On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Last suspect dies in Canada’s mass stabbings
Both suspects are now dead after the attacks that left 10 dead. Plus, reporter Nick Penzenstadler talks about controversial technology that detectives are using with cell phone location data, California’s heat wave rolls on, reporter Jordan Mendoza says nearly half of Americans have unused gift cards and the NFL season kicks off.
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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I’m Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 8th of September, 2022. Today the last remaining suspect in Canada’s stabbing attacks has died. Plus, how detectives are using geolocation technology to solve crimes, raising privacy concerns for citizens and more.
Here are some of the top headlines:
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The missing suspect in Canada’s stabbing massacre has died. 32-year-old Myles Sanderson was found in the Saskatchewan town of Rosthern, about 75 miles from where the stabbings took place. Yesterday afternoon, Royal Canadian Mounted Police rammed his vehicle, an official not authorized to speak publicly told the Associated Press. One official said he then died from self-inflicted injuries after police forced the stolen car he was driving off a highway. Authorities said he went into medical distress while in custody. He’s accused, along with his dead brother, of killing 10 people and injuring 18 on Sunday in an Indigenous reserve in the Western Canadian Province. Police are investigating whether Myles killed his younger brother Damien as well. The hunt for Myles entered its fourth day yesterday before his arrest. We’re learning more about his background. He had 59 criminal convictions, and had been serving a sentence of four years when he was freed in February. The Parole Board wrote, “It is the board’s opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on statutory release.”
That decision is now under scrutiny, and Canada’s Parole Board is reviewing its decision to release him. Even before the stabbings, authorities were looking for him since May, after failing to meet with his parole officer. Parole documents say his childhood was marked by neglect, and he began using alcohol and drugs at the age of 12. He told parole officers that substance use made him out of his mind. The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service yesterday, released the identities of the 10 people killed in the attacks. All but one were from the James Smith Cree Nation reserve, and six were from the same extended family. As we heard earlier this week, Darryl Burns lost family members, including his sister Gloria Lydia Burns, a first responder.
Darryl Burns:
She was there to help people. And that’s what she was. She was a helper. And she did her best to help people, and she paid the ultimate price.
Taylor Wilson:
Another victim, Earl Burns, had previously survived a 2015 knife attack by Myles Sanderson, who was also his son-in-law.
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Detectives around the country are turning to geo-fence warrants to solve cold cases by using the location data on cell phones. Reporter Nick Penzenstadler tells producer PJ Elliott, that phones can be mapped to within 10 feet of the exact location.
Nick Penzenstadler:
Google says about a third of its users with cell phones have location history enabled, so this uses GPS, the satellites, to track your location, as well as Wi-Fi signals, to pinpoint exactly where you are. So the idea with police using this information, is they fill out a search warrant anytime there’s a crime that they’re interested in solving, and they know that it happened at a specific location, and a specific time, and then they get information from Google to tell them who was there with a device during that time period, to help put together a list of suspects, and then identify the ultimate perpetrator. So our story walks through that process, about how police fill out a search warrant, get it to a judge, get it to Google, and eventually get a list of suspects.
PJ Elliott:
Have they been able to solve many cases using this technology?
Nick Penzenstadler:
That’s one of the questions that we had going into our story, and it’s one of the points of detraction, is that no one really knows exactly how effective this is, but we have evidence that it’s being used a lot more in investigations, and detectives around the country are learning how to use this and apply it toward a wide range of crimes, from really petty property crime, all the way up to homicides. Our story focuses on one hit and run case in California, where a woman was killed in 2018. Police pursued all the leads they had, the case went cold, and then years later, a detective uses this geo-fence technology to identify someone who is nearby the scene, and eventually make an arrest and file charges.
PJ Elliott:
Well, what are the privacy concerns with police departments being able to use this technology?
Nick Penzenstadler:
Privacy advocates say that, by default, when you do one of these searches, you’re scooping up innocent bystanders that were nearby the crime scene, that just happened to be there, that obviously weren’t involved. So that is the case, that Google will turn over information on sometimes thousands of users that happened to be near a crime scene, but they do so anonymously. So that’s the point that they make, that you’re not turning over user-identifying information, until the police can prove that they have reason to believe that they need it. So in the cases that we focused on, you start with a larger list, and then the detectives go back to Google and say, “We would like more information about this smaller list,” and eventually Google will narrow it down to a small number, and then provide the actual account information with names and emails.
PJ Elliott:
So is this just with Google, or is Apple involved, and any other cell phone companies?
Nick Penzenstadler:
Basically any company that tracks location history. Google is the largest provider of this type of information, and most people have apps on their phone that run off Google’s location history and rely on it, so that’s the most prominent use for this. But we’re increasingly seeing interest in car manufacturers, and anybody that’s using geolocation technology, we can see this increasing how police are issuing search warrants and trying to get this private company information to help solve crimes
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Taylor Wilson:
Thousands in California were without power yesterday as a historic heat wave continues baking the state. California barely avoided rolling blackouts on Tuesday, as state officials and energy authorities urged residents to reduce electricity use. But some residents were still in the dark yesterday and Wednesday, according to Pacific Gas and Electric. The incident began due to a miscommunication that then led to power being cut by mistake in several cities. Yesterday California issued its eighth day in a row of requests that residents and businesses conserve power between 4:00 and 9:00 PM, to prevent against any blackouts. Governor Gavin Newsom said climate change is to blame for record heat.
Gavin Newsom:
This has been an historic, unprecedented, record-breaking week. We started with flex alerts as early as last Wednesday. We thought we’d be done by now. This heat wave now looks to be extended into this weekend. 27 million of those text messages went out, and within 45 minutes, we saw roughly a 2,600 megawatt reduction. We saw some extreme modeling, that even the world’s greatest experts said, “Well, that’s rather silly.” And now we’re experiencing it in September, over an extended week. So transition is not our problem, climate is.
Taylor Wilson:
California’s capital Sacramento hit an all-time high of 116 degrees on Tuesday, breaking a record that stood for 97 years. Heat is expected to relax towards the weekend though, with rains and wind gusts in Southern California by Friday, thanks to Hurricane Kay.
Peak electricity demand hit a record of more than 52,000 megawatts on Tuesday, according to the California Independent System Operator. The previous high was around 50,000 megawatts in 2006. Severe wildfires also continue across the state, including 14 large fires statewide as of yesterday.
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You may want to check your wallet. That’s because, according to a new survey, nearly half of Americans have tons of money left on gift cards. Producer PJ Elliott and reporter Jordan Mendoza have more.
PJ Elliott:
Jordan, this story is bizarre. Can you talk a little bit about what this survey from CreditCards.com found out about unused gift cards?
Jordan Mendoza:
So really they did a survey of over 2,000 adults, just asking them questions about gift cards, and really the general consensus, was that a lot of people still have gift cards that they just have never used. And the findings were that about roughly nearly half of Americans have at least one unused gift card, but there are so many gift cards out there that just haven’t been used, that there’s probably about $21 billion nationwide in just credit that has not been used yet.
PJ Elliott:
So what about the demographics of all of this? Who’s not using their gift cards?
Jordan Mendoza:
It really was a thing that younger people are actually collecting the most amount of gift cards, and the most money that they’re not using. It was 52% of millennials, and 51% of Gen Zers, had at least one unused gift card, where about 43% of Gen Xers, and 42% of baby boomers. And so you’re seeing that younger people were having the most amount that they’re holding onto. And then also income factors. Of course, as average household income gets higher, you are having more gift cards and more money on those gift cards in total. So really it was a lot of younger people, and a lot of people that are making a lot more money, just aren’t using the gift cards that they’re getting. Whether it’s for birthdays, Christmas, or really just any time they get them.
PJ Elliott:
Is there a way that people can make sure that they’re actually using the gift cards?
Jordan Mendoza:
Obviously the first thing is to make sure that the gift card exists. Wherever you stuff your gift cards, if they’re still in your wallet, in a glove compartment, in some random drawer, first want to make sure that they still exist. You also want to make sure that they still can be used. I know some problems that people were having from the survey, was that these businesses were either closed, or that the gift card had expired, or they were out of the area where they could use it. And so you want to make sure that you know it exists, and that it’s still usable.
And even then, if you feel like you probably won’t ever use the gift card, regift it to someone that might actually use it. There are also some websites that you can put the gift card balance in to see what it’s at, and then also there are also other websites, where you can turn the amount on the gift card for roughly about half, 75% of the amount, for cash. So really, if you still have a gift card, probably should go find it and do something with it, whether it’s actually using it, giving to someone, or tuning it into some form of money that you can have, so you’re not just having these things just out and about everywhere.
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Taylor Wilson:
The NFL is back. The Buffalo Bills will take on the defending champion Los Angeles Rams tonight in LA to kick off the 2022 season. USA TODAY Sports’, Mike Jones, Safid Deen, Jarrett Bell, and Tyler Dragon, give some picks for the year ahead.
Mike Jones:
My biggest surprise to make the playoffs are the Carolina Panthers. After three straight losing seasons, they finally get over the hump, thanks to Baker Mayfield. And Matt Rhule saves his job.
Safid Deen:
My surprise pick to make the playoffs this year? The Minnesota Vikings. I think they’re going to split with the Green Bay Packers, and I think Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, and Kirk Cousins, will have monster years in Kevin O’Connell’s new offense in Minnesota.
Jarrett Bell:
The biggest disappointment to miss the playoffs? How about the Cincinnati Bengals? The Bengals went from worst to first last season and advanced to the Super Bowl, but we’ve all heard of the Super Bowl loser’s jinx, if you will. The Bengals will come into this season with the NFL’s third-toughest schedule, so they won’t surprise anybody.
Tyler Dragon:
A year removed from earning the AFC’s number one overall seat in the playoffs? The Tennessee Titans will miss the tournament this year. Derrick Henry will have a really good season, but Ryan Tannehill will continue to hold this team back, and the Indianapolis Colts will win the AFC South.
Mike Jones:
My league MVP is Josh Allen. He’s gradually continued to steadily rise in the ranks, putting up elite numbers. This year he really lights it up.
Safid Dean:
My MVP this season is going to be Patrick Mahomes. I think losing to the Bengals in the AFC title game last year left a really bad taste in his mouth. Losing Tyreek Hill, and seeing all the other additions in the AFC West, are also going to motivate him to be his best and reclaim his title as the best quarterback in the NFL.
Tyler Dragon:
I have the Chiefs and the Rams playing in this year’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and I have the LA Rams becoming the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions, since the Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004.
Mike Jones:
My prediction for the Super Bowl are the Los Angeles Rams repeating, defeating the Buffalo Bills.
Jarrett Bell:
Well, maybe the Los Angeles Rams will repeat. Oh no, teams just don’t repeat anymore in the NFL. That being said, I’ll go with the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson to defeat Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 57, out in the desert.
Taylor Wilson:
The opening weekend rolls on Sunday, with the Packers taking on the Vikings, Chiefs at the Cardinals, and Buccaneers at Cowboys, among the featured games. Then on Monday night, Russell Wilson makes his return to Seattle with the Denver Broncos. You can watch tonight’s game on NBC just after 8:00 PM Eastern Time, and follow along all season long with USA TODAY Sports.
And you can find 5 Things on your favorite podcast app every morning. Thanks to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show, and I’m back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.
