this is bbc news. the headlines: after a chinese observation balloon was detected over the united states, a second has been reported — this time over latin america. earlier, the us secretary of state said china was acting irresponsibly and violating international law. antony blinken has cancelled a planned visit to beijing this weekend. ajury in the united states has found elon musk not guilty of fraud over a tweet. mr musk was being sued by tesla shareholders who claim they lost billions of dollars after he tweeted he was taking the company back into private ownership. pope francis is in south sudan, the latest stop on what the vatican is calling a pilgrimage of peace. he was joined by the leaders of the churches of england and scotland.

together, they're seeking to promote reconciliation in a largely christian country that's been ravaged by tribal conflict. now on bbc news, our world: jessica and austin — when murder goes viral. injune 2020, three friends found a suitcase washed up on a beach, accidentally defining the story of a murdered couple. wait, open it. laughter open it. as the videos went viral, people started speculating — the clicks and shares complicating the investigation. it might even be linked - to a network of serial killers in the dark web. this is where they found the two suitcases. they're notjust entertainment. and theories on social media impacted what would end up being a two—year trial and changed the lives of two families.

it's not suitcases that washed up. it was my son and it wasjessica. they were human beings. when your loved one's death has gone viral, how do you remember their life before the headlines? my name's gina jaschke, and jessica lewis is my niece. she wasjust, like, angelic. she had the brightest blonde hair and she was just gorgeous. what was she sort of into? like, was she into books, was she into sports? she was into mud. she was a very outdoor kind of kid. they lived out in the country.

and jessie was always playing outside, playing with bugs and nature. and, yeah, it was... it was a great life. he was a little dickens sometimes, always wanting to get out of the house. we had to put lots of locks on the front door so he couldn't escape. but he'd always like to be outside and playing underneath the rhododendron, with the dirt and his cars. and he had a belly laugh that was contagious. he did do some football injunior high. he did baseball when he was young and he did some soccer. and they called him thunder foot because he could kick from one goal to the next goal. she wasn't able to be a teenager very long because we got the news that she was going to have a baby. and it was kind of a big shock to all of us in the family because of how young she was.

she was a natural. she was always taking care of people and animals and babies. and she met this guy and his name was austin, and she was head over heels over this boy. austin and jessica met in auburn. there was a garage sale going on in the neighbourhood and somebody was bothering her, and so he stepped in to help her out. and then theyjust became friends from then, and then they ended up living together. theyjust did everything together. they did everything together. and some of it wasn't so good. and, you know, they had the struggles with their drug use. meth is such a trickster. it's the most trickster drug out there.

i'm really impressed withjessie, though, because a lot of times, these drugs will take away people's souls. you know, they'll take away their moral compass. she was just trying to get back on track somehow. after living in a van for some time, they both got help for their addictions. in 2019, the couple moved in with a man introduced to them by a relative. so they were living at mike dudley's house. we had to get permission to go visit. it didn't look scary, but it was definitely very controlled. and so they were trying to move. so this was the voicemail from him on mother's day, may 10th, 2020 at 7:04pm.

happy mother's day, mom. give me a call. i love you. so i listen to it more than just on mother's day now. whenever i need to hear his voice, this is what i go to. so, yeah, very thankful that i have that. 0n the 19th ofjune 2020, three friends are using an app, popular at the time, that sends you on a random journey. they're led to a pier in west seattle and notice a suitcase on the rocks. the friends film what they find. distorted voices and laughter bro! wait, open it. laughter open it! sweet. it stinks, y'all. it washed up. a couple of hours later,

the police arrive and cordon off the scene. later, they confirm the bags contain dismembered human remains wrapped in plastic. the three friends then edit and post their videos on tiktok, which quickly go viral. within days, there are thousands of comments on the clips and other people begin uploading their own videos about the discovery. these tiktokers - accidentally found a body. i was at my boyfriend's house at the time, and the news came on about these kids that had found suitcases down at alki with... they believed that there were bodies in them. and i said, "turn this off, turn this off. "i don't want to watch this kind of stuff. "turn it off, turn it off." i told you guys this i was about to get wild. this true crime case

puts me off copying any tiktok viral trends. there's been an app going viral for all the wrong reasons, - and people have been warning against using this app. - i went to tiktok and saw it. and i knew... ..i knewjessie�*s kids were seeing it, too. i knew they were seeing it, too. this is where they found the two suitcases. so after a group of teens found a dead body through this app, i i thought it'd be a good idea to download it. - we're doing a video about it. it'll be on my youtube channel. make sure you check it out. not knowing... not knowing that that was my own son. even then, i didn't want to see it. i didn't really know that anything had happened until the police showed up at my door. and i didn't know that that's why they were showing up at my door either. i had no idea why

they were there. some breaking news. seattle police are investigating after several bags filled with human remains were found near the water... theories as to how they ended up there run amok. the most dangerous app in the app store. it might even be linked to a network of serial killers in the dark web. #fyp, #viral... it was here they - discovered a suitcase... overlapping voices let's dive in. i'm shocked how many stories there are of it. if you go to youtube, there's. .. everybody�*s talking about it. itjust takes one piece of misinformation and there's a domino effect. multiple bags were found in the waters around seattle. not all ofjessica and austin's remains were recovered.

after the police publicly identified the couple, the families tried to get the videos and any copies removed from tiktok. i would beg them like, "look, you know, please take it down." you know, "their identities have been revealed now. "there's no need to keep it up. "there's no need to keep that up there like that, man." it's like, you know, everybody saw it, ok? that was just like a slap in the face to us. it was plastered everywhere. i tried emailing them. i tried calling them. and when i was reading what their rules were regarding videos, it says that they will not show anything that is disturbing. well, i'm sorry. this is disturbing. it was disturbing to me. it's disturbing to people who don't even know them. my niece's friends were seeing this and it traumatised people. tiktok said the videos didn't show excessive graphic content

and therefore hadn't breached their guidelines. they're not just bags. they're not smelly bags. they're not, you know, drug addicts who had it coming to them. they're notjust entertainment. although it isn't clear by who, the original uploaders or tiktok, the videos are removed in late august 2020, ten weeks after the murders. michael dudley, jessica and austin's landlord, has been arrested. no—one knew the couple had died until ten days after their murder, when a group of teens discovered a suitcase washed up on the shores of alki beach and posted a video of their discovery on tiktok. the suspect accused of murdering them is 62—year—old michael dudley. and new court documents say the couple was renting a room

inside this house you see behind me. and apparently at least part of the conflict was over rent. we're also learning the night of the shooting, a neighbour heard gunshots from inside the house and someone yelling, "please don't do this, just let me leave." this is the matter of state of washington versus michael lee dudley. mr dudley, you are charged in count one with murder in the second degree, that you did cause the death ofjessica d lewis, who died on or aboutjune 9th, 2020, that you did cause the death of austin wenner, who died on or about june 9th, 2020. as preparations for the trial begin, people trawl through the life of michael dudley, but also jessica and austin. i was afraid. we put up no trespassing signs. i was trying to protect jessica's son from being able, you know, because i didn't know how much media was going

to show up. i didn't know if they were going to figure it out. i have a different last name than austin. so i didn't know how long it was going to take them to find me. i knew austin's parents were very upset with the media. you know, theyjust didn't want to say anything. they were busy mourning and rightfully so. they should have been able to have their peace at that time. you know? everybodyjust kept saying, you know, "these suitcases." "these suitcases washed up." and it's like, you know what? they're more than suitcases. that's not suitcases that washed up. it was my son. it was my son and it wasjessica. and theyjust kept calling it "the suitcases", "the suitcases", and it was making me so mad. there's real people behind these stories. and that's why i'm talking today, is because i want other people who watch these videos and who watch these things

to realise there is family connected to them. they were more than suitcases. they were human beings that didn't deserve this. at the start of the investigation, police don't have a lot to go on besides the remains ofjessica and austin. there is no crime scene that reflects how the bodies were found. no weapon has been located and the motive is unclear. family and friends of the couple are looking for clues, relaying information they've heard from social media that investigators dismiss as rumours. gina is trying to find some answers. seeing my brother, the look on his face and his voice on the phone, is something that breaks my heart. and i had to find out what happened to his daughter. i had to do something to try to help him.

when dudley was arrested in august 2020 and his property searched, police found that austin and jessica's room had recently been redecorated. they also discovered rounds matching dudley�*s gun embedded in the drywall. bullet strikes marked the bedside table and bed frame, and a smear of blood was found. what was going through my mind every night was that i could see myself going over there, because it was right down the street from me. and i saw myself going over there and walking up his driveway and confronting him... ..to tell him, "i know you did it." two years after the murder,

the trial finally begins. the prosecution admit the trail of clues is complicated and not easy to follow. on 9june 2020, this man, michael dudley, shot and killed austin wenner and jessica lewis. then, in an attempt to avoid detection for what he had done, he dismembered their bodies, put their pieces into garbage bags, and stuffed those garbage bags into suitcases and a duffle bag. at times, you may be confused and uncertain of the purpose of any detail, or testimony or exhibit. but the state assures you that the trail will lead you to one person, and one person alone, as the killer —

you to one person, and one mr dudley. michael dudley�*s defence lawyers said the few witnesses in the case were unreliable, the police were under pressure due to social media interest... there was a live—streamed tiktok video, and that led to further global headlines. ..and that investigators were unable to find any conclusive forensic evidence consistent with dismemberment. you'll hear how they went through these rooms, swabbing drains, combing through beds, walls, floors and anything else that might have some sort of dna evidence linking my client, mr dudley, to this crime, coming up with nothing. there might not be direct evidence, but there was a large amount of circumstantial evidence pointing to dudley, like the 911 calls made by his neighbours on the evening of the 9th ofjune 2020. the first was at 7:15.

ten minutes later, they called again. when the police went to his home, michael dudley didn't answer the door, despite later admitting to officers he was in. please raise your hand. right hand. do you swear and affirm any evidence you provide in this| matter will be the truth, - the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? the teenagers who found the suitcases have never spoken publicly, but in court, they had to testify about what happened that

afternoon on alki beach. do you recall when you posted that video? and when was that? right, so i guess my point is, you knew at that point it was definitely human remains you found? parts of michael dudley�*s interview with the police are played in court. so technically, to bring you in here, you're under arrest. for what? for the... related to their death. investigation of homicide. are you out of your mind? you're saying i killed them? well, that's what i want

to talk to you about. if you didn't do it, then... i didn't do it. ok. they're my friends. ok, then. he never testifies or provides an alibi. the trial lasts five weeks before the jury are sent to deliberate. alki beach has become a place to remember the couple. the beach is somewhere that i love to be. i was afraid that, you know, that it was going to be tainted now by death. god brought my son and jessica back to us in a place of beauty. it's a miracle that they were found. charleen comes here to prepare herself for the outcome of the trial and to be close to her son, austin, and jessica. austin had a good heart.

he's always had friends. even with his struggles, he still cared about other people. none of us really have a normal life. but they had ambitions. they had dreams. they hoped the trial would bring more about what happened to light. but with the lack of evidence, some things might never be known. nothing's going to bring back my son. and i know he is in heaven now. i know he's no longer suffering. and i pray that he didn't suffer that day. i don't know what questions i have. ijust know i don't have the answers. and i probably never will. please be seated, everyone. juror number eight,

are you the foreperson? more than two years afterjessica and austin were killed, the case comes to a close. the jury return after two days of deliberation, examining the trail of evidence that led officers to the couple's landlord. we, the jury, find the _ defendant, michael lee dudley, guilty of the crime of murder. in the second degree as charged in count one. we, the jury, find the _ defendant, michael lee dudley, guilty of the crime of murder. in the second degree as charged in count two. now we can reform. now we can start to heal. ourfamilies have gotten brought together, ours and austin's family. sometimes tragedies like this would rip families apart, but it only brought ours stronger. we kept one focus — whatjessica and austin would want. but austin and jessica's lives will always be linked with the tiktok videos made

by henry and his friends. you don't think about, when you post things on social media, how many people it could be hurting. and, you know, ithink he learned his lesson about that. i hope he did. but, really, if it wasn't for them, more of my son would have been lost. while the trial may be over, their deaths are still being used as content by others. we have an update in - the tiktok randonautica viral suitcase murder case...

hello there. it's going to be a weekend of two halves, weather—wise. the weekend starts off with a lot of cloud and a mild feel, just as we've had over the last couple of days, but the second half of the weekend will look and feel quite different. it will be mostly sunny, the skies will be clearer but it will be a little bit chillier. but starting saturday morning, as you can see, with extensive cloud cover in most places, that cloud producing the odd spot of drizzle, a bit of mist and murk over hills in the west. for england and wales, we should see some breaks appearing in that cloud, so some sunny spells. but for northern ireland and scotland, it's a slightly different story. this band of rain will push in from the north—west eventually with brighter skies following behind. top temperatures between nine and 12 degrees. and then, as we head

through saturday night, this band of cloud and increasingly light and patchy rain will sink its way southwards, clear skies following on behind and we will be moving into some colder air which will be across just about all parts by the end of the night. so, we will start sunday morning in quite a few places, i think, with a touch of frost because we will be in this colder air, but with this strong area of high pressure building on top of the uk. and what that means is a lot less cloud and a lot more sunshine, perhaps with a chilly breeze for some of these north sea coasts, at least for a time. a bit more cloud dancing across the north of scotland, maybe some extra cloud for a time in the far south—west of england, but for most, sunday will bring sunshine, albeit with slightly lower temperatures — seven, eight or nine degrees — but with the sunshine overhead, that is not going to feel too bad. now, as you move through sunday night into the first part of monday, the centre of our high drifts a little

further eastwards and under the centre of the high, with light winds, we could well have some fog patches to start monday morning, especially across central and eastern parts of england. england and wales will have the lion's share of the sunshine on monday, eastern scotland perhaps as well, but for northern ireland and for the western side of scotland, we will see a bit more cloud filtering in, maybe with a few splashes of rain, and temperatures generally between seven and ten degrees. as we head through the course of the week, we are going to see a lot of dry weather. temperatures generally staying in single digits. the greatest chance of any rain towards the north and west of the uk.

i had to do something to try to help him.

this is bbc world news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: after a chinese balloon flies into us airspace, a second is reported — this time over latin america. the boss of tesla, elon musk, is cleared of fraud charges brought against him by the company's shareholders. the pope and british church leaders visit south sudan in an attempt to heal divisions in its civil war. and the spanish fashion designer, paco rabanne, best—known for his metal clothing designs and his fragrances, dies, aged 88.