of a d.c. councilman's chief of staff after he's arrested and charged with accepting bribes. hello, everybody. welcome to news4 at 4:00. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. he is one of the top advisors to jim graham. >> ted loza has been with the councilman since 1998. this morning, he was taken into custody at his home by federal agents who then searched his office in the wilson building. an indictment unsealed today alleges loza took at least $1,500 in cash to help influence taxi cab legislation. graham is the head of the committee that oversees taxi cab issues. there is no evidence graham did anything wrong, and he tells news4 that he is not involved in any illegal activity. tom sherwood will have much more coming up here on news4 at 5:00. a breakthrough in aids prevention. for the first time an experimental vaccine prevented infection with the aids virus. >> it is a watershed event in

the fight against the deadly epidemic, and it is a surprising result. brian moar reports. >> reporter: it could be the long-waited breakthrough in the war against hiv and aids. a vaccine that seems to have shown a modest success. critical trials in thailand sent a wave of cautious optimism throughout the medical world. >> it at least proves the concept that it can be done and our work lies ahead of us. >> reporter: the multiyear study conducted by the thai health ministry and u.s. army combine two existing drugs. the result, a 31% drop in infections. >> when you have a vaccine, you like to see a vaccine that's 60%, 70%, 80% effective or even more. >> reporter: still, after years of failure this study raises the bar and raises hopes. >> it's been, i guess, 24 years now of sustained efforts to try to develop an aids vaccine.

i think we don't know enough about this yet to know if this is the first step, but it could be. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., where the hiv and aids rate is top 3%, a ribbon cutting at a new clinic. blair underwood has been raising money for aids causes suns the 1980s. >> 38 million people around the globe have hiv or hiv aids. anything that can change that statistic is a good thing. >> reporter: one study, modest results and big mopes that researchers are finally a step closer to beating aids. researchers are hoping to learn more about this study next month at an international conference in paris. brian moar, news4, washington. the united nations estimates more than 7,000 people worldwide are affected with aids every day, 2 million people died from the disease in 2007. after several recent failures, some scientists feared an aids vaccine might never be possible.

as brian moar mentioned, that new hiv aids clinic is now open in northwest washington, thanks in part to actor blair underwood. it's located on k street northwest near george washington university hospital. it includes a multitsting unit that will provide free hiv testing in underserved neighborhoods. the clinic bears the actor's name. massachusetts governor duvall patrick appointed an interim replacement for the late senator ted kennedy. he announced the appointment of massachusetts attorney paul kirk. he remain as trusted family frnd. kirk is a former chairman of the national committee for the democrats. he will serve until a special election is held january. he does not plan to run for that seat. kirk expects to take the oath of office tomorrow.

pittsburgh is in partial lockdown this afternoon as president obama and other leaders of the world's wealthiest nation have all descended on the city for the g-20 economic summit. fixing the economy and preventing another crisis are top priorities, but before that, president obama was focusing on iran and nuclear weapons. steve handelsman has the latest from pittsburgh. >> reporter: chairing the united nations security council, president obama called for a u.n. resolution to block iran and north korea of building arsenals of atomic bombs. >> this is not about singling out individual nations, but about standing up for the rights of all nations who do live up to their responsibilities. the world must stand together. >> reporter: once reluctant, russia indicates it would stand in the u.s. on tougher iran sanctions, and the u.s.-sponsored resolution passed. the president went to pittsburgh for the g-20 summit to focus on

the economy. today's news is mixed. fewer americans than expected filed for unemployment, but existing home sales unexpectedly fell. president obama wants the gchb-20 nations to keep stimulating their economies, and to enact tougher regulation to head off future crisis. angela merkelf germany wants the entire summit to focus on prevention. >> infrastructure, whatever. >> and regulation? >> ablutely. >> i don't see anything will come out of this conference that will achieve anything. >> reporter: make some money for pittsburgh. >> absolutely. it's also been an annoyance for people of pittsburgh also. >> reporter: police are everywhere around the downtown summit site. even on pittsburgh's three rive. many of the city's bridges are shut down by the national guard. >> this is what democracy looks

like. >> reporter: so far some demonstrations, a few arrests as members of the g-20 get so the to hold their third meeting in a year. this time economies are in a lot better shape. president obama hopes to take credit for that year and remind americans he remains popular as a world leader. steve handelsman, news4, pittsburgh. metro has fired the bus driver involved in a serious pedestrian accident earlier this month. it happened september 3rd at the corner of florida and connecticut avenues near dupont circle. 43-year-old carla procter was driving an empty bus when she hit a female jogger in the crosswalk. the 30-year-old victim was critically injured. court records show the driver had been involved in at least two other on-the-job accidents over the last seven years, and had gotten at least five traffic tickets since january. metro's general manager gets to keep his job. >> and a backpack at a d.c. bus stop wreaks havoc for the

morning commute. >> in a big way. we were both caught up in it. here is a look at stories making headlines today. police in central virginia say a mother and daughter who may have been murdered by a rapper were in counseling for the daughter's obsession with mccabre music. police charged rapper richie mccroskey in their murder. investigators believe mccroskey and emma had a relationship. some tense moments in southwest d.c. as the hazmat team was called in. a number of people in the 100 block of massachusetts avenue reported feeling sick after an investigation, crews determined it was some type of cleaning fluid. >> what a mess this morning. yes on busy massachusetts avenue. a suspicious package found near the islamic mosque forced the

closure of massachusetts avenue in both directions. that caused major traffic headaches for commuters. the package was nothing harmful and the road was reopened after 10:00 a.m. a vote of confidence for metro's general manager despite tough times. the board voted 5-1 to extend john kato's contract by an additional three years. kato has been leading the transit system which in the past three months has seen a deadly collision between two trains, deaths of four employees and several work-related incidents, budget cuts and increased security on train and bus operators for being distracted behind the wheel. california governor arnold schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for ventura county after a wildfire there doubled in size over the past 24 hours. the blaze has grown to 9,700 acres. to make matters worse, it's threatening the multimillion dollar agriculture industry as

it makes its way towards citrus and avacado orchards. it was fueled by the hot, dry santa ana winds. firefighters are hoping to have it contained by saturday. it has felt like summer for the past few days, but it will soon feel like fall. veronica johnson has the fast forecast from the storm center. yes. talk about tomorrow night astee 50s. the national theme, big area of high pressure over the west. over the east here, we are quiet right now. there is a weather front south of the area. temperatures in the 80s right now. look the at college park at 82 degrees. dew point at 64 degrees. that dew point temperature has been dropping a little today. 67s the reading right now in hey market, virginia. 83 the temperature after a high today of 85 degrees. winds are light. we'll drop to 75 degrees by 11:00 p.m. tonight. still little ripples coming

through the area we could see a passing shower after midnight. maybe a little bit more wet weather, some cloud cover mixing in with our sunshine tomorrow. and temperatures will be even cooler. we've got a lot to talk about in regard to the weekend. right now we'll call it a 50/50 weekend. details in just a few minutes. >> thanks, veronica. >> when we come back on news4 at 4:00, hazing in high school. investigators are looking into what has become a rite of passage for freshman girls. sounds more like something out of a movie. >> a warning for parents. check your medicine cabinet. tylenol has recalled several of its children's products. >> plus an amazing recovery. a local boy struck by lightning learns to walk and talk all over again.

the number of newly laid off workers seeking unemploynt benefits fell to 530,000 last week. down from 551,000 the week before. analysts had expecteded initial claims to jump by 5,000. economists say the job market is still tough, but some are hopeful the shrinking number of new jobless claims will lead to an increase in consumer spending. encouraging employment news wasn't enough to lift stocks today following the fed decision

to cut back on emergency spending programs, the dow is down 41 points. nasdaq dipped 23 and the s&p slipped by ten points. a major economic boost for virginia and fairfax county. governor tim kaine announced this morning that the defense and technology giant science applications international corporation is moving its headquarters from san diego to mclean. the company will invest $25 million to make the move. saic has a large presence in the region. it employs more than 17,000 people. the headquarters move is expected to add 1,200 new jobs over the next three years. the annouement comes on the same day virginia was named the best state in which to do business. that's according to forbes.com. this is the fourth straight year that virginia has topped the forbes ranking. researchers looked at a number of factors such as business costs, quality of life, labor supply and growth prospects.

govern kaine says the forbes' ranking shows virginia can compete with any state. earlier cnbc ranked virginia as the top state for business. hazing has a long tradition in colleges, the military and athletics. many people think it's harmless, but it has actually caused dozens of deaths and countless injuries in recent years. now a wave of hazing at a prestigious new jersey high school is bringing a bizarre ritual to light. >> reporter: millburn high school in new jersey is what some call a dream school. listed as the top 100, it's nestled in a neighborhood where the average home price is $1.2 million. this dream school became a nightmare for a group of incoming freshman girls in a yearly sexually-charged hazing ritual, popular senior girls wrote and distribute what they call a slut list. >> some girls were freaked out and shocked they were on it.

>> reporter: the list names over 20 girls with lewd, personalized descriptions. >> we cut out girls' pictures from the year week. >> reporter: reminisce event of "dream girls." >> i want it so bad, i'll beg you to blank. i'm so desperate and hairy, i'll give you nyquil. blank me over and knock me up. freshman girls were reportedly pushed into lockers and had whistles blown into their faces raising concerns from parents. >> socially, morally, ethically, it's unacceptable behavior. >> reporter: even with parents up in arms, some students don't see a cause for alarm. >> the only thing people would get upset if they are not on the list for some reason. i don't think it can be that bad if people are wanting to be on it. >> reporter: school officials did confirm there was some

hazing that first day. in an e-mail sent to students, the superintendent had this to say, "any so-called ritual which in any way threatens, degrades or makes any youngster feels intimidated oress than whole is a violation of school policy and just plain wrong." hazing at milburn high is a tradition said to have been going on over ten years, a tradition some experts say may be tough to break. >> it's unlikely to stop unless the community and bystanders and the administrators in the school system decide they are going to make a concerted effort to break the code of silence and to stop hazing. >> pretty twisted. a few years ago a study of hazing was conducted at the university of maine. >> undergrad students were asked for the way they were hazed there. one was forced participation in drinking games and during harsh weather cditions without proper clothing and being deprived of sleep. >> this was high school, but it's been going on ten years.

you would think people would know. >> of course that goes on in college. >> big time. coming up on news4 at 4:00, the hunt for a busy thief police say is behind a rash of break-ins. >> and john travolta takes the stand with new information about his son's condition.

an historic 18th century document signed by alexander hamilton was donated by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives. the letter outlines how federal officials wod tax imported alcohol beverages as an effort to curb a more than $150 million debt after the american revolution. officials say that was one of the factors leading up to the whiskey rebel-on. police in montgomery county are looking for a busy thief. a man suspected in a rash of car break-ins in potomac. he strikes on weekends along macarthur boulevard. this is the suspect, his image snapped by surveillance camera. investigators say he only breaks into one car each time and steals credit cards that he

locates. this is another picture taken from a cvs store where police say the guy used one of the cards he stole. if you recognize him, police give police a call. >> those are pretty clear pictures. >> i'm thinking i know him. >> let's hope you don't. what else have you got out there? >> a mixture of clouds and sun. south of the area, it's been one or two little lonely showers. did you notice a drop in the dew point today? >> not really. subtle. >> okay. it wasn't quite as warm as yesterday. 84 the current temperature right now at reagan national. dye point at 63 degrees. 49% your humidity. that wind out of the north at nine miles per hour behind the front. so where is it? there it is. meandering right through our area. you can see by some of the cloud structure weak over our area. it is south then wiggles back

two areas of the ohio valley. sitting in western areas of tennessee. our radar currently quiet across the area. temperatures at 84 in hay market. 67 the dew point temperature. 57% humidity right at 54% in chantilly with 84 degrees. we've got rain coming up this weekend. we have dry conditions across parts of western virginia through the carolinas. moderate conditions according to the drought monitor index. parts of texas, southern texas could still use some rain. most of that rain is today is through the mississippi valley moving northeast ward. all of this may potentially be sliding a lot of that moisture our way for the weekend. right up into us. more than eight inches of rain for the month. new orleans, same thing near atlanta. in fact, this just out, the flooding, the rainfall that took

place in and around atlanta was epic. one for the record books according to the u.s. geological survey. the magnitude of the rise of the rivers and streams had a 1 in 500 odds of that ever happening. our area, a few showers between midnight and about 4:00, 5:00 a.m. tomorrow moing. clouds to start the day tomorrow. then a little bit of sunshine. maybe a partly sunny afternoon. saturday is looking partly sunny to mostly cloudy. i think the rain, 8:00 p.m. i think that rain will hold off until late. saturday late afternoon, evening, looking wet. same thing for sunday morning. could get quite a bit out of this next system for the weekend. we are warm and humid this evening. 75 to 79 degrees. our winds will be out of the south and southwest at five to ten miles per hour. we are going to start cooling off, but not until tomorrow night. tomorrow morning the start 63 to 68 degrees. just a little cooler. then we are down into the 50s

for friday night. high temperature tomorrow only getting up to a high of 75 degrees or so. showers south of the area. we'll talk more about the weekend with that seven-day forecast in a few. >> that change i'll notice. >> yeah. >> we'll all notice it. you might want to have a taste test before voting in our next golden local competition. >> get ready. we've got to sample this out. we are letting you decide who makes the best cupcakes in town. face-off between georgetown cupcake and baked and wired. send your samples to us. >> i love pcakes. cast your vote though. go to nbcwashington.com and search golden local. when we come right back, much more ahead. the investigation into whether phillip garrido is responsible for more unsolved kidnappings. police are not going to let these cases go unsolved. >> emotional testimony from john

travolta as he takes the stand against a man he says tried to make money off his son's death. >> the heroic actions of a bus monitor when she realizes her special needs students were in harm's way

welcome back to news4 at 4:30 now. i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. here is a look at some of the

top stories ware following this hour. for the first time an experimental vaccine prevented infection with the aids virus. instilling new hope that a vaccine some day may be possible. the results came from the world's largest aids vaccine trial in thailand. the medicine is the combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines. with the u.n. general assembly wrapping up, president obama and other world leaders are arriving in pittsburgh for the g-20 economic summit. several hundred protestors are onhand waiting for them. law enforcement officials are there ready to make arrests for unlawful behavior. the chief of staff for d.c. council member jim graham is under arrest, and he's charged with accepting bribes to influence legislation. ted loza was arrested at his home earlier today. federal agents searched his office. an indictment alleges loza took about $1,500 in cash to help influence taxi cab legislation. jim graham had the district committee that oversees taxi

cabs. looks like john travolta will not return to a bahamas courtroom until tomorrow. the jury has been sent home for the day. the actor is testifying in an extortion case stemming from the death of his 16-year-old son. >> yesterday travolta told the court his son was autistic, perhaps his first public admission of that. he described how he desperately tried to save the boy's life. michel michelle kosinky has more. john travolta returned to the bahamas with his wife kelly preston the first time since their son died in january. he stood before a packed courtroom and made a startling admission, my son was autistic and had severe szures every five to ten days lasting up to a minute, after which jett would sleep for 12 hours. it is the first time the family acknowledged their son's autism.

jett took anti-seizure drugs for years. on the morning his son was found unresponsive, he was suddenly awakened. the nanny was pounding on the door where we were sleeping. i ran out the door and ran down stairs to help my son with my wife. i saw him he was on the bathroom floor. he said another nanny and hotel employee were already performing cpr on jett and john took over to take over mouth-to-mouth breathing. we continued cpr and my wife was holding my son's head. he first considered taking jett to the airport to be treated in the u.s. he said he signed a local waiver refusing treatment, something he did not read, but then he changed his mind and they took him to the hospital. days later one of the paramedics tried to sell him that waiver to keep it private and the paramedics attorney, a former

bahamian senator. >> this is an embarrassing situation for the bahamas. you've got a former senator who is accused of demanding $25 million from john travolta in exchange for a medical document. >> reporter: travolta, at times emotional, is still grieving the loss of his only son. when asked by the prosecutor if jett was alive after they brought him to the hospital, he replied quietly, no, he was not. that was michelle kosinsky reporting. there is word yesterday defense attorneys challenged whether travolta's testimony is admissible in the case. to the latest in the jaycee dugard case. police in california are looking at suspects phillip and nancy garrido in connection with two other unsolved kidnappings. police sent a week searching and dilging in the garrido's backyard. they were looking for any bodies

that might have been buried there. so far they say they found nothing significant to connect the garridos to two other unsolved kidnappings. both of the cold cases involved girls who disappeared under circumstances similar to those involved in the abduction of jaycee dugard. >> we will continue to pursue phillip garrido as a potential suspect and will walk away from these properties knowing we left no stone unturned. in another strange twist, a man who claimed to be jaycee dugard's biological father made an emotional plea yesterday to meet her. ken slaton says he was romantically involved with jaycee's mother in 1979 and the family says he is just looking for publicity. jaycee and her daughters remain in seclusion while jaycee and her mother try to reconnect and recover from the kidnapping ordeal that lasted 18 years.

a deadly crash caught on tape in arizona. a car slammed into a school bus head-on. the video may be disturbing to some viewers. the traffic camera was rolling when the car crossed right into the path of the school bus. the bus driver swerved to avoid the car. three people in the car were killed. the bus was carrying special needs students. even though the children were buckled in, a camera inside the s shows one of the adults on board trying to hold the kids down when she saw the car coming right at them. no one on the bus was seriously hurt, but they were clearly rattled by the impact. the bus driver is also credited with maintaining control of the bus. authorities say none of the people in the car was wearing a seat belt. the fbi is investigating the death of a census bureau worker to see if he was a victim of anti-government hate. the body of bill sparkman was found hanging from a tree in a remote area near the daniel boone national forest in rural

kentucky. officials say the word "fed" was scrawled on his chest. investigators want to know if he was targeted because of his job. the census bureau has suspended interviews now there until the investigation is complete. still ahead on news4 at 4:00, a warning for parents this afternoon. a popular pain reliever for children has been recalled. >> and for moms-to-be, news that staying in shape isn't just good for you. >> a man is behind bars after a long police chase with a 3-year-old child in the car.

welcome back. veronica johnson here in storm center 4. temperatures across the area nice and arm. 84 degrees d.c. 84 in frederick. thisime tomorrow about ten degrees cooler. we are going to be bacinto the 70s across the area. let's take a look at the satellite and radar view over the last few hours. we've got a weather front that moved through. it is just south of the area meandering around us. there could be a brief shower coming through later tonight after midnight. 66 to 67 early tomorrow morning. might be that passing shower at around 5:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m. or so. cloud cover for the overnight and first thing tomorrow morning. then we could get breaks of sunshine. the high is 73 for tomorrow. 68 for saturday. on the cool side, upper 70s for

sunday. it's rain that moves in late evening saturday and probably doesn't get out of here until early sunday. big babies could cause problems during delivery for mothers. that's why researchers in norway are encouraging mothers-to-be to exercise. exercising while you are pregnant could prevent heavy birth weights in newborns. exercising at least three times a week reduced the chance of a first-time mother delivering a large baby by nearly 1/3. doctors say birth weights over 8 1/2 pounds pose a risk during delivery. heavier babies are more likely to be obese later in life. we've got an important recall. makers of tylenol are voluntarily recalling some batches of children's tylenol and infant drops. here is the problem. tests at the factory showed possible bacteria contamination in one of the inactive ingredients used to make the drugs. the company says none of the products was sold and the recall

is only a precaution. >> it's scary because you don't know whether to buy it or not buy it. there is nothing else to give them. >> i'm going to throw it away. >> the affected products were manufactured between april and june last year. if you have any questions, there is a toll-free number, 1800-962-5357. still to come, a miraculous story of survival. a local boy nearly killed by a lightning strike shares his inspirational road to cover. >> living on the moon could be a reality. scientists say they found wa on june 3rd this year

lightning hit two little league players in a ballpark in virginia. they spent months in the hospital. derrick ward reports that jonathan colson returned home. >> reporter: his leg bears the scars where the electrical charge from the lightning left his body after striking him in the head. jonathan colson doesn't remember much about that incident, just the moments before. >> playing baseball. >> reporter: his mother heard the thunder and remembers saying a prayer, not knowing her son was young of two young

ballplayers struck and her son would be the only survivor. his teammate died on that fateful day at lee hill park. jonathan began his journey to recovery. there have been milestones. two weeks after the incident he spoke again. recently, he swung a bat again. it was a plastic back and wiffle ball, but it was a home run. >> it's my very first sports so i take it very seriously. and we lose, i'm happy. if we win, i'm happy. >> it's been a journey from the time it happened until now. just watching jonathan just get stronger and, you know, work hard at getting stronger. >> reporter: there's been help om his community and from all over, but mark colson says his son has been the biggest inspiration through his show of inner strength. >> and maintain a very good attitude in joking and even at times when he didn't feel well, just making me laugh and

cheering us up. just being himself. >> reporter: the family says it may be another two years before jonathan is fully recovered, but according to the doctors, there's already been a miracle. >> the main doctor at mcv came in when jonathan was being discharged and he said, i wish i could take credit for this one. god saved, god did this. >> reporter: jonathan has his future plans mapped out long term. >> to move to australia, have 14 kids and have a house that's in a bubble so no burglars can get in. >> reporter: derrick ward, news4. >> 14 kids? he can field his own ball club. >> and he wants to move a long way away to australia. >> he looks good. he has come a long way. >> good for him. a website has been set up to help jonathan and his family. you can find it by going to helpjonathan.com.

when we come right back, a sign people could one day live on the moon. we are going to tell you about a new discovery. also butting heads. how two animals managed to get themselves all tangled up.

so long to our taste of summer in september. veronica johnson joins us with the cool down in storm center. >> that's right.

and the stickies will be on the way out, as well. the humidity you've been feeling for the last two days or so, well that's going to be headed out of here. as we take a look at our city cam right now, you see we do have a pretty looking sky, some blue, a few clouds out there. tomorrow, more cloud cover across the area. while we've been in the 80s today, try low 70s for our highs tomorrow. going to the game? we are coming off a win. we take on the dodgers again. first pitch at 7:05. partly sunny skies. 81 degrees, the temperature. like yesterday, didn't have to touch that mild and muggy because that's what it still is. on the radar, we are quiet. we've seen isolated showers there around western portions of orange county. that is it. that's where the weather front laid out. it's going to stall to the south of us for just the next 12 to 24 hours. getting the kids off to school tomorrow, it will be a mild start at 62 to 66 degrees, mostly cloudy skies.

sun's up at 6:59. 66 by early tomorrow morning. 60 in frederick. a few passing showers between midnight and about 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. areas south there could be isolated showers. tomorrow st. mary's, fredericksburg and around luray. cooler temperatures on top far tomorrow a look at saturday. we'll barely hit 70. mid to upper 70s for your sunday. rain saturday late afternoon, saturday evening through sunday morning now. back to you. >> thanks, veronica. free ice cream in today's news. today is customer appreciation day at carvell ice cream stores. everybody who stops in between 3:00 and 7:00 gets a free oreo ice cream sandwich. that is today only. >> today is a good day for ice cream. any day is a good day for ice

cream, isn't it? >> seven days a week. up next, switching gears. her murder has haunted her mother for 23 years. detectives believe they will find the killer who attacked a 15-year-old girl less than a mile from her home. >> and two elk get themselves onto a sticky situation.

>>. >> let's take a look at some of the stories making news on the web today. there's been a major discovery on the moon. an indian space probe found the chemical signature of water on the moon's surface. experts say it's not enough moisture to foster life on the moon, but if processed in mass quantities, it might provide resources. drinking water and rocket fuel for future moon dwellers. scientists have been anxious to see those findings confirmed independently and repeatedly. two elks squared off for a fight and guess what? they both lost.

a rancher stumbled o this season in colorado. the elk locked together tangled in barbed wire. several men held them down while they cut the wire to free the animals. the elk ran off unharmed. some say romance is dead in spain because the city decided to ban an act many people do to express their love for one another. it involves putting a padlock on theails on a bridge. this was all started by an italian author who wrote about doing this in a book. the city leaders say they're sick of seeing and having to remove all of those locks. it has been 23 years since 15-year-old lisa marie triggs was murdered in prince william county, virginia. for her mother, the pain is made worse not knowing who killed lisa or why. police still believe this case can be solved. joe krebs brings us this cold case. >> repter: lisa marie triggs

was 15 years old when she was murdered in may 1986. >> she was full of life. >> reporter: wednesday may 21st, lisa, her mother and brother were a the dale city plaza for hair cuts. after lisa wanted to leave while her mother and brother shopped. >> she said, i'll just walk home. i'll be home before you get home. i know how you like to talk, mom. >> reporter: using the shortcut, she was less than a mile from her house. >> she crossed over the creek here. there used to be a bridge. she came up this way and kept walking down this path. going toward her house. >> reporter: the path did have foot traffic, but was isolated and bordered by woods. >> kids use it all the time. you also have people who are living in the woods at the time and they used it. >> reporter: when debbie got home after shopping, lisa was not there. >> rig away in my heart, it's like, something's wrong.

lisa never lies. she's always honest and truthful. if she is not going to be somewhere when she says she is, she calls and lets me know, leaves me a note. >> reporter: despite nonstop searches by friends and family, there what no sign of lisa. her body was found three days after she disappeared about 75 yards back into these woods here in a creek bed. she was partially covered with branches. she had been beaten to death. >> one of her classmates found what looked to be a possible foot. it was all covered with foliage. >> she died from blunt force trauma. we did recover dna from the scene, so we do have a dna profile. >> reporter: there have been no matches so far. >> it is what we believe was a chance encounter. it happened to be she met the wrong person at the wrong time on this path. >> reporter: for lisa's mother these have been 23 years of agony.

>> i promised her at the feral that i would search till i found who did this. >> reporter: even now, she pleads for anyone with the slightest piece of information to come forward. >> we are her voice now. her voice was silenced by the perpetrator. so we are her voice. even the smallest thing that you might think is not important could lead us to who did this. >> reporter: joe krebs, news4, washington. if you have any information that might close this case, detective paul masterson would like you to call 1-866-411-tips. that's news at 4:00 this afternoon. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. tonight at 5:00, bribery bust. the chief of staff for the d.c. council member charged today. decoding car codes. find out what's wrong with your

careen before the mechanics. aids vaccine success, a major medical breakthrough. hello and welcome to news4 at 5:00 tonight. i'm jim handly. >> i'm eun yang in for wendy rieger tonight. a man leading police on a chase with his 3-year-old son in the back seat. he ditched his van and jumped into the anacostia river. this began with a routine traffic stop in maryland. police tell us the suspect also tossed drugs into the river before he jumped in himself. tracee wilkins has our report. >> reporter: seen here on new york avenue and the major traffic backup on 50 and 295 are the result of a police chase that started with what was supposed to be a simple traffic stop. >> maybe the driver of the vehicle felt he wasn't being pulled over for the traffic violation. maybe he felt the police were actually pulling him over because he had stuff he shouldn't have had i