California: Source: Evidence links suspect to slain girl

DNA evidence found on the body of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion matches that of the man arrested in her killing, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

A source close to the investigation, who declined to be identified, confirmed a report Saturday in the Los Angeles Times that DNA discovered on the girl’s body matched that of Alejandro Avila. The source would not elaborate on the type of genetic material used for the match.

Spokesman Jim Amormino, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, would not confirm or deny the report, but said authorities were “100 percent sure we have the right man.”

Samantha was playing with a 5-year-old friend just yards from her home when a man, using the ruse of looking for a lost puppy, lured her close enough to grab her and carry her away kicking and screaming.

Miami: Priest sued for molestation files suit against archdiocese

A Roman Catholic priest who was accused of molesting two women sued the Archdiocese of Miami for ruining his reputation by publicizing the allegations.

The two women sued the Rev. Jan Malicki in 1998, claiming that he molested them at St. David Catholic Church in Davie. The archdiocese suspended Malicki, but Broward prosecutors never filed charges because they felt they couldn’t win a conviction.

In his lawsuit filed Friday, Malicki said Archbishop John Favalora and Chancellor Tomas Marin authorized a church tribunal to review “secret accusations” against him in July 1998, then held a news conference later that month to announce Malicki was under criminal investigation.

Arizona: Four illegal immigrants killed by lightning strike

Four illegal immigrants were struck and killed by lightning as they huddled under a tree during a thunderstorm, officials said.

Three other people with them Friday were hospitalized with serious burns.

U.S. Border Patrol agents found the men 35 miles north of the border with Mexico, about eight miles east of Douglas.

Oregon: Merging of two wildfires brings call for evacuation

Two wildfires crackling through sagebrush and juniper in south-central Oregon merged Saturday to create an 83,000-acre blaze. Residents of more than 60 homes were urged to evacuate.

Crews said they’ll have a better shot at containing the blaze now that it’s concentrated in one area. “The fire crews are getting together and talking about what’s going to happen next,” said Dale Warriner, a fire spokesman.

The wildfire was the second-largest in the nation, trailing only a complex of fires burning across 94,000 acres in a remote area northwest of Green River, Utah, said Marc Hollen, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Residents in and around Summer Lake and Silver Lake, two isolated high-desert communities, were asked to consider evacuating.