Police are connecting the dots. Reporter this investigation is taking on a new urgency tonight. First off, youve got the missing case of venus iraheta, the 17yearold from alexandria. Police desperately trying to find her tonight. Then you have a separate Murder Investigation that police are now saying is possibly linked. It involves a 15yearold girl. Today i smopoke with that girl mother. Asking we not use her name or show her face, from her home the mother of Alexandra Reyes told us about her daughter. My daughter was a good person, not because she was my daughter but because she was truly good, sweet. She got along with everybody. Late last year this mother says her daughter became fearful at school, threatened by ms13 gang members. Take me out of school, my daughter asked me. I told leave. Alex left home. For eight days she kept in touch with her mom, ultimately returning. She took off again. January 6 th was the last contact she had with her daughter. She never returned home. Again, we want to show you this picture, that of venus iraheta, the 17yearold from alexandria. If you have seen her, if you know anyone who may have had contact with her, police making that desperate and urgent plea tonight to let them know, help them bring her home. Were going to have much more coming up on news4 at 6 00. Youll hear from the victims mom, the one you just heard from there. But she goes into details as to what she hopes to see come of this case. Youre also going to hear about another missing girl and how this may be connected. The teenaged mother and baby who disappeared in Fairfax County last month. There were concerns related to the ms13 game in that case as well. This past weekend both mother and child returned home safely. There was no information given about their whereabouts. Eroding trust, thats what the white house says led to the firing of Michael Flynn more than three weeks after the acting attorney general expre expressed possible concerns to the white house. Flynn resigned last night amid scrutiny over reports he discussed sanctions with russias ambassador before President Trump took office. Flynn went onto mislead the Vice President about the nature of those calls, the white house says. When the acting a. G. Informed white house councisel, they lood into it. The evolving and eroding level of trust in this situation and a questionable incidences is what led for the president to ask for general flynns resignation. This was an act of trust. Whether or not he actually misled the Vice President was the issue. Press Secretary Sean Spicer says the white House Counsel looked into the matter and found no legal violations involving flynn. Those words from sean spicer have not been enough to calm lawmakers on both sides who are demanding more answers the democrats in the house and senate along with some republicans are calling for a further investigation into who knew what and when. Chris lawrence is here with that part of our story. No surprise that the democrats want to take a closer look, some of them even saying general flynn should come to capitol hill and testify. Two democrats from our area say its not just about the discussions with the ambassador but part of a broader look into russian interference in the election. What level of contact was there between enes mr. Trumps campaign and the russian officials prior to the election. And mr. Flynns resignation does not preclude that line of inquiry. Was the president aware of flynns efforts . Did he support them . This is not a democratic issue. This is not a republican issue. Its not an independent issue. This is an american issue. Overseas the kremlin is down playing flynns departure. A spokesman calling it an internal matter thats none of russias business. But several russian lawmakers blame this on what theyre calling an atmosphere of antirussian paranoia, both in washington and in the media. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell says the Intelligence Committee is already looking into russian involvement in the election but says white house personnel decisions are the president s call. Were also look into a new ruling on President Trumps controversial immigration order, the travel ban. A federal judge in issued an injunction saying that the commonwealth should not follow that ban. Ahead in our next hahalf hour, williams takes a closer look at how the judge came to that decision. Thieves in Anne Arundel County smashes a van into a gas station and stole an atm. Police are looking to find out if thats connected to a robbery in Prince Georges County. Reporter jim, if atms were animals, well, i think they might be considered endangered spe species. This exxon station in laurel, it happened fast, real fast. Start the clock. 45 seconds, 45 seconds is all it this gas station into a cash drivethrough. They backed up a white work van that looks like this over the curb, then through the glass, knocking over an atm. Two guys get out, pick up the atm, throw it in the back of the van. And then all three of them take off. 45 seconds. 45 seconds start to finish. The atm job was done. Just very strange and unusual. It just shows how desperate some people can be. Reporter scene number two, this bp station. Suspects in a white van wrap a chain around the atm here, attach the chain to the van outside. They try and try and try but they cant get the cash machine to budge. They see the suspects. The suspects see the cops. There was a chase. They say the suspects start throwing atm parts out of the van in an apparent effort to get rid of evidence or maybe slow down the cops. A short time later, a white van similar to the one used in the atm robberies discovered in d. C. The suspects long gone. No one was hurt but these atms right require a little first aid. This is a troubling trend. Today people who have been victimized by hate based crimes shared their story with the Montgomery County council as part of an effort to combat a spike in hate crimes coun county. When the election occurred, i think that some folks saw themselves as winners, some folks saw themselves as losers and they decided to act out on they motion that they were feeling. Reporter trump nation waits only over a sign in the Silver Spring church. Swastikas drawn on the wall of a boys room at a middle school. In burtonsville, the cars of Trump Supporters vandalized. The spike in hate crimes was a direct correlation to the kind of campaign run for the president of the United States. It unleashed an energy that is very destructive. Reporter groups representing different racial, religious and political pointins of view were all victimized. I am encouraged by up, supporting one another. Whether or not its a Muslim Community or a Jewish Community that has been victim of bias and coming together. My message is lets focus on bringing peace and working together instead of dividing our community. Reporter so far this year, 2017, there has been a reduction in the number of hate crimes here in Montgomery County. But they apparently have been replaced by something even more fearful. Ahead why some students say they are afraid to go home after school for fear of what they might not find there. Thats coming up at 6 00. Take a look outside right now of our day. Weve clouds. Now some sunshine out there. 45 degrees d. C. , 48 in richmond. We even saw some snow flurries in parts of the area, some showers down to the south. Behind it weve got more cloud cover. The clouds going to come down to the south. Now theyre coming back in and well see more clouds tonight. It will be cool, not cold tonight. Showers to the south tomorrow. Cold on tuesday. I mean really cold on tuesday. Then we get right back into the 60s. This seesaw of a february, you know the one with the lack of winter, it continues. A man in custody for shooting into homes in Fairfax County. What a search of the suspects house turned up today that could result in even more charges. Reporter a father cries for his sons murderer to come forward. I want to know wh reporter coming up on news4. Also getting to know the districts new schools chancellor. He has a new high profile job. He shares what may be his biggest challenge. This story getting a lot of likes and shares on our nbc washington page. President obamas valentines day message to the former first lady. We have new details tonight on a murder mystery in ak keek. He is 28yearold timothy sherrod. Today there was an emotional plea from his dad. Please somebody if you know anything about this, please Say Something to the police. Tell the news, whatever. Please, please. He shouldnt have passed like this. Prince georges county bureau chief Tracee Wilkins live with the story. Just heartbreaking. Reporter this father is b friend. Prince georges county police are working to try and figure out who would do this and why. And so is his family. Lord help me, please. Reporter Henry Sherrod is praying to god for support as he mourns the loss of his murdered son. Trying to find the person who did this to my boy. Reporter 28yearold term three sherrod idolized his dad. And when in need took care of him. When i got sick, he carried me upstairs. Reporter he even went to work with his dad at amtrak. Yesterday timothy was found shot to death inside his dodge car on marys view road in ak keek. Police say he was not working at the time. This is not a case of him operating as a lyft driver. Reporter there were at least two gunshots on the drivers side door. The wheel by a neighbor on her way to work yesterday morning. The multitude of cameras in this neighborhood may have recorded what happened. Police combed through that video yesterday. At this point, detectives are still working to find a motive and a suspect. Is this case wide open . This case is still under investigation. We want anybody who has any information on this case to definitely give us a call. Reporter to this tight knit family its all too much to bear. I want to know who did this to my boy. Reporter coming up on news4 at 6 00, timothys life was about the change. Well tell you about that lifechanging moment that hes missed. Today the man behind it all was sentenced. Hes 42yearold victor oletye of laurel. He and three coconspirators were convicted in november. He also has to pay his victims back. That comes to more than 1. 5 million. Were getting to know the new d. C. Schools chancellor a little better. Antwon wilson gets up at 3 00 a. M. Every day to meditate and get workout in. He tells tom sherwood he knows he has a lot to learn about leading the districts 115 public schools. Its really around just getting to know the city and getting to know what is extremely important to the city. Reporter wilson already is reaching out to the washington teachers union, knowing conflicts are natural. The wtu says it was given little input on his appointment. Those communications have been cordial. They have been i think productive. I think were relying on the importance of teaching, the importance of supporting teachers. Reporter wilson follows Reform Efforts of kaya henderson. In our interview, he reveals himself a shy person in a highly public job who gets up at 3 00 a. M. I pray and meditate. I also have to get my it doesnt mean that i dont love interacting with people. I do. Reporter wilson said he identified with broken families that can undermine a students education. His mother raised him. My father wasnt there. So my mother did a tremendous job in being a mother and a father. Reporter wilson was approved unanimously by the d. C. Council. He has a twoyear contract. Its been nearly 50 years since nasa sent the first humans to the moon. A feat accomplished in part because of the work of three black women who were the brains behind that operation. Their work highlighted in the oscar nominated film Hidden Figures. Barbara harrison was recently out at langleys Research Facility where that legacy is carried on. I took a ride up to hampton and newport news and had the wonderful opportunity to meet the only surviving member of that team that weve come to know recently as the Hidden Figures of nasa langley. Their story is told in a book and in the movie of the same name. My interview with Catherine Johnson was simply wonderful for me, 98 years old now. I also got to interview the women nasa calls the modern figures. They open up the door to people like myself. I think the young people see that. They see, wow, even know they had obstacles, even though they had different workplaces they could drink water in, the library was segregated. They still could persevere and be excellent. Its a really interesting sto story. Well, its the bling that always delivers, but what about the price tag . News4 is here to help you save money with four things to know before you buy a diamond. Reporter from portraits to paintings, famed africanamerican artists artwork the sun is setting but we didnt get to see an awful lot of it today. No. The clouds were here just about all day long today. We started to see the sun and then the clouds moved back in. Mostly cloudy skies overnight tonight. Could make for a really nice sunset here in about the next 1015 minutes. Because of the clouds, temperatures will not be cooling all that much. It will not be nearly as cold as last night. Dulles got dwn night. Tonight well stay in the 30s just about everywhere. Look at the warmest air back to the west. We did see some rain and snow around our region earlier today. It was really light. Really just flurry activity. That slid down to the south. Foe l follow the moisture back to the west and youve got a pretty potent storm. New orleans just saw tornados the last couple of days. They do have a threat of severe weather. This storm will follow this path right around our region and it will try to make its way up the coast. Lets show you how future weather depict this is fs this. Clouds and showerac maryland. Maybe waldorf, over towards annapolis. It will move out and so will the clouds. Not a bad tday tomorrow. Will be on the breezy side, going for a high of 50. 39 on thursday, 47 on friday. Look what happens here. Saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, all in the since. A great president s day weekend. Theres no snow out there. Tom kierein taking a look at when we dont have snow in february, what that means for march. Theres been some angst in the delay over white house tours. New details today about when they will begin and what popular feature will still be there. Reporter it for weeks now in herndon leaving residents fearful. Gunfire. You can see the broken window there. Now it appears theres a break in the case. And a ruling from the Virginia Judge on the president s executive order over immigration. What does it mean . Nbcs Pete Williams is about to join us in the studio to tell us about it. Fios is not cable. Were wired differently. So we wired the wagners house with 150 meg internet. Which means that in the time it takes mr. Wagner to pour a 20oz. Cup of coffee, tommy can download 40 songs, and jan can upload 180 photos. 12 seconds. Thats the power of fiber optics. Only fios lets you upload as fast as you can download. And right now get incredibly fast 150 meg internet, tv and phone for just 79. 99 per month for the first year. Now switching to fios is easier than ever with hasslefree installation. Well connect your devices to the new wifi and there is no cost to cancel early if you change your mind within 30 days. Incredibly fast 150 meg internet with equal upload and download speeds. Plus tv and phone for just 79. 99 per month. Go to getfios. Com or call 1. 888. Get. Fios to learn more. Only fios can. And were partnering with cigna to help save lives. We are the tv doctors of america. By getting you to a real doctor for an annual checkup. So go, know, and take control of your health. Doctor poses. Learn your key health numbers, and take control today. The gunfire came during the day and during the night. Someone has been shooting at town homes and condos in the herndon area of Fairfax County. Tonight it appears police have identified a suspect. Its someone whos been living nearby. Julie carey has the story. Reporter taped up broken windows, shattered by gunfire. Two different condos in this complex hit on january 22nd, bullets flying into the kitchen of each home. This neighbor remembers what he heard that night. I was just lying in bed. There was one shot that wasnt all that close. When the second one went off it really got any my attention. Reporter it was the middle of the afternoon when a bullet was fired into this this man lives right next door. My wife called me at work and told me she heard a gunshot shortly after i left. Reporter it wasnt until he got home from work he realized how close his family got to danger, the bullet hole just feet from their window. We have a little girl 3 years old. And they have a little boy next door. Reporter police have had other reports of gunfire in the same area but they think it may have been come to an end with the arrest of this man terrance malloy. Police picked him up on unrelated gun and drug charges. Police served a search warrant at this townhouse where malloy was staying with a girlfriend, there more evidence, more bullets like those fired at the home. While Court Documents name malloy as a suspect, yet been charged in connection with the gunfire here. Hes being held without bond on the herndon case. Coming up, the reaction of his girlfriend. You can see her townhouse from where the gunshots were fired. New today, police have now identified a young man who was hit and killed by a car in a Prince Georges County shopping center. Investigators say it appears the vehicle intentionally hit nathaniel mckinnon. The driver in this case may have hit the man in selfdefense. Police took the driver and his daughter, who knew the victim, in for questions but have since released them. No one has been charged. In virginia lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow victims of Domestic Violence to get the right to carry a concealed weapon. That measure would allow for a 45day temporary right to who take out a protective order. It would allow for an additional 45 days if the person who takes out the order also applies for a regular concealed carry permit. Governor Terry Mcauliffe vetoed similar legislation last year. Tonight is the second of three meetings on transportation issues related to the site for the new fbi headquarters. The federal government is considering three locations now, a site near the green belt metro station, the former landover mall and the francona ya warehouse complex. Tonights meeting is at robert e. Lee high school. A federal judge in virginia has delivered another blow to President Trumps controversial executive order on immigration. That judge last night ordering an injunction for the commonwealth. Virginias attorney general saying that they presented, quote, a mountain of evidence that this was the same muslim ban that the president discussed during his campaign. The judges opinion that she issued last night really lays out in striking detail how President Trumps action likely violates the First Amendment to the United States constitution. So where does this case go from here and whats the broader impact of the judges ruling . Joining us once again for a closer look is nbcs Pete Williams. How is this case different or this judges ruling does it do anything differently than what the Appellate Court did out west . It does less. It applies only to virginia. The judge limited her ruling just to people in virginia that had visas and came here or are overseas and want to come back or green card holders. It doesnt apply nationwide. She did that for two reasons. Number one because only nationwide stay imposed by the court out in california. The second difference is the basis on which she reached her conclusion. In washington, the judge there said the problem is that the executive order deprives people of due process. They have no notice. They have no hearing. Theyre just stuck. She said the problem is that it violates religious freedom. Two different basis. I guess theres a third reason. Hers is a little farther down the judicial pike. Its a preliminary injunction. Were still at sort of that phase than the one issued by Washington State and upheld by the appeals court. Where do we go from here . They can continue to fight these in court. Theres one in new york thats going to have a hearing shortly. The administrations real option here is to issue a new executive order. Now, if they did that, if they revised their executive order cancelled the old one, then arguably all these court orders like the one just issued in virginia last night, the one out west, would evaporate because there would be no executive order on which they were based. There would be a new one. People would have to sue again. The states may have a tougher time arguing that it hurts their residents if the only people affected by a revised executive order are people who have never been here. Interesting. It continues. And for all the latest political coverage, we do invite you to stay tuned after news4 at 6 00 for nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good news for those of you interested in white house tours again. What were learning about the future of the white house garden started by former first Lady Michelle obama. The race against Mother Nature in Northern California to make sure a dam fail and flo towns below it. Od hey, ready for the big meeting . Od yeah. Uh, hello . A meeting . Its a big one. Too bad. We are double booked diarrhea and abdominal pain. Why dont you start without me . Oh. Yeah. If youre living with frequent, unpredictable diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome with diarrhea, or ibsd. A condition that can be really frustrating. Talk to your doctor about viberzi, a different way to treat ibsd. Viberzi is a prescription that helps proactively manage both diarrhea and abdominal pain at the same time. So you stay ahead of your symptoms. Viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. Do not take viberzi if you have or may have had pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, longlasting or severe constipation, or a blockage of your bowel or gallbladder. If you are taking viberzi, you should not take medicines that cause constipation. The most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. Stay ahead of ibsd. With viberzi. Creating a cleaner environment by using cleaner Energy Sources like solar, wind and natural gas. Weve reduced Carbon Emissions by nearly 25 , which is the equivalent of taking close to two million cars off the road. Cleaner air and cleaner water. Its good for all of us. Dominion. Depend on us for more than energy. Breaking news now tonight. Tens of thousands of people in California Living near that stressed dam can finally, finally go home tonight. In the last hour the Evacuation Order was lifted. People who live below this damaged dam in the town of oroville feared a flood after heavy rains last week. Now the engineers say the water level is low enough. It is a controversial idea that sparked a lot of debate. But an influencetial group of Scientists Say it is in favor of human gene editing only if it is used to combat severe and disabled diseases passed through generations. That could be used on human eggs, sperm and embryos to essentially cut and and the winner is tracys kids, the charity that helps young Cancer Patients and families. Donors had an opportunity to see some of the movies that are up for awards. Missouri senator, Claire Mccaskill received a courage award f award. Seven dead, more than 40 injured. There is new information this evening about the deadly explosion at a Silver SpringApartment Building last august. What county leaders say the tragedy has taught them. And susan hogan shares four things to know before you shop for a diamond. Did you know 90 of couples disagree on mattress firmness . Enter sleep number. She likes the bed soft. Hes more hardcore. You can both adjust the bed for the best sleep of your life. Right now, save 50 on the ultimate limited edition bed. Go to sleepnumber. Com for a store near you. It could have been a very serious accident. Nbc news is learning more now about actor harrison fords near miss on monday as he was flying his private plane in california. Our aviation expert tom costello has the late details. This happened on monday at John Wayne Airport in orange county, california. Harrison ford and a private plane coming in for a landing. But instead of landing on a runway, he taxi way, flying right over the top of an American Airlines 737 holding for departure. Thankfully he missed that plane. Once on the ground he radioed controllers asking whether that american flight was supposed to be underneath him as he landed. Controllers informed ford hed landed on a taxi way, not a runway, a clear faa violation. This appears to have been a simple mistake in congested air space. Montgomery county officials are mulling over 14 changes to be made after that deadly apartment explosion in Silver Spring in august. Last august 10th a natural gas explosion sparked a fire on hundred branch road in Silver Spring. The blaze burned for more than the service waiting for firefighters to battle the flames. Seven people died and dozens of others were injured. Today Montgomery County released a review of the disaster. Not everyone is happy with the way the investigation was handled. Im disappointed with the report. It fails to communicate a lot of the lessons that Council Members and nonprofits provided to the author of the report and it also fails to interview the victims. Reporter the report also offers recommendations for ways the county can better coordinate care and services for victims. With the new administration now in place, First Lady Melania Trump announced today that white house tours will resume starting next month. In a statement the first lady says she is committed to restoration and and the first lady says shes committed to preserving and continuing the white house garden. Michelle obama started that garden in 2009 as part of her lets move campaign. The garden produced hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables every year. By now you know its valentines day. A popular gift for the one you love is always diamonds. They can be a very costly purchase. How do you know youre getting the best deal . Some local Jewelry Stores have nearly 7,000 difference in price for the same diamond, making an already stressful purchase even more complicated. The sparkle and shine sure helps to sell a diamond. But if you look closer youll find that price and quality dont always add up. Within each store we found really big price differences for what was essentially the same diamond. We used undercover shoppers to compare prices for two different but both excellent cut diamonds at Washington Area stores and online retailers. We met up ats a c s ascott diam. It found prices ranging from 11,000 to more than 18,000 at different stores. Familiar named retailers didnt necessarily offer the best deals. The highest prices were national chains. Among the local stores undercover shoppers went to they found may jewelers masic diamonds and quest Fine Jewelers had the lowest prices for the specific stones checkbook requested. When shopping for a diamond, make sure its certified by the g Gemological Institute of america. If its not, ask to see another stone. Make sure the store shows you multiple options. Ask to see loose stones laid out in front of you. Some stores preset lousy diamonds to hide flaws. Really try to compare loose stones against one another and determine whether or not that thousand dollar difference between diamond a and diamond b is meaning fumeaningful. Carefully review the return policy. Buy from stores that offer returns with a full refund within 30 days. And get an independent appraisal. Even though youll pay between 50 and 200 its good insurance to make sure you didnt end up with a diamond of lower quality than what you paid for. Consumer checkbook also suggests that you start your Search Online to get a better understanding of the cost of the diamond style youre looking for. Too bad you cant get that certification for your future spouse. And a 30day return policy. To heck with the diamond. What about my spouse . In the air. Theres one thing we havent had much of this february and thats snow. A lot of people are coming up to me and saying, tom, were going to get hammered in march. I went back and i looked will we get snow . That too. I looked at the last ten februarys that had less than an inch of snow. That went back all the way to 1991. Each of those followed by only three marches that had more than an inch of snow. We only have about a 30 chance of getting more snow in march than we do in february. Theres our sunset sky. A lot of clouds around. Tomorrow morning this area in green could get some rain coming into our far southern suburbs. One of the models brings it a little bit closer to washington tomorrow. Otherwise just a lot of during the afternoon we clear up and get some sunshine back during the afternoon tomorrow. Temperatures overnight tonight, if youre going out this evening to celebrate, well have a moon rising by late evening, back down to near 40. By dawn tomorrow well be in the upper 30s. Chilly and dry by noontime. Well be near freezing on thursday morning. Looks like a colder day coming in. Upper 20s on friday morning. Friday afternoon ought to make it into the upper 40s. Then look at this, not much of a chance of any snow here for sure. As we get into the weekend and all the way into the following wednesday we may have five days in a row with temperatures in the 60s in february. So it looks like a weekend. A lot of folks have a threeday weekend to get outside, get some outdoor exercise, a bike ride or a run or hike. As we get to the end of next week, it will start feeling like february again. But again no snow. From portraits to paintings, artwork will be up for auction this weekend. Well show you whats in the collection. Reporter more than a dozen people from chosen valentines day to make it official. He painted abstract art that showed the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. But Merton Simpson reporter what you see when you stare at a painting is up to you, but we do know that the africanamerican contemporary artist stood strong for civil rights in life and on canvas. The social injustice really just captured him and he took to it and you can see that in of his paintings. Reporter he died in 2013 leaving behind an extensive collection. 40 of his pieces awill go to th highest bidders on saturday. I think theyre generally a representation of the battle of the American Community throughout the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s. Reporter not every piece in the collection was created by him. Some of them were pieces that he owned, pieces that were special to him, like this one given to him by his dearest mentor. He was a member of the spiral group, africanamerican artists merging art and social activism. He was also a well known african and tribal art dealer. The lowest starting bid for one the highest, 5,000. The Justice Department warned the white house back on january 26th that flynn might be vulnerable to russian blackmail. Nbc news has learned that Vice President mike pence did not find out about that for another two weeks. The Vice President learned the truth just as the Washington Post was getting ready to publish a story that flynn and the Russian Ambassador talked about sanctions despite public denials. Reporter were learning tonight from a Senior Administration official that the Vice President is disappointed, having been misled by flynn. Tonight there is an acting National Security advisor in place. Three people believed to be on the short list to replace him on that job as the white house tries to explain how flynn ended up stepping down just hours after a Senior Advisor said he had the president s full confidence. President trump ignoring questions today as his spokesman explain what is l explains. We got to a point not based on a legal issue but based on a trust issue where the level of trust between the president and general flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change. Reporter white house lawyers found flynn did nothing illegal but the president asked him to resign after it went public that flynn misled the Vice President and others about discussing sanctions with russias ambassador. Flynn admits he inadvertently briefed with incomplete information. You cannot have a National Security advisor misleading the Vice President and others. Reporter former acting