HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — The News 3 Investigative Team shed light on the need for reform and action within the Hampton Roads community through its compelling, data-driven, and solutions-oriented reporting this year.
Here are the top investigative stories for 2023:
10. Chesapeake wife repeatedly said estranged husband was going to kill her before her death
Investigations
Chesapeake wife said estranged husband was going to kill her before her death
“He swore on his family and kids he would kill me,” were the words written in a protective order affidavit by Kathryn Dean in October 2020. By April 2022, she was dead.
Family members of Kathryn Dean said she was desperate to keep her estranged husband Ben Wynkoop away from her, but they said he continued to attack, harass and stalk her before her death.
The News 3 Investigative Team uncovered four separate criminal complaints written by Kathryn Dean where she described violence, threats of death and abuse at the hands of her husband on four different occasions.
9. Doctor who works at CHKD arrested for performing procedure without license
Investigations
Doctor who works at CHKD arrested for performing procedure without license
A doctor who works at CHKD is accused of performing an invasive medical procedure without the proper license.
8. Don't speed on the Eastern Shore — especially in Eastville
Investigations
Don't speed on the Eastern Shore — especially in Eastville
Investigative Reporter Margaret Kavanagh got a ticket for speeding on State Route 13 and started asking questions about how many tickets are written and how much money is being generated.
The News 3 Investigative Team uncovered that the town of Eastville is writing a lot more tickets than many other cities.
7. Portsmouth man convicted of fraud has a warning for others about rental scams
Investigations
Portsmouth man convicted of fraud has a warning for others about rental scams
The News 3 Investigative Team dug into how the hot housing market is causing some criminals to prey on victims looking to rent.
Investigative Reporter Margaret Kavanagh learned first-hand just how big this problem is after she put her home up for rent.
She tracked down the person illegally posting the home on Craigslist back in July over the phone.
Recently, she spoke to Portsmouth resident Richard Hardy, a man convicted of mail fraud for his role in a scheme that spanned across the entire country.
6. More United States Postal letter carriers are getting robbed while trying to deliver your mail
Investigations
More USPS letter carriers are getting robbed while trying to deliver your mail
The News 3 Investigative Team spoke with experts to find out why letter carriers are being targeted by robbers.
Experts they spoke to say postal workers are being attacked for arrow keys, which is like a master key that can open up things like blue boxes or apartment mailbox panels.
5. 'It's hell on earth:' Mom of slain Chesapeake teen warns of growing danger in Virginia
Investigations
'It's hell on earth:' Slain Chesapeake teen's mom warns of growing danger in Va.
After Kaitlyn Duffey, 18, from Chesapeake was killed in a fatal crash in May 2017, the News 3 Investigative Team looked back at more than 15 years of highway safety traffic data which revealed Duffy's death is part of a surge in traffic-related fatalities in the Commonwealth.
4. Data shows Black men receive harsher punishments than whites for same crimes
Investigations
Data shows Black men receive harsher punishments than whites for same crimes
After the U.S. Sentencing Commission released a report showing Black men statistically receive harsher prison sentences than white men who commit the same crimes, the News 3 Investigative Team took a look at case files in the Commonwealth, revealing the same thing is happening here in Hampton Roads.
3. Portsmouth family finds hidden camera in bathroom; 2.5 weeks later, fire destroys house
Investigations
Portsmouth family finds hidden cam in bathroom; fire destroys house weeks later
Court documents uncovered by the News 3 Investigative Team reveal that before a Portsmouth family's house burned down, police were called to one of their homes after a hidden camera was discovered in one of the bathrooms.
2. Cashier arrested for placing tracking device on customer leaving VB supermarket
Investigations
Cashier arrested for placing tracking device on customer leaving VB supermarket
A cashier at a Virginia Beach grocery store was arrested for placing an electronic tracking device inside stickers given to a customer leaving the store back in July.
The News 3 Investigative Team spoke with experts to learn how technology is making it easier to stalk people and how to protect yourself.
1. Missing 14-year-old VB girl found safely at Texas border crossing: FBI
Investigations
Missing 14-year-old VB girl found safely at Texas border crossing: FBI
In May, Nancy Jordan claimed that she and her daughter, Cindy Emily Lopez were both kidnapped while visiting family in Mexico several months ago.
The mom says she was held against her will and forced to take drugs, but was able to escape and returned home this past April.
Details about what happened in Mexico are unclear, but the News 3 Investigative Team learned that Lopez's daughter, a 14-year-old girl, has now been found safe.
