. this is 9news now. identity thieves preying on the family of children who have died of cancer. we first told you on friday about this despicable practice of stealing the social security numbers of dead children in order to claim them as

dependents on federal tax returns. >> well now we're learning it's an even bigger problem than we had realized. and we're learning it's also pretty darn easy to get those social security numbers online and within just seconds. our gary nurenberg shows us just how easy. >> reporter: identity thieves stoled the socy number of little alexis agan who died in january after a 33-month fight with brain cancer. they claimed her as a dependent on tax forms and took the deduction. >> to try to profit off the death of a child in this circumstance is just -- it shows a moral wrongness that is just, again, beyond belief. >> reporter: alexis's dad alerted other families. >> since that time 11 families have come forward to learn that

their children's social security numbers have been used. >> reporter: and these are all children that died? >> that's correct. >> reporter: we don't know who stole the children's social security numbers, but they're readily available on websites that use the social security administration's death master file which is marketed by the commerce department's national technical information service. buy it for $7,200. >> easy to do? >> very easy. >> reporter: want to know ronald reagan 's social security number. go to a genealogical website like family search.org. how about michael jackson. no problem. fast and easy. just as fast and easy to find 83 million social security numbers for people who have died. the irs won't comment specifically about cases like alexis's, but it does investigate cases of identity fraud and prosecutes the thieves. >> it seems to me it's perpetuating identity theft and costing the government more money. one agency is publishing them while another agency has to

prosecute the people who are using them. >> reporter: the social security administrats a court ruling mandates the release of those social security numbers, but it refuses to provide anyone to talk about that on camera. the national technical information service which markets the death list says it's used for example by financial institutions to prevent fraud. prevent someone from using the social security number of a deceased american to open an account or use it for financial fraud. we hope to have more from the service and on this story later in the week. anita and derek. >> wow. all right, gary. thank you. another full day of searching today, but still no sign of 11-year-old william mcquain. >> he is the germantown boy still missing after two weeks. his mother was found murdered last thursday. matt jablow joins us live where the search was focused today. >> reporter: police and prosecutors say they have not given up on the possibility that william mcquain will be found alive, but clearly with every

passing day that possibility becomes increasingly remote. four days after jane mcquain was found beaten and stabbed to death in her germantown home, the search continues for her 11-year-old son william. the hoping and praying continues as well. among the mcquain's frightened friends. >> i hope they don't find him in the woods. i hope that he's somewhere and he can find his way back, you know. >> reporter: today acting on a tip that they wouldn't discuss, montgomery county police used cadaver dogs to home through the woods in clarksburg. >> i can tell you it's not a hunch and a guess but it's based on the investigative leads and information detectives have that brought us here. >> reporter: meanwhile the suspect in the case 45-year-old curtis lopez, jane mcquain's estranged husband, has now decided not to fight extradition back to maryland from north carolina. he should be back in montgomery county sometime tomorrow. friends of the mcquains say

mother and son were wonderful people and they still can't believe what is happening. >> he was a beautiful little boy and she was a beautiful person. beaten and stabbed to death, she didn't deserve that. >> reporter: our thanks to matt jablow. so who do you believe. kids that say they were punched and choked or a teacher. the teacher has ten counts of second degree assault. she was teaching first grade in silver spring when the alleged abuse took place. police say a student told a guidance counselor that she had physically assaulted him. a police investigation discovered six other students who claim she abused them as well. a routine moving day turns frightening after a 5-year-old boy tum bldz from a third store -- tumbles from a third story window. he's expected to be just fine. but as delia gongalves tells us, that boy had been left alone in the apartment. >> reporter: what makes the story remarkable

is the young boy fell from the third floor window nearly 30 feet down to the ground. and it's pretty rough te ranl. you can see -- terrain. you can see stone and brick. an iron railing. and another 15-foot drop down to concrete. he was helping his friend move into his new apartment, a move made more difficult with an active 5-year-old boy. >> we can't help the kids. >> we were going up and down with the stuff and the little boy fell down. he was coming in and the dad asked him to come in the room. >> reporter: just as dad sent the little boy to the third floor apartment, it was time to pick up his 6-year-old son from school. >> he went up the street to pick up the little boy. >> reporter: dad left his friend in charge, but he was in the truck moving more furniture when he heard the sirens. >> they said stay one place. >> reporter: he fell nearly 30 feet from the third floor window. a neighbor called 911.

first responders say the little boy was alert and talking when they arrived. detectives with family crimes were sent to the apartment to investigate the time line of events that left this little boy alone. but witnesses say it never takes long for an unattended and curious child to find trouble. >> it was an accident. because nobody would throw themself out there. he probably wads scared. >> reporter: the 5-year-old boy should be out of the hospital and into his new home soon. his injuries non-life-threatening. in silver spring, delia gongalves, 9news now. why would anyone set their own home on fire? that is the question tonight after fire investigators say a woman did just that. it happened at the sunny gate village apartments on woodbury drive over the weekend. the fire marshal says a woman started a fire inside her bedroom early sunday morning and then went door to door waking people up to warn them. you can see from the cell phone video just how intense the fire

got. six apartments and townhouses destroyed causing $600,000 worth of damage. neighbors with now trying to understand why this all happened. >> she started the fire and she came to let us know, so that was really unexpected. it's a lot to think about but you don't really know what to think about. it's still absorbing right now. >> maybe she started feeling guilty. >> tonight 23 people without home, including 12 kids. the red cross is helping these families with a place to stay and some necessities. a key staffer in mayor vince gray's office has agreed to go undercover and wear a wire for prosecutors investigating the campaign. he has been wearing the wire and has recorded at least one conversation. not clear yet what brooks could get in exchange for that level of cooperation. but what we do know is that brooks was named by sulaimon brown as one of the people in the gray campaign who gave him money for the repeated attacks

on adrian fenty. now, brown says he was also promised a job which he got and was then fired from. mayor gray says if there were any irregularities in the campaign, they happened without his knowledge. >> i haven't been called for anything at this stage. and we want to cooperate with the investigation as we said we would. and we want to continue to provide whatever witnesses, whatever documentation is requested of us. >> but you're going to be surprised if it turns out that there were irregularities in the campaign. that some of mr. -- >> look, i'm surprised this thing happened in the first place. >> the chairman of the gray campaign has also denied the claims that she gave him money and gave him that job. 9news now has never been able to make contact with him. this ought to get your motor running. the governor of maryland is calling for a huge jobs program and he wants to pay for it by raising the state tax on gasoline. >> the governor is urging state lawmakers to get right on this

and calling up construction projects and get folks back to work. that is all good. but it's the funding side of this that's already coming under attack. we're talking about a proposed tax hike of $0.15 a gallon. if passed, it would bring the state's gasoline tax to 38.5 cents per gallon. >> what are we willing to do in order to get people back to work more quickly? >> there are, indeed, a lot of people in pain. and the idea that they're going to be able to afford additional taxes in this time of economic struggle is wrong. >> hearings for all of this is set for tomorrow. the engineers who in expected the monument for earthquake damage is back to work in dc. they're now checking the cathedral also damaged. the cathedral itself is structurally sound but it's been closed because some stone carvings might be unstable. today two engineers ganoine expecting the outside -- began

inspecting the outside. >> we want to make sure if we see rotation we're less concerned with the stability. if we see lateral displacement where there is some evidence that there may in and out be a dowel, those are the types of things we're looking for. >> they don't expect to find much damage up there and the cathedral is set to open november 12th. topper. >> all right. we'll take you out with the wakeup weather. grab a light jacket in the morning. a little cooler tomorrow morning. 48-58. and then 46-56 by 7:00 and pretty nice by 9:00 with partly cloudy skies. we'll come back. we have big changes on the way. big storm heading in. we'll tell you when. twice the size of time without the nip tuck. a new tool to achieve younger looking skin. plus amazing video of mother nature's version of sun block. that is coming up.

at bank of america, we're lending and investing in the people and communities who call greater washington, d.c. home. from supporting an organization that helps new citizens find their way... to proudly supporting our washington redskins... and partnering with a school that brings academic excellence to the anacostia community.

because the more we do in greater washington, d.c., the more we help make opportunity possible. the mother of a missing kansas city girl says on the night her child vanished she got drunk and may have even blacked out. debora bradley says, in fact, she often gets drunk but only after her children are in bed.

her 10-month-old daughter lisa disappeared from that home two weeks ago. now, bradley says she thinks she will be arrested in her girl's disappearance but insists she did nothing to harm her daughter. today police and fbi agents launched a new round of searches for that missing girl. they brought tracking dogs into the family home. they drained a nearby creek but they found nothing. caught on tape a close call along an iowa highway. take a look at this. a state trooper just crashing up after pulling someone over when the semi comes roaring by just barely missing him. the 18 wheeler slammed into the back of a mini cooper. thankfully somehow nobody hurt. the officer wondering what happened. this is just another frightening reminder of why drivers need to move over when a trooper or police officer has pulled someone over. scary stuff. >> it sure is. meantime in the world of anti-aging more treatments have emerged that don't require surgery. think uplift versus facelift. now, some of the newest devices

are being tested on all kinds of skin type and proving safe and effective no matter what your complexion. melanie abdow is getting used to taking before and after pictures. she has had subtle anti-aging treatments of the rockville office of a dermatologist for years. but recently she underwent two new procedures to reduce wrinkles and rejuvenate her face. >> my main concern was the healing process. because with my dark skin, even when i have a cut, it takes a long time for that little scar and it gets dark. >> reporter: melanie is of lebanese descent but all patients with deeper skin tones need to be wary of hyperpigmentation when a laser or other treatment causes too much inflammation and leaves dark patches behind. that's why she says to use ultrasound for non-surgical

lifting. >> it's what we call a color-blind device and it doesn't damage the skin. it targets the deeper tissues. it's going all the way down to the muscle. >> reporter: this doctor has tested it in patients of african, indian and asian descent and find it very good in tightening the neck and jaw line. while the results emerge over several months, she saw a difference right away. >> my eyes were a little heavier here. as soon as they did the treatment, i noticed it instantly. but over six months, i really saw a great change. >> reporter: melanie also had fine lines under her eyes softened with the laser. the radio frequency energy it uses is more precise than previous lasers lessening the chances of side effects on pigmented skin. >> it's enough energy to give us the results we need in every skin type. >> reporter: results melanie says she's tickled with. >> 30-year reunion last year for high school last fall. it was just my head got that big

from all of the complements. i'm aging very nicely with the help of my doctor. >> reporter: one caveat to the laser. these are cosmetic procedures not covered by insurance. they also are not painless. both are causing control damage that stimulates new collagen to form. some patients think they hurt more than others do. and there is at least a day of down time with the laser. yesterday they finally dedicated to the memorial to dr. martin luther king, jr. and now generations who never seen king alive will get to remember him via a statue. but derek is a lot more interested in remembering king, the five-foot men. >> funny things about statues or old black and white film, you never get old or tired. he will always be the icon that gave the i have a dream speech back in 1963. but fast forward five years and we would have found a far different martin luther king,

jr.. the author of the book hell hound on the trail, the history of the king assassination, described king as drinking, sleeping more he turned his attention to economic economies in the vietnam war. he was talking about going on a sabbatical. king was a human being. smart. vulnerable. afraid. doubtful. how many of us would find the strength to go to memphis on behalf of the strikers. to keep on preaching non-violence. you see, at that point king surely never expected to get a monument, perhaps even wandered if we would honor or even remember him. he kept on fighting, kept on marching anyway. today this icon is all we have left. but it is the human being who inspires. anita. >> well said, derek. thank you. you have video for us.

>> we do. we don't see this too often here in the country. they occur all over the world. check this out. this is in texas. a cold front barreled through there today and this is a pretty massive dust storm. and dust storms can move up to 30 miles an hour. watch how dark it gets. it can extend in the atmosphere up to a mile, mile and a half. it looks like night. and this is at 5:30 local time. look at that. that is absolutely incredible. you can just barely make out the car over there and then it becomes light as it passes by. but a cold front went through there and they've had very little rain the last couple years in texas and they have an aired soil anyway and that was a dust storm. let's talk about temperatures. 61 downtown. 48 in frederick. most everybody else in the 50s. 54 in leesburg. and 55 in fredericksburg. 52 in manassas. satellite picture radar combined, we're watching one little storm in the midwest but we're really more concerned, quite frankly, with this storm

in the gulf of mexico. could become -- it has some tropical possibilities if it were to form it would be our 17th named storm of the season. rena. i think it's going to be a strong low pressure system. it's going to hammer the coast as we get into wednesday night and thursday. good rain maker, maybe an inch, two inches. right now we're looking at a few clouds fall through. a pretty nice evening really. so here is the deal. a cool start tomorrow. little cooler tomorrow morning than it was today. but a mild finish. one more very nice day. you're going to need sunglasses tomorrow and then big rains roll in on wednesday. let's talk about overnight hours we're looking at partly cloudy skies. cooler than last night. 46-56 with light winds. now, tomorrow morning partly cloudy and cool. temperatures in the 40s and 50s. grab your sunglasses. winds light. and then by afternoon partly

cloudy and mild. maybe high clouds come in late as the storms from the south come up. by highs around 70. pretty good deal. here is your zone forecast. generally in the 50s in oakland. 64 in cumberland. 68 in winchester. 73 in culpeper. only 69 at manassas. 70 downtown. 70 in gaithersburg. 69 in frederick. upper 60s by the water. not much wind so no advisories for the bay or tidal potomac. so we'll break it down. 46-56. cool start. 60s by noon. and 68-72 with sunshine by evening. next three days, here comes the rain on wednesday. it's going to be a warm rain, though. windy, 69. even some thunderstorms possible. and then behind it much cooler. maybe leftover shower on thursday. and it stays cool for a while. friday we struggle to get to 60. but we set ourselves up for another nice fall weekend. a walk now for autism speaks on saturday at the mall. 9th and madison. walks are at 10:00. get there at 9:00, please. mid 60s on sunday and mid 60s on

monday and i tweeted something out. i meant to do it last night. i saw my first christmas commercial. >> me too. i saw that. >> i was a little upset. >> wow. it's not even halloween. >> all right. fans of the george washington university men's ball team are hoping their new season brings as much excitement to the charles marschall center. this is friday night mascots. local sports teams dancing to the hits. let's take a look. ♪ everybody dance now . [ laughing ] >> okay. that's funny. that is funny. >> and, you know, when you're dressed like a mascot, you're not that limber. >> you're not. >> i've been accused of being stiff on the dance floor, but i think i'm a little better than that. >> you have to be. >> that's pretty funny. >> i was wandering what it was -- wondering what it was like in those. no one can see you. >> i think it's sweaty.

>> sweaty and smelly. i agree with you on that one. >> okay. what is going on? >> maybe they can bring some excitement to fedex field and ash burn and the redskins. >> excitement we're not short on. we have excitement. >> good football. we don't necessarily have so much of that. mike shanahan has big decisions to make in the coming days. hear what he has to say about the latest quarterback debacle. who needs surgery and who is out for the season coming up next.

after a promising start to the season, the redskins were tested and exposed on sunday by the eagles. rex grossman throwing four interceptions had his worst performance as a redskin. mike shanahan was quick to jump to grossman's defense after the game, but now he has a big decision to make who gets to start against carolina. does he give grossman another chance and hope this was a fluke of sorts or does he go with his golden boy john beck. >> on wednesday the decision will be made based on who is going to start. the best interest of the organization. i have not made up my mind right now. but we're going to do what we think is best for a football

team. >> really. do what is best for your football team. [ laughing ] >> up to this point, they have been lucky when it comes to injury. but sunday three came down. cooley will have a surgery. trent williams out 4-6 weeks with a high ankle spring and corey lippenstiger out with torn ligaments in his right dplee knee. they have serious shuffling ahead. >> that is part of the game too. somebody has to come in and step up. let's hope for the best. >> finally tonight, the dangers of being a shorts photographer. watch this receiver go on the

sidelines and steam roll the photographer. you know you hear the helmet to helmet hit. you can hear him hit the photographer and camera. he got up afterwards. but, see, he also has an oregon jacket on and that was an arizona state receiver. >> you have to think when the guy got the spot he probably thought i got the perfect spot. >> uh-huh. >> right there. >> no problem. >> we'll be right back. ♪

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that is 9news for tonight. you can always log on to wusa9.com. >> letterman is next. good night, everybody. [ man ] i got this citi thank you card

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