metro

Father strangles his 5-year-old daughter to death

Published

1 year ago

May 23, 2025

Zachary Arnold

Father strangles his 5-year-old daughter to death

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has arrested Zachary Arnold, 41, and they say he confessed to murd£ring his 5-year-old daughter Zara Arnold on May 19, per court documents.

Arnold, 41, initially claimed that his daughter had fallen down the stairs when he called 911 to report she was not breathing that morning, according to the IMPD.

He then changed his story while being questioned by detectives with the IMPD, allegedly telling them that he strangled his daughter after having an argument with his girlfriend.

Detectives with the IMPD then spoke with Arnold’s girlfriend who confirmed that the two were fighting, and then allegedly said that she saw Zara being choked by her father.

The Indy Star and News8, citing court documents, report that Arnold sent his girlfriend “photos of Zara foaming at the mouth,” “called her on FaceTime while choking the girl” and “said to call 911 because he was going to hurt the little girl.”

The girlfriend claims that she told him to stop but “thought he was just playing,” according to the court documents obtained by the Star and WTHR.

At no point did the girlfriend contact authorities or tell anyone about the photo, what she saw on FaceTime or the threat Arnold allegedly made about his daughter, according to the documents.

The girlfriend later told police that she did not call 911 because she was afraid of Arnold.

The documents also revealed that the girlfriend had videos on her phone of the 5-year-old girl being swung around with a noose by her father, according to court documents.

The morning of May 19, first responders found Zara Arnold cold, stiff and covered in bruises at her father’s house in the 200 block of North Lasalle Street.

READ ALSO:

Zachary Arnold, 41, was arrested on charges of murd£r and neglect of a dependent in connection with the little girl’s de@th.

In an interview, Arnold admitted that he’d strangled her the night before after becoming enraged during an argument with his girlfriend, Andrea Lopez-Figueroa.

Lopez-Figueroa told police she’d left the home on May 18. Arnold wanted her to stay over that night to watch Zara, who was returning from a weekend at a family friend’s house, but Lopez-Figueroa wanted to go home. She told him she “wanted to be single and needed to think,” according to investigators.

That was the start of a prolonged argument that Arnold blamed for the extended attack on his daughter in a police interview.

“It kept amping up and Zara was crying,” detectives wrote.
Over several hours, Lopez-Figueroa watched on FaceTime calls as Arnold assaulted his daughter, police wrote.

She told him to stop when he held Zara down by her legs and choked her. She told him to stop when he picked Zara up by her throat. She told him to stop when he pulled the little girl by her hair. At no point did she call 911. Instead, she took screenshots of the assault.

She told investigators she didn’t call for help because she was afraid of Arnold, even though Arnold had ordered her to call for help because he was going to k!ll Zara.

Lopez-Figueroa thought they were “playing” at the time, according to investigators.

She estimated that Arnold ch0ked his daughter more than 10 times throughout their argument.

In the last call of the night, Lopez-Figueroa said she saw Zara motionless and bloodied.

“It looked like she was breathing,” she told investigators, according to court documents. At some point after that, she went to sleep.

READ ALSO:

When Arnold called Lopez-Figueroa back in the morning, he was doing compressions on Zara and pacing back and forth.

At 11:07 a.m., as first responders examined the girl’s lifeless body, Arnold texted Lopez-Figueroa that the little girl had d!ed.

She was soon picked up by police for questioning.

A forensic search of Lopez-Figueroa’s phone corroborated her account of repeated FaceTime calls, texts and social media messages throughout May 18 and 19.

Multiple videos from Lopez-Figueroa’s phone, some recorded as early as April 10, showed Arnold str@ngling Zara.

One of the videos from the night of May 18 shows Arnold swinging Zara around by a noose. He throws the girl over his shoulder and hangs her behind his back.

“Zara appears to still be alive in all of these videos,” detectives wrote.

A warrant has been issued for Lopez-Figueroa’s arrest on charges of assisting a criminal and failure to make a report.

Arnold’s initial hearing was early May 22. He was not given bond. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said he will seek life without parole.

Arnold had previously been charged with r@pe in 2020, but managed to get that charge dismissed in a plea deal with prosecutors, according to a sentencing order.

He had also been charged with violating protective orders filed by Zara’s mother on at least three occasions, per the sentencing order. It shows that he entered a guilty plea to an invasion of privacy charge just days before his daughter’s death.

The judge in that case sentenced Arnold to 360 days in county jail but then suspended all 360 days, allowing him to return home.

That was on May 12, a week before Zara’s death.

On Wednesday, May 21, a spokesperson for the Marion County Coroner’s Office told PEOPLE that Zara’s cause of de@th was multiple blunt force injuries and her manner of de@th was homicide.

Arnold is now being held at the Adult Detention Center and is facing charges of murd£r and neglect of a dependent. The IMPD says more charges could be filed, as the investigation is ongoing.

The probable cause affidavit also notes that Arnold blames his actions on his girlfriend, telling detectives that “she did this” to him and her actions are “making him out to be a monster.”

Father strangles his 5-year-old daughter to death

metro

Soldiers Sent After Me Are My Boys, Says Bandit Kingpin Kachalla

Published

6 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Soldiers Sent After Me Are My Boys, Says Bandit Kingpin Kachalla

A notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Maha, has made a series of startling claims, alleging that soldiers deployed to raid his camps are secretly working for him and boasting that he has the capacity to abduct state governors and other top government officials.

In a recorded audio message that surfaced on Sunday and was shared by verified X user Abdool Moh, the wanted terrorist claimed he enjoys access to sensitive security intelligence, insisting he is routinely tipped off about military operations before they are launched.

Maha alleged that the government’s refusal to release his arrested associates and seized cattle had hardened his resolve to intensify attacks across affected communities.

According to him, repeated appeals for the release of his men were ignored, leaving him with no intention of backing down.

“You arrested my men, and I asked for their release. You refused. I promised that I would abduct many people, and I already have targets.

“I asked why my men and Aminu were arrested. Since they were not released, I don’t care if they send thousands of soldiers. I am not tired, and I will not stop until I leave this world. I can kidnap top government officials, even a state governor.

“I swear to Almighty God that all the security forces sent to attack my camp are my boys. They inform me whenever they are coming. I receive information about security strategies, including those involving the President. It is only because I allow them to operate. Otherwise, they would not even be able to use the roads,” he claimed.

The authenticity of the audio and the allegations made by the bandit leader could not be independently verified, and security authorities had yet to respond to the claims as of the time of filing this report.

The audio surfaced amid renewed security concerns following recent attacks by armed groups in parts of northern Nigeria, including the abduction of students from Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State.

The spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Daso, had earlier confirmed that security operatives engaged the attackers, preventing what could have been a larger-scale abduction.

“Around 9 a.m., ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted,” Daso said.

The latest incident underscores the persistent insecurity in the North-East and North-West, where bandit and terrorist groups continue to launch deadly attacks despite sustained military operations.

metro

Troops Arrest Suspected ISWAP Operative Over Planned Attack on Military Bases in Borno

Published

7 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Troops Arrest Suspected ISWAP Operative Over Planned Attack on Military Bases in Borno

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a suspected operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) over an alleged plot to launch coordinated attacks on two military formations in Borno State, in what security sources described as a significant intelligence breakthrough in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The suspect, identified as Muhammad Shuaibu, was apprehended by troops of the 212 Battalion at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Chabbol following intelligence reports indicating that terrorists were planning an imminent assault on military installations in the area.

According to counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the arrest occurred during a routine perimeter patrol conducted about 500 metres from the anti-vehicle ditch protecting the military base.

Military sources quoted in the report said the operation followed credible human intelligence that suspected ISWAP fighters were preparing coordinated attacks on key military positions within southern Borno State.

The sources disclosed that troops had heightened surveillance around strategic locations after receiving intelligence of the planned operation, leading to the suspect’s arrest before the alleged attack could be carried out.

Preliminary investigations reportedly linked Shuaibu to a planned assault on the 199 Special Forces Battalion, popularly known as Mosquito Camp, as well as the Forward Operating Base, Chabbol.

READ ALSO:

Security sources alleged that the suspect was conducting reconnaissance around the military facility when he was intercepted by soldiers on patrol.

During preliminary interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted that an attack had been planned and claimed that members of the terrorist group intended to continue with the operation despite his arrest.

However, these claims have not been independently verified, and the Nigerian Army has yet to issue an official statement confirming details of the interrogation or the alleged confession.

Following the arrest, troops reportedly reinforced security around the targeted military formations by increasing patrols, strengthening defensive positions and placing personnel on heightened operational alert.

The suspect has since been handed over to the 7 Military Intelligence Brigade for further investigation aimed at identifying possible collaborators, uncovering the wider network behind the alleged plot and preventing any future attacks.

The arrest comes as Operation Hadin Kai continues to intensify intelligence-driven operations against ISWAP and Boko Haram insurgents across Nigeria’s North-East.

In recent months, the military has sustained offensive operations targeting terrorist enclaves, logistics routes and supply chains, while also recording the arrest of suspected collaborators accused of providing intelligence and logistical support to insurgent groups.

Security experts say intelligence gathering and community collaboration have become increasingly important in disrupting planned attacks, as terrorist groups continue to rely on informants and reconnaissance missions to target military formations and civilian communities.

Military authorities have repeatedly urged residents across Borno State and neighbouring communities to report suspicious movements and unusual activities to security agencies, noting that timely intelligence remains one of the most effective tools in combating terrorism.

The latest arrest underscores the military’s continued efforts to prevent attacks before they occur and enhance the security of military personnel and civilians in conflict-affected areas of the North-East.

As of the time of filing this report, investigations into the suspect’s alleged role in the planned attacks were ongoing, while security around military formations in the area remained on high alert.

Troops Arrest Suspected ISWAP Operative Over Planned Attack on Military Bases in Borno

metro

Navy Leads Rescue as Building Collapse Traps Children, Others in Lagos

Published

7 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Navy Leads Rescue as Building Collapse Traps Children, Others in Lagos

Several people, including children, were pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Alakija, Lagos, on Monday after personnel of the Nigerian Navy joined an emergency rescue operation, with the survivors rushed to a naval hospital for urgent medical treatment.

Photographs released after the operation showed more than 10 rescued victims receiving medical attention at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo.

The Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the development in a statement, saying naval personnel responded swiftly after receiving a distress call about the incident.

According to him, the rescue team immediately mobilised to the scene and worked alongside other emergency responders to search for and evacuate victims trapped beneath the debris.

READ ALSO:

“Through their prompt response, professionalism and dedication, several victims were successfully rescued from the rubble and evacuated for urgent medical attention,” he said.

Folorunsho added that all rescued victims were taken to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, where they received emergency treatment and continued medical care.

He said the Nigerian Navy remained committed to ensuring that all those affected by the incident received the necessary medical support.

The statement also quoted the Chief of the Naval Staff as commending the courage, professionalism and dedication displayed by the naval rescue team and the medical personnel who attended to the victims.

He further appreciated the collaboration of other emergency response agencies and members of the public, noting that their collective efforts contributed significantly to the successful rescue operation.

The Navy extended its sympathy to families affected by the building collapse and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.

It also reaffirmed its readiness to continue providing humanitarian assistance and support to civil authorities whenever required, in line with its constitutional responsibilities.