it will be lit up in red in memory of nicole mittendorff. peggy fox, back to you. >>> the viewing and funeral for nicole mittendorff will take place this thursday. >>> weather could be a big problem for much of the midsection. the national weather service said there is a possibility for powerful, long track tornadoes and enormous hail in central plains states. the bulls i could be 55,000 square miles stretching from northern oklahoma to southern nebraska, including oklahoma city. >> a separate weather system could bring showers and chief meteorologist topper shutt is here with more. >>> not everybody will see a shower. i want everyone to get out and vote. if you are worried about a shower, vote in the morning. the polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. there may be a shower by 4:00 and still 81 at 6:00. nothing in the morning and a warm day. we will come back and talk about a temperature swing on wednesday and the possibility of more yellow alerts further on down the road. >>> coming up, a man is accused of stealing money supposed to

he says he will only remove the post if nicole mittendorff's family asks him to do so. furthermore he says he will not give up the i.p. address of the person or the persons who commented or wrote about nicole mittendorff unless he is issued a court order and forced to do so. meanwhile, chief richard bowers has a list of different changes he is bringing to the fairfax county fire department he says will address issues of the harassment and bullying head on. we'll have the list coming up for y until then live in fairfax, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. alison: solemn job in prince george's county today as a workman added the name of a fallen firefighter to the memorial outside the fire services building. the name added is that of john ulmschneider. he was the firefighter shot to death while responding to a call earlier this month. a candlelight vigil planned for 7:00 p.m. to honor the man known to his friends as "skillet." leon: now to a breaking news story in prince william county. tom roussey just arrived at the scene of a homicide investigation. he checks in with the latest.

saying he wants the blog to remove posts mentioning nicole mittendorff and wants the blog to shut down entirely. they are part of a thread for fairfax county firefighters. they are crate call of mittendorff's personal actions and behaviors. the body of nicole mittendorff, 31 years old, in the three-year veteran of department found last week. in the shenandoah national park after she committed suicide. suicide note was found inside her

an emotional plea from the husband of firefighter nicole mittendorff wednesday and her car was found in the shenandoah national park but no sign of her. officials from her fire station and her family talked about their concern. our northern virginia bureau chief is live outside the station. >> this was a very emotional news conference this morning at 10:00. fire station 32. 31-year-old nicole mittendorff was working out of here since joining three years ago and where officials made a desperate plea to the public for help in trying to locate her. surrounded by members of the fire department at station 32, we heard from the chief and the husband of nicole mittendorff. urging the public to come forward with any information they may have about nicole mittendorff's disappearance. the state police continues shenandoah national park near where her mini-cooper was discovered on saturday. she was reported missing last friday and was last heard and seen from last wednesday. that is what fire officials say this morning. her husband delivered a message to his wife. >> i love you. i am praying fo

fairview fire station wednesday night overflowed with tears and concern for nicole mittendorff. >> tonights about nicole. tonight is about bringing nicole home. jay: the 31-year-old firefighter who called this fire station her work home has been missing now for a week. podium, heartbroken family members held onto each other, including her husband, steve. washey cope with the egg of uncertainty, the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain unclear. fire officials confirmed last wednesday that mittendorff called out sick and did not arrive to work on friday. her car was found saturday parked at a trailhead in shenandoah national park. >> we ask, we beg for her safe return to us. 32, thisire station candle of hope will remain lit until she arrives home. mittendorff's father placed a ribbon beside the candle. her husband, steve, was too distraught to do the same. the search for nicole mittendorff resumes at first light tomorrow. jay korff, abc 7 news. leon: thank you, jay. a death that a townhouse fire in gaithersburg has been ruled a homicide. lastire happened month on windjammer wa

all indications are that the body found yesterday in shenandoah national park is that of nicole mittendorff. here is the statement that her family released la after this news did become public saying -- "our hearts are broken. we believe that nicole has been found and is finally coming home. however, not in the way we anticipated. this is not the positive outcome we continue to hope and pray for over the past week." mittendorff's both was found yesterday about a -- body was found yesterday about a mile from the white oak canyon parking lot, 300 yards off the trail from white oak canyon parking. in a steep rocky area. her mini cooper was found in the parking lot last weekend. inside the vehicle investigators did discover a suicide note she had written. we do not know the details of that note. in the past several days we have become aware of online message boards where nicole mittendorff's name used in a negative manner. some of the posts purported to have been written by members of the fairfax county fire department. however, none of the individuals posting gave his or her name and be this i

the funeral for nicole mittendorff is thursday afternoon. maureen: thank you, jeff. tonight the start of staggered release time at two d.c. schools. mckinley tech students were let out today at 3:05 p.m. 20 minutes later dunbar high school released its students. the goal is to end violent confrontation between rival schools. it's been a growing problem with the latest brawl at the noma-gallaudet metro station a few weeks ago. leon: father accused of letting teens drink at his montgomery county home and tonight the charges have been dropped. police say that sassan kimiavi allowed the drinking at his bethesda home. he was pinned with 13 counts of allowing underage possession of alcohol. that could carry $32,000 in fines. but today, the entire case against him was dropped. the state's attorney office sa evidence and they say that kimiavi had no idea the kids were drinking until police arrived on the scene. developing now, a teenager murdered at a public park. detectives in montgomery county say an 18-year-old oscar benitez of gaithersburg attacked in the park on center

a short distance away from where nicole mittendorff's mini cooper car was found in an isolated parkingt saturday. here is how the afternoon played out. shortly after 4:00 we were in the middle part of shenandoa big meadow command center where all of the searchers have been meeting each day scouring the rugged terrain of the park in the desperate search for nicole mittendorff. shortly after 4:00 we noticed nine state police cruisers leaving the command post heading with their lights on at a high rate of speed down the mountain. we followed them down and ended up at the very place where nicole had parked her car last saturday. unfortunately we have confirmed now the remains of a woman have been found not far from the white oak canyon trailhead. short distance away from where her car was discovered on saturday. a grim discovery this evening and a very sad conclusion to a search for a missing firefighter. the national park service confirms the search in madison, county, virginia, andrea mccarran. wusa 9. >> we will have more on wusa 9 news at 7:00. >>> arlington police charged a 31-year-ol

wusa 9's andrea mccarran reports seeing with flashing lights rushing to the area where nicole mittendorff'sas found on saturday. sources tell her there may be developments in the search. some background, nicole called out six last wednesday, hasn't been seen since. a massive search is underway for her. andrea is working on the report and we hope to have it for you a little bit later. >>> now to a final farewell for the 15-year-old stabbed to death at the deanwood metro. family and friends gathered to remember john evans in congress heights. he was stabbed in the neck inside the deanwood metro station earlier this month. delia goncalves spoke to his mother after the service. >> please stop the violence. stop this unnecessary nonsense that is going on. you don't want your parents to go through what i'm going through. it's not easy at all. >> 18-year-old devonte hall is charged with second-degree murder. the two had a long-standing feud but met at station by chance. >>> now to the campaign trail. republican presidential candidate ted cruz was on the stump in frederick, maryland, today. >> cruz

nicole mittendorff's loved ones haven't heard from her in days but they hope prayer will change that.> marina marraco spoke with members of mittendorff's church. marina is live in woodbridge with the latest. >> reporter: it's been five days since anyone has seen or heard from nicole mittendorff. her car was actually found just on saturday about an hour and a half away from her house here in woodbridge at the shenandoah national park. in a parking lot adjacent to a trail. now tonight her family and friends gathered here at st. paul's united methodist church in prayer hoping for her safe

another day ended with nicole mittendorff still missing. >> (music). >> it's about home and bringing nicole home. >> reporter: as her husband broke down and her parents held back tears, everyone pleaded for the same thing. >> hope. keep that in your hearts and in your heads and on your shirt. bring nicole home. safely. we have hope >>> (music). >> the search for nicole will start back up tomorrow morning. crews will be searching on the ground and in the air. as for the firefighters here at her station, they are still working and now they are doing it with a little bit of extra light. the candle that you see in the window is for nicole. he says it will stay lit until she comes home. >>> everybody hopes she comes home soon. >>> state police say physical and digital evidence has been critical in leading them to that search at the shenandoah national park. if you know anything or saw nicole, if you have any information about the description of the area of the park where she could be, give police a call. . >>> tonight, the family of a disabled man has a lot of questions about how their lov

jeff: chief bowers doesn't know if they contributed to nicole mittendorff's suicide. that is part of the investigation. he says the changes are coming to the fairfax county fire department including sexual harassment and bullying assessment and training. training and prevention for suicide. maureen: we have a developing story from prince william county where the body of a woman missing for ten days has been found. 36-year-old lopez's body was discovered near a drainage ditch near cotton mill drive and griffith avenue. she was last seen leaving a c.v.s. on april 17. the police began investigating when her vehicle was found on the job. her death is being investigated as a murder. leon: new information now about the man who threatened to bomb the sister station in baltimore. 25-year-old alex brizzi of baltimore is now facing several felony charges after yesterday's standoff. he entered the station and demanded that the information from the usb flash drive be says that brizzi had been battling mental illness. >> she went down to his room. she said there is something with

nicole. jeff: last night at station 32 in fairfax station where mittendorff sve years a prayer vigil for the ear-old firefighter from woodbridge. friends, family and colleagues wearing a red ribbon honoring nicole. her husband steve a virginia state police sergeant heartbroken. >> we beg for her safe return to us. jeff: physical and digital evidence has been critical in focusing the search. as crews continue looking and hoping. >> in every aspect they are consummate professionals. they will continue until there is a reason not to. jeff: virginia state police trying to establish a time line between nicole mittendorff was last in touch with family last wednesday and when her car was found here in the park last saturday. that is something they are still working on as we speak. virginia state police investigators continue to say there is no evidence to suggest anything suspicious about mittendorff's disappearance. live in shenandoah national park, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. leon: thank you, jeff. part of the appalachian trail in the shenandoah national park is now closed thanks to a wildfire that

this is in the search for missing firefighter nicole mittendorff. michelle is in the newsroom. there is a surprising find? michelle: we are learning a body has been found. female body has been found in shenandoah national park. this news release just coming down minutes ago. here is what they say. the ground team of the national park service and virginia state police located the body at 2:00. i'll read this off for you. just getting it here. national park service says that they found the body about a mile from the white oak canyon parking area. that is significant because that is just a short distance away from where nicole mittendorff's vehicle was found just a few days ago. while there is no confirmation that this body is that of nicole mittendorff, it is significant that this body that has located just a short distance from where her vehicle was located. we are expecting a news conference to happen at 7:30. we are told that this is going to be a news conference involved with several agencies that have been involved in this search. our jeff goldberg is currently at the park b

nobody has seen nicole mittendorff since wednesday. cupidity joins in prayer as rescue crews continue was found. jay korff has the story. tonight, fellow church members told me that nicole was always the kind of person who is there for them, to protect them. now they want to be there to pray for her protection. ope is what we have right now and the power of hope and prayer for everyone to survive. jay: at the vigil inside st. paul's methodist church, they form a prayer circle. with candles in hand, they lift up missing fairfax county firefighter nicole mittendorff in prayer. the 31-year-old has not been heard from since wednesday. her car was found at the white oak trail head two hours away in shenandoah national park. search teams have combed the rugged trail for days with no luck. know nicole during a faith service. >> she is uplifting and it's important to all of us. jay: her husband, stephen, works for the virginia state police. hurting right now, sad. he is a wonderful man. ♪ songthe vigil ended in and tears, as they wrapped their

the body found in a remote area is that of missing firefighter nicole mittendorff. >> for days the crews had scoured shenandoah park as family and friends leaned on each other for hope. >> goldberg. jeff, it's been a long evening. what can you tell us at this hour? jeff: during a press conference tonight the virginia state police announcing that nicole misen dorff's body had been found inside -- mittendorff's body had been found inside the vehicle. and inside the vehicle a suicide note was discovered. investigators would not discuss any details of the know they aref the note as still gathering details. nicole mittendorff's body was covered at 2:00 in an area of shannen dough yeah national park, a so-called probability area. it was a mile from white oak canyon where her mini cooper was found and 300 yards off the trail. >> it was in a ver rocky deep area. jeff: the firefighter from wood bridge called in sick to work last wednesday and was then reported missing on friday after not showing up for a scheduled shift. virginia state police announcing tonight that inside mittendorff's vehicle i

as the pain of nicole mittendorff's loss grow, so, too, do the words of love and sadness. mittendorff's mini cooper was discovered last weekend in elmwood park a pile from where -- shenandoah national park a mile from where her body was found yesterday. inside the car investigators found a suicide note, details of which are unknown. in the past several days we have become aware of online message boards in which mittendorff's name has been used in a negative manner. some of the posts pu have been written by members of the fairfax county fire department. none of whom gave his or her name. the department is aware of the online activity but today focused solely on coping with the tragedy. "in this difficult time we are respecting the privacy of nicole mittendorff's family and providing sun for the to the men and women of the fairfax county fire and rescue department grieving under the challenging circumstances." >> tragic. jeff: founder to the firefighter behavior helicopter alliance which -- health alliance which tracks firefighter and e.m.t. suicide nationwide. many of the fi

this is after abc7 first reported that nicole mittendorff may have been a victim of online bullying.he community meanwhile preparing to honor mittendorff's life. northern virginia chief jeff goldberg is live in tysons corner. tell us what did the chief have to say to you? jeff: well, leon, the virginia state police is investigating this case. chief richard bower says that investigation will certainly reveal plenty of facts and could reveal whether or not bullying played any part in nicole mittendorff's suicide. meanwhile in tysons corner, the white strips in between the windows at the silver line center. tonight will be lit up red for nicole mittendorff honoring her service to as the fairfax county fire department copes with the heart-breaking loss of nicole mittendorff; chief richard bower says he is focused on her family and his troops. >> we won't allow our men and women and the family to grieve -- we want to allow our men and women and the family to grieve this week. jeff: but he is launching investigation into the bullying of nicole mittendorff whose body was found last thursday

>>> we begin with breaking news out of the shenandoah, the search for missing firefighter nicole mittendorff has come to a sad ending. >> the national park service says a woman's body was found in the park and while there is no official identification, the park service says the search for her has been suspended. our colleague, andrea roane is on the scene. >>> to our other top story, remembering music icon, prince, who passed away today at 57 years old. i am jan jeffcoat. >> i am bruce johnson. the news left millions of fans in a state of shock tonight. prince was one of the most recognized and decorated recording artists of all time. his style and sound simply unmistakable. ♪ why do we scream at each other ♪ this is what it when the doves cry ♪ >> if you haven't heard the news, he was found unresponsive in an elevator in his indianapolis compound. still no-- minneapolis combound. still no word, but friday his plane was forced to make a private landing. his pub lisest said he had the flu. he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. he became an international movie star in 1984 with

. >> plus, the search for nicole mittendorff called off. female remains found in the shenandoah national park. where the missing firefighter's car was discovered. >> we finally have some badly needed rain in the forecast so how will it impact your friday? i'll have the forecast. fox 5 local news at 11:00 starts right now. >> of course tonight we start with the loss of a ledge in. tonight we're learning new details about the death of prince. as the world mourns and celebrates his career. thanks for staying with us. i'm sue palka. >> and i'm sarah simmons in for shawn. the 57-year-old singer died suddenly at his suburban minneapolis compound. we're told he was found inside an elevator inside the home. rescue crews called to the scene performed cpr but it was just too late. an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. tmz is reporting that prince was rushed to an illinois hospital last week where he was treated for a reported drug overdose. the report says he was given a shot that's used to counter the effects of an opiate. tmz also posted this exclu

the search continues today for nicole mittendorff.been seven days since any of her family has heard from her. >>> don't forget the sunglasses. >> no, the sunglasses and sunblock today with highs in the 70s. >> thank you for joining us, everybody. we hope we helped youet over g but jamie raskin is the only abdemocrat for congress who led the fight for tougher gun laws. only raskin took on the nra to ban military-style assault weapons. is that coffee? yea, it's nespresso. i want in. ♪ you're ready. ♪ get ready to experience a cup above. i'm chris van hollen, and i approve this message. narrator: an attack ad from the campaign for donna edwards. so untrue. so outrageous that president obama said, "pull it down." the obama white house called the ad on chris van hollen and the nra "misleading." the sun says van hollen and president obama have the exact same position. the post praised van hollen as a "leading champion on gun safety," and condemned the edwards ads t

if you see something about nicole, then please say something. >> reporter: mittendorff's husband steve, a virginia state police sergeant added his voice to the plea tearfully thanking the many search teams and then he had these words for his wife. >> sweetheart, i love you. i am praying for you. i'm not sure where you are, but know we are all looking for you, and i look forward to your safe return. >> reporter: nicole's gear had her locker untouched for more than a week. she hasn't been seen since last wednesday. her mini cooper found saturday night in the shenandoah national park and that's where searchers focused their efforts on the ground and from the air. trails in the area remain closed. these hikers had heard of mittendorff's disappearance on social media. >> it didn't raise flags because foul play was not suspected, but you always suspect it, i guess and that concerns me because i hike on these trails by myself all of the time. >> reporter: back at the fire station, mittendorff's fellow firefighters, relatives and friends will gather tomorrow night for a prayer vigil. >> report

jeff: but he is launching investigation into the bullying of nicole mittendorff whose body was found last thursday in shenandoah national park after she committed suicide. online message boards reveal posts that mittendorff's name was used in a negative manner. some of the posts purported to be written by members of the fairfax county fire department. none of him gave his or her name. >> if there is any nexus with any type of bullying, which i have zero tolerance for, i will address that and eradicate that completely. >> inside mittendorff's mini cooper they discovered a suicide note. details are unknown. mittendorff 31 had the department for three years and the department leaders say she loved the job. following mittendorff's death, chief bowers says serious questions apt bullying and intimidation must now be asked. >> if in fact there is anybody responsible for any piece of this, i will hold them accountable. jeff: the chief says if that is the case he plans to establish a comprehensive plan to deal with long-term or the existing culture problems within the department. the funeral f

nicole mittendorff hasn't been seen since last wednesday. her mini cooper vehicle discovered saturday night at the oak creek canyon parking lot. today her husband, a virginia state police sergeant asked for the public's help and spoke directly to his the face of a worried has or family members, but that you focus broadcasting her picture and tell her story so that someone who has not yet seen the coverage will. >> i'll tell you about a special event planned to bring firefighters and the community together to pray for a positive outcome. in the shenandoah national park, i'm julie carey, news 4. >> thanks, julie. >>> from sunny skies to smoke and flames. first at 4:00, the new challenge for firefighters that's also making it hard for travelers. >>> and we're looking for cloud cover. a cold front moving on in and we're in the '80s right now, but that will not be the case tomorrow. your forecast in just a couple of minutes. >>> pulled from their homes as floodwaters rise and this could be just the b eg >> right now, two huge brushfires that have

nicole mittendorff's loved ones haven't heard from her in days but they hope prayer will change that. >> marina marraco spoke with members of mittendorff's church. marina is live in woodbridge with the latest. >> reporter: it's been five days since anyone has seen or heard from nicole mittendorff. her car was actually found just on saturday about an hour and a half away from her house here in woodbridge at the shenandoah national park. in a parking lot adjacent to a trail. now tonight her family and friends gathered here at st. paul's united methodist church in prayer hoping for her safe return. ♪ amazing grace >> reporter: mittendorff is a three-year veteran of the fairfax fire department assigned to station 30. her husband is police sergeant and attended tonight's prayer service along with his wife's family. her parents who did not want to appear on camera believe their 31-year-old daughter was training on a trail at the shenandoah national park when she went missing. the last communication seems to have happened wednesday morning via texas message. >> the stresses of that job are r

kevin: michelle, this is day five in the search for nicole mittendorff. i can tell you the weather is cooperating. but the search area is still quite large. this is a map of shenandoah national park. skyline drive cuts across the mountain ridge for a hundred miles. but this area i'm circling is the spot that the crews focus the effort on. this is because the black dot represents a park ranger saturday evening found nicole mittendorff's 2009 mini cooper abandoned. close to a hundred people from more than a dozen state, local and non-profit agencies are now on the ground here at shenandoah. there is a makeshift command post tracking the search crews in real time with the g.p.s. technology. the park service has placed yellow tape at many of the trail heads here to ensure hikers do not hamper the operation by accident. as of an hour ago the authorities told me the search dogs go but no one has stumbled across any physical evidence such as mittendorff's clothing or jewelry. because the search zone is 3,500 feet above sea level crews are traversing steep wooded

that firefighter nicole mittendorff took her life earlier this month. her death might be part of a troubling trend. darcy spencer is in fairfax this. darcy? >> reporter: doreen, the chief called a press conference to demand that this website take down those comments about firefighter nicole mittendorff. i spoke to the administrator of that site this afternoon. he says no one has reached out to him to ask him to take down those comments. in fact, he says they have never been flagged as abusive. it appears at this point they're going to stay. the fire chief taking action to prevent women in his department from being targeted by lewd or sexist comments or behavior. there are 1400 firefighters in the department. 165 are women. >> i'll also be implementing a comprehensive zero tolerance for any discrimination, any harassment, any bullying. >> reporter: this is a response to the death of firefighter nicole mittendorff who took her own life. she and other female firefighters were targeted on the fairfax >> it's ridiculous and that's why i'm appealing to the pe

meanwhile, on the website dedicated to finding nicole mittendorff, her family posted a statement sayingnicole has been found. our hearts . >> new tonight, d.c. officials are responding to parents' concerns about lead levels found in the water of three elementary schools. recent testing found the levels elevated but below what the epa considers dangerous. some parents say word didn't reach them quickly enough. jackie bensen is in northeast d.c. with details on this. >> it is important to note the reported levels are not school wide. here at the capital montessori at logan school, it involved the test results of just one sink. the results come as the d.c. department of general services continues the regular lead testing which are posted on its website. parents brought concern to the agency after it was learned the principal was not informed of the finding and it rel reveals other schools in the area had similar finding stressing, individual sinks or water fountains. a spokesman says it is their policy to immediate put a filter on the affected water source or shut it off but heightened awa

. >>> police say nicole mittendorff loved her job as a firefighter and paramedic. tonight, her family and fellow firefighters are desperately trying to find her. they found mittendorff's car at the shenandoah national park, but she's still missing. as search teams comb the woods, julie carey reports on a public plea for help. >> reporter: nicole mittendorff's locker at fire station 32 in burke, un the missing firefighter's husband and sister gathered today with her fire fighting family hoping to more broadly spread word of her disappearance in hopes new tips can bring her home. >> we gather here today as brothers and sisters to place our 911 call to the general public, and ask that the media get the word out to everyone. if you see something about nicole then please say something. >> reporter: mittendorff's husband steve, a virginia state police sergeant added his voice to the plea tearfully thanking the many search teams and then he had these words for his wife. >> sweetheart, i love you. i am praying for you. i'm not sure where you are, but know we are all lookin

community is showing support today. >> the men and women who worked closely with firefighter nicole mittendorff gather with the family and friends for what will the focus remains on hope and finding nicole who hasn't been heard from in a week. the 31-year-old called in sick wednesday morning. she did not work thursday and friday she did not report to work. that is when she was reported missing. the search and the rescue team have been combing the areas for days and they continue it today in a ruggedded landscape but with no luck. >> it's tough. yesterday we had a crew of special operations folks repelling the canyon. this is a rough area. white oak canyon. it's called a canyon for a region. we're searching the canyon area and it's very rough terrain.

right now nicole mittendorff's mystery is where is she at this point. rewind to friday, that is when virginia state police tell us they received the first report that nicole mittendorff was missing. the 31-year-old is a firefighter paramedic county niir and rescue. she is described as having blonde hair, green eyes, 5'6", ways about 125 pounds. her family tells police the last time they heard from her was on wednesday. no one answered the door that at the home she shares with her husband. the mittendorffs are friendly faces in a neighborhood that frankly doesn't talk to each other all that much. right now those neighbors are desperate for news of nicole's safe return. >> the neighborhood is talking about her and saying that she was missing for two days. >> are you surprised? >> i was surprised, yes, i am. >> it's very shocking. she striked me as a real good person. she was very nice, i would come out, she would be with her dogs, we would talk for a bit ask her how she was doing. she aesz a really nice person and with everything, i'm very shocked. this d

virginia state police say the remains are that of nicole mittendorff. let's get right to jennifer davis who has the latest on this developing story. jenny? >> reporter: at this point it is just a preliminary identification, but on a website devoted to her search, the announcement this evening, nicole has been found. and a picture of a candle here at station 32 where she worked a candle continues to glow back there at a memorial they set up for her. they said they were going to leave it lit until she returned home safely and despite the sad news this evening, it does continue to glow. they do believe the remains of a woman mittendorff. they do not suspect foul play. a team of national park service and virginia state police personnel say they found the remains at about 2:00 today in a remote location. it was more than a mile from the white oak canyon parking area. her body was 300 yards from the trail. on a facebook page called find nicole that more than 18,000 people were following, her family posted tonight saying our hearts are broken. we thank you for

nicole mittendorff disappeared last friday and her car was found at the park abandoned saturday morning police conducted both ground and air searches for mittendorff. she is married to a virginia state police officer. police say at this point there is nothing that points to foul play in her disappearance. >>> our folks didn't do anything wrong. this was a typical check on the welfare type of call. >> that is prince george's county fire chief reacting for the first devastates ldevastate devastat devastatess will of a fellow firefighter. and now the chief is talking about how he and the department are coping after a firefighter was shot and killed. the firefighter is 37-year-old john ulmschneider. 19-year-old volunteer kevin swain was also shot. he is recovering. on friday night, the two forced their way into a temple hills home at the why of the homeowner's brother. he was worried that the man was having a medical emergency. but when they got inside, the man started shooting. that homeowner was questioned and released with no charges filed telling police that he thought someone was break

they're not saying much when it comes to the search for nicole mittendorff.joined by madison county where it's coming to the end of the sixth day. jeff goldberg? jeff: probably a couple of hours from the search coming in. we are at cecan't rock overlook at skyline drive at shenandoah national park. searchers for six days and today have been deep in the terrain here. to show you the challenge they are dealing with. steep cliffs everywhere. jagged rocks and boulders. dramatic and big fire in the park so the smoke in the sky adding to the challenges just a bit. the command post for the search is a big meadows camp ground about four miles from where we are standing now. 80 people part of the search crew today including two kit rescue teams and a helicopter crew. since this search began, crews covered 15 square miles from the area we are now to the vehicle was discovered. she called in sick to work last wednesday and was reported missing friday after not showing up for a scheduled shift. few answers in the search which is centered here in the park. >> the terrain

the body found in the shenandoah national park is that of missing fairfax county firefighter nicole mittendorffis as her colleagu h to work for the first time since her body was found yesterday afternoon. virginia state police also tell us a suicide note was also found in mittendorff's car. she hasmissing for nine days. >>> firefighters are battling a fire at shenandoah national park, the fire has now scorched 8,000 acres. and is about 40% contained. heavy smoke closing down parts of the appalachian trail, as well. >>> well, you can bet a rush show hour crash in downtown miami is not how the uva baseball team planned to start their weekend of games. the players were not hurt, but rescue officials say the bus driver's condition is extremely critical. they say the driver lost consciousness while taking the team from the airport to the hotel last night. the bus hit four vehicles and a tree before stopping. >>> it is now 6:51. time for weather and traffic on start, but i think everybody is worried about how the day will end. >> we do need rain, but hate to get it on a friday or weekend. but the she

. -- nicole dorf mittendorff's body was found. colleagues are returning to work with heavy hearts. jeannette: today we hope to learn additional details about nicole mittendorff's death, and it was quite a tragedy, something her family members were not suspecting. she is to work. you can see a memorial was set up outside with her picture at the very bottom and it says her bodycole home." was found in a remote location in the shenandoah national park right near where she parked her car. police also found a suicide note. it is in madison county, where the 90 miles away from d.c. the firefighter was also found more than a mile away from her car in a very rocky, treacherous, and steep area. the 31-year-old had not been heard from since wednesday. she called in sick the day before she went missing. her sister sent us a statement -- our hearts are broken and we believe that nicole has been found, and is finally coming home, however not in the way we anticipated. police her death suspicious and are rolling out foul play. desk are ruling o

what we are learning about the last time nicole mittendorff was seen alive. >>> ready or not, tax dayis here. what you still need to know if you haven't filed and the deals that can help perhaps ease some of the financial pain. . >>> and breaking news on the rails right now, single tracking on several lines because of an fire is out, but the delays stickinaround. kathleen matthews: in the race for congress, i don't believe that big money can buy votes -- not in our district. and i won't claim to have single handily passed just about every bill in annapolis. we can't settle for the same old politics, not when our basic rights are being threatened by trump and cruz. i'll stand up to their bigotry and be a passionate voice for maryland women and families. in tv and in business, i built relationships. as a woman in the house, i'll do the same to get things done. i'm kathleen mathews ♪ when a car gives you sound you can feel... for an experience you won't soon forget. experience what a lincoln can do for you. at the lincoln spring collection event. right now lease a 2016 lincoln mkx for 39

teams are combing 10 square miles of the shenandoah national park, right now, searching for nicole mittendorff. today alone, they have spent nine hours looking for her. this is a difficult task because the terrain is rocky and steep. >> on the ground and the air, 100 people including state police, volunteers and dogs are searching for nicole mittendorff. >>reporter: today marks day three of the search for the missing fairfax county firefighter. >> it's steep and rocky, probably from skyline drive down to the trailhead is about 2500 vertical drop in elevation. it's very rugged and there are two streams that go down white oak canyon with six waterfalls on the stream. >> investigators started searching saturday night, where nicole's car was discovered abandoned. since then, they widen the search to include four other trails. in this facebook poached, his -- her dad her disappearance has everyone baffled and it's been five days since anyone heard from here. people that hike the trails can't help but hear the worst. >> it could be she went someplace. she could have been kidnapped, we don't know. it

nicole home, that is the message from the family and coworkers of fairfax county firefighter nicole mittendorff. today marks one week since her disappearance. this as we learned she called in sick before she vanished. sam? reporter: the mystery surrounding this disappearance continues to deepen. we heard from the fire chief in fairfax county earlier this morning and he said nicole actually called in sick the day before she went missing. but she did not call in the day that she did not show up for work. here in fairfax county it is protocol for firefighters and paramedics to personally speak with someone when they call in sick. at this hour, it remains unclear what nick said on the phone that day. about two hours south of here at the shenandoah national park, their efforts where nicole's car was found abandoned this week. units left for the shenandoah national park. right now this is being called a search, not a recovery. mittendorff's husband is a virginia state trooper, and is not assisting in the search. back here at station 32, pleading for the public's help, big or small. >> than men and wo

you can see a picture of nicole mittendorff here as well as some flowers of that memorial still set up here. the fire chief going after the website, fairfax underground, asking and demanding those comments be taken down. i spoke to the administrator of that site this afternoon. he says he has no plans to do that. he says the chief i site as a scapegoat. >> we need to clean up this blog and people need to act right. >> reporter: fairfax county's fire chief calling for website fairfax underground to pull lewd posts about firefighter nicole mittendorff who took her own life. he does not know if the posts had anything to do with her death. >> i have initiated a very aggressive internal investigation into who made the lewd and horrible comments on the fairfax underground blog. >> reporter: the chief is trying to find out who posted the anonymous comments on the web forum to see if they were written by anyone in the department. if they were, he promised disciplinary action that could include being fired. >> it's ridiculous and that's why i'm appealing to the person that hosts this site to ta

. >>> today family and friends of fairfax county firefighter nicole mittendorff will say visitation and funeral set for 10:00 this morning. the tifire chief is investigati whether bullying led to her suicide. in lieu of flowers, her family is asking for donations to bullying and suicide prevention organizations. >>> it's been one week since prince was pound defound dead. and officials say prescription pain killers were found in his possession when he died, but officials have yet to say what role if any those medications may have played in his death. an autopsy was conducted last week. however, the medical examiner says it will take weeks before the cause of death would be released. >>> an active case of tuberculosis is discovered at bethesda chevy chase high school. the student is being treated and there is no risk of additional exposure. anyone who may have been in class or after school activities with the student is urged tested. parents will be notified if their child should be tested within the next week. >>> in news 4 wifor your health more parents are opting out of vaccinating the

. >>> nicole mittendorff has been laid to rest. a fire chief is launching an investigation about a post. chief bowers says if he finds that any county employee made the post on fairfax under ground he will hold accountable. he did not know about the posts until the news media reported them. searchers found mittendorff body after he committed suicide in a shenandoah park. he wants the owner to take down the posts. >> this social media stuff and the blog stuff that is anonymous is ridiculous and i'm appealing to the person that host this site to take down the lewd comments and certainly consider shutting the site down. >> now virginia state police did find no evidence that the online posts led to her death. the owner of fairfax underground will take the posts down if ordered by the court. he says there are others on facebook. >>> college signing day in prince george county and scholars with assembly. they worked with the college summit that teaches the value of positive peer pressure to keep kids on track. many of the soon to be fres

this is where crews have been searching for missing firefighter nicole mittendorff fo m near the whiteak trail last saturday. the parks service says it will will hold a press conference at 7:30. police have not confirmed that this body is the body of nicole mittendorff, but on the found nicole page there is a post and that post reads our hearts are broken. keep our family in your prayers. we'll bring you the latest tonight on news 4 at 11:00. >>> a maryland family is calling for change after the tragic death of their 10-year-old son james maples. he was hit by a car last week while he was riding his bike in waldorf. his parents are working to bring changes to the crosswalk where that accident happened. >> the first few minutes it was just like, come on, james, wake up. we just warranted him to wake u >> reporter: but 10-year-old he was on a sunday bike ride with his mom and friends. >> i'm thankful that i did not actually see the accident itself, but i saw him in the middle of the road. >> reporter: it happened on the mcdaniel road. he was riding in the crosswalk. the driver apparently

search teams will head out to the shenandoah national park this morning to look for nicole mittendorff. ♪ o lord my god, when i in awesome wonder ♪ >> family, friends and colleagues gathered for a prayer vigil in fairfax county. virginia state police say they are following up on more than 100 tips and leads. they're still trying to put together a time line of her movements. we now know she called out sick for her shift last wednesday. >>> almost a month after a man was found dead in his burned out home in march, mobry county police now say his death is a homicide. police say multiple injuries to his body. a $10,000 reward for information is being offered. >>> and annandale man is dead after a confrontation with fairfax county police. it all happened yesterday afternoon. 45-year-old paul gianelos wandered away from a group home outing at roundtree park. gianelos is described as having both developmental and physical deposit a disvakts. a veteran officer said he found him and gianelos became com bass difference, so he called for backup and a witness says it took four officers to subdue g

the chief of the fairfax county fire department about web postings referring to firefighter nicole mittendorff, whose body was found thursday in shenandoah national park. in herde note was found car. the medical examiner said she hanged herself. late this week we learned of online message boards in which mittendorff was referred to negatively by people claiming to the department. the fire chief said they are looking into the matter and, "we at fairfax fire and rescue are aware of the posts and are looking into the matter. i assure you that my department we will have the latest details on wjla.com. a look outside, looks like a lovely clear night, but earlier it was chilly and wet, then the sun came out and the wind moved in. a little bit of everything tonight, josh knight. josh: that's right, we had some rain, and we needed it. after today, we get to enjoy the sunshine tomorrow. cool temperatures tonight, 55 the hyatt tysons at regency, one of our new weatherbug cameras, clear skies. a lot of stars out there. the cooler air starting to sink in, 59 in d c, 59 winchester, 50 frederick. we will ha

the fire chief will discuss the department's investigation into whether nicole mittendorff was harassed. officials say she took her own lfr. mittendorff was laid to rest yesterday. >>> staying in fairfax county now, classes will soon start before labor day. the school board voted on the decision last night. members say the change will give students more class time before the winter break and will help students and staff meet college application deadlines. so here are dates to remember. classes for next fall in 2017 will begin august 28. classes this coming fall will >>> t.j. oshie leading the caps to an overtime victory. the whole city with can celebra. >> first game at home. t.j. oshie had a hat trick and the game winning goal. amazing. and for you we have tomorrow's match-up, still rocking the red. and if it's anything like last night, fans are in for a treat. t.j. oshie's hat trick sealed the win in overtime last night giving the team a 4-3 win. what a game. exciting every minute. the caps are looking to keep the winning momentum going. >> the kind of stuff you dream about lay manage

. >>> funeral service is about to get underway for nicole mittendorff. and autopsy confirmed -- confirmed church in mclean this afternoon and officers are looking into sexist comments posted online about mittendorff and other female firefighters. >>> sentencing for the man convicted in the silver spring murders will learn how long he's going to spend in prison. he was convicted of killing mark saint alban in 2014 and the home he was renting on laughlin lane and was arrested after showing up at the hospital with gunshot wounds . prosecutors say he was in a group of armed burglars targeting the victim. >>> in the race for gop presidential nomination and goes to indiana were ted cruz's the hoosier state responds well to his announcement of a vice presidential choice and craig boswell says it appears bernie sanders starting to scale back his campaign. >> reporter: fiorina on the road for the first time as running mates. they are campaigning in indiana ahead of tuesday's primaries and cruz not the only candidate with company on the trail. >> they come out and

it has been six days since anyone has seen or had contact with nicole mittendorff. ♪ family and friendseld a prayer vinlg vigil for mittendorff last night. she was last heard from via text message last wednesday. she was reported missing after not showing up for work on friday. her car was located saturday at the entrance to the white oak canyon trail at the park. at this point virginia state police say that they don't suspect foul play. >>> memorial services begin today a for fallen prince paramedic john ulmschneider. he was shot and killed responding to a call on friday. today visitation is from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at st. john's parish in hollywood, maryland. the funeral mass will be held tomorrow at the same parish at 1:00. a private family burial will follow. ulmschneider is survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. today the man police say shot ulmschneider and another firefighter could appear before a grand jury. it will likely be up to help to decide whether the man will face charges. this is all unfolding at a temple hills home on friday. the resident told police he thoug