a hospital worker who spotted lynne spaulding in the stair well days before. ktvu's eric rasmussen is live with new developments in the case. >> reporter: today investigators interviewed five member of the sheriff's office about what happened at san francisco general hospital. the attorney representing the deputies told us the story about a mystery man who saw lynne spaulding in the hospital stair well is fantasy. >> reporter: no one knows what happened to lynne spaulding. it has bane month since -- been a month since a worker found the body in a stair well at san francisco general hospital. investigators asked for help finding someone who saw a woman lying in the stair well days before lynne spaulding was found. deputies say the key witness may not exist. he is representing five members of the sheriff's office who provided security at san francisco general hospital. today investigators interviewed them about what happened. he told ktvu he thinks the story about a potential witness who may have stepped over a woman's body is made up. >> i don't think there was

a hospital worker who spotted lynne spaulding in the stair well days before.mussen is live with new developments in the case. >> reporter: today investigators interviewed five member of the sheriff's office about what happened at san francisco general hospital. the attorney representing the deputies told us the story about a mystery man who saw lynne spaulding in the hospital stair well is fantasy. >> reporter: no one knows what happened to lynne

her -- to lynne spaulding. her family said the hospital and the sheriff's department botched the search. >>> more grumbling from police who said the biggest city is short on officer. ktvu's robert handa and the latest installment in the saga. >> reporter: the san jose police department says due to benefit cuts and people leaving it gone from 1400 officers to 900 now. so it has to spread out jobs once handled by special units. officers say crimes are often ignored. >> those crimes are going unchecked and uninvestigated. >> ktvu showed how with surveillance video of burglary suspects the unit doesn't have enough investigators to track them down. officers say auto thefts, 6200 this year, is handled by one officer who doesn't investigate, only processes reports. cops from the vice squad said there is a rise in prostitution. >> now, i mean, it is more prevalent. even in day time. >> reporter: do you see police action? >> no. >> we try clean up the area and have a nice neighborhood but we can't do it without the poli

her -- to lynne spaulding. her family said the hospital and the sheriff's department botched the search. >>> more grumbling from police who said the biggest city is short on officer. ktvu's robert handa and the latest installment in the saga. >> reporter: the san jose police department says due to benefit cuts and people leaving it gone from 1400 officers to 900 now. so it has to spread out jobs once handled by special units. officers say crimes are often ignored. >> those crimes are going unchecked and uninvestigated. >> ktvu showed how with surveillance video of burglary suspects the unit doesn't have enough investigators to track them down. officers say auto thefts, 6200 this year, is handled by one officer who doesn't investigate, only processes reports. cops from the vice squad said there is a rise in prostitution. >> now, i mean, it is more prevalent. even in day time. >> reporter: do you see police action? >> no. >> we try clean up the area and have a nice neighborhood but we can't do it without the poli

francisco sheriff said the changes are in response to the failed search for hospital patient lynn spaulding. she was found 17 days later. the sheriff described missteps including misinformation. they were told she was african-american and wearing a hospital gown. >> they don't seem to have done to which find her. >> the attorney for the spalding family says he's disturbed he was going to discharge her but she was confused and not safe to be on her own. >> to say she was at risk and confused and shouldn't be by herself in another sentence is just to me extraordinary indifference >> the it took nine days before the hospital requested deputies search the entire campus. >> staff was directed to search stairwells. only about half were searched. ktvu learned the police department's missing person's unit met with hospital staff a october 1st concerned that spalding may have never left the site. three days later a hospital staffer had a report with someone landing in the 3rd or 4th floor landing. >> there is no indication anyone was dispatched to that stairwell. >> i'm not sure anybody seemed to ha

it will get us closer to learning all the facts about what happened to lynne spaulding so that we canke whatever steps are necessary to make sure it does not happen again. >>> the space ship is cleared for landing and construction begins tomorrow. the city council approved the plans. that means more green for the city. the city gave the annual tax break a cut. that means that coopertino will get more money every year. tonight, city officials approved doubling the parking rate to $2 an hour. drivers will pay to park on sundays now and parking enforcement will go until 8:00. >>> the city of oakland stepping up and volunteering to host the tra transgender day. it's prompted by flthe violence that was imosed on fleishman tomorrow's event takes place in city hall, beginning at 5:00. >>> ahead, it's called a kill switch, it could stop thieves from stealing your cell phone. >>> and walmart's attempt to -- >>batkid's side kick, the secret weapon that kept the little super hero going strong. >> he is what they call a secret weapon even from the sidelines but a stanford football player may be a

it will get us closer to learning all the facts about what happened to lynn spaulding so we can take whatever steps are necessary to ensure it never happens again. >>> a one-day strike at ucsf tomorrow has administrators rescheduling surgeries and other procedures. about 21,000 medical technicians are walking out for one day at ucsf, uc davis, and three southern california uc medical centers. nurses will be on the job. workers who operate x-ray and ultrasound equipment will not. the hospitals are attempting to cut the patient load by 25% for the day. workers say the strike is over patient safety. a uc spokesman, however, says the issue is over their pension. >>> george zimmerman is a free man, again, for now, after posting bail for assault and battery charges. zimmerman posted a $9,000 bond shortly after his court appearance today in a florida courtroom. police arrested him yesterday at his girlfriend's house after she called police saying zimmerman has pointed a gun at her during an argument. zimmerman is denying the charges saying his girlfriend is the one who got violent when he t

he apparently reported seeing lynn spaulding lying in a stairwell several days before her body was found in early october. police have questioned the witness but have not identified him. >>> the east oakland youth group behind a successful gun buyback program last year is announcing plans today for an even bigger one in the bay area's three largest city. the group helped get 600 dwuns off the street the -- guns off the street the day after the sandy hook elementary shooting last december 14th. this december 14th, it will cohost a new buyback in oakland. the group has launched a crowd- funding campaign through gunbygun.org to pay for the buyback. >>> san francisco, san jose, and los angeles will also participate. this is video of some of the guns turned in during one of san jose's two gun buybacks in march of this year. more than 1700 guns were turned over at that event. tonight a launch party is scheduled at 5:30 at rosy mccann's irish pub on santana row to kick off the program. >>> a new warning today about the impacts of not expanding runways at san francisco international airport. jac

ross mirkarimi will hold a news conference own the investigation of lynn spaulding's death. she went missing from her hospital room weeks earlier. he plans to discuss the preliminary findings in the case at 1:00 p.m. at city hall. we'll have details on what was said in our later newscast and online. >>> a child molestation civil trial begins today in san jose. last month, the jury found 27- year-old keith woodhouse guilty of felony child molestation. the lawsuit was filed by the parents of the girl who claims woodhouse molested heir while she attended the summer program in san jose's church of the hill in 2007. woodhouse worked there at the time. the same lawsuit targets child development incorporated, the largest daycare provider in california. >>> police in san francisco continue to investigate an early-morning shooting that left one man dead. it happened just before 5:00 a.m. off 3rd and bryant streets in the south of market neighborhood. brian flores is live at san francisco police headquarters now with what we know about any suspects. good afternoon, brian. >> reporter:

lynn spaulding's body was found by a building engineer, she had been in the hospital for a bladder infection. but disappeared from her room 2 1/2 weeks earlier. sheriff will speak to the media at city hall about the preliminary findings of their investigation. >>> new developments on a story we brought you on abc 7 morning news. the victim of a shooting in the south market area has died. there are reports of victim might have been in a car when they were shot about 5:00 this morning near third and bryant streets. the another vehicle was possibly involved. the area was closed for several hours as investigators combed the scene.victim was rushed to san francisco general but did not survive. >>> new this morning, investigators are trying to determine what sparked a fire a early this morning in the city's richmond district. eight people are displaced after the fire at a nonprofit bookstore. it also damaged a company that arrest arri archives everything on the internet. >>> a teen is facing pain fall skin grafts after he was intentionally set on fire on a transit bus. we're live in berkeley at th

that witness reportedly saw lynn spaulding lying in a stairwell several days before her body was discovered october 8. the man is a researcher working at the hospital. he came forward last week after seeing fliers that were handed out in hopes of finding her. he has been interviewed by the police. >>> new at 6:00, thieves steal a 150-pound safe from a boys and girls club, and it happened the morning after the most successful fundraiser of the year. the clubs leadsers cannot believe anyone would take money meant for children. as allie rasmus reports, it goes far beyond that cost. >> reporter: it's a place for kid to play and stay safe in west contra costa county. more than 100 children come to the boy and girl club everyday and the director wants to know what kind of person would steal from them. >> i can't imagine that they thought about that. that they had any kind of picture of a kid in their head in doing this. >> reporter: in the early morning hours of november 10, thieves busted the front door of the administrative office and through two locked interior doors to steal a safe hidden in

quote - "it must be difficult for lynne spaulding's family and friends to hear of today's news. we owe it to them, and to all of our current and future pateints, to strengthen our security services." >> pam: crisp aldon family is extremely dissatisfied with the sheriff's department. looking for a peace of mind. lynn spauding's family >> is certainly does not answer the question how a one ankle late on a stairwell for 17 days on discovered. >> reporter: at one point it was i she was identified as a black female than an asian >> it is only one issue here lynn spalding late like a piece of trash on american hospital sterol for 17 days. stairwell. unsatisfactory. >> reporter: questions are to be answered. >> reporter: the family spokesperson says they have the that they cannot investigate themselves spirit of demanding an independent investigation. >> pam: in oakland. a 16- year old boy is arrested for allegedly setting someone on fire, while on an a-c- transit bus. >> pam: unnamed suspect is a student at oakland high school. the teen may be facing felony hate crime charges. he was

back, time now 6:15 the city may hire private security guards after last month's death after lynn spauldingbody was found in a hospital stairwell 17 days after she was seen in her room. that tragedy has led to a shakeup with police and some say hiring private guards may be less expensive and more efficient. >>> secretary of state john is meeting with officials from the united arab emeritz. he is meeting about the nuclear program and unlike other states, they have concerns about iran's nuclear plans. >>> this week we are finding out how many have signed up with the affordable care act despite put website problems. they are ensuring americans who like their current plans really will not have to switch. millions of americans say they will have to change their plans because of regulations. >>> also they are still looking for teens in shooting at a birthday party which handed out side of houston. more than 100 teens came to celebrate a girl's 18th birthday party when somebody fired a gun to mark the celebration, however that gunfire led to mass confusion and panic. two other teens opened fire in

they may hire security guards after the death of lynn spaulding. her body was found 17 days after she was last seen in her hospital room, it led to a shakeup at the sheriff's office which currently provides hospital security. some say hiring prior evaluate guards -- private guards will be more efficient and less expensive. >>> five women have complained sense last week on the campus. >> reporter: this happened the first one down the street two blocks in unit 3, the central building, a man exposed himself in over an hour period in that bathroom and the second woman called police. the man came here to unit one and you can see a lot of the windows in this building are exposed and this is two blocks away from the first one. they saw a man who was standing outside and exposing himself to them. they called police but the man ran before police could get here. this is described as a by the man in his -- white man in his early 30s, five foot 10 inches to 6-foot tall, short dark hair, he was unshaven or at least he was at the time of the crime, he was wearin

after the death last month of hospital patient lynn spaulding whose body was found in a hospital stairwell 17 days after she disappeared from her hospital room. this has led to a shakeup of the sheriff's office which, right now provides hospital security. some city officials say hiring private guards would be less expensive and more efficient. >>> well, on this veterans day, we're finding out of an improvement in how long the veterans administration takes to process disability claims. according to the center for investigative reporting, the department of veterans affairs has spent the last six months trying to clear up the backlog. case workers had to work extra hours and the v.a. installed a new computer system. the average weight has dropped for more than a year down to 168 days. however, the v.a. did not meet its goal of clearing up all year-old disability claims by october. >>> 8:16. the deadly shooting of a 13- year-old boy in santa rosa has re-ignited the debate over toy guns. last month, andy lopez was shot and killed by a sonoma county sheriff who reportedly mistook the teen's bb s

patient at san francisco general hospital who was later found dead in a stairwell. 57-year-old lynn spaulding disappeared september 21st. 17 days later, her body was found in a hospital stairwell. san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi released details of a preliminary investigation including faulty information that he says deputies were given by hospital staff the day spaulding disappeared. >> twice during that conversation the deputy was told that the missing woman was african-american and wearing a hospital gown. >> sheriff mirkarimi also said when a full search of the hospital was ordered, his deputies only searched half of the stairwells. now, san francisco general hospital released a statement about the immediate steps it will take. they include an independent review of security and the facilities recommendations are expected between 30 and 90 days. also, refresher training, now being provided to sheriff's deputies assigned to the hospital. administrators say they are exploring whether to expand private security contracts to help fill in the gaps. >>> california's department of social ser

three major errors happened in this one during the search for lynn spaulding reported missing back in septembernd found dead in an outside stairwell two weeks later. first, the hospital initially told deputies she was african-american or asian when she was white. also, not all of the hospital stairwells were searched. and hard wir problems prevented deputies pulling surveillance video for eight days. all sheriff department staff at the hospital right now is being retrained. >> it's 5:21. oakland police trying to figure out if the a teen who was set on fire while sleeping on a bus was the target of a hate crime. the 16-year-old and 18-year-old's skirt on fire. he was wearing a kilt. they call it an unprovoked attack. his mother says the teen identifies as gender neutral. he collected signatures for the white to recognize gender neutral title. fleishman is in stable condition being treated for severe burns. >> 5:21. coming up on "today in the bay" we'll tell you about an injury. >>> welcome back. despite leading last night's ball game with what appears to be a sprained ankle seth curry

he apparently reported seeing lynn spaulding lying in a stairwell several days before her body was foundoctober. san francisco police say they are confident he is the person they were looking for. >>> 7:39. today is transgender remembrance day. oakland city council is paying a special tribute to the teenager who was burned while riding an a.c. transit bus. luke fleishman who identifies as a-gender, he goes by the name of sasha. he was sleeping on a bus when police say the skirt he was wearing was set on fire. now, 16-year-old richard thomas of oakland has been arrested in the case. sasha will be honored at a ceremony tonight. it begins at 5:00 at frank ogawa plaza. >>> we're learning more about how much the batkid's make a wish adventure in san francisco cost the city. according to the chronicle, the city spent $105,000, mostly for the civic center celebration that just capped off the big kay. at first the plan was for ed lee to present the 5-year-old leukemia patient, miles scott, with a chocolate key to the city, along with bringing a new hundred volunteers but the word spread. the cro

the changes are in response to the lynn spaulding case. she went mising at sf general and took three weeks for the hospital to find her body in a stairwell. federal investigators also spent the past week at the hospital intervi interviewing those involved in this case. >>> video of someone with their eyes closed usually doesn't generate much publicity. it's hitting a congressional race in the south bay. a camera caught san jose representative mike honda possibly dozing off during a september town hall meeting on health care. the 37-year-old opponent, ro khanna, he's facing off with is challenging honda for his congressional seat is circulating that video and another as well. khanna portrayed as 72-year-old honda as not having the energy to continue represents silicon valley. he says, quote, like many people the congressman sometimes closes his eyes while thinking or concentrating on an issue. >>> cautiously optimistic. high-level talks are happening over iran's nuclear program. nbc bay area's janelle wang is here with our "world tonight."

lynn spaulding was discovered 17 days after she disappeared. medical examiner has not yet relieved the cause of death. >>> 19 minutes past the hour. >>> so this may work for santa claus but chimneys and burglars don't make the best combination and ask richard brandon who is in jail this morning after trying to break into a naples, florida, home through the chimney. he got stuck. his accomplice panicked and asked police at a nearby 7-eleven for help. it took firefighters 30 minutes to get brandon out. >> when i first saw that, i thought the defendants richard branson! i was like, wait a minute! that guy is everywhere! richard brandon. >> stupid criminals, right? >>> remember the kevin ware story? he is back. after suffering a gruesome leg injury. he's on the court now. >> i can't wait to see what he looks like. >> can't wait. life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time.

the sheriff says three major errors happened in the search for lynn spaulding who was reported missing in september and then found dead in a stairwell two weeks later. first off, the hospital initially telling deputies the woman as african-american or asian when in fact she is white. also not all of the hospital stair wells were searched and hardware problem predent it pulling surveillance video for eight days. the lawyers representing the spaulding findings troubling. >> a live look at san francisco. weight for the sun's arrival. don't have to wait for christina. >> she's always right on time. >> indeed. because it's a live show and i don't have a choice. temperatures are looking good out there to start the day. we're in the 40s and 50s t reason why the blanket of clouds overhead. 6:05 we're getting that daylight throughout the next half hour, the sun is going to dreep above the horizon. we don't have a lot of fog to show you for the time being but there is some creeping along the coast line as we speak. here in san francisco you still have pretty good visibility. everything changes t

lynn spaulding >> reporter: google has broken their silence of the arch.a place to experience everything google. gabe slate kron 4 news. >> reporter: year to the grass and casino report and the northland bank. the grand opening day they took and about 15,000 people. they have never had such a big turn out. there are big fans of this new facility >> reporter: the >> there are bosses everywhere. and people coming from area everywhere. busses >> reporter: here is a live look at s s f o this evening right now temperatures are mild out there. we reached a high of 69. oakland at 61. livermore at 64. so what are we expecting over the next couple of days separate the cool down stars tomorrow but nothing drastic. you will see partly cloudy conditions. not a lot of 70's toman. more details on that a little bit later >> pam: deputies working to catch wanted suspects. a look into how the agency works. it's a story you will see on kron4. >> pam: in a story you'll see only on kron 4 --- hundreds of people wanted by law enforcement are on the streets of san francisco. bu

more information about the san francisco sheriff's department search for when spaulding at san francisco general hospital. 0--lynnding. sheriff ross mirkarimi went through the list of things that went wrong during the 17 day search for the spaulding. the trouble started when deputies got a report patient and wandered off. the deputy in charge did not consider this a missing persons case. and if permission was not passed on to the next the deputies on shift. then the ship to said hospital staff misidentified spalding, who is white first as african- american and then as asian in hospital logs. when a deputy want to look at security footage the cameras did not work. finally an unidentified man saw a body in the stairwell and told a staff member. the deputies did nothing about it. >>: there is no indication that anyone was dispatched to that stairwell. >>: >>james: the attorney for spaldings's to children does not believe all parties did much to find her. spaulding to body was found in the stairwell last month, two weeks after she went missing from her hospital room at san francisco general hospital. >>james: kron4 r