Kentucky
Nurse who treated Kentucky moms after alleged Bahamas drugging, rape describes how she helped them: ‘Worst scene I had ever had to work’
The veteran nurse practitioner who treated the two Kentucky moms who claimed two Bahamas resort staffers drugged and raped them during their vacation said “it was the worst scene” she had ever worked.
Ladonna Batty, a family nurse from Arkansas, was a passenger on the same Carnival cruise that Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson were on when the ship docked at the Grand Bahama island earlier this month.
“Out of my 20-odd years of practicing, it was the worst scene that I had ever had to work. It was a horrible situation for both girls,” Batty told LEX 18. “Worst thing I’ve ever seen. They were in horrible shambles.”
The moms, who wanted to spend the day at the beach and take some pictures, visited the Pirates Cove Resort when a male staffer allegedly offered them a two-for-one tropical drink deal
The drinks, however, were reportedly stronger than expected, and both women became highly intoxicated 15 minutes after their first sips, Dobson told NewsNation’s “Cuomo.”
A second resort employee had allegedly lured the women to a secluded area and led them to where they were eventually assaulted while in their impaired state.
Batty had been in the area when another staffer found Shearer and Dobson unconscious inside a bathroom, and she went into nurse mode.
“I got my phone out and immediately started charting everything, documenting everything I’d seen,” Batty told the outlet.
The nurse practitioner knew something wasn’t right with the women, claiming the pair had a “hard time forming sentences.”
“It was a horrible scene,” Batty told Inside Edition. “I was thinking as a practitioner, ‘Let me get all this documented, let me get all these details for the girls because they’re not gonna remember some of it if they were drugged.”
Batty believes Shearer and Dobson had been assaulted and under the influence of more than just alcohol.
“Seeing those girls in that state, it was awful,” Batty said. “Something happened to them that they will carry for the rest of their lives.”
The women claim the police did not properly handle their allegations but were thankful Batty arrived when she did.
“Had it not been for Ladonna advocating for us, I don’t know what would have happened,” Shearer said.
Once they were back on board, the moms received the results of their toxicology tests — which showed they had a plethora of drugs in their systems, including benzodiazepines.
“Anybody should be able to go on vacation and have a drink or have a Coca-Cola and take some pictures and not get brutally assaulted,” Batty added.
The resort said the two staffers accused of the assaults have been fired for violating a zero-tolerance policy by “fraternizing with guests or behaving in a manner that is unsafe,” according to a statement obtained by WLEX.
The Royal Bahamas Police had arrested the two men in connection to the sexual assault.
While Dobson and Shearer were aboard the cruise, the US embassy in the Bahamas released a level 2 travel advisory after rising crime on the island nation included 18 murders that occurred throughout January.
The moms were angry with the cruise line for not sharing the advisory with them before they got off the ship for the resort.
Kentucky
UWM gets run off the floor in first half of 18-point loss to Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy on state of mid-major college basketball
NIL and the transfer portal challenge mid-major basketball teams, Panthers coach Bart Lundy says, but things are tough all over.
That was rough.
An ugly first half from the Milwaukee Panthers led way to one of the most disheartening showings at home in recent memory Jan. 9, an 85-67 loss to the Northern Kentucky Norse.
Forward Kael Robinson poured in nine 3-pointers and a game-high 29 points as he and the Norse buried the Panthers with an onslaught of offense, especially early.
“We’ve got to have two things,” Panthers head coach Bart Lundy said. “We’ve got to make less mistakes and have more toughness.”
BOX SCORE: Northern Kentucky 85, UW-Milwaukee 67
No amount of positive moments from true freshmen Josh Dixon and Stevie Elam – they combined for 18 points in the second half and 30 on the night – could wash away the overall feeling of the night.
The Norse led by as many as 20 in the first half, which they ended with a 55-37 lead to ultimately handle the Panthers their worst home loss since coming up 36 points short against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 9, 2022.
Treacherous first half spells doom
The first 20 minutes may have been the worst half of the Lundy era.
Only once in the past four seasons were the Panthers outscored more in a half than the 18-point deficit they faced against the Norse – and that came on the road against the second-place finisher in the Horizon League. Their previous worst home loss under Lundy was a 13-point defeat to Longwood on Dec. 13, 2023.
Northern Kentucky had only four empty possessions in the first 11 minutes of the game, making six threes and grabbing six offensive rebounds. A putback dunk by x Dozier made it a 40-25 game and forced Lundy to use his second timeout of the game.
The Norse lead the nation in fastbreak points, averaging 18 per game and Milwaukee simply could not get back in transition, even after a made basket. The Norse had a whopping 20 points on the fastbreak in the first 20 minutes alone – and that doesn’t even include free throws courtesy of run-outs. Two of those transition trips to the foul line came in succession by Donovan Oday after made baskets for the Panthers, a rather inexcusable effort.
“A complete breakdown in our systems,” Lundy called it.
Oday had 16 points in the half – which wasn’t even a team-high as big man Kael Robinson had 17 and went 4 for 5 from three.
The Panthers went into the break down 18, but the largest lead was 20 on a Robinson triple to cap an 8-0 spurt across 59 seconds, forcing Lundy to take his third timeout.
The Norse finished with 11 offensive rebounds and generated 19 second-chance points. They scored on 23 of 34 possessions, averaging 1.618 points per possession.
“Give them all the credit,” Lundy said. “They were physical and tough and came up with every ball and outran us down the floor.”
Panthers slipping in Horizon
Milwaukee’s defense the rest of the way was solid – perhaps even good; Northern Kentucky shot 38.5% from the field percent as it scored 30 points in the final 20 minutes. It still wasn’t nearly enough to erase the disaster of the first half.
The Panthers now sit tied for sixth in the Horizon League having dropped three in a row after a 3-0 start.
Danilo Jovanovich exits game
Milwaukee’s active leading scorer Danilo Jovanovich played nearly 16 minutes in the first half, scoring only two points while appearing visibly hampered, but came out of the locker room in his warm-ups.
He continues to be bothered by a balky right shoulder, an injury that limited him to no contact in practice this week.
Jovanovich is day-to-day going forward, which could leave the Panthers without four projected senior starters at the beginning of the season: Jovanovich, Faizon Fields, John Lovelace and Seth Hubbard.
“I look down on that bench and I see all them dudes on crutches that are older and wish they were pretty available,” Lundy said. “…If you have Johnny Lovelace or Seth, that’s a whole different story. You’ve got length, athleticism, Faizon corrects a lot of things. What we have now on the floor, they’re talented but most of those guys have never seen Division-I basketball.”
(This story was updated to change or add a photo or video.)
Kentucky
Virginia woman arrested 30 years after newborn was found in a Kentucky landfill
More than three decades after a newborn’s remains were discovered in a Kentucky landfill, investigators say advances in forensic science have finally led to an arrest.
Jennifer Cummins of Fairfax County, Virginia, was taken into custody on January 6 in connection with the death of an infant known for decades only as “Baby Jane Doe,” Kentucky State Police announced this week.
The case dates to 1991, when a sanitation worker discovered the remains of a baby girl at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University.
Despite early investigative efforts, authorities were unable to identify the baby or determine who was responsible, and the case eventually went cold.
Kentucky State Police detectives recently reopened the investigation using modern forensic tools and updated investigative techniques. With assistance from the State Medical Examiner, it was determined that the infant was born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
The new information ultimately identified Cummins as a person of interest. In late 2025, the case was presented to a Madison County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder.
“Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, we’ve been able to discover new leads in this case,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney. “That’s why it’s so important for people to know these cases never go cold to us.”
Authorities have not released details about Cummins’ relationship to the child or the specific circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
Kentucky State Police say the investigation remains active, and that investigators say they are still seeking the public’s help to resolve some unanswered questions.
Cummins is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Kentucky
Kentucky Transfer WR Hardley Gilmore IV Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montavin Quisenberry isn’t the only former Kentucky wide receiver to switch out blue for red this offseason.
Hardley Gilmore IV announced Thursday that he has committed to the Louisville football program.
He’s the fifth Wildcat to transfer to the Cardinals in this cycle, following Quisenberry, who committed earlier in the day, cornerback D.J. Waller plus defensive ends Jerod Smith II and Jacob Smith.
Gilmore is also the 11th portal pickup for UofL in the last three days, and their 15th transfer commitment overall in this cycle, beginning to offset 23 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.
Despite Kentucky’s instability at quarterback this past season, Gilmore put together a productive 2025 campaign. Playing in all 12 games while starting five, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound receiver caught 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown. His reception and yardage total was second on the team to Kendrick Law.
The Belle Glade, Fla. native got immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2024. Appearing in seven games, Gilmore was able to haul in six passes for 153 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown vs. Murray State.
While Gilmore has shown high end potential on the field, he comes with some off-the-field baggage from last offseason. Last January after opting to transfer to Nebraska following his true freshman season, he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching someone in the face at a storage facility in Lexington. Then this past April, he was dismissed from the Huskers for unknown reasons, and wound up returning to Kentucky.
“Nothing outside the program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Huskers head coach Matt Rhule said at the time regarding Gilmore’s dismissal. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”
Gilmore and Quisenberry are the first of likely multiple transfer pieces that Louisville will add to their wide receiver room. Between graduation and the portal, the Cardinals are losing six receivers – including Chris Bell & Caullin Lacy.
In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of Hardley Gilmore IV: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
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