the suspicious death of a baby in west baltimore has been ruled a homicide. jeff hager tells us tonight paramedics first discovered the child unconscious on wednesday. >> reporter: paramedics responding to a 911 call from this back alley apartment off north stricker street arrived too late to save the child. >> the girl was pronounced dead. at that time homicide detectives became involved. they began to question the child's care give, the mother's boyfriend. >> reporter: charmel thomas was no strange tore police. he had assaulted a police officer in march and beat up his girlfriend in that same apartment the following month. the battered mother apparently

left her baby in thomas' care, the morning she was murdered. >> he did say he picked her up and did shake her. >> reporter: the baby's mother refused to comment as she moved out of the apartment this morning. the neighbors had plenty to say. >> i heard about the child passing away. that's crazy what happened, but that man needs to take the death penalty or something because that's just crazy. >> reporter: in west baltimore, jeff hager, abc2 news. >> police are still waiting for the results of the hot to learn the exact cause of death. meantime thomas is being held at central booking. >> we now know the name of the baltimore county police officer

involved in an altercation that ended with a death. the medical examiner's office ruled that christopher brown's death was homicide by asphyxiation. the officer heard a loud noise at his door and started running after teens. help found brown hiding in bushes. during the fight brown lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at hospital. we learned that the pilot who crashed in a plane has died. maryland state police said 64-year-old henry juddkins was the only one in the plane. he was about a mile away from the airport when he reported having mechanical issues. witnesses say the plane was flying at various altitudes before crashing into the ground. the exact cause is under investigation. you may have soon the grass

growing higher or the boards on the window. baltimore city has a massive problem with vacant homes. look at her view from the backyard. she said nails are falling from this home thats' -- that's been unoccupied for years. change also not come very soon. >> have to pay taxes and live next to that and pay taxes and live next to that. in fact, my taxes went up after that. >> the property would probably be demolished in the next 30 to 45 days. >> as part of the program, the city wants to demolish the nuisance, but the owner is holding up the process with an appeal. the city said it has spent more than $2,000 cleaning up that property. >> that program uses millions of dollars in government money.

the goal is to streamline the process. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake said the goal is to grow the charm city by 10,000 families in the next 10 years. with the number of vacant lots and abandoned buildings rising, there's operation reachout. southwest and open management program has already turned 200 empty lots into beautiful drone space. organizers say it's about building communities pride. >> community pride. when it's vacant, if it's barren and, it's full of rocks. you don't see anything positive with it. having a green space, it inspires hope or gives other people opportunities to be involved who normally wouldn't be involved. >> organizers believe getting people involved would make

community living more enjoyable. >> new tonight plans are moving forward for a new casino in pg county. today officials met with governor martin o'malley to discuss the proposal as it stands. there would have to be a special session. there is some push back. some worry it could take away business. new information tonight about that meth lab discovered in a hotel room in elk ridge. the company that owns the holiday inn express said the room involved is back in surface. this has been cloned and inspected. authorities arrested five people after the lab was found. we've got more information on the bust as well as other information at been -- at abc2news.com. a man accused of running a

driveway paving scam is facing new charges. tommy clack was ticketed for paving there without lap license. officers said he tried to shake down a woman and made her pay $23,000 for paving her driveway. a police impersonator is on the run after real police said he robbed a food liion store in hanover. it's not far from fort meade. we're told the man walked in, asked to speak with an employee, pulled out a gun and demanded cash. police are asking anyone with information to give them a call. the man responsible for burglaries is facing charges and could be connected to dozens of other robberies. jones and johnson targeted a dozen restaurants and businesses. the men are also suspected in similar cases. howard county police said

detectives helped -- attorneys for former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky will begin arguing their side on monday. this week prosecutors called eight alleged victims to the stand who testified about encounters with sandusky when they were little boys. he within the on to claim there are financial motives behind this case. we have several traffic circles in the area. now we're going to have a traffic diamond. the new diverging diamond interchange will help take traffic to arundel mills. there will be lines and lights to help you -- guide you through this. this is the sixth one in the u.s. you can go to our website to see videos of other interchanges

like this and how to drive through without wrecking. there are going to be traffic delays on the inner loop of the ballet -- the beltway. the work will go on through the weekend and next weekend f you have to be in that area, you may want to find another way to get around. >> well, the bear seen recently in baltimore county hams been spotted again, this time near the conowingo dam. it was seen north of the dam. this picture was taken in baltimore county last week. this bear was spotted near carroll manor road in vk son vi. the department -- department of natural resources believes the bear is about two careers old and trying to establish his own territory. final preparations are underway for nik wallenda to walk over niagra falls. now a few weeks ago he walked right over our inner harbor

almost flipping two thirds of the way through. tonight a flip could be deadly. it will be 190 feet above the weather but he will have a tether. he is scheduled to start his walk about 10:00 tonight. >> it's been a dream for a long time. i want to do more. i want to do bigger things. >> this is overachieving. you'll be able to watch the walk on abc. they will start a three-hour special on daredevils. today we take time to think about our elders. june 15th is world elder abuse day. jamie costello is doing his part. he was the master of serms. most elder abuse happen to people they know -- from people they know and trust. grab a pen.

here's a number you can call. and services for older adults, it's right there on your screen. well, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress. what about their shoes? coming up at 6:00, the details you can learn about someone by looking down at their feet. >> plus, cheryl conner is a girl on the run for girls on the run. we'll explain coming up. >> we have the baltimore 10-miler. weather will be good for. that guaranteed you 80. dawn spicer from ham sted, you get an abc2 storm umbrella. we haven't missed one in eight days. we're going for nine.

you're looking at a beautiful picture of ocean city. it's beautiful weather, blue skies, good day to head down to the ocean. wyatt will have a look at the forecast coming up in a few minutes. in tonight's consumer alert, summertime means fun in the sun but it can also mon a risky season for families with pools. we're working with you for safety tips. each year 400 children die in pools. make sure your pool is fenced off with self-closing gates and the pool area and ladders are

secure. install pool and gate alarms. keep life jacket and three incation device around. and it's not bad idea to know cpr. when she's not running, cheryl is a volunteer coach for girls on the run. tomorrow we will watch cheryl run. she's the charity chaser for the baltimore 10-miler. corrigan will donate a dollar for every girl that she passes. she introduces us to the program that will benefit from her fast feet. ♪ you're amazing just the way you are ♪ >> reporter: a simple mission starting with what you have and trying to get better.

>> you learn how not to bully. >> reporter: running is in our name but for some of us it's not in our blood, and that's okay. and girls on the run we train third, fourth, fifth graders as people first and runners second. >> you get all stressed out. you start feeling maybe i'm not good enough for middle school. maybe i'm not good enough to go to middle school. >> reporter: there's a three-month curriculum, those tough issues that every girl is running up against. >> f-even if we're-- even if we're planting a seed, with they're in one of those situations they will act differently. >> reporter: sitting out but not on their hands.

the girls are taught to walk beyond. the girls at wind support farms elementary collected 240 pairs of old sneakers for another nonprofit. the row run allows poor people in ghana to sell the shoes and buy what they need. >> even though you're separate people and don't know each other, it's good to help others because you know you're doing something right. >> reporter: 11-year-old mattie asked me to be her buddy. sorry to brag but she beat her best time. it's not the destination. it's the journey. >> it's important to push yourself not just am running but in life. ♪ just the way you are >> reporter: cheryl conner, abc2 news. >> the girls will be at the finish line to run cheryl home

tomorrow. she will share the course with 6500 other runners. it will expand into baltimore county. so slow down a little bit and let her pass you. >> you got to get into it. >> i think you should dance again. >> i'll just say this, i would let cheryl pass me because it's for a good cause. 79 degrees. humidity 40%. federal heel. boy, it's packed. i can't imagine how much is to . i'll troy to get down there myself. maryland's most powerful radar is clear. temperatures running in the upper 70s.

quiet and comfortable. that is the deal right now weather wise. humidity is comfortable, too 40%. again, with temperatures in the upper 70s, this is as good as it really ever gets in mid-june. we could easily be well into the 90s and roasting in the harbor. easterly breeze right now. that's catching a little bet of that off the atlanta. the temperature is not so much in the bay but out in the atlantic temperatures 68, 69, 71, 72, so cool enough that we get that easterly breeze. now a steady east wind tends to stack up the water on the where shore. a coastal flood advisory. these are not warnings but advisories. we're talking about a one and a half foot above average high tide. that will be early tomorrow morning and so immediate areas right along the water's edge,

just be advised of that. neighbor odd by neighborhood, all eyes on the harbor, low mid-80s. definitely bring the sun blofnlgt looks like a bright sunny day as the blue angels take to the sky. all right. take a look over the entire region. we're clear with a few clouds over the mountains, really, a quiet pattern across the east coast, which is perfect timing as we commemorate the war of 1812. weak disturb baps to the west -- disturbance to the west over illinois. this system may spin a few clouds at us come sunday evening. even then we will stay dry. saturday, in rain anywhere in sight, maybe a couple showers off virginia beach. looks like the same this morning on sun date overnight mostly clear.

our temperatures seem to have vanished on us. the temperature will probably be in the 58 degrees. tomorrow 82, mostly sunny, staying nice. i don't know where that low temperature went. 60 tomorrow night. it was a 58. is cheryl trying to come in 58. i don't know. she is quick. hey, hot tomorrow, mid-week with temperatures into the mid-90s. it's an advantage, long stroyeds. the 10-mealer last year was very hot and humid. this year a lot of the runners are happy. >> this is one of those stories. you have to be kidding me. inventers have come up with a bed that -- gets this -- makes itself. after you get out of the bed,

the bed grabs the blanket. it lifts the pillows to place them over the blanket. i think somebody's making that up. >> forget the eyes, seems like the windows to your soul are in the sole of your feet. a girl who wears sky high heels seven inches or higher, five inches or higher for our 11:00 producer probablieds a lot on clothing. researchers show students pictures of the shoes. more often they were able to guess something about the owner's personality. we'll be right back.

before we go, here's a look at what we're working on. our cats and dogs are often like children to some folks. it's heartbreaking when they go missing. abc2 works for you. plus, why a popular social app could leave your kids wide open top predators. >> you're headed down to check out the sailabration. it looks gorgeous. temperatures will slowly fall. tomorrow we're back in the low

80s, so enjoy. >> that's it. we'll see you at 11.