Disappearance Turns Grand Gourmet Tour Into Manhunt

Police believe results will narrow search for Sarah Yarborough's killer

(NEWSER) - In December, stumped Washington state authorities sent a DNA sample from an unsolved 1991 murder to a forensic consultant in California—and though she didn't return with a match to the murderer himself, she did figure out who his 17th-century ancestors were. The DNA profile closely matched the family of Robert Fuller, whose relatives came to America on the Mayflower; the consultant found the connection by looking at genetic profiles donated by people tracing their genealogy. Of course, Fuller—who lived in Salem, Mass., beginning in 1630—probably has thousands of descendants, but detectives are optimistic that the results will help narrow their search. More»

Charlie Trotter plans 'sabbatical' after 25 years

(NEWSER) - A Chicago landmark will soon be history. Legendary chef Charlie Trotter is closing his restaurant in August, after a quarter-century of service. It's not a financial matter: "We’ve always been profitable, that’s for sure," he tells the Sun-Times . But Trotter is ready "to put the flag in the sand" and achieve some non-culinary goals, including travel and a graduate degree in philosophy and political theory. More»

Hip-hop star opening place in Atlanta's airport

(NEWSER) - Ludacris is launching his own restaurant in Atlanta's busy Hartsfield-Jackson airport. "Chicken and beer coming soon!" the 34-year-old hip-hop star tweeted. Ludacris' eatery will be yet another addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, which include Cognac and headphones. He also is expected to have a new album out this year called Ludaversal, reports Rolling Stone . (Ludacris is not the only big name in music testing the restaurant world, but Jon Bon Jovi has an unusual payment scheme at his place.) More»

From murder mysteries to murky maladies

(NEWSER) - A lot of big news happened in 2011 ... and some of it only half-happened. The Atlantic Wire took a look at the most frustrating unanswered questions of the year, and keeps its fingers crossed that 2012 will bring new details. Highlights from its list of the year's 10 most nagging mysteries:

• What's the deal with the Long Island serial killer/killers? In the course of searching for Shannan Gilbert, police ultimately found 10 bodies. Gilbert's body, recently found, was No. 11—except she died accidentally . And authorities can't even agree whether one or two killers are responsible for the deaths. Are police anywhere near catching this guy(s)?

Police mystified by cleanly cut limb

(NEWSER) - A family visiting St. Petersburg, Florida, got a nasty surprise yesterday, when they stumbled upon a severed human leg that had washed ashore on a small beach tucked behind a waterfront neighborhood. The leg was pale, white, and shaven, bent at the knee and cut with eerie cleanness at the thigh and foot. “We don’t know the cause and manner of death,” the city’s top detective tells the Tampa Bay Times . “But obviously someone went to great lengths to dismember the body.” More»