Midwest
Missing mom found alive in forest as officials investigate ‘suspicious’ house fire
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An Indiana mother who vanished more than a week ago has been found alive in a nearby forest, just days after flames broke out in her home in what authorities are calling a “suspicious” fire.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 8, dispatchers received a 911 call from 46-year-old Britney Gard, who said she was lost in the Hall Woods Nature Preserve, east of Bainbridge, Indiana. The location was about 2½ miles from her residence, officials said.
“Britney was quickly found by Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies with the assistance of Indiana Conservation Officers, an Indiana State Police detective, Bainbridge Fire Department personnel and excellent directions from our 911 dispatchers,” Sheriff Jerrod E. Baugh said in a statement.
Gard was evaluated by medical personnel before being taken to a hospital for further treatment. Authorities have not disclosed her current condition.
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Search crews found a missing mother alive in Hall Woods Nature Preserve days after a fire at her home. (Putnamparks.org; Find Britney Gard/Facebook)
“The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for any individuals of interest in this missing person investigation of Britney Gard,” the statement continued. “There is no current threat to the general public in this case.”
Baugh expressed gratitude for the coordinated search effort.
“It is with great relief that we were able to find Ms. Gard last evening and bring this missing person case to a close,” Baugh said. “We would like to thank her family and all of the organizations that worked with us around the clock.”
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Authorities say Britney Gard was located in the wooded preserve more than a week after a “suspicious” house fire. (Find Britney Gard/Facebook)
Baugh added that detectives and staff “continued to work tirelessly with Ms. Gard’s family to bring her home” and emphasized that the case remains under investigation.
“We will not be releasing any further details in this case at this time,” he said.
Gard was reported missing after a fire broke out at her Putnam County home Oct. 1. Fire crews extinguished the blaze, which was contained to one portion of the residence, but could not locate Gard inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Authorities are investigating a “suspicious” fire after rescuers found the missing mother alive nearby. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Indiana)
Investigators said the fire appeared “suspicious in nature.” Family members and authorities were unable to reach Gard after the fire, prompting days of searches through fields, wooded areas and ponds near her home.
Gard’s daughter, who had been at a volleyball game that evening, returned home to find emergency crews and was told her mother was missing, according to WRTV.
The outlet also reported that Gard’s purse and ID were left behind.
Family members — including Gard’s four sisters — traveled from across the country to help with search efforts during the week she was missing, WRTV reported.
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Authorities have not released further details about how Gard ended up in the wooded preserve or the cause of the fire.
“Please continue to keep Ms. Gard’s family, our investigators and emergency personnel in your prayers,” Baugh said.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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Wisconsin Lutheran High School basketball star Zavier Zens has officially committed to play for the University of Illinois next season.
Zavier Zens Makes It Official with the Illini
Zens, a tenacious 6-foot-7, 215-pound senior forward, initially committed to play collegiately for Northern Iowa but reopened his recruitment as the result of a head coaching change, ultimately narrowing his final choices to Illinois, Utah State, and Wisconsin.
On April 17, the highly touted three-star recruit signed a Big Ten Conference Athletics Scholarship Agreement to compete for Illinois, ending the greatly anticipated recruitment journey.
A Chance to Maximize His Development Was the Key
“What I was looking for was the best chance to develop and become the best player I can become,” said Zens, in an interview with Zac Bellman of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Illinois, they arguably have the best team in the country coming in next year, and the chance to get to go up against them every day, along with the good development program and their record of developing guys, was really big to me. Obviously, the fit and culture was right as well.”
Illinois tied for second in the Big Ten Conference under the guidance of head coach Brad Underwood, advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four for the first time in 21 years (2005), and finished with a 28-9 overall record.
“Zavier first and foremost is a winner,” said Underwood, in an official release posted on fightingillini.com. “He is an extremely high IQ player who has been well coached and brings a championship pedigree to the table, winning three straight state titles. He fits our recruiting mold as a 6-foot-7 versatile wing who can score at all three levels and process the game.”
Zens Helped Wisconsin Lutheran to a WIAA Three-Peat
Zens averaged 23.4 points per game (including a 61.8% field-goal percentage) with 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season in leading the Vikings to a third consecutive WIAA state championship and statement-making 30-0 overall record.
Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball contributed 20 points with four 3-point baskets, six rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, and one steal as top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran defeated third-seeded Madison Memorial 57-37 in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game at the University of Wisconsin’s Kohl Center on March 21.
The 2026 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year finished his memorable four-year high school career with a 109-7 overall record (including an 88-2 mark during the three-year championship run) and as the third-leading scorer in program history (1,611 points).
Zens Continues the Trend of Mr. Wisconsin Playing Out-of-State
In an interesting twist, Zens (a cousin of NBA rookie sensation Kon Knueppel who competes for the Charlotte Hornets) joins an elite group of seven recent Wisconsin Mr. Basketball recipients who opted to play out of state.
Wisconsin, under current head coach Greg Gard, has advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times, with the fifth-seeded Badgers most recently falling to No. 12-seeded High Point 83-82 in this year’s opening round on March 19.
The impressive list of Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association honorees includes:
2025: Xzavion Mitchell, Oshkosh North (Iowa State)
2023: (co-winner) Milan Momcilovic, Pewaukee (Iowa State)
2023: (co-winner) John Kinzinger, De Pere (Illinois State)
2022: Seth Trimble, Menomonee Falls (North Carolina)
2021: Brandin Podziemski, St. John’s (Illinois, Santa Clara)
— Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com
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In the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms gave his one and only prediction of who he believes will be selected in the first round on April 23, including where the Detroit Lions go after at the No. 17 overall pick.
Along with several draft boards and experts, the general consensus is that the Lions will prioritize an offensive tackle with their lone first-round pick, given the dire need to replace now-released Taylor Decker at the left tackle position next season.
In his April 20 prediction posted on X, Simms has the Lions addressing that need by selecting 6-foot-7, 352-pound Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at their No. 17 overall draft position.
While there are some mock drafts that predict the Lions trading up to grab their desired draft target, the franchise certainly would not be opposed to Proctor, who is ranked as the No. 2 overall offensive tackle by NFL.com, perfectly falling to them at the No. 17 position.
If Detroit can land Proctor, it would likely be viewed as another successful first-round selection by general manager Brad Holmes and an excellent way to kick off the NFL Draft weekend in the Steel City.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
Brice Turang drove in four runs and David Hamilton had four hits as the Milwaukee Brewers routed the Detroit Tigers 12-4 on Tuesday night.
Despite missing their top three hitters, the Brewers put 19 runners on base and scored in double digits for the second time this season. They have won five of six.
All nine Milwaukee starters reached base at least once, and Detroit catcher/knuckleballer Jake Rogers limited the damage by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
Detroit lost its second straight after winning eight of nine.
Milwaukee used speed and small ball to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Garrett Mitchell led off with an infield single, took second on a walk and scored on Sal Frelick’s base hit. Hamilton beat out a bunt to load the bases.
After Blake Perkins struck out, Turang lined a two-run single to right. Turang, though, got caught in a rundown between first and second and the Tigers threw Hamilton out at the plate when he tried to score.
Detroit loaded the bases with no one out in the fourth, but Grant Anderson relieved Harrison and got Javier Báez to ground into a double play. That made it 3-1, but Anderson struck out pinch-hitter Kerry Carpenter to end the inning.
The Brewers made it 5-1 in the seventh on RBI singles by Turang and William Contreras.
Milwaukee added seven runs in an 11-batter eighth, an inning that included the fourth triple of Gary Sanchez’s 12-year MLB career.
Detroit scored three times in the ninth inning to cut the final margin to eight runs.
The teams continue the series on Wednesday night with the second of three games. Detroit RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78) is scheduled to face RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95).
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