Over 40 years since a University of Colorado student was brutally murdered in his Boulder apartment, the FBI is enlisting public assistance by circulating new age-progressed images of the suspect in the case.

On Thursday, investigators revealed updated images of Thayne Alan Smika. Authorities allege that Smika has successfully eluded capture for decades following the fatal shooting of his former roommate, 22-year-old Sidney Lee Wells, on August 1, 1983.

Responding to a call at a Boulder apartment complex that day, police discovered Wells lifeless on the living room floor, shot in the head. At the time of his death, Wells was a senior journalism student at the University of Colorado Boulder and an active member of the Navy ROTC program.

Smika, then 24, was suspected early on in the investigation, yet charges were not filed immediately. Authorities later found his vehicle abandoned in October 1986, in Beverly Hills, California, bearing a stolen license plate. Smika has been a fugitive ever since.

A Boulder County judge issued a state warrant charging Smika with first-degree murder in December 2010. Days later, federal authorities charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and obtained a federal arrest warrant.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Smika’s arrest and conviction.

“It is never too late to hold a murder suspect accountable,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski said. “The FBI is unwavering in our determination to deliver justice for victims’ families. We will work with Boulder Police to pursue this fugitive until he is found and brought into custody to face the consequences of his actions.”

Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said investigators hope the newly released images generate fresh leads in the decades-old homicide investigation.

“We are hopeful these images generate actionable tips that our detectives can investigate to find Smika and bring justice in this case,” Redfearn said. “No matter how much time has passed, we will never stop searching. We are grateful for our FBI partners for their help in creating these images and publicizing this crime.”

Authorities said Smika would now be 67 years old. He may be clean-shaven or have a beard or mustache and may wear glasses. Investigators also said he does not have a valid U.S. passport and may have lived in Yelapa, Mexico, for years before 2007.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Boulder Police tip line at 303-441-1974, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Anonymous tips can also be made through Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Rod Stewart defies the passage of time, proving he’s eternally youthful!

Despite raising concerns earlier in the summer with several health issues and some canceled gigs, the iconic rocker made a vibrant comeback on Wednesday night. He performed a series of his classic hits at a lavish benefit gala for Steven Van Zandt’s Teach Rock charity, which took place at a sprawling mansion in Southampton.

Sources at the exclusive gathering shared that Stewart delivered nothing short of a spectacular performance, treating guests to an hour-and-a-half of beloved tunes. Hits such as “The First Cut is the Deepest,” “Have I Told You Lately,” and the timeless “Forever Young” filled the air as he commanded the stage.

“Everyone was buzzing about his remarkable appearance,” reported a witness from the event. “At 81, he moved around the stage with the energy and agility of someone much younger. Remarkably, he seemed fitter than many men half his age.”

Another enthusiastic guest remarked, “Rod is in fantastic form—his voice was absolutely phenomenal!”

Stewart told Page Six, “Music gave me my direction when I was a young lad, and I’ve never forgotten it. What Stevie’s built with TeachRock is the real deal — getting music back into classrooms and giving kids that same spark. Sharing a stage with him in Southampton for a cause like this? That’s what it’s all about.”

Stewart recently had fans worried about his health. He canceled a show in San Diego, California June 12 “on the advice of his doctors and following a diagnosis of an acute upper respiratory infection that has resulted in laryngitis,” but angered fans when he was seen cheering at a World Cup match the next day. 

He also postponed his shows at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, June 16 and 16, citing vocal rest. 

On June 22, he paused his concert in Utah and used an oxygen tank on stage. The altitude may have played a factor. 

He had also previously canceled two Vegas shows in May. 

But it seems like all is well.

A source tells us Stewart played the gig for the charity — which helps keep music in schools — for free.

Van Zandt joined Stewart onstage for performances of “We’re Having a Party” and “Stay With Me.”

The night raised $1.7 million dollars for the charity, which boasts founding members Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen. 

A dinner with E Street Band member Van Zandt and three other actors from the “Sopranos,” cast in Little Italy was auctioned to two people for $80,000 (combined $160,000) in front of guests including Ramona Singer, Georgina Chapman, Chris and Christina Cuomo, Stefano Tonchi and Fern Mallis.

Stewart will be back on stage at Jones Beach on Friday, July 31.

Ariana Grande has set tongues wagging with concern over her noticeable weight loss following the release of her startling new music video, “Petal.”

While the 33-year-old pop star has reassured the public about her well-being, fans continue to express their alarm at her remarkably thin appearance in the intense video.

In this peculiar video, Grande takes on the role of Pepper, a hopeful actress navigating numerous auditions on her quest for stardom.

After another setback, the studio executives dismiss her as “unmarketable,” “unattractive,” and “inauthentic,” even going so far as to suggest she has a personality disorder.

One executive remarks, “We miss the old you. Perhaps you should go rediscover her and then come back to try again?”

Grande leaves, only to return moments later with a chainsaw, which she uses to violently dismember the men. 

Now drenched in blood, she returns to the waiting room, only to receive a round of rapturous applause from the other female auditionees.

Despite the clever social commentary in the video, many fans were more distracted by Grande’s weight than anything else. 

‘This is like looking at Karen Carpenter and everyone was like [shrug],’ wrote one fan.

‘I am actually so over us normalizing this and acting like this is okay,’ wrote a second.

‘Shocking and heartbreaking,’ wrote a third, while a fourth added, ‘For the love of God, please eat something.’

Another wrote, ‘Her bones are literally popping out.’ 

Despite the concerned comments, other fans defended the singer and said that it was inappropriate to comment on her physical appearance. 

‘If y’all actually cared about her you wouldn’t be publicly making comments about her body,’ argued one.

‘The irony of all the girls over 200 pounds saying she’s “unhealthy”. You think being 200 pounds is healthy? Good lord, the jealousy is screaming from you guys!’ wrote another. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Grande’s management for comment. 

Grande released her eighth studio album, Petal, on Friday. 

The project was preceded by the lead single ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The singer has addressed her weight multiples times over the years and has insisted that she’s healthy, despite the continued speculation around her shrinking frame. 

‘There’s a comfortability that people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous,’ she told YouTuber Sally in a 2024 interview. 

‘I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,’ she continued. 

‘I’ve heard every version of it — of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from — even just the simplest thing — your appearance, you know?’ 

She added, ‘I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all — commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves.’

In a 2023 TikTok, Grande directly addressed concerns about her weight and explained that older photos of herself, where she wasn’t as thin, were actually taken during an unhealthy period in her life.

‘I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that in fact wasn’t my healthy,’ she explained.

‘I know I shouldn’t have to explain that, but I do feel like having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here will [mean] something good might come from it. Healthy can look different.’

Last December, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly shockingly accused Grande of being ‘anorexic’.

‘Take a look at Ariana Grande right now, of the music industry and now also as an actress starring in Wicked. Let’s check in on how Ariana, who was raised on television, on Nickelodeon… is doing,’ Kelly began.

‘She is very clearly anorexic. If she’s 90 pounds, it’s a lot. She looks like you could snap her in two with your fingers.’

In a troubling incident, authorities have arrested a man from California who faces accusations of sending threatening messages to a woman connected to the mysterious disappearance of Nolan Wells. The individual targeted was the mother of a friend who accompanied Wells on the day he vanished.

Eighteen-year-old Wells went missing on July 4 following a boat outing with friends to Horn Island, a scenic barrier island situated off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. After a frantic two-day search, rescue teams halted their efforts when a National Parks Service ranger located his body on the island’s northwestern edge on July 6.

Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, aged 27, was apprehended on Thursday for allegedly making interstate threats, as detailed in federal court filings. The criminal complaint reveals that Dumarce used Facebook Messenger to send multiple menacing messages to Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, including a grave claim of intending to dispatch a bomb to her office.

The alleged suspect, Dumarce, hails from Sacramento, California.

“There will be a package coming to your guys office in the next few days,” Dumarce allegedly sent Cole on July 11. “It’s gonna blow you away when you see it lol. probably best to have the boys there to see as well.”

“Blood. So much blood everywhere. Hard to clean. Especially from a boat. But yours will be quick I promise. I got all your info. Not even the FBI can stop this. Once that package is opened the timer will start. And then you have maybe 10 seconds or less to ask god forgiveness,” Dumarce allegedly messaged Cole.

Dumarce also allegedly called numbers associated with the office of the Jackson County Chancery Court on July 11 at 1:27 a.m.

Dumarce was identified by authorities through the email associated with his Facebook account. The charge Dumarce faces carries a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Cole is the mother of Warren Hudson, who was with Wells the day he disappeared. Hudson hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, and records from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources indicate Wells chose to stay on Horn Island rather than return to the coast with him.

During a July 22 news conference, attorney Ben Crump revealed that an area of “red discoloration” was found on Wells’ head, but said Dr. Roger Mitchell, who performed an independent autopsy, couldn’t come to a conclusion on a cause or manner of death “pending further investigation.” Official autopsy results for Wells’ death have not been released.

Wells was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College and had hopes to play at the Division I level, according to Crump, an attorney for his family.

The FBI declined to comment.

Earlier this month, Atlanta Falcons’ standout wide receiver, Drake London, took a significant personal step by getting engaged to his partner, Sofia Gabay.

This joyous milestone happened on the heels of London securing a substantial four-year, $141 million contract extension with the Falcons. With this lucrative deal under his belt, London had various options for how he might orchestrate the perfect proposal.

Yet, rather than opting for conventional grandeur, London chose a route that was heartwarming and personal: he incorporated Taco Bell into his proposal for a very sentimental reason.

During their second date, Gabay had mentioned to London that her dream proposal would include a meal from Taco Bell, her favorite quick-bite destination, as noted by ESPN reporter Mark Raimondi.

London took this cherished detail to heart. When the moment for his proposal arrived, he gathered a spread of Crunchwrap Supremes, a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and an assortment of Taco Bell’s iconic hot sauce packets. He then set the scene with a picturesque view at a desert ranch in Los Angeles to ask Gabay the big question.

When London was speaking about the engagement on Thursday, he was quoted as saying incredulously, “She was actually more stoked about the Taco Bell than the ring.”

While that’s a wild reaction from his fiancée, London is surely joking—a little bit, at least. He didn’t seem to mind regardless, as he added, “It’s telling what type of woman I got. So, I was excited, though. She was, too.”

Even though her Taco Bell enthusiasm might have eclipsed that of her new engagement ring, Gabay’s loyalty to London has never been in question. This was shown when she taunted Philadelphia Eagles fans after London’s game-winning touchdown against them in a game back in 2024.

London and Gabay met at USC, as she has a degree in cinema from the Southern California school. But she likely doesn’t have to worry about employment at that point, now that she’s getting hitched to one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers.

Disturbing ransom notes sent to Today show host Savannah Guthrie have surfaced, revealing sinister claims about her missing mother. One note heartbreakingly indicates that her mother “perished shortly after she was taken” and is now “buried in nature.”

The shocking contents of the notes were made public by the sheriff’s office on Friday. The initial note demanded a staggering ransom of $4 million, while the subsequent message, echoing the first in its ominous tone, alleged that 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie had died and included a cryptic apology from her supposed captor.

As the relentless mission to uncover the truth about Guthrie’s disappearance crosses the six-month threshold, urgency intensifies. Nancy Guthrie mysteriously vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, marking a turbulent chapter for her family.

Both notes were addressed to Guthrie and swiftly handed over to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. They were initially received by 13 News on February 2 and February 6, purportedly authored by her abductors.

The first letter: 

‘Hello Savannah,

We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom and once payment is received she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of 7 days. You will need to send bitcoin in the amount of $4 million USD before 5PM on Thursday the 5th. If payment is not received, the ransom will be increased to 6 million USD which will need to be paid by 5PM on Monday the 9th. Once payment is received to the bitcoin address below she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop off location back in Tucson. If payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. You will not be able to contact me from here on out, there will be no negotiation. Do not play games, law enforcement will not be able to help you.

Bitcoin address: ********

She had a white smart watch on the floor of the foot of her bed and the white flood light in backyard was destroyed.’

Unlike the first note, the second made no demands but instead laid out what it claimed were haunting details about Guthrie’s final days. 

The second letter: 

‘Guthrie Family, We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.

Bitcoin address: ********’ 

Investigators still have few clues and no official suspects, despite security footage capturing a masked man at her door and DNA reportedly being discovered inside her home. 

But the sheriff’s department, which is still investigating the case as a kidnapping-for-ransom, said it is ‘working this as hard as we can’ and insisted it will not go cold.

‘We have gathered a lot of evidence in this case and I wish you knew it, I wish the community could know all of the evidence, but that’s just not how investigations work,’ Sheriff Chris Nanos said, according to the outlet.

‘Whether it’s this case or any case. We have an obligation, we have a duty and a responsibility, to protect that case and its integrity,’ he added.

Meanwhile, two men who were arrested and later released in connection with Guthrie’s disappearance are preparing to file a $3.5 million lawsuit against the embattled sheriff, according to Fox News. 

Carlos Palazuelos and Daniel Maddox, both from Arizona, filed a notice of claim Monday against Nanos and an unnamed detective, accusing them of wrongful arrest and reputational damage.

Newly revealed details from the notice obtained by NBC News paints a dramatic picture of their arrests, including allegations that officers held the men at gunpoint and ‘ransacked’ one of their homes. 

Palazuelos, a food delivery driver, was arrested on February 10 near the Mexican border in Rio Rico and questioned for eight hours before agents searched his home. He was later released without charges. 

Hours later, Maddox was handcuffed at a home belonging to his mother and detained for several hours as part of the investigation into the still-unsolved case. He too was released without charges.

The notice, which is the first step toward a full lawsuit, said that authorities arrested Palazuelos ‘at gunpoint’ and held him for roughly seven to eight hours without probable cause.

It further claimed that officers carried out the arrest in a public manner before ‘ransacking’ his home. 

According to the action, Palazuelos is innocent, and his detention and hours-long interrogation caused him ‘physical, emotional and reputational harm.’ 

The notice also pointed to a social media post shared by Nanos after one person was arrested, in which the sheriff wrote: ‘The subject is currently being questioned in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.’

It alleged that the post, combined with statements from the sheriff’s office, portrayed Palazuelos to the world as a suspect despite there being no evidence to justify that characterization.

‘Despite requests by undersigned counsel, Sheriff Nanos and the PCSD have refused to retract their statements or to make clear that Carlos is innocent and had no involvement in the Guthrie case,’ the notice said, according to NBC.

Palazuelos spoke to Telemundo outside his home and publicly insisted he had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance after he was released from custody.

At the time, he said that his front and back doors were damaged during the search and that agents told him he resembled the person shown in grainy surveillance footage released from Guthrie’s home just hours earlier. 

Maddox, the second man named in the notice, also claimed that his detention was ‘wrongful and has caused him significant physical, mental and emotional pain and suffering.’

The filing alleged that armed men in military gear pointed their guns at Maddox and ordered him to lie on the floor of his own hallway after he stepped out of his room to investigate a loud noise.

It said he was then kept ‘under guard’ inside a van for several hours.   

His mother, Josefina Maddox, who owns the home and was also named in the filing, claimed the property was damaged during the chaotic search.

In the notice, lawyers wrote that they were offering to settle the claims for $2.5 million on behalf of Palazuelos and $500,000 on behalf of Maddox. 

Attorneys are also seeking $250,000 on Josefina’s behalf for the alleged property damage. 

In addition to Nanos and the unnamed detective, the notice listed the county and the sheriff’s department as entities that could face future claims, according to NBC.

The sheriff was questioned about the prior arrests during an ABC 15 interview released Thursday, where he said at least one of the men was not in the clear. 

A third man was arrested on February 13, three days after Maddox and Palazuelos, during a traffic stop near Guthrie’s Tucson neighborhood before being released. That same night, officers raided a home and questioned three people inside. 

‘Because we didn’t make an arrest, or released some people, doesn’t mean they’re cleared. It just means that we don’t have enough to hold you,’ Nanos said. 

He noted that investigators had ‘evidence’ that prompted search warrants at Palazuelos’ home and the other man’s residence, insisting that the evidence remains valid despite the court ordering their release. 

‘The evidence we’ve obtained, who knows, maybe a day from now, a month from now, a year from now, somebody might call in and say, “Oh you missed this.” And guess what? We’ll go back,’ he told the outlet.

When pressed on whether detectives were still investigating the two men, Nanos declined to comment.

His comments appeared to clash with earlier statements from the sheriff’s office, which suggested the detained men – as well as three other people questioned during the home search – were in the clear.

Also on Thursday, the department marked the six-month anniversary of Guthrie’s disappearance in a statement shared on X. 

‘The analysis of DNA and digital evidence has been underway for the past six months. This work is complex and time-intensive, but investigators continue to pursue every credible lead,’ it read.

‘As Savannah Guthrie recently said, it is never too late to do the right thing. Anyone with information is urged to come forward and help bring this case to a resolution.’

On Monday, Savannah publicly addressed her mother for the first time since June 23, when she delivered an emotional broadcast from the NBC anchor desk. 

In an Instagram video, she urged the kidnappers to ‘do the right thing’ and described living through what she called a never-ending nightmare. 

‘Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part. We will never stop looking for her,’ she said. 

An F-35 fighter jet from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing experienced a crash on Friday morning, leading to an emergency operation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The incident, which also sparked a brush fire, was confirmed by a base spokesperson through a statement to Fox News.

Responding to what the Marine Corps referred to as an “aircraft mishap,” emergency teams were dispatched to the flight line around 10 a.m. local time. The F-35, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 and stationed at MCAS Miramar, was involved in the incident, as noted by 1st Lt. Blake Starbuck.

The U.S. Marines detailed the seriousness of the event, classifying it as a “Class A mishap” involving a Marine Corps F-35B near the Miramar base. Fortunately, the pilot managed to eject safely and was recovered without delay.

While speaking with Fox News, Starbuck mentioned that information about the flight’s purpose, including whether it was a training sortie, and details about any injuries or fatalities were not available at the time.

Currently, the underlying causes of the crash remain unknown, leaving several questions unanswered as investigations continue.

Video from SkyRanger 7 showed the aircraft in two pieces amid a football-field-sized scorched area. A fire burned in a field north of State Route 52 and was visible from the freeway, prompting calls to the California Highway Patrol.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department confirmed to Fox News it was assisting with the brush fire, but said the military has jurisdiction over the incident.

No press conference has been scheduled. Officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.