Florida
Florida boy, 4, found dead in Alabama had no signs of assault, trauma as dad is busted on explosives charges
Heartbreaking new details have emerged in the case of the missing Florida boy who was found dead next to his dog as his father faces charges for allegedly making explosives.
Johnathan Boley, 4, did not show any signs of “trauma or assault type injuries” after officials performed an autopsy on Monday morning — three days after the heartbreaking discovery, according to Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith.
A cause of death has not been released as officials await the results of further tests, WBRC reported.
Boley, known by his family as “John John,” was discovered partly in a body of water by a group of volunteers who were searching the wooded area in Jasper, Ala. — two miles from where the boy vanished.
The child, who was visiting his father for the holidays, was last seen playing in the yard with his older brother and their mixed lab pup Buck just before noon on New Year’s Eve.
Boley’s elder sibling said his brother and the Buck had walked across the property line. Jameson Kyle Boley reported his son missing an hour later.
The little tyke, who lived with his mother in Florida after his parents separated, was discovered just before 1 p.m. Friday.
Buck, the loyal pooch, was found alive and next to Boley’s body.
Volunteers were “shook up” when they found Boley after the days-long search.
“You know, obviously you come out to do a good deed and when you get our there, you may have thought that you have fully prepared yourself for what you might come across,” Smith said. “Obviously, they were shaken up.”
Officials also discovered explosive materials inside and around the elder Boley’s home. The discovery of the potentially dangerous materials forced officials to cancel a ground search in the area.
Methamphetamines were also discovered inside the home.
Officials found “evidence that they have had some type of bomb type materials and that have exploded on the property.”
Boley, 40, was arrested and charged with unlawful manufacturing of a destructive device and two counts of chemical endangerment of a child.
He was transported to Blount County jail to “keep him separated from the county and people he may know in the jail,” Smith said.
After “John John’s” body was recovered, family members were permitted to go to Blount County and share the devastating news with the jailed father.
“I arranged with the sheriff of Blount County to let the family go make that notification in person,” Smith said.
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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