what one carjacker left behind. >> a puppy stolen and sold for drugs is safe and sound. >> and moonshiners busted in the bay area. how social media helped to put an end to their illegal scheme. i'm keith cate. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thanks for joining us, a carjacking lead to a high speed chase. the case went cold until some evidence cracked that case wide open. the four suspects took off never to be seen again until now. >> investigators found the dna of one of them and it was staring them right in the face. now. one guy left his dna in the car. >> reporter: it happened right here. right in the car and right behind the wheel. at one point, the suspect crashed the car and that is

leaving his unique signature all over the place. a high speed chase coming to a screeching halt. the victim's car wrapped around the tree, but no one is behind the wheel, but they certainly left something behind. >> they found dna. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: moments before this guy bernard martinez crashes the car. the air bag goes off. it. >> he takes off but leaves something behind. >> reporter: his dna plastered all over the air bag. that is the victim's mother-in- law talking about the routine drive her son-in-law normally that night. >> it is really scary. it is only right up the block. >> reporter: but let's retrace the crime. it begins with four suspects including martinez rear ending the victim's car as he gets out to look for damage, they pounce and they are packing. stealing his cash and pulling

ride. but police give chase and known. now, this entire ordeal leaving the victim's mother-in-law really worried. anybody. >> yeah. definitely. >> reporter: back live in pinellas county. was not expecting. to jail where he is locked up on $100,000 bond. >> what about the other three suspects? do the police have any more dna or is the suspect cooperating at all? >> reporter: yeah, first off, martinez they say is not cooperating. they say they are working several leads right now. unfortunately for the cops, three of the suspects didn't leave any dna behind. more to come on the case. >> paul, thank you. today, the mother of baby

25 years in prison. kristen bury took a plea deal in her manslaughter case. she watched as her husband joseph walsh beat and killed their nine month old son. then she helped bury her baby in the woods. as part of the plea deal, she will testify against her husband. and we learned two murder investigators in manatee county are related. carl tuxforted was shot and killed in a car in bradenton yesterday afternoon. then the body of jordan finland was found on the side of the road. these murder investigations, turns out the two were acquaintances. video you will only see on newschannel8. a puppy stolen and traded for crack back in safe hands. surveillance cameras caught the crime as it happened. largo police busted this guy wayne barfield. he stuffed the yorkie in a

for more than a week, that puppy was passed from person to person. finally a couple who bought the dog brought her to a vet because she was sick. a vet tech recognized her from our story. melanie michael is live tonight. >> reporter: what a fantastic day. we were thrilled when we got the news this morning that the yorkie was found. the poor thing was scared an suffering but ultimately, jen, she is alive tonight. it was the moment we had been waiting for and boy, was it wonderful to see this cutie alive and in loving hands. 8 on your side was there for the safe return of this two pound precious pup bundled in a blanket. >> you guys have so much to do with it. we are so thankful for you guys. >> reporter: this nine week old puppy so small and so frail, is

she survived awful circumstances. the yorkie getting around the clock care for internal bleeding, a lung infection, and parasites. >> a immediate burden was lifted that she is safe. now we are going to nurse her back to health. >> reporter: this innocent animal has gone through so much, she was stolen, shoved under a stranger's shirt, then traded for crack. she changed hands several times before an unsuspecting couple purchased the puppy and brought her to this largo vet where a tech saw our story and recognized the puppy. her micro chip saved her life. >> it is very much like a social security number. >> reporter: store manager jason smith says once the dog is micro chipped the information goes into a national data base. >> it saves thousands of pets.

magical moments like these the happiest of endings. >> reporter: meanwhile, the suspect in this case is behind bar to night. >> melanie michael, thank you. two people in sarasota stepped up to help a family devastated by a tornado. katrina christiansen and carl corey are friends of the neighbors of the victims. sorting through the wreckage, they found a frame and the couple took it home, sanded it down, painted it, and returned it to the family. >> carl and i found in the water in the ditch are intact.

a picture or mirror. julie phillips joins us now north can expect. >> they are expecting a pretty big winter storm. through new jersey. as you can guess, shoppers in that area have already started their run on milk and bread. you can see this kroger in vinton, virginia is dealing with empty store shelves and the main system is moving through tomorrow. it is already snowing in knox county, tennessee. slick roads caused dozens of accidents and advisories are in effect for the area. we will show you what kind of snowfall totals we are looking for. you notice as you head from arkansas all the way through tennessee, six inches to a foot

as you head closer to the eastern seaboard, one to two feet of snow inspected in places like washington dc, much of virginia. up into pennsylvania and new jersey. this is over the next 48 hours or so. this system will have impacts probably across the country. >> thank you julie. and julie is right. the major airlines are cutting back on flights. the airlines say they should know by the morning whether to cut flights to the northeast. donald trump has opened up a 20 point lead in the new hampshire primary. his closest opponent in the latest poll is senator ted cruz. sarah palin joined trump for a second straight day on the campaign trail.

could help win points with women. trump is thrilled to have her support. >> everybody wanted her endorsement. what you are doing, donald, is amazing. it is a movement. >> listen, i love sarah palin. palin is fantastic. without her friendship and support, i wouldn't be in the senate today. >> that poll from wmar in new hampshire is showing a lot of enthusiasm for trump, but cruz is getting high-powered conservative support of his own. he is being introduced in iowa saturday by conservative talk show host glen beck. an 8 on your side consumer alert. amazon.com will offer refunds to anyone who bought hover boards on its website. the move comes as the concern that they are not fire hazard safe. despite the decision to offer refunds, amazon sells hover boards on its site. still to come tonight,

>> coming up next, how detectives were able to bust the illegal operation. >> and, as pirates prepare to invade tampa, police are focused on security.

>> several of the suspects for moon shine are out of jail tonight. >> they were surprised when our

jamel lanee joins us with the latest. >> reporter: they were shocked indeed. they actually hid from me several times when i tried to question them about this facebook page. a page that detectives say these people allegedly tried to sell moon shine on well their response to me is call my attorney. alton didn't want to talk to me. he and dalton walked away from our cameras several times. he is accused of selling moon shine on a facebook page. his buddy was arrested last week. he was busted selling moon shine to an undercover polk county detective. that is christy kronowitz. >> if you want to know anything, talk to her lawyer. >> reporter: she negotiated the sale over the facebook page for 12-pints of the illegal liquor.

to bail trowell out of jail. neighbors will tell you this shine is no joke. >> could you imagine something drinking something like that? >> straight? no. >> reporter: it is 192 proof grain alcohol. deputies say it was richard lott's recipe. he ended up behind bars accused of makeing the moon shine and giving it to konkawitz in exchange for meth. neighbors certainly didn't like this business going on next door. >> we have so many children around here. this whole neighborhood. >> reporter: we did try to reach out to christy's attorney for a comment. we have not heard back. we also reached out to the distillery where lott allegedly stole the alcohol from. we are waiting to hear back from hem. >> what about the guy accused of selling the moon shine?

>> reporter: that is still under investigation. he was not arrested for this incident. so again, charges could be pending against him. >> interesting story. jamel lanee, thank you. a new proposal could change the state's open carry laws. pinellas county bob volteri and the sheriff association want to propose conceal carry holders. that all conceal carry holders aren't arrested for accidentally displaying a firearm. you can read about that proposal now on wfla.com. well, we are getting excited for gasparilla 2016. newschannel8 is your official gasparilla station. and city leaders are gearing up for the pirate party as well. >> tampa police are preparing. today tampa's police chief ensured the public there are no

bay area. >> there are no significant threats in the city of tampa that would prevent this event from taking place. >> law enforcement wants everyone to have a get time, but also to be safe. a quick reminder adults with open containers in unauthorized areas will receive a pricey citation. an january saturday 30, newschannel8 will carry the gasparilla parade of pirates live. jennifer leigh, josh benson will be cohosting the coverage. 2:30. and with gasparilla right around the corner, our web time has been busy. you can find out more on our gasparilla section on wfla.com. the children's gasparilla extravaganza is this saturday

if you are planning to get out early, we will be in the low 50s . can't rule out a few sprinkles in the morning hours. as we head into the afternoon, we will make it into the upper 50s . you add in that cool chilly breeze, it will definitely feel chilly. make sure the kids are bundled up. you want to have a comfortable experience. this evening great sunset. a little bit more sunshine. temperatures still chilly for tonight. not as cold add last night was. it is 48 in west chase. get down to 46 in wesley chapel. northern counties in the upper

river, brooksville, you are looking at another chilly start to your morning hours. of course, you can always check the forecast in your area. we will show you partly cloudy skies as you wake up tomorrow morning. not as cold as last night was, but still chilly. as we head throughout the day with the southeast wind, we will warm up a little more. we are topping out in the low 70s . expect a little more cloud cover around as well. currently tracking a few clouds across the state of florida, we did have some sun that moved off the east coast this evening but really the main system is off to the west. this is a developing area of low pressure. it will shift east bringing the snow to places like washington dc where they could see by friday. so, for us tomorrow morning, partly cloudy skies. notice again that southeasterly flow. that is what is really going to enjoy it though. because the warm temperatures us.

cold front at the doorstep. by the late morning hours we are going to see scattered showers, isolated storms, can't rule out an isolated strong to severe storm as well. with the area of low pressure further north this time around, the better dynamics for severe weather will be north of us. doesn't mean we won't see an isolated severe storm friday. we could see a few sprinkles saturday morning as well. we can't rule out again a few sprinkles during the children's parade. but it will be cloudy, windy, and chilly with highs in the upper 50s . main rain chances coming in friday. 60% or so seeing rain at your house. saturday, the rain chances drop off significantly, but there will be a little moisture sunday, we completely clear that out and take the rain chances out of the forecast. temperatures now dropping back quickly. northern areas in the low 40s . we are sitting at 54 in tampa

two day ins the 70s not going to last long. enjoy tomorrow if you are looking forward to warmer temperatures because the next cool front right around the corner. just in time for the weekend. highs only in the upper 50s for most of us. and then, we will briefly warm up a bit next week before our next front rolls through. >> it is just that time of year guys. >> yeah. >> one after the other. >> yep. coming up, the lightning are getting ready for a stanley cup final rematch. >> but not without a distraction. they have suspended former first round pick indefinitely. find out why next in sports. >> plus, here is what you will see storm at 6:00 a.m. >> the hillsborough county sheriffs office is using social media sites like facebook to boost morale within the agency. i'll show you how your comments are helping to create a better relationship with the community. >> plus, weather and trafficker

vo: know you have a dedicated advisor and team who understand where you come from. we didn't really have anything, you know. but, we made do.

as strong as your values. al, how you doing. hey, mr. hamilton. vo: know that together you can establish a meaningful legacy. with the guidance and support of your dedicated

>> jonathan drouin failed to report to his game tonight. as a result, the parent club suspended him indefinitely without pay. drouin skated this morning but he flaked and the general manager was forced to shelve the 20-year-old. he was has asked for a trade. allan walsh says jonathan will not play again until he is traded. meanwhile, the lightning are getting ready for a stanley cup final recap. chicago, a franchise record 12 consecutive victories adding extra fuel to an already smoldering fire. >> with only two teams standing at the end of the year last year and they took us out. they are a well-deserving champion. now we get to meet one more time in the regular season. we are in a little run.

major run. this game probably means a little more. >> reporter: i'll have live reports leading up to puck drop tomorrow on newschannel8. mike smith took the podium saying tampa bay was the only destination he would have considered coming to. what drove him here besides his relationship with dirk koetter? it is jameis winston. his defense will be around confusing opposing qbs. >> in this day and age, you have to give different look. you can't line up in the same look every time. we are going to have a lot of flexibility and we are going to identify what the players are capable of doing and i think dirk's philosophy aligns with the philosophy that i have had for many years. you want to put your players in the best position that you possibly can. that is what coaching is all about. >> finally tonight, some college hoops.

the i-4 series against usf. the bulls have other ideas. beau zigler with a put back slam. back come the knights. chance mcspadden, that's a great name, puts ucf in front before recess. then davis scored a game high 22 points. usf made it interesting down the stretch. crisperly cuts the deficit to four. ucf wins 64-54. the usc women lost falling in overtime to memphis. courtney williams scored 22 points. the women were without alicia jenkins who was limited with an ankle injury. once they get her back, they will be just fine. >> too bad about drouin and the lightning. >> they have reached an

if i'm steve, i sit the kid. he is trying to hold a organization hostage. there have been a ton of drouins and they have all failed. >> your agency tells you this is the move you make. >> in the meantime t lightning are playing pretty well. >> they are. keep him away. >> we'll be right back with the

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>> winning lottery numbers here. >> so, how long do we have to keep the heat on julie? >> well, at least for tonight. still going to be another chilly one tonight. yeah. falling back into the upper 40s . by tomorrow afternoon, that doesn't look good. low 70s. >> time for the night cap. workers in minnesota busy pudding the finishing touches on an ice castle there that will open up soon for families to explore. tunnels, waterfalls, all the good stuff. at night, the castle puts on a light show synced up to music. i'm betting they are going to play let it go.