On a recent afternoon aboard a research boat, Hammerschlag and his team from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, found what they refer to as an “amazing” creature.

“Any day that you can see a shark is an amazing day,” Hammerschlag said. “Sharks are in a lot of trouble. They need all the help they can get.”

Hammerschlag studies the mythical sea creatures to discover how their ailments could be linked to the development of human diseases.

“The shark is sending us an SOS,” he said as he traveled on a boat with his research team. “I’m attempting to draw blood.”

It’s an SOS about a health threat that not only affects sharks, but also affects man. His team has found links between the sharks and diseases that cripple and kill humans.

“Toxins that can give you Alzheimer’s, dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s. Pretty scary stuff,” Hammerschlag said.

Back on land, his partner Dr. Deborah Mash, a professor of Neurology for the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, studies his findings inside a lab.

“This is a first. No one has seen this data,” Mash said.

“Is there a footprint suggesting an SOS from the shark?” CBS4’s Chief Investigative Reporter Michele Gillen asked.

“There is,” Mash said. “He is an apex predator, as we are. He is going to mirror what we are doing to our bodies. The shark is giving us a mirror on what is coming into our diet. Showing us what is out there in our marine environment that can damage out bodies.”

The journey for answers begins with a dizzying display of precision, which begins with the intubation of the shark so that oxygenated water pours through its gills. Then, the sharks are examined, biopsied, blown on and electronically tagged.

For scientists and students, this is a key moment — not only tagging the shark but evaluating the blood and stress levels of the shark, for research the world awaits.

What they found in the shark fin? The neurotoxin BMAA (short for B-Methylamino-L-alanine), which is produced by an algae known as cyanobacteria, often found in lakes, oceans and the soil.

“We were really surprised at the level of detection of this toxin BMAA in the shark fins,” Mash said.

The team examined 100 samples from seven shark species.

“We found it in all but three samples that we tested. I never expected that. That means that it is very prevalent in the shark diet,” Mash said. “The results are staggering. I never predicted that we would see the incidence of this toxin in the large number of shark samples off the South Florida coastal waters.”

When asked why this toxin is so dangerous, Mash said, “This toxin has been shown to damage neurons. Neurons are the primary building block of the brain.”

The toxin, which has been shown to kill brain cells, has turned up – repeatedly – in Mash’s studies of the human brain — particularly of the brains of victims of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson and Lou Gehrig’s patients.

“We are detecting BMAA in the brains of the patients that have donated them for research,” Mash said. “That is why we are seeing linkage with Alzheimer’s and with Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

If the shark holds clues to brain-based diseases that have the potential to affect everybody — it’s even more chilling that the shark is threatened today because of a demand for soup made from its fin.

“100 million sharks are killed a year,” Hammerschlag said. “A rate of 270,000 sharks per day mostly to make shark fin soup.”

The soup is considered a delicacy and sign of prosperity in Asian cultures. But South Florida’s team of scientific detectives are just publishing their work that suggests consumers might want to think twice before biting into a food that tradition says will bring them luck.

“If you consume shark fin products or you use this in your diet, yes, you are going to be exposed to increasing amounts of BMAA’s,” Mash said. “With repeat exposure throughout the life span, it could put someone at risk for a brain disorder like Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

All this is the first chapter of a medical mission aimed at unearthing clues that link man – the oceans top predator – and our survival.

“This is all about human health and this is all about the risk to human health,” Mash said. “And the shark may give us the fundamental clue that allows us to make a great breakthrough.”

The break-in happened in the 2900 block of NW 26th street last Friday, as Kaylia Watson was home with a brother and a sister. They told police the heard a noise, shortly after 8 a.m., and were scared enough to call 911.

HEAR THE FULL 911 CALL

With the operator on the line, Kaylia said she thought someone had broken a window and was in the house. As police rushed to the home.she said she believed the person was still in her mom’s bedroom.

Ft. Lauderdale officers surrounded the home, and told the 911 operator to tell the kids to leave the house. Outside, officers waited with a police dog.

Deputy Matthew Werder and his dog went in and searched the house. What they found was 18-year-old Robert James huddled in the closet of Andrew Barnett, the kids’ mom. At some point, James was bitten by the dog and was taken to Florida Medical Center.

When he was done, police charged James with Burglary and obstruction charges. He spent a brief time in the Broward County jail before being released on bond.

The kids were scared but unhurt.

One of the students, who was in the classroom full of children when the incident is alleged to have occurred, told CBS4 News that the Arthur Ashe Middle School teacher hit a girl in the chest and choked a boy then cursed the entire class.

The mother of one of the students called the teacher’s actions “wrong” and added that she believes parents should “press charges” against the teacher.

The Broward County School District confirmed to CBS4 News on Wednesday that earlier this week the teacher was removed from the classroom. A district spokesperson said the teacher has been reassigned to a position in the district away from children.

The spokesperson would not release specific details of what transpired in the classroom but it’s been the talk of the campus.

“It is what it is,” said student Everett Oates, who spoke to CBS4 with the permission of his mother. “But I feel as if he shouldn’t lay his hands on a student.”

CBS4 News has decided not to name the teacher at this point because these are only allegations. We tried to reach the teacher for comment but we could not locate him.

Parents at Arthur Ashe said the school district needs to hear both sides before making a decision on the teacher’s future. However, parents said if the allegations are proven true, they cannot understand how a teacher could strike a child.

“The teachers are here to teach the kids not to abuse them or anything,” said Jackie Adams. “That’s not good.”

“No matter what they do, the teachers should constrain their actions and language around the kids,” said Timothy Peterson.

As reported by The Herald’s David Ovalle, court records show dozens of messages were sent to Assistant U.S. Attorney Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos over a three month period last fall, using a telephone with a number disguised by a software program.

Click Here to read the search warrant.

The Herald reports Fernandez-Karavetsos repeatedly begged the person texting her to leave her alone.

When U.S. Secret Service investigators traced the Yahoo! screen name, “itsjustme24680,” it led to a phone and home internet account registered to Steinberg, a former Miami Beach commissioner.

The Herald reached out to Steinberg for comment, and late Wednesday, received a response in which Steinberg admitted he was reponsible for the texts.

“I acknowledge and take full responsibility for sending inappropriate and unsolicited messages to Mrs. Marlene Fernandez-Karvetsos, whom I have known for more than 15 years. I deeply regret and wholeheartedly apologize for the disrespect that I have shown her, her husband and my constituents,” he said in a statement released by a spokesperson.

“Most importantly, words cannot express how sorry I am to my wife, for the disrespect I have shown her, and my entire family.”

Steinberg did not offer an explanation for the texts.

The Herald reports Steinberg, who was in Tallahassee Wednesday for the 2012 Florida legislative session, has not been charged with anything, although court documents indicate investigators believe he may have been stalking, a misdemeanor charge.

Steinberg is a lawyer, married, who represents parts of Miami Beach in the Florida House. He is a former Miami Beach commissioner.

See the complete story at Miamiherald.com

Late Wednesday, police confirmed to CBS4 News that there is a link between the suspect and Jade Beneby, 17, but they did not elaborate. They said the incident is still being investigated as an abduction.

Tuesday afternoon Sandra Willis, the mother Beneby, rejoiced when she heard that her daughter had been found alive and unharmed at the El Paraiso Motel in the 1600 block of West Okeechobee Road.

“It’s not my job to question when God has given me my child back in good health and strength. All I can do is say ‘Thank you Jesus’ and be thankful,” said Willis.

Willis and other family members spent much of the day at the Delray Beach police department waiting for the latest developments. Willis said Tuesday morning started off just like any other day of the week. Her daughter left home just before 6:30 a.m. to walk to her Atlantic High School bus stop at SW 8th Avenue and 1st Street.

At 7:05, she sent a frightening text message to her mother asking for help.

“Mommy, help me please, mommy help me. I’ve done all I can.”

One minute later, she sent another text that made Willis’ blood run cold.

“As I was driving to the police department I received another text and it said ‘Mommy, I’m in the back of the car, a silver car, in the trunk, help me’,” said Willis.

A Florida Missing Child Alert was issued as police talked with family and the teen’s friends to figure out what may have happened.

Mid-afternoon police confirmed that Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents found Beneby at the motel but released no further details as to what led them to that location.

“Everybody is so happy everything is all right. Thank God that they found her,” Jade’s cousin, Pat Glover, said.

Police have not said if Beneby was with anyone or if arrests have been made in the case. A silver Mercedes was hauled away from the hotel by police who said Tuesday evening they were still continuing to investigate the case as a possible abduction.

DeJesus is accused of stabbing his wife and his two young sons inside a Deerfield Beach RV, leaving his autistic 9-year-old dead.

Neighbors said he also killed the man who lives here, then took his own life.

It’s a violent end, to what DCF records show, was a horrific life for his children… including allegations of sexual abuse.

“The mother made the allegations that she and her husband had molested or fondled the children,” said DCF Spokesman Joe Follick.

Documents show DeJesus’ 7 and 9-year-old sons were briefly taken away after those allegations from his wife, Deanna. She said she participated in the abuse, fearing DeJesus would kill her if she didn’t.

She would later retract what she said and that all but killed their case, DCF said.

“When the mother recanted, that took away the most potent argument we had to go before a judge and say these children cannot stay with this family,” Follick said.

That’s when DCF began to transition the children back home.

At that time, there were more allegations, that during a supervised visit DeJesus was “grabbing both of the children by their crotches” while playing and “kept trying to kiss the children violently.”

All of this as documents show investigators had “concern that dad abused his first set of children. Those were kids from a previous relationship.

“Did DCF mess up in this case?” asked CBS4 reporter Ted Scouten.

“I can’t categorize things in black and white like that,” said Follick.

In the report, investigators said because of the children’s young age – the fact that one did not speak, and both are autistic, they could not get confirmation of abuse from them.

But, one called DeJesus a monster and both indicated they were afraid of him.

By December of 2010, DCF was done with the DeJesus family.

Two years later, one child is dead, the other repeatedly stabbed..allegedly at the hands of the father known as a monster.

All of this infuriating to child advocates.

“Unfortuatenly,” said attorney Howard Talenfeld, head of Florida’s Children First, “notwithstanding any of these red flags and concerns, the decision was made to return these children into harm’s way back to their parents.”

The decision was made after Morano, a 66 year-old Davie man who had served as a Scout volunteer for 2 years, changed his mind about standing trial on charges he had 111 pieces of child porn in his possession when arrested in July 2010.

Jury selection was about to begin in the trial when Morano decided he wanted to change his plea to guilty.

The former scoutmaster struck a deal; one year for every child porn image, and Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson sentenced him to 111 years, 11 months in prison.

Then, Levenson reduced that sentence, saying Morano could satisfy his sentence by serving 4 years, followed by 12 years probation as a sex offender, assuming he shows up in court to surrender March 26th.

Morano was arrested after investigators found he kept a computer in a rented building where he apparently went to view pornography.

He was arrested at his Davie home, and while he admitted the images were on his computer, he denied ever having sexual contact with a child.

Since March 2008 until the time of his arrest, Morano was a volunteer Boy Scout Leader and Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 183.

The parents, 34-year-old Marcee “Redd” Strong, and 39-year-old Edward Bailey, agreed to a consent plea in this case in which they admitted there was a problem in their home that lead to the boy’s harm and medical neglect and required the Department of Children and Families to intervene.

Under the deal, the parents were cleared of some wrongdoing but they also admitted to having some responsibility in this case in which the child required some special care. By asking for help from the state, the parents admitted that they could not provide for his special needs.

The consent plea clears the way for the state to propose a plan under which DCF could properly call for all four of the couple’s children who are now under DCF care.

The consent plea was worked out after Juvenile Court Judge Cindy Lederman told an attorney for DCF that the language of the original consent plea was not strong enough.

“We’re ignoring major harm to this child and to not even say that this child was harmed in the plea is unconscionable.”

“He was clearly beaten over and over and over again all over his body,” said Lederman.
“I don’t know how anyone did not intervene and say that there was something wrong and that he needed to be hospitalized.”

“What about evidence of all the bruises marks. He has 100 of them all over his body,” said Lederman.

DCF Christine Lopez-Acevedo said, “Yes, to a certain extent they (the parents) could have done more, not because they didn’t seek medical attention. They did.”

“The kids beat up on each other and they (the parents) are not doing enough to stop this. Maybe they don’t know how.”

“How could this happen?” asked Lederman. “This child had so many marks over his body. You tell me it’s not neglect and you tell me there’s no risk of harm.”

At a hearing in late January, a therapist testified that the boy self mutilates and eats his own skin.

Strong and Bailey, who have been charged with aggravated abuse and child neglect, were in jail until this week, when they posted their bonds of $65,000 and $60,000 respectively.

They refused to say anything to CBS4’s Peter D’Oench when they left court. Their attorney told D’Oench that he was not allowing them to comment.

Outside the Juvenile Justice Courthouse, DCF spokeswoman Lissette Valdes-Valle told D’Oench, “The parents consented to a plea which means they will not go to trial. The family admits there were situations in the home that they need assistance with. The next step is to come up with a case plan.”

“At this point the children are in foster care. The end result of this case plan would be to have the family reunified,” said Valdes-Valle.

“We’re always very concerned,” she said. “There might be a misconception that we don’t care but we are human beings. Of course we’re concerned. This breaks our heart.
Our team along with the team at Jackson Memorial Hospital and our Guardian Ad Litem team and the case managers, we care about all the children in this case as we care for all children in the state of Florida.”

CBS4 also learned that the 9-year-old boy has been moved to a special crisis floor at Jackson Memorial Hospital because of behavior problems.

It was January 28th when he was discovered outside his home. Police say he was 35 pounds and about the weight of child who is between three and five years old.

Some say it’s a miracle the child survived and a picture that was shown of him in court in late January showed his frail legs. At the time, Judge Lederman said, “He looks like he came from Auschwitz.”

North Miami Beach Police called this one of the most severe cases they have ever seen.

Police say Strong admitted to failing to protect the child from others and not properly supervising him and getting the medical attention he needs in a timely manner.
Strong did deny abusing the child.

Police say Bailey claimed he did not abuse the child but admitted he allowed others to do so without his intervention.

Strong and Bailey have a total of six children. A fifth child, a girl, is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice and is in the care of a caretaker, says DCF. The 6th child is 18 years old.

D’Oench also tried to get comment from the parents at their home in the 14-hundred block of NE 152nd Street. But a neighbor told D’Oench that they had moved.

Attorneys representing several Novack family relatives filed a claim in Broward County arguing they alone are the rightful heirs to the estate. The attorneys represent Maxine Fiel, Ben Novack’s aunt, as well as a couple of cousins, including Andrea Wynn, wife of Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn..

“They are entitled to what belongs to them and their family,” attorney Mark Hanson said Wednesday at his offices in Palm Beach Gardens. “And to have some unrelated person come in and benefit from the fruits of their labor is something our client finds objectionable. We’re not here as money grabbers, if you will. We’re here to do justice on behalf of our clients.”

Ben Novack Jr. was beaten to death in a New York hotel room in July 2009. His wife, Narcy Novack, was charged a year later with his killing. She is also accused of arranging the murder of Novack’s mother, Bernice. Prosecutors claim Narcy hatched her “diabolical plot” to kill off Ben and Bernice so she could take over the family’s estate estimated to be worth between $6 and $10 million. Ben Novack’s father once owned the famed Fontainebleau Hotel and Ben had created a successful convention planning business.

Hanson said the purpose of his claim was to “cut off the blood line” of Narcy Novack so that neither Narcy, nor any of her descendants, would profit from Narcy’s alleged crimes.

But that may not be so easily done. Ben and Narcy Novack were married more than eighteen years, and Ben considered Narcy’s daughter, May Abad, to be like his own child. And when May started a family of her own, Ben considered her two boys to be his grandsons – even though technically they were his step-grandchildren.

Ben’s will leaves the two young boys a portion of the estate, but Hanson and the other attorneys are seeking to block those provisions.

Hanson said under what’s known as “slayer’s law” the killer can not in benefit from the crime by inheriting the victim’s money. Hanson said the “theory” they are working on is that if any of the Novack money goes to May Abad or her two boys, then there is the “potential” that they could turn around and give some of that money to Narcy Novack.

Neither May Abad nor her attorney responded to numerous requests for an interview.

On Wednesday, Bernice Novack’s 85-year-old sister, Maxine Fiel, explained she was moving forward with the claim on the money because she didn’t want to see it end up in the wrong hands.

“Not one of my children or I have ever discussed the money,” she said by phone from Saratoga Springs, New York. “I want justice. I want that woman [Narcy Novack] put away forever and never see the light of day.”

When confronted with the fact the lawsuit she was filing was, indeed, about money, Fiel responded: “Yeah, well, now it is. Everybody else seems to be after it. I want to make sure it goes to the family where it belongs.”

The attorneys representing the Novack relatives also raised doubts about the size of the estate. They said they believed the publicly stated estimates that the estate is worth between $6 and $10 million – including a $2 million collection of Batman memorabilia – may be low. They said they think Ben may have hidden millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts.

“There is the possibility that Ben may have had money in the Cayman Islands,” said attorney Michael Zweig.

Added attorney Harvey Morse: “Ben’s business was worth approximately $50 million a year. So where did the money go? Where is it?”

Morse said FBI agents were looking for hidden bank accounts and had questions Maxine. “The FBI has interviewed Maxine to see if she has any information – and she does not,” Morse said. “But she also believes there is significantly more money than what is currently known to us.”