everybody wants to find mollie. >> reporter: blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> syria's 7-year-old civil war has left hundreds of thousands dead and huge parts of the country in ruins. now, even as the war rages on, syrians of all walks of life are turning towards an ancient trade craft and with a little help are starting to rebuild. nbc's bill neely reports from neighboring jordan. >> reporter: bit by bit the rebuilding of syria has begun. these are refugees dreaming of a future that can't come soon enough, carving their dreams in stone, training to be stone masons. in a work shop in jordan they are learning how to restore what war destroyed. taught by an englishman on a mission. >> we try to create a cadre of tradesmen who are able to return to syria and cascade skills. on to unskilled tradesmen. >> reporter: they are trying to reverse this. isis destroyed ancient stonework, blew up historic buildings, left the roman city of palmyra in ruins. the students fled into exile into camps with nothing. the most remarkable thing is that none of them had ever picked up a chisel before. >> i have ne

everybody wants to find mollie. >> reporter: blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> two people drowned and others hospitalized after swimming in high waves in lake michigan. there were multiple distress calls as wave heights reached five feet. beach goers formed a human chain to save one man who disappeared in the waves. they found him and performed cpr, but he was taken to the hospital where he later died. officials cautioned people fro weather. >> good morning danny and frances. over the weekend wely jt blosso ranking around 15. the heat, that's the story this week once again. 26 million people at least in the excessive heat warning. a couple new ones have been added. further northwest, the heat will be building throughout the week. today, phoenix 112, palm springs 116, fresno, 100 degrees. the heat will continue to be high in the desert southwest. as i mentioned, getting hotter period of weather. look at the magenta on that map. i think that's kind of giving it away, but we'll take a look at the week ahead forecast. >> imaginethat, must be hot. all right, see you then. >>> in today's quick hit

they spoke with our blake mccoy. >> kyle, if you met kyle, he was an unforgettable kid. >> reporter: it's been four months since jill and ron plush lost their 16-year-old son, kyle, he died trapped in a car after calling 911. >> help, help, help. i'm stuck in my van outside the seven hills parking lot. >> the seven hills what parking lot? >> he called the one entity that he knew would be able to help him. >> reporter: kyle was pinned by the third row seat of his minivan while reaching for tennis gear, using siri to call 911 twice. but failures in the system that day meant cincinnati dispatchers had trouble finding him and patrol officers couldn't find him. unable to breathe, he died waiting. i probably don't have much time left. so tell my mom that i love her if i die. >> reporter: you still haven't listened to the 911 call that kyle made? >> no. kyle and i were very close. we went through a lot together. it's really hard to -- it's hard to go on every day without him. >> reporter: jill and ron are now turning their anguish into action, starting the kyle plush answer the call foundat

nbc's blake mccoy has that story tonight. >> why would they even do such a thing? >> reporter: donna gowdy describes the moment her 11-year-old daughter was tased. >> she fell down and rolled over and was shivering. >> reporter: doneshia was caught shoplifting snacks from this kroger monday night. >> i got up and i couldn't really breathe. >> i'm not saying what she did was cool. you know, i'm not vouching for that but the way he went about it was totally wrong. >> reporter: the security guard was an off duty cincinnati cop currently on restricted duty following the incident. police policy states a taser may be used on a suspect over age 7 or under 70 but also that officers should consider the severity of the crime. the city is now reconsidering that policy. >> i can see no reason why an 11-year-old child would be tasered given the circumstances for shoplifting. >> reporter: the police union is defending the officer and current policy. >> i would hate to see the procedure change to a certain age that restricts an officer from using a taser and have something tragic

blake mccoy, nbc news. >> as we track gu politically divisive and have many wondering how to reconcile the right to bear arms with public safety. well, one european nation may offer some insights. lucy cavanaugh reports. >> reporter: each mass shooting in america echoes thousands of miles away in switzerland. with a population of just over 8 million, this tiny nation has an outsized love for its guns. >> we believe in the right to have your own rifle and be armed, free citizen. >> reporter: after the u.s., switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world. one reason, a centuries old tradition of armed neutrality. they're given a weapon, trained their service. >> they go to the military and they shoot with friends, with family. this is the tradition of switzerland. >> reporter: a tradition that spans all age groups. there are hundreds of shooting ranges just like this one all across switzerland. guns are a regular part of swiss life. but mass shootings are rare. there are plenty of rules. >> because it's so highly regulated, it gives us the freedom to bear arms, to

to that rampage.d here's nbc's blake mccoy. >> reporter: tonight, an independent review finds broward county schools should have done more to help mass shooter nicholas cruz in the two years before his rampage that killed 17 people at marjory stoneman douglas high schl is past february. a judge ordered the report partially redacted. but a mistake in that process means when you cut and paste the textin a new document, it becomes visible. among the key findings, cruz who had a learning disability, had been receiving support services his entire education. bufa series conduct violations in 2016 led to a recommended return to cross creek, a special needs school. cruzad just turned 18 and not wanting to leave marjory stoneman douglas opted out of further support services. his grades decled. d no longer on track to graduate, he left in.ebruary 20 and purchased an ar-15 rifle. he returning for first time a year later, the day of the shooting. the report finds broward county schools largely supportive cruz, but is critical on two points. not letting cruz stay at marjory stoneman douglas, h sch

for "today," blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> ten months after the massacre in las vegas, police have closed the investspation. dee thousands of hours ofnd interviewson of evidence, there is a lingering question why did the lonunn take so many lives? nbc's gadi schwartz has more. >> reporter: it has bee ten months since gunfire erupted from the mandalay bay.d an the numbers found in the las vegas police final report are absolutely staggering 2,000 investigative leads. 22,000ours of video. 250,000 images.av police a moment to moment timeline detailing to the minute the thousands of rounds fired into the crowd. >> still shooting. still shooting. >> reporter: but despite so many specifics, still no reason why. >> single shooter. >> reporter: police finding no evidence the shooter was radi l radicaliz radicalized, but found searches of how crowded venue gets. there was no manifesto orno suicide te. hand drawn calculations of bullet trajectories and bump stocks. the shooter maye h had bipolar disorder and gambled before the massacre, but never committed a crime before the first shot. in the shoot

. >> blake mccoy tells us about the family's plea for answers. >>> good news about jobs has been crushedy new news that china will respond to our latest threats on added tariffs. dow industrial is barely climbing this morning. you're watching "today in the bay." >>> 6:44. sunny skies as we look at your forecast today. sunnyvale. the only change you'll see is smoke over the next few hours. walnut creek, a closer look at the air quality forecast and the rest of your weekend forecast coming up in a few minutes. >>> you know when there's not bumper to bumper traffic on a live camera, you can appreciate the sun gleaming there. we have a smooth commute. i'll have a look at your bridge drive times coming up in a bit. >>> 6:44 now and the family of this missing college student who grew up in oakland hopes a big reward will bring molly tibbits home. blake mccoy is in iowa with their new plea. >> reporter: it's been more than two weeks since molly tibbits disappeared in brooklyn, iowa. her family has issued a desperate plea. they have a big new reward to incentivize people. $172,000 so far. they s

here's nbc the blake mccoy. >> we believe that mollie is still alive and if someone abducted her we are pleading with you to please release her. >> reporter: the family of mollie tibbetts offering a desperate plea and big reward for her safe return. $172,000 and counting. donations flooding from from coast to coast. >> know tool in our arsenal, providing this fund to provide some financial incentive for someone who otherwise is reluctant to come forward. >> reporter: searches of cornfields and pig farms so far turned up no sign of the missing college student. she was last seen on a jog in brooklyn, iowa more than two weeks ago. this man was questioned by authorities. >> i don't even remember what they asked me. >> reporter: he has been found guilty of stalking in the past and says investigators took photos inside his home. >> a waste of time, i thought. but, oh, well. >> reporter: officials remaining tight-lipped, confirming they did look into a possible sighting at this missouri rest stop last week and ruled it out. it wasn't mollie. her family is determined to push forward. >> every d

>> blake mccoy in iowa, thank you. >>> turning overseas where isis is claiming responsibility for a vicious attack that killed a young american couple. they were tourists who quit their jobs to go on a journey around the world. heartbroken friends are speaking out matt bradley has their story. >> reporter: americans were 29 and on the trip of a lifetime. biking around the world, jay describing why. >> the more you see in the world, the more you want to put that back into the world. >> reporter: but it was in the 25th country where the trip turned into a nightmare. this video showing the attack, the pair with two other cyclists when a car swerves into them and stabbing them. isis claiming responsibility. >> i was completely broken hearted. >> reporter: the couple quit their jobs in washington d.c. chronicing their journey. aing their journeyling their journey. ling their journey. >> they believed in the beauty and good in the world so while it's, you know, heartbreaking that that is something so terrible was how they met their end. >> reporter: in each place, lauren and jay marvelled at the

fit bit may hold clues about wheres and for the first time, we are hearing from her boyfriend.as blake mccoy hhe latest. >> she's sweet, kind, extremely lovable. hard not to like her. >> 20-year-old dalton jack zr describing molly,isirlfriend of three years, who vanisheded without a trace more than three weeks ago. >> it was a shock, it gs harder. you miss her more than anythin in the world. >> overnight, hurricanes gathered for a vigil for the student her family believe he returned to the house jack shares with his brother a used the computer, but investigators remain tight lippeded on the >> do you believe she disappeared on the run or after she returned home? >> that's one of those 'mtails thatot going to discuss today. sp overnight, nbc news confirming police d today a possible sighting of mollie at this truck stop in western as missouri late week. it remains unclear if it resulted in any leads as the hireless search for mollie intensifies,s gatpe data from her fit bit provides clues. >> we are looking at all technology and we are looking t generate leads based on that technology. >> vei

nbc's blake mccoy reports on ona ly's terrifying ordeal after the flight carrying their children wasd. >> reporter: it would be a nightmare for any parent. 9-year-old carter gray and his 7-year-old sist, etta, traveling as unaccompanied minors on a frontier airline flight chaperoned by an employee. but the planend the kids never show up at their final destination. as this actual tracking map from flightaware.com shows, frontier 1756 took off from des moines heading to orlando at 7:25 p.m. expected arrival,6 10 p.m. but severe storms force it to circle the airport f an hour before diverting to atlanta. arriving at the gate there at 12:12 a. rter and etta's parents say they knew the plane landedn atlanta, not from the airline but from apps. >> it was almos instant terror. you're not with your kids at this point, you're really kind of out of control. >> reporter: chad said the first time they heard from their kids was when 9-year-old carter borrowed a cel a phone texted him shortly after the plane landed. around 4:00 a.m. he got a second and from his son that he his sister were being ta

blake mccoy reports on one family's cautionary tale. >> reporter: it would be a nightmare for any parent9-year-old carter gray and his 7-year-old daughter etta traveling on a frontier airline flight chaperoned by a frontier employee. but the plane and the kids never show up at their final destination. as this actual tracking map from flightaware.com shows, frontier 1756 took off from des moines heading to orlando at 7:25 p.m. expected arrival 10:46 p.m. but severe storms force to circle the airport for an hour before diverting to atlanta. arriving at the gate there at 12:12 a.m. carter and etta's parents say they knew the plane landed in atlanta, not from the airline, but from apps. >> almost instant terror. you are not with your kids, you are really kind of out of control. >> reporter: chad says the first time they heard from their kids was when carter borrowed a cellphone and texted him shortly after the planend landed. around 4:00 a.m., chad got a second text from his son that he and his sister were being taken by a frontier employee to a hotel and would stay overnight. >> no supervis

nbc's blake mccoy has the very latest on this story. e,ood morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. in a new interview, that father is goring his t beauty what happened to his father. it's seemingly different than a eory mollie's mother told us over the weekend. her reward has topped a quarter of a million ollars as the search for the missing college student continues. >> i'll be honest with you, early on i wasn't as hopeful as i am now. >> in a new interview the father of mollie ti etts says he believes his father is still alive. >> the longerute do wit finding mollie's body, the more hopeful we are she's alive somewhere and going through something that very can survive. >> rob tickets says he believes his 20-year-old daughter is with someone she knows two weeks after vanishing from the small town of brooklyn, iowa. >> it's totally specution on part, but i think mollie iseo with s she knows, that is in over their head. there was some independent could of misunderstanding about the nature of that relationship. at this point they

nbc's blake mccoy has been on it for us. blake, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. make no mistake, these parents believe their daughter is alive. they are holding on to that hope, and they call this new six-figure reward another tool in their arsenal to bring mollie home. >> we believe that mollie is still alive and if someone has abducted her, we are pleading with you to, please, release her. >> reporter: the family of mollie tibbetts offering a desperate plea and big reward for the 21-year-old's safe return, $172,000 and counting, donations flooding in from coast to coast. >> this is another tool in our arsenal. we're providing this fund to provide some financial incentive for someone who is otherwise reluctant to come forward. >> reporter: searches of corn fields and pig farms have so far turned up no sign of the missing college student. she was last seen on a jog in brooklyn, iowa, more than two weeks ago. wayne cheney says he was questioned by authorities. >> i don't even remember what they asked

nbc's blake mccoy is in brooklyn, iowa, with the latest. lake. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. that boyfriend is significant because he is the last person to hear from ally before she disappeared. new this morning, we are also learning of a possible mollie sighting last week in missouri, giving the family hope that she's still alive. >> she's sweet, kind, extremely lovable. it's really hard not to like her. >> reporter: 20-year-old dalton jack describing mollie tibbetts, his girlfriend of three years who vanished without a trace more than two weeks ago. >> initially, it was shock. and then, you know, it gets harder day by day because she's still not here. and you miss her. you miss her more than anything in the world. >> reporter: overnight, hundreds gathered at a vigil for the missing university of iowa student last seen on her nightly jog in the small town of brooklyn. mollie's family believes she returned to the house jack shares with his brother and used the computer, but investigators remain tight-lipped on the timeline of her disappea

let's go right to nbc blake mccoy at o'hare in chicago this morn >> good morning.thousands of kids fly without an adult relative. unompanied minors they're called by the airlines. in this case the father tells us it was his kids first and probably last time. >> it was be a nightmare for any parent. 9-year-old carter gray and his 7-year-old sister etta traveling as uncompanied minored on a frontier airline flight. the plane and theids never show up at their final desination. as tctual tracking map from flight aware.com shows, frontier's 1756 took off from des moines headed to orlando at 7:25 p.m. expectedrrival, 10:46 p.m. storms force it to circle the airport for an hour beforein dive to atlanta. arriving at the gate there at 12:12 a.m. carter a etta's parentsey say new the plane landed in atlant not from the airline. but from the app. chad says the first time theyd herom their kids was whenar 9-ye-old carter borrowed a cell phone and texted him shortly after the planeanded. around 4:00 a.m. chad says he got a second text from his son that he and his sister were be