CBS News
California teacher dies after being bitten by a bat inside her classroom
A central California teacher died last month after she was bitten by a bat that presumably had rabies inside her classroom, officials and a friend of the woman, marking the third such fatality in North America in recent weeks.
In the wake of Leah Seneng’s death on Nov. 22, public health officials are warning the public about the dangers of bats, which are the most common source of human rabies in the U.S. Even though fewer than 10 people in the country die from rabies each year, it is almost always fatal if not treated quickly.
Seneng, 60, found a bat in her classroom in mid-October, her friend Laura Splotch told KFSN-TV. She tried to scoop it up and take it outside but it bit her, Splotch said.
Seneng did not immediately have symptoms of rabies but she fell ill weeks later and was taken to the hospital, where she was put into a medically-induced coma and died days later, Splotch told the TV station.
“It’s devastating to see her in that state, with all the machines hooked up and everything, it was pretty upsetting and scary,” Splotch told KFSN.
According to her Facebook profile, Seneng was an art teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, California. The Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District, called Seneng “a dedicated and compassionate educator.”
“We were shocked to learn that Leah’s passing was related to contracting rabies, most likely from being bitten by a bat and we are cooperating with the Merced County Department of Public Health on their investigation,” the school district said in a statement. “We live and work in a community known to have bats and other wildlife around school grounds, and we will continue to help educate our community regarding the dangers associated with coming into direct contact with any wild animal, including bats.”
Merced County confirmed the rabies exposure but, due to privacy laws, did not release the deceased’s name. The California Department of Public Health confirmed that the victim died after contracting rabies.
“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect. It is important to wash your hands and look for any open wounds after touching a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical care if bitten,” CDPH Director Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said in a statement. “It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch, or try to feed any animals that you don’t know.”
At least two other people in North America have died of rabies after encountering a bat in recent weeks. Last month, health officials in Canada announced that a child died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in their room. About a week before that, officials announced a U.S. citizen died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July.
How is rabies spread and what are the symptoms?
Rabies is a deadly viral infection that attacks the nervous system in humans and animals, causing brain and spinal cord inflammation. It is typically spread to humans through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal through scratching or biting.
Rabies is commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks and some household pets. Without proper and prompt treatment after symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal in both animals and humans, according to Haldimand and Norfolk Health Services, where the child was admitted.
Treatment has proven to be nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease if someone is exposed, though it must start before symptoms appear.
Bats pose a unique risk because their scratches can be hard to notice due to their small teeth, and bats cannot be vaccinated through provincial programs, health officials said.
If bitten by an animal suspected of carrying the virus, health officials advise washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 15 minutes and immediately seeking medical attention.
According to the CDC, the incubation period of rabies may last from weeks to months, depending on the location of exposure, severity of exposure and age.
“The first symptoms of rabies, called prodrome, maybe like the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever, or headache. There also may be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. These symptoms may last for several days,” the CDC says.
CBS News
12-year-old boy dead, 11-year-old girl in critical condition after falling through ice in Albany, New York
A 12-year-old boy is dead and an 11-year-old girl is in critical condition after both children fell through ice at a park in Albany, New York, authorities said Sunday.
Albany Police said they responded late Saturday afternoon to Washington Park Lake for reports of two children who had fallen through the ice. Officers found an 11-year-old girl who was treated at the scene and taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital in critical condition.
Later, members of the New York State Police underwater recovery team searched the lake, and at around 7:25 p.m., the body of the boy was recovered from the lake.
Investigators believe that the boy tried to walk north across the lake towards the lake house and fell through the ice, and the girl who witnessed him fall tried to help. She apparently “followed the same path of travel across the lake, where she also fell through the ice,” police said.
Both children are students of the North Albany Middle School, the district confirmed in a social media post.
“Our hearts go out to the families of these students at this incredibly difficult time,” Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said in a statement. “This is a terrible tragedy and we are grieving as a school community.”
According to New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Washington Park Lake covers over 5 acres and has an average depth of 6.6 feet and a maximum depth of 11 feet.
Erica Sheer, who didn’t know the children, told CBS affiliate WRGB-TV that she came to the lake Sunday to honor them.
“Well, I decided that I would take a walk over here just to pay my respects to the spot where this happened and pray for the young boy and the young girl who were in the accident yesterday and their families and to wish them well,” Sheer told the station.
CBS News
Search for murder weapon in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting continues. Here’s what police have found so far.
NEW YORK — The manhunt in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder continues to expand.
Police have been searching Central Park for clues, both on land and in water, as U.S. Marshals work to figure out where the person of interest boarded a bus to New York City.
Central Park dive teams looking for murder weapon
NYPD dive teams were seen near Central Park’s iconic Bethesda Fountain all weekend, searching for the murder weapon.
Police say the weapon is critical, because detectives can potentially find out where it was purchased and who owned it.
For now, police say the lack of concrete evidence is why they are referring to the man seen in surveillance images as a “person of interest.”
On Friday, police discovered a backpack they believe belonged to that man. They said a jacket was found inside, but sources tell CBS News it was not the one worn during the shooting. Fake Monopoly money was also found inside, but no gun.
Search expands to Greyhound bus stations
Police sources say the search has expanded to Greyhound bus stations between New York and Atlanta, as they work to figure out where the man boarded a bus that brought him to the city.
The latest photos from the NYPD show the person of interest with his mask on in the back of a taxi. But the most telling photo yet is one where he briefly lowered his mask to talk to an employee at the Upper West Side hostel where he had been staying.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams sounds optimistic an arrest will be made soon, adding police have a name and are “tightening the net.”
The FBI is putting out posters, referring to the man as a suspect, and promising a $50,000 reward. They say he was last seen at the Port Authority bus terminal in Washington Heights 45 minutes after Thompson was killed.
CBS News
Mob hangs and kills 3 men accused of kidnapping girl in Mexico
Three men accused of kidnapping and robbing a girl were lynched by a crowd in central Mexico on Saturday, local authorities said.
Lynchings have increased in Mexico in recent years, with experts saying the perception of impunity leads communities to take justice into their own hands.
The trio were killed on Saturday afternoon in San Juan Amecac, 42 miles southeast of the capital Mexico City, a local government statement said.
“Three men died after being detained and lynched by residents for the alleged robbery and kidnapping of a minor,” it said.
Police rushed to the scene but the men “no longer showed vital signs” by the time they arrived, it added.
Some 300 people participated in the lynching — hanging and beating the men until they were dead, according to local media.
The uptick in vigilantism is taking place amidst a broader increase in violence in Mexico since 2006, fueled by drug trafficking.
In June, four men were lynched and then burned in the nearby city of Atlixco by a crowd that accused them of stealing a vehicle.
In March, residents of the southern city of Taxco lynched a woman they accused of murdering an eight-year-old girl. Two men also suspected by locals of involvement were attacked but survived, the BBC reported.
In 2022, a mob in Mexico attacked a young political adviser and then set him on fire over child trafficking accusations shared on chat groups.
In 2018, two men were burned to death in Puebla after rumors spread on WhatsApp that they were child abductors, BBC News reported. The rumors turned out to be untrue.