CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
CAPTIVA Impacts of hurricane season on fishing in SWFL Whipping winds and torrential downpours are all too common with hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL What to know before gifting pets this holiday season Gifting someone a pet for Christmas may sound like a good idea but not always. Animal experts remind us that owning an animal takes a big commitment.
NAPLES ‘Beverly’s Angels’ prepare holiday sacks for kids in need Beverly’s Angels in Naples is providing kids the essentials they need during the holiday season, and they got some help from high school students across Southwest Florida.
‘He was a phenomenal human being’: Woman says Elio Diaz inspired her to turn life around WINK News has shared stories about people greatly impacted by Deputy Sergeant Elio Diaz’s work. Now we hear from a woman whose life he affected for the better.
PUNTA GORDA ShorePoint Health in Punta Gorda to permanently close If people in Punta Gorda consider themselves patients of ShorePoint Hospital, they will have to look for an alternate place of healthcare.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District gives holiday candle safety tips Holiday celebrations are a few days away, and nothing sets the mood better than candles. This warning is best given before the holidays.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
CAPTIVA Impacts of hurricane season on fishing in SWFL Whipping winds and torrential downpours are all too common with hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL What to know before gifting pets this holiday season Gifting someone a pet for Christmas may sound like a good idea but not always. Animal experts remind us that owning an animal takes a big commitment.
NAPLES ‘Beverly’s Angels’ prepare holiday sacks for kids in need Beverly’s Angels in Naples is providing kids the essentials they need during the holiday season, and they got some help from high school students across Southwest Florida.
‘He was a phenomenal human being’: Woman says Elio Diaz inspired her to turn life around WINK News has shared stories about people greatly impacted by Deputy Sergeant Elio Diaz’s work. Now we hear from a woman whose life he affected for the better.
PUNTA GORDA ShorePoint Health in Punta Gorda to permanently close If people in Punta Gorda consider themselves patients of ShorePoint Hospital, they will have to look for an alternate place of healthcare.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District gives holiday candle safety tips Holiday celebrations are a few days away, and nothing sets the mood better than candles. This warning is best given before the holidays.
Credit: Gabby Petito’s instagram North Port police told WINK News on Monday that investigators made mistakes in Brian Laundrie’s case. The North Port Police Department says they thought they were keeping a close eye on Brian before he went missing. North Port PD had cameras set up around the Laundrie family home but that strategy was not successful. Those who were watching the Laundrie house saw Brian leave in his grey Mustang. They then thought they saw him return days later, but they had mixed up Brian and his mom. This mistake cost taxpayers quite a bit of money and cost law enforcement a great deal of time, energy and manpower. North Port police believe Brian Laundrie looks very much like his mother, Roberta. “They’re kind of built similarly,” said Josh Taylor, NPPD public information officer. Taylor says North Port police began tracking Brian after his fiance’s, Gabby Petito, family reported her missing in the State of New York. They reported her missing on Saturday, September 11. Police then watched him leave in his Mustang on Monday, September 13 and he returned on Wednesday, September 15. “All I’m going to say is we know where Brian Laundrie is at,” said North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison. Garrison made this comment on Thursday, Sept. 16. NPPD was confident that Brian was inside his home. Everything changed the next day, Friday, Sept. 17. “When the family reported him [missing] on Friday. That was certainly news to us that they had not seen him,” Taylor said. “We thought that we seen Brian initially come back into that home on that Wednesday. But we now know that that wasn’t true.” Chris and Roberta, Brian’s parents, told investigators that they hadn’t seen their son since Tuesday. Later, the family changed that date to Monday. So who did investigators actually see? “I believe it was his mom who was wearing a baseball cap,” Taylor said. “They had returned from the park with that Mustang. So who does that? Right? Like, if you think your son’s missing since Tuesday, you’re going to bring his car back to the home. So it didn’t make sense that anyone would do that if he wasn’t there. So the individual getting out with a baseball cap we thought was Brian,” said Taylor. Now, Taylor admits the North Port Police Department made a costly mistake. “No case is perfect,” Taylor said. No matter who was driving the Mustang back to the Laundrie house, NPPD had no idea where Brian went when he left his parents house on September 13. And, now, we know that he went to Carlton Reserve and likely, never left again. Police found the car at the reserve the very next day, which was a Tuesday. His mother returned the car to the home on Wednesday. As for the family’s infamous red pickup truck, it has since left the home as well. Chris and Roberta left to mourn the loss of their son. The attorney for the Laundrie family, Steven Bertolino, says that Brian’s parents are grieving in an undisclosed location. So far, they don’t have a formal funeral plan for Brian. Instead, once his remains are released from the medical examiner, the family plans to cremate him.