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Police identify girl found dead in box; arrest mom and boyfriend

(CNN) — Police have identified a little girl whose body washed ashore in a box last month, and arrested her mother and stepfather, authorities in Galveston, Texas, said Sunday.

Investigators believe the child they dubbed Baby Grace is actually 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers, the Galveston County Sheriff’s office said Sunday.

DNA analysis is still in progress to confirm that identification.

The child’s mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 19, and a man identified as her boyfriend, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 24, were arrested Saturday on charges of injuring a child and tampering with physical evidence, the sheriff’s department said.

The couple lives in Spring, Texas, a Houston suburb about 75 miles north of Galveston.

Their bonds were set at $350,000 each.

The arrests followed searches conducted Saturday after a November 7 tip, the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies and FBI agents plan to release more information at a news conference Monday, Galveston County Sheriff’s Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said.

The girl’s grandmother, Sheryl Sawyers, of Cleveland, Ohio, told CNN affiliate WKYC that Riley Ann has been missing since June. Watch Sawyers family describe their fears before child was identified

On October 29, a fisherman discovered the body in a blue Sterilite plastic container on an uninhabited island in Galveston’s West Bay.

Police dubbed the dead girl Baby Grace, and asked the public for help in identifying her.

A medical examiner said the child’s skull was fractured, and a forensic dentist estimated her age at 2 to 3 years.

In composite sketches, the girl is wearing a pink skirt and matching top — clothing authorities said she was wearing when she was found. The other sketch, a close-up rendering of the child’s face, shows a fair-skinned toddler with long blond hair.

She is more to us than just a case number, more to us than just an unidentified body. She is very much a human being, Tutoilmondo said last month. She is someone’s child, someone’s grandchild, someone’s cousin, someone’s best friend, and to us, that is the most important part about this case.

We have adopted the name of Baby Grace because, there again, that is part of the emotional part of this case for us, he said, holding a tiny sneaker identical to one of those the child was wearing when she was found. E-mail to a friend

CNN’s Hank Bishop contributed to this story.

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Beauty queen overcomes spiked makeup for crown

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Beauty pageant organizers were investigating Sunday who doused a contestant’s evening gowns with pepper spray and spiked her makeup, causing her to break out in hives.

Beauty queen Ingrid Marie Rivera beat 29 rivals to become the island’s 2008 Miss Universe contestant, despite applying makeup and wearing evening gowns that had been coated with pepper spray, pageant spokesman Harold Rosario said.

Rivera was composed while appearing before cameras and judges throughout the competition. But once backstage, she had to strip off her clothes and apply ice bags to her face and body, which swelled and broke out in hives twice.

We thought at first it was an allergic reaction, or maybe nerves, Rosario said. But the second time, we knew it couldn’t have been a coincidence.

Rivera’s clothing and makeup later tested positive for pepper spray.

Someone also stole Rivera’s bag containing her gowns, makeup and credit cards. And a bomb threat forced pageant officials to postpone the last day of competition on Thursday, said Magali Febles, director of the Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant.

Pageant organizers said the hoped to catch and expose whoever was responsible for the pranks. They said, however, they were handling the investigation themselves and police are not involved.

Beauty competitions in the U.S. Caribbean territory — which boasts five Miss Universe titles, second only to the U.S. — are fierce, drawing boisterous audiences and accusations of rigged results.

But the pranks under investigation this year are a first, Rosario said.

Rivera, who won Miss World Caribbean in 2005, had been a target of controversy from the start of competition, as rivals complained she was too experienced and should be disqualified.

Local media touted her as the likely winner, stoking jealousy among contestants, Rosario said.

When Rivera won, rivals accused her of buying the crown, Puerto Rico’s El Nuevo Dia newspaper reported.

A tearful Rivera recounted her ordeal at a news conference Sunday, acknowledging she had wavered about staying in the contest.

At one point I said, ‘Am I a masochist?’ she recalled, her voice breaking. But I said, ‘I am with God and this is my goal, regardless of the results.’
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Hindus, police clash in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNN) — Thousands of Hindu protesters met water cannons and tear gas in Malaysia’s capital on Sunday while demanding equal rights and consideration from the government.

CNN confirmed at least 5,000 protesters marched in Kuala Lumpur, but The Associated Press placed the figure as high as 10,000.

Some protesters threw rocks at the water cannon trucks, but others were urging peaceful demonstrations.

The AP quoted witnesses who saw people being beaten and dragged into trucks by police.

Public transportation into the city was stopped, hindering protesters from coming in.

Police stopped protesters as they tried to take a petition to the British High Commission. Talks were under way for authorities to allow six protesters to deliver the petition, should the crowd disperse.

The rally — rooted in complaints that the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government discriminates against minorities — was the largest protest in at least a decade involving ethnic Indians, the country’s second-largest minority population after ethnic Chinese.

Ethnic Indians are generally the most underprivileged group in Malaysia.

Earlier this month, riot police used water hoses and tear gas against thousands of protesters demanding electoral reform, the largest demonstration in Kuala Lumpur in nearly a decade.

Street demonstrations are considered rare among the multiple ethnic groups in Malaysia, which prides itself on its communal and political stability.

Malaysia has maintained racial peace since 1969, when some 200 people were killed in riots sparked by Malay frustration over the economic clout of Chinese.

The violence spurred the creation of programs that give Malays privileges in government jobs, contracts and education. E-mail to a friend

CNN’s Mark Phillips contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Police: 2 arrested in connection with girl’s body found in box

(CNN) — Two people have been arrested in connection with the case of a little girl whose body washed ashore in a box near Galveston, Texas, last month, police said Sunday.

Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo with the Galveston County Sheriff’s office confirmed the arrests and said more information would be released at a Monday morning news conference.

Tuttoilmondo would disclose neither the identities of the suspects nor the charges they face.

On October 29, a fisherman discovered the body in a blue Sterilite plastic container on an uninhabited island in Galveston’s West Bay.

Police dubbed the dead girl Baby Grace, and asked the public for help in identifying her.

A medical examiner said the child’s skull was fractured, and a forensic dentist estimated her age at 2 to 3 years.

In composite sketches, the girl is wearing a pink skirt and matching top — clothing authorities say she was wearing when she was found. The other sketch, a close-up rendering of the child’s face, shows a fair-skinned toddler with long blond hair.

She is more to us than just a case number, more to us than just an unidentified body. She is very much a human being, Tutoilmondo said last month. She is someone’s child, someone’s grandchild, someone’s cousin, someone’s best friend, and to us, that is the most important part about this case.

We have adopted the name of Baby Grace because, there again, that is part of the emotional part of this case for us, he said, holding a tiny sneaker identical to one of those the child was wearing when she was found. E-mail to a friend

CNN’s Hank Bishop contributed to this story.

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I-Reporters, Pepperdine students photograph Malibu blaze

VIDEO PHOTOS
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