Warning: Do not proceed unless you’ve watched “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare” on Netflix. 

The gripping new docuseries on Netflix, “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare,” is offering fresh insights into the tragic events surrounding the 2022 deaths of four University of Idaho students.

In a chilling incident from November 2022, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were brutally stabbed in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho.

Fast forward to July 2, 2025, when Bryan Kohberger, a former criminology student from Washington State University, admitted guilt and was sentenced to serve four consecutive life sentences for the heinous crime. However, he never explained his motives.

In a surprising development on July 26, 2026, Kohberger declared his innocence, seeking to retract his previous guilty plea. This unexpected revelation is not covered within the documentary series.

See below for the biggest bombshells from the three-part docuseries, which is now streaming on Netflix.

The victims’ friends found out through a campus-wide text alert

When surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke called the police, she tearfully said, “Something’s happened in our house and we don’t know what.”

Funke said in the 911 call that her friends were, “not waking up” and and “passed out,” not realizing their friends were dead.

The responding officers’ bodycam footage shows Mortensen, Funke and other friends — with their faces blurred out — sitting on the curb outside the house, as cops investigated the scene.

One of them tearfully told a cop, “you could have told us what happened before they sent a text.”

When the cop replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the victims’ friend explained, “they sent a text [message] to the entire university – before even telling us what happened.” 

Blaine Eckles, the Dean of Students at the University of Idaho, explained onscreen that he was “flabbergasted” when the cops told him, “We have four dead individuals, and we think they may be college students.” 

He added that the protocol for crimes was to use an internal emergency alert system, to “get information out immediately” to everyone’s phones. 

Anthony Dahlinger, chief of the Moscow Police Department, noted that the college didn’t give police a warning before they released the alert, and cops would have preferred if they had “collaborated.”  

Cooper Atkinson, who was friends with Chapin, recalled that the alert said “homicide,” which was “a heavy word” that made everyone “freak out.” 

“Most of us knew they weren’t alive anymore, but didn’t know what happened,” he said, adding that the college community was beset by “ongoing panic, phone calls, texts.” 

Kohberger allegedly told his victims he was going to ‘help’ them 

Surviving roommate Mortensen was home the night of the murders, recalling that she heard a scream, and she heard one of her deceased roommates say, “Someone’s here.” 

Mortensen told police, “I locked my door, because I was so scared.”  

She added, “I remember hearing this guy’s voice that I didn’t recognize saying, ‘You’re going to be OK. I’m gonna help.’” She noted that he didn’t say it in “a nice way,” but rather, “in a weird way. Like, a weird tone.”

The victims friends got nasty messages while they were grieving 

Kohberger was arrested over a month after the slayings, on Dec. 30, 2022. 

In the weeks before police took him into custody, social media was abuzz with conspiracy theories about who killed the four students. 

Atkinson recalled onscreen that he got messages on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, from people asking what he knew. 

“There were accusations flying left and right. There were just no answers, so people were finding answers themselves,” he said. 

Atkinson added that it was “hard” because they were “processing” it, and “trying to deal with our friends who just got killed – and also, protect ourselves from the internet.” 

Chapin’s friend Peter Elgorriaga said, “I got a few of those messages – people saying that I’m the killer, I’m gonna get caught. Like, what are you saying?” 

It wouldn’t have made a difference if someone called the cops sooner 

The murders happened between 4:00 and 4:25 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. The surviving roommates didn’t call the cops until nearly eight hours later, close to noon.

Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s mother, recalled that she asked the coroner if the victims could have been saved if someone called 911 sooner.

“The answer was no,” she said. 

Kacy Johnston, who was friends with Kernodle, said that she “didn’t blame” the surviving roommates for “making the phone call late.” 

“I can only imagine if it were me in either one of their shoes – I would have never believed what occurred in the house that night,” she said. 

Dahlinger explained that there are “many reasons” why the victims’ friends didn’t call the police sooner. 

“People are in shock, it’s traumatic. I mean, I can’t imagine being of that age, and being able to comprehend that this horrific thing just occurred,” he said. 

Kohberger ‘adored’ his serial killer class 

Lilly Karaban, who was Kohberger’s classmate when he was studying Criminal Justice at Washington State University, said that she sat next to him in a class called, “Minds of a Serial Killer.” 

“I remember him asking a question about every single topic in that class,” she said, adding that the class would “roll their eyes” because he asked so many questions. 

She recalled that Kohberger “adored” that class, and it was like “a switch went off” in him.  

Karaban remembered seeing Kohberger “sitting by himself, not talking to anybody” before class.

When class began, he was “a different person” and “actively taking notes on everything.” 

She added, “I never saw him socialize, I never saw him at any party, any sporting event. He was in his own world.” 

Kohberger allegedly asked criminals how they chose their victims 

After Kohberger’s arrest, Alivea, Kaylee’s sister, found a questionnaire that he allegedly posted on Reddit aimed at people who had been incarcerated for crimes. 

“Some of the questions were, ‘why did you choose that victim or target over others?’” she said. 

Another alleged question shown was, “Before making your move, how did you approach the victim or target?”

He also allegedly asked people what they were “thinking and feeling” after committing a crime. 

Alivea said, “Looking at the questions now, it almost seemed like preparation for the perfect crime.” 

Kohberger was ‘not well liked’

Dahlinger said that after Kohberger was arrested, “We had many interviews with staff and students at WSU, and learned that he was not particularly well liked by his fellow TAs and students.”

Notes from internal complaints at WSU alleged that Kohberger was “disrespectful to female instructors.” 

Dahlinger said that Kohberger made a lot of female students “uncomfortable,” according to their findings, and “had this aptitude for talking down to females, and being curt and argumentative.” 

Kohberger’s location habits changed after the murders 

At the time of the murders, Kohberger was studying criminal justice at WSU, located in Pullman, Washington – a 15 minute drive from Moscow, Idaho. 

When police looked at his cell phone records, they noticed his phone in the area of the victims’ house multiple times and “odd hours late at night,” according to Dahlinger.

He added that after the murders, Kohberger’s phone records showed that he “never came back to Moscow as he did prior.”

Staying away from that town was a display of “starkly different behavior” after the murders, he explained.

Kohberger had an ‘abnormal’ lack of data on his devices 

Heather and Jared Barnhart, digital forensics experts who assisted with the investigation, said it was “abnormal” that Kohberger only had 18 contacts on his cell phone.

He also browsed in “incognito” mode, leaving few traces of his online activity. 

They were still able to find that in the days leading up to his arrest, he did online searches for “federal wiretapping” and “serial killers,” they alleged. 

The lack of data on his device shows that he wanted to “remain completely anonymous,” Jared alleged. 

The morning after the murders, Heather said, he stood, “in what we believe was his bathroom in his apartment and gave a thumbs-up selfie, seeming to go on proudly with his life.”

She alleged, “I believe he thought he would get away with these murders.” 

The victims’ parents were unhappy the house was torn down 

On Dec. 28, 2023, the university demolished the house where the students were murdered. 

Jeff Kernodle, Xana’s father said, “That whole house is evidence, as far as I’m concerned. There are still stains and things that should have been left there until the end of the trial. But, they did it anyway.” 

Kaylee’s mom added that people don’t understand why she wouldn’t want the house destroyed. 

“My daughter didn’t just die in that house, my daughter lived in that house. That was where she took her last breath,” she said.

The victims’ families think Kohberger got off too easy

Kohberger entered a guilty plea deal in July 2025 to avoid the death penalty. 

Tami, Kaylee’s aunt, said, “He got off, in a sense, in our eyes, easy,” because when the judge asked if he committed the crimes, all he had to say was, “Yes.”

“That’s not enough,” she said. “The biggest answer I want is why. Why would you choose these kids, and this house.”

Jeff agreed, adding, “Tell all of us parents why he did it, if he was gonna get the plea.”

“What I want is for him to die. Justice would be if the kids came back … they’re never coming back, but I want him to die,” Kristi said.

The responding cops had to seek therapy 

Dahlinger recalled that when his police department responded to the scene, it was, “absolutely horrific.”

He said onscreen, “I know not only myself, but every officer that was involved that day, has had a hard time with that.” 

Over the course of the case, the Moscow police department got help from the Idaho State Police, and 22 FBI agents. 

“This was so outside anything that we had dealt with at the police department,” he noted. 

Dahlinger said the case affected him “very strongly” and “caused me a lot of trauma, to the point where I ended up having to get help and talk to a professional – which, for law enforcement officers, is a very difficult thing to do.”

A Kentucky man who captured statewide attention last year as the winner of the largest lottery prize in the state’s history has now been charged with allegedly strangling a woman.

In April 2025, 51-year-old James Farthing became one of Kentucky’s wealthiest individuals after winning a monumental $167 million Powerball jackpot, a shift that ostensibly ended his criminal past.

However, on Monday, he found himself in legal trouble again, facing domestic violence charges involving strangulation and assault, as reported by WHAS 11, marking his fourth confrontation with the law since his lottery win.

The arrest warrant, reviewed by the news outlet, reveals that the incident occurred following an argument that broke out at Farthing’s Georgetown residence after he and the victim returned from a boating trip on Sunday.

According to the victim’s account to law enforcement, the disagreement intensified into violence when Farthing allegedly placed both hands around her neck in an attempt to choke her.

The warrant states the woman had visible welts on her neck. 

Farthing entered a not guilty plea Tuesday and was ordered held on a $15,000 cash bond, WAVE 3 reported.

The 51-year-old was also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device and have no contact with the alleged victim.

The case will return to court for a preliminary hearing on August 27 at 1.30pm.

Just days after his win last year, Farthing was arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer in Florida. The arrest resulted in a parole violation conviction, and he spent two months in jail. 

According to public records, Farthing was no stranger to brushes with the law, and before his lottery win he had spent 30 years in prison on a variety of offenses, including escaping from jail and burglary. 

After getting out of jail in June 2025 following the alleged assault on a police officer, Farthing was arrested on February 11 in Kentucky, after a woman called 911 saying people were threatening her with a weapon. 

The woman, who has not been named, reportedly told police people ‘wanted to hurt her,’ and cops found marijuana and a gun. 

According to a criminal complaint first reported by WKYT, Farthing picked up the woman for a pre-arranged meetup, and she told officers she felt pressured by Farthing to take a ‘gummy.’ 

While being questioned by police, Farthing then texted the woman, ‘Why would you do this to me? Unreal. I’d never hurt you,’ according to the complaint. 

According to public records, Farthing’s life of crime dates back to 1994, and his lengthy rap sheet now spans eight arrests across over three decades. 

His alleged offenses include choking a girlfriend, bribing officers while in prison and selling cocaine to an undercover cop, according to a report from Smoking Gun. 

Reports say before Farthing hit the jackpot, he was a drug dealer who only completed 10 years of formal schooling – but went on to earn his GED in prison. 

Farthing reportedly even roped his own mother, Linda Grizzle, into a plot to smuggle marijuana into a maximum-security prison. 

He accepted a plea deal for 10 years behind bars in that case which got his mother out of trouble. 

When he won the huge jackpot lottery last year, Farthing split the millions with his mother, and they were seen beaming in a gas station as they collected the winning ticket. 

At the time, he told WSAZ: ‘I’ve caused a lot of stress on her [my mom], you know, I’ve made some bad decisions in life, and you know, God’s been good because I’ve kept my faith and done right, and something’s happened good for me.’ 

But his celebrations were cut short as within days of the lottery win, Farthing was arrested and charged on May 1, 2025, in Florida after allegedly attacking a police officer. 

Police said Farthing punched another guest in the face before kicking a deputy who tried to intervene. 

The incident also saw Farthing slapped with parole violation charges after he left Kentucky without notifying his parole officer, a requirement because of his lengthy rap sheet. 

His lottery winnings helped pay an $11,000 bail, and Farthing initially entered a not-guilty plea but later waived his right to hearings and requested to serve his sentence. 

He was released from custody in June 2025, records show, but he was arrested yet again in Kentucky on February 11 after allegedly forcing the woman to take a ‘gummy.’ 

A dire situation unfolds as more than 1,000 death-row inmates at Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison escalate their protest against executions. Entering the third week of a hunger strike, some prisoners have sewn their lips shut, vividly illustrating their desperation and resolve.

The protest at Ghezel Hesar Prison, located near Tehran and sanctioned by the U.S., draws growing international condemnation. Critics point to the Islamic Republic’s extensive use of the death penalty, with a particular focus on drug-related convictions.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the hunger strike commenced on July 13, following the transfer of six prisoners to solitary confinement in preparation for potential executions. These inmates were reportedly convicted of drug-related charges, as noted by other Iranian human rights organizations.

Reports also indicate that the striking prisoners have been chanting “No to Execution” and taking extreme measures, including sewing their lips shut.

One media outlet cited a video that appeared to show an inmate speaking to the camera and saying he was going to sew his lips shut because, six days into the hunger strike, no prison official had responded to the protest.

The Guardian reported that the video also appears to show an unseen prisoner using a needle and thread to stitch the man’s lips shut.

In a statement released on July 27, the exiled Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), reported that prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison were in “deteriorating physical condition” because of the hunger strike.

“Although 15 days have passed since the start of this hunger strike, the henchmen of the regime’s judiciary have given no response to the striking prisoners. Despite the prisoners’ deteriorating physical condition and urgent need for medical attention, prison guards have taken no measures to care for them,” the organization said.

The NCRI also said the striking prisoners urged the public, human rights organizations and international bodies to take action to halt the executions.

This marks the second major demonstration at the facility in recent months.

A similar protest occurred at Ghezel Hesar Prison in October 2025, when more than 1,500 inmates staged a six-day hunger strike, according to reports.

That demonstration ended after senior judicial and prison officials made a visit to the facility and promised to temporarily halt executions and review cases.

However, human rights activists report those promises were never fulfilled, according to Ynet.

The State Department had designated and sanctioned Ghezel Hesar Prison in 2024 for gross human rights violations and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners.

“These heinous acts included multiple severe beatings of political prisoners engaged in a peaceful hunger strike to protest the increased wave of executions being carried out at the facility,” then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time.

According to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic of Iran executed at least 2,159 people in 2025.

Iran’s total helped drive the number of executions recorded by Amnesty International to at least 2,707 across 17 countries — the highest figure the organization has recorded since 1981. The total excludes China, where execution data is classified as a state secret and Amnesty believes thousands of executions were carried out.

A Kansas high school teacher found herself at the center of drama during a city zoning meeting, culminating in her arrest for persistently clapping in protest against the establishment of a proposed data center.

Lux Claridge, a dedicated educator, was unexpectedly pulled from her seat by three officers and escorted out of the Emporia City Commission’s heated session on July 22. The arrest followed what police described as her non-compliance with the mayor’s directive to cease clapping, as tensions flared over the debated Flint Hills Digital Campus project eyed for Emporia, Kansas.

“Throughout the session,” the Emporia Police explained, “numerous attendees received verbal instructions from the City Commission to cease behavior deemed disruptive to the meeting’s flow.” They highlighted that the clapping, in particular, had led to several disruptions.

Claridge, who imparts her knowledge of physics at Emporia High School, was part of a vocal local contingent expressing opposition to the massive 1,000-acre data center, according to reports from KWCH.

During the meeting, a string of concerned citizens stepped up to provide passionate speeches against the Gigawatt-scale development, each greeted with enthusiastic applause. The waves of support drew the ire of at least one board official, who admonished the crowd to maintain decorum, labeling the clapping as “rude and disruptive.”

After another woman’s comments, several audience members gave silent jazz hand applause, but Claridge clapped roughly five times, prompting Mayor Becky Smith to call for police action.

Officers surrounded Claridge, who had been sitting waiting to speak, and ordered the resident to leave the room.

“Hi, I’d like to speak,” Claridge told the officers.

“I have a right to clap,” Claridge can be heard saying, before telling officers to “drag me out” of the meeting.

Claridge resisted detainment, forcing the officers to carry the clapper out as the teacher’s stunned wife fought back tears at the podium.

“Claridge did not comply with law enforcement’s efforts to remove him from the premises, requiring officers to physically carry him out of the meeting,” Emporia police said.

Claridge was arrested and booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct.

Claridge spoke out against the city commission for silencing opponents to the data center after being released from jail on bail,

“I’m glad to be out — but this is an inconvenience, really. It’s not really deterring me from speaking out or I guess, clapping,” Claridge said, according to KWCH.

Claridge’s family was looking into legal options against city hall, claiming that the arrest “represents an unjustified infringement on free expression.”

“Although the stated charges are disorderly conduct and interruption of a government meeting, I find those allegations unlawful and egregious. I was seated directly in front of them and could not even hear the applause,” Claridge’s brother, David Claridge, wrote on Facebook.

“I believe this arrest represents an unjustified infringement on free expression. Lux is a member of our community, a constituent, and a high school teacher,” the younger brother said.

“In my view, this incident reflects the kind of authoritarian behavior that undermines public trust in local government. As a first amendment absolutist, I cannot abide by the actions of the commission.

“This isn’t going to hold up in court. Lux is going to fight them on that. I’m looking at avenues to get these people recalled. This is insane to me,” David Claridge later told KWCH.

Other Emporia residents were left in shock and fear from speaking out against the massive tech project planned to be completed by the middle of 2029.

“We are citizens of this community; we have a right to do our constitutionally protected activities, which is exactly what they’re violating at this time as well,” an unidentified community member said. “I think we’re all in a state of fear because of what this government’s doing to us.”

The City Commission passed the proposal for the project, allowing the next stage to proceed in development, according to KVOE.

Police maintained Claridge was innocent until proven guilty but stood by the officer’s actions to obey city officials and remove the educator from the meeting.

“The Emporia Police Department remains committed to ensuring public meetings are conducted safely and in an orderly manner, while also respecting the rights of all citizens to participate in the civic process,” the department said.

In a chilling display of indifference, Colt Gray, the notorious Apalachee school shooter, was recorded laughing with his mother from jail as they discussed his burgeoning online following.

Now aged 16, Gray confessed to his role in the tragic loss of four lives. The victims, teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were fatally shot on September 4, 2024, marking a dark day in the community.

In a somber courtroom on Tuesday, Barrow County Judge Nicholas Primm sentenced Gray to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, sealing his fate.

The court proceedings took an unsettling turn earlier in the day as prosecutors introduced recordings of Gray’s phone conversations with his mother, Marcee Gray, captured while he was held at a youth detention center. These calls painted a disturbing portrait of their exchanges post-tragedy.

On an October 14, 2024, call, Gray notably instructed his mother to research what the internet was buzzing about him, showcasing a disconcerting interest in his notoriety.

‘Heck yes, because then I can show you all the pictures. Oh my God, I’ve got so many new pictures that I’ve got to show you,’ Marcee said, excitedly. 

He was excited when she described ‘fan art’ drawings depicting him or comments people made about him and the attention he was getting online.

Colt then rejects his mother’s offer to bring him some physical copies of the photos and drawings when she visits him, but Marcee says she’s making her own.

‘I’m going to print some out just for myself,’ she says, adding that a photo of Gray altered to look like a fox is now her phone lock screen. 

Colt then asks: ‘Have you made a shrine yet of me? Have you made the shrine?’ 

She laughs again before saying she hasn’t but that she’s been printing out photos of him but her printer isn’t working but that she will eventually ‘make my Colty shrine.’ 

After the calls were made, Marcee Gray was barred from speaking with her son by a no-contact order. 

In September 2024, she wrote a groveling letter apologizing to the victim’s families saying her son ‘is not a monster.’

In the letter, Gray – who said she warned the school of an ‘extreme emergency’ before her son opened fire – told families that ‘love is the only thing that will get us through this tragedy’ and asked them to ‘pray’ for Colt and their family. 

‘To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to say that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart,’ Gray wrote.

‘If I could take the place of Mason and Christian, I would without a second thought. As a parent, I’ve always said that the loss of one of my children would be the only thing that I wouldn’t be able to come back from. I feel all of your pain and devastation. 

‘I grieve and cry with you. My heart breaks for the two teachers who gave their lives while in the service of teaching and protecting our children.’ 

Investigators testified during the three-day sentencing hearing that Gray idolized mass shooters, talking about them online with other members of the ‘true crime community,’ a group of young people online who are fascinated with such attacks. Gray had chatted online about gaining notoriety through a school shooting.

Gray had the ‘mental wherewithal’ to mimic details of other mass killings on the day of the shooting, Smith said. He placed those ‘Easter eggs,’ anticipating that they would be mentioned in court one day and would perpetuate his fame, the prosecutor said.

‘The shooting was not the culmination of the plan. The shooting was just one of the steps of the plan. The plan was ultimate and lifelong fame inside of the TCC,’ Smith said, referencing the ‘true crime community.’

Investigators echoed a similar sentiment in court. Ashley Gilleland, an investigator with the district attorney’s office, testified that Gray idolized mass shooters and chatted with people online about his admiration of them. 

Prosecutors read aloud some of the messages he posted on the platform, Discord, including, ‘I want people to remember the pain I caused and research me for hours.’

In another message, he referred to Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, writing, ‘My love for Nik has formed into something in which I can find no other resort that can prove my love and affection towards him.’

Marcee Gray testified at a hearing in February that she was aware that her son had an interest in Cruz. Prosecutors had described a ‘shrine’ to Cruz that he kept on a wall next to his computer. 

Forensic psychologist Dr Kevin Richards also testified in court that Cruz had fascinations with Adam Lanza, who killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, as well as James Holmes, who killed a dozen people in a Colorado movie theater. 

Another teacher and eight more students at Apalachee were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.

The case also marked a precedent of convicting parents for their roles in the crimes of their children. 

Gray’s father, Colin Gray, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in March for purchasing the firearm and keeping it unsecured. 

Marcee, who was separated from Colin Gray, told investigators that she had argued with Colin Gray weeks before the shooting, asking him to secure his guns and restrict Colt’s access. 

Instead, over time, he bought the boy ammunition, a gun sight and other shooting accessories, records show.

Gray’s attorneys argued that he suffered from a series of mental health issues and was a victim of abuse and neglect. 

Candice Broce, a director of the state Division of Family & Children Services, testified on Tuesday that Gray showed improvement during treatment after his mother was barred from speaking with him. 

The court also heard multiple victim statements of those who were injured in the shooting.

Natalie Griffith recalled during an emotional statement how the attack left her unable to use her left hand. 

‘I got shot twice, once in my wrist and once in my upper arm,’ Griffith said. ‘I lost the ability to use my left hand, but on some days it doesn’t feel like that is the biggest thing I lost.

‘After the shooting I lost my independence, I could not put on my own clothes or do my own hair, things that were easy for me became a challenge.’

The court also heard from Gray’s classmate, Nautica Walton, who told him: ‘I hate everything about you.’

‘I hate the scars you left on my body. I hate that you took innocent lives in front of innocent people. Most of all, I hate that I let you live in my mind,’ she said.

Judge Primm said Gray’s crimes reflected ‘permanent incorrigibility,’ adding, ‘I will sentence you to life without parole for each of the malice murders you committed.’ 

HAZEL CREST, Ill. (WLS) — On Monday, the National Weather Service confirmed that at least four tornadoes swept through the Chicago area, leaving a significant mark on several communities.

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Survey teams from the NWS identified EF-1 tornado damage in several locations, including Lansing, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Harvey, and Homewood, emphasizing the tornadoes’ impact.

In Lansing, the tornado reportedly dissipated just east of the Illinois-Indiana border in Munster, with the storm reaching peak winds of approximately 110 mph, according to NWS.

Additionally, the NWS confirmed the occurrence of EF-0 tornadoes in both Glen Ellyn and Orland Park during this turbulent weather event.

The tornado in Glen Ellyn was noted for producing peak winds that reached up to 80 mph, showcasing the storm’s power in that area.

Crews additionally confirmed straight-line winds over 70 mph in Carol Stream and Downers Grove, where a contractor was found dead on Tuesday evening after going missing in a storm sewer as severe weather hit the area on Monday, officials said.

NWS investigated video footage showing a possible tornado touchdown near Watseka, Illinois in Iroquois County. NWS was unable to confirm contact with the ground, so it is being categorized as a funnel cloud.

Surveyors remained in the field on Tuesday afternoon. They are looking at damage in several areas, including Glenwood and Markham, and it may take some time to complete those surveys.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people lost power during the storms.

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A ComEd spokesperson said crews were working extended hours and expected to restore power to about 80% of affected customers by the end of the night.

Across the south suburbs, homes and buildings sustained significant damage. At a University Park apartment building, part of the roof was torn away by the storm.

The damage left residents displaced in communities, including Homewood, Lansing, and Hazel Crest.

Shelter opens as storms knock out power for south suburban residents

A community center in Steger has been transformed into a Red Cross shelter for residents across the south suburbs affected by damaging storms that left many displaced or without electricity for hours.

As communities worked to recover, local organizations, volunteers and businesses stepped in to provide assistance to those impacted by Monday’s storms.

Crews with E