Deaths | featured news

Death already has a surprisingly vivid presence online, with improvised memorials and outpourings of grief for loved ones on social media, and the unintentional mementos the departed leave behind in comments, photo streams and blog posts.

A 4-year-old girl in Washington state pulled her little sister from the wreckage of a car crash that killed their mother, then kept the two of them warm under a blanket in the chilly rain for six hours until a passing driver found them. State troopers said that the girls probably only survived because the older sister had the wherewithal to get them out of the car and cover them. The younger girl is 2. Both were hurt, NBC affiliate KING5 in Seattle reported.

A pair of bombs exploded Thursday evening in a crowded shopping area in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, killing at least 12 people and wounding scores of others in the worst bombing in the country in more than a year, officials said.

A father has been charged with murder on Friday after allegedly shooting a drunk driver moments after he plowed into his truck killing his two young sons. David Barajas, 31, and his sons, 12-year-old David Jr. and 11-year-old Caleb, were about 50 yards from their Houston-area home when a car crashed into them on a dark rural road. David Jr. died at the scene, while Caleb died later at a hospital.

At least three people have died in a series of related shootings near Los Angeles, California, police have said. On Tuesday morning, officers responded to reports of shots fired in southern Orange County. The gunman suspected of that shooting then went to Tustin, where he is believed to have been involved in three car-jackings, killing at least two of the drivers, police added.

Reports that a 3-year-old adopted Russian child died in Texas last month set off a furor here Tuesday, with Russian officials declaring the boy had been abused, although U.S. authorities say the death is still under investigation.

The criticism of Dr. Drew Pinsky spread on the Internet almost as quickly as news of Mindy McCready's death. The country singer with the tumultuous personal life became the fifth cast member of his "Celebrity Rehab" series to die since appearing on the show and the third from Season 3. The previous deaths stirred up rumors of a curse and a debate about the show's helpfulness. McCready's apparent suicide upped the pitch of the reaction, however.

Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships from the `80s Showtime dynasty to the Kobe Bryant era, died Monday, his assistant said.

South African police Thursday arrested double amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius and said he would be charged with murder after his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, was shot and killed at his home earlier in the morning.

Mark Balelo, who appeared on A&E's "Storage Wars" as a frequent locker buyer, was found dead Monday at his California workplace. No cause of death was cited by the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office, though they indicated that an autopsy would be done Tuesday. Balelo was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and was scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Feb. 19.