upper Park Road in Upper Bidwell Park, east of Chico, and has burned north toward Cohasset and Richardson Springs.

By Wednesday night, Cal Fire said the Park fire had burned 6,465 acres, with containment at 3%.

Cal Fire said the incident is under unified command with the city of Chico Fire Department as this incident started in Bidwell Park, a “mutual threat zone” area of Butte County.

Officials said the fire is well established, with fire personnel focusing on evacuations and structure defense while concurrently building direct containment lines utilizing bulldozers, fire crews and fire engines.

More resources have been ordered and are inbound from various areas throughout Northern California.

As of Thursday night, resources assigned included 216 personnel, five helicopters — including three that were working overnight — as well as 24 engines, eight dozers, six water tenders, six crews and 17 other assigned resources.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.


The Park fire evacuation zone around Chico, California. Courtesy image.


The Park fire evacuation zone in Tehama County, California. Courtesy image.

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