Shia LaBeouf
Home Hit With Calls to Cops Before Mia Goth Split

Published
February 18, 2026
5:00 PM PST

Police in Alabama have identified human remains discovered in a coal bin as a man who vanished 38 years ago and was the subject of a long-lingering cold case.

DNA testing on the remains — which were first found in late 2004 — finally returned a hit for 21-year-old Bryant Keith Bates.

Us Weekly confirmed Bates was last seen alive on November 15, 1988, after he had left his family’s home in North East Lake for a funeral.

When he failed to return from his friend’s funeral, Bates’ relatives grew suspicious and reported him missing to the Birmingham Police Department.

Early on in the missing persons probe, his family expressed grave concerns the young man was killed intentionally.

Back on November 22, 2004, police were contacted by an exterminator, who told them he had discovered human skeletal remains buried inside a coal bin while working in the crawl space of a South East Lake rental property.

Related: Missing 4-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After He Disappeared on New Year’s Eve

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A 4-year-old boy was found dead about two miles away from his Alabama home following his disappearance on New Year’s Eve, according to authorities. His father, Jameson Kyle Boley, was arrested on an explosives charge before the discovery of his body, NBC News reported. Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith told reporters that the charge was […]

The skeletal remains were brought to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office for examination, and it was determined the victim was male and likely of African descent. They estimated his age to be between 17- and 30-years-old and said that he stood 5-foot-10.

Officials say that Bates was last seen wearing a pair of plaid pants with a white shirt that had blue trim — the same clothing that was found along with the skeletal remains.

A Coca-Cola brand watch and a chain necklace were also recovered, and both belonged to Bates.

An autopsy determined that Bates was shot in the head. His manner of death was deemed a homicide, and now, investigators are trying to bring his killer to justice.

Police do not have an idea at the moment how long ago Bates was killed. They also have failed to discuss any possible suspects they may have in mind.

Information about the unidentified remains was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2015, but no match was found.

Three years later, a bone sample was submitted to the University of Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) for analysis, and the results confirmed the remains were those of a man. A profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, however, there still was no match.

Related: Skeletal Remains Found on Beach Are Identified as Former Oregon Mayor

Skeletal remains spotted on the shores of a Washington beach about 20 years ago belong to an Oregon man who went missing a few months before the discovery was made, a DNA analysis has confirmed. The remains found on a beach in Taholah, in Grays Harbor County, in November 2006 were identified as 72-year-old Clarence […]

Then, in March 2025, officials took a bone sample and submitted it to Othram, Inc., for further analysis. The DNA profile developed from that specific analysis confirmed that the remains were of African descent and aided genealogists in developing new leads about who the man might be.

Officials claim those fresh leads were sent to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office and allowed them to locate immediate family members of the deceased.

In Feb. 2026, officials say UNTCHI performed DNA testing of Bates and confirmed that the missing remains that were found were those of Bates.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office says the identification was made possible by utilizing forensic genetic genealogy analysis (FGG) and is the second positive ID using the process. Officials say they currently have 26 cases being analyzed by the FGG process.

Inside Carl Weathers’ Role In The ‘Star Wars’ Show ‘The Mandalorian’

Carl Weathers’ Name Appears In ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’

Carl Weathers Passed Away In 2024

Martin Scorsese Voices Ardennian Shopkeeper In ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’

Watch The Trailer Below

Guy Ritchie has had quite the comeback in the 2020s, and has become more productive than at any other point in his career. While the late 2010s featured him as the director behind poorly received blockbusters like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Aladdin, Ritchie kicked off the new decade with six new mid-budget genre films, and he has three more on the way. It feels as if Ritchie is returning to his roots by making smart, snarky gangster stories with his trademark non-linear sensibilities, and he’s even managed to extend that style into television. The Gentlemen isn’t just one of the most entertaining projects that Ritchie has ever been involved with, but it’s a distillation of what makes him such a unique storyteller.

The first film in this third wave of Ritchie’s career was The Gentlemen, a fun heist thriller with a collection of handsome dudes, blackly funny ultra-violence, and an overcomplicated plot involving illegal drug smuggling. While it was great to see Ritchie make something that felt like a deliberate throwback to his work on Snatch, The Gentlemen series is more than just a retelling of the film, as it is set in the same universe and goes far more in-depth with its analysis of family dysfunction. Given that Ritchie likes to sneak in bite-sized escapades and jokes into his stories, The Gentlemen has proven that he just might be better fit to make prestige television than to continue doing feature films.

Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ Isn’t a Remake, but an Expansion of Guy Ritchie’s Movie

While the film featured Matthew McConaughey as an Oklahoma drug kingpin, The Gentlemen introduces a new family empire with the Horniman, a British dynasty that controls a powerful cannabis farm. After the death of the family’s patriarch, Archibald (Edward Fox), the fortune is passed down to his youngest son, Eddie (Theo James), bypassing his older heir, Freddie (Daniel Ings), altogether. Eddie is a former veteran of the British Army who knows a thing or two about maintaining relationships with dangerous organizations, but he’s shocked to find that his father owes a massive debt to the Scouse drug dealer Tommy Dixon (Peter Serafinowicz).

As he enters the illicit world of underground drug smuggling, Eddie finds both allies and adversaries; while the rival drug kingpin Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) wants to take back the land that Eddie has now used to curate his farms, the incarcerated gangster’s daughter Susan (Kaya Scodelario) might be able to provide the Hornimans with a truce. However, both families are threatened by the encroaching danger of Stanley Johnson (Giancarlo Esposito), an American billionaire who is desperate to buy them out by any means necessary.

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The Gentlemen succeeds because the series paints a colorful portrayal of the different parties involved in the illegal trade, which is treated as a prestige family business. While Eddie has worked for the good of his country through both the Army and the United Nations’ peacekeeping force, he surprisingly finds that handling his father’s business requires the same set of skills. He is trying to protect the family fortune, and is also attempting to soothe tensions and avoid any violent conflict.

This aspect of the story allowed Ritchie to expand the material beyond the action that would need to be included within a single film, and allowed for a greater exploration of the interconnected world. Some of the most compelling parts of The Gentlemen are simply observations about the various gamekeepers, distributors, security forces, and corrupt law enforcement officials involved in any of Eddie’s business moves. The series moves like a chess game, which makes it all the more exciting when Ritchie breaks out into his trademark slapstick humor.

Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ Is Guy Ritchie at His Best

Even in his worst films, Ritchie has always had an eye for casting, and The Gentlemen benefits from a cast who elevates their characters beyond stereotypes. James has always been a more dynamic actor than the generic heartthrob that he was pigeonholed as early on in his career, and he turns Eddie into a fascinating character filled with contradictions. Eddie is ruthless in cutting out those who are disloyal to him, but he also considers that he has the potential to change his family legacy and redefine what a “gentleman” can be. Scodelario’s performance is perfectly matched to his because Susie is also trying to break out from under the shadow of a highly powerful father, and was ironically able to emulate his qualities after he was trapped in prison. The return of Bobby into Susie’s life doesn’t just make her loyalties ambiguous, but drives a wedge against the more positive influence that Eddie had on her.

The Gentlemen has just as many twists and turns as any of Ritchie’s films, and the series is straight up hilarious, willing to go far for the sake of an absurdist joke. He may be currently stealing scenes on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but Ings is just as great on The Gentlemen because Freddie seems to always find a way to undercut his brother’s strategies — even if his intentions are pure. While the first season of The Gentlemen proved that Ritchie has the capability of building an entire universe, the impending second season might ensure that the series goes down in history as his greatest achievement.

For over several decades, singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has been actively shaping and redefining the definition of popular music, reinventing the sound, so when he speaks about the future of music most people tend to listen. His distinct baritone voice has not only been the voice behind many hit songs such as “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”, but he also has the ability to recognize lasting greatness in others. Dylan’s influence and musical talent didn’t just stop at his own catalog. Beyond his own songwriting genius, he was able to spot that the rock band U2 would be a musical act that would last decades.

The Moment Bob Dylan Told Bono U2 Would Outlive Every Era

Bob Dylan has, of course, long been revered for his artistry, so much so, in fact, that Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him as the best songwriter of all time, followed by another great legend, The Beatles’ Paul McCartney. And at 84, after nearly 60 years in the music industry, he is still going strong, with his last studio album, Shadow Kingdom, released in 2023 to critical and commercial success. Given Dylan’s prolific career, which includes 10 Grammy Awards, it might seem surprising that there are any artists of his caliber that he would single out as superior in talent, let alone hail them as having a career that would be remembered for a century or more.

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However, according to the rock ‘n’ roll and folk icon, there is at least one band whose music deserves such high praise. That band is U2. U2 is, of course, the iconic Irish rock band formed in 1976. Known for their eclectic sound, fervent lyrics, and dedication to various political causes, the group, led by Bono, has attained worldwide fame with hit albums such as How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and Under A Blood Red Sky. The popular band, which cites the Ramones, T. Rex, and David Bowie as inspirations, has also influenced artists such as The Killers and Muse. But to impress Dylan, well, that’s a special feat all on its own. According to Bono in his autobiography of the band, U2 by U2: The Definitive Band History, when he expressed admiration for Dylan, the latter shocked him with his own praise for the group: “I said to Bob Dylan, ‘People are going to be playing your songs for thousands of years. He said, ‘Man, they’re going to be listening to your songs too. It’s just no one’s going to know how to play them.”

Bob Dylan’s Admiration for the Beatles Reveals a Complicated Relationship

U2 aren’t the only artists Bob Dylan has praised. While it is well known that Dylan and The Beatles had a rather complicated relationship, often fraught with creative tensions, each act did heap both criticism and praise on the other, and there is no denying that the group drew inspiration from Dylan. However, Dylan had on occasions voiced his admiration for the Fab Four’s artistry and songs, particularly in their classic 1963 song “Do You Want to Know a Secret, which was primarily written by John Lennon with George Harrison as lead vocalist.

The nearly two-minute pop ballad was released as the second single off their hit debut album Please Please Me. “The radio was on from beyond a wall, and the sound was coming through in static,” Dylan once recalled about the track on 2004’s Chronicles: Vol 1. “They were so easy to accept, so solid. I remember when they first came out. They offered intimacy and companionship like no other group. Their songs would create an empire. It seemed like a long time ago. ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret’. A perfect ’50s sappy love ballad, and nobody but them could do it. Somehow, there was nothing wussy about it.”

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In addition to “Do You Want to Know a Secret”, Dylan also praised another Beatles song, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” In 2015, he told NME Magazine, he praised not only the single but their legendary Ed Sullivan performance, “’I Want To Hold Your Hand’…They were doing things no one else was doing. Their chords were outrageous, just outrageous, and their harmonies made it all valid… I knew they were pointing in the direction of where music had to go.”

Madi Prewett and Grant Troutt almost missed their love connection.

During the Wednesday, February 18, episode of her “Stay True”
podcast, Prewett, 29, opened up about who she was really supposed to go on a date with back in the day while chatting with Troutt, 29. She revealed that her family friend initially attempted to set her up with the wrong Troutt brother.

“We have a family friend who was trying to set me up —“ Prewett said before Troutt finished her sentence, interjecting with, “And my brother!”

“By the way, you had talked to my mom about launching your book at our house,” Troutt recalled. “What are the [odds]? That is insane. You were looking for a space to drop your book.” Prewett added that she had “just moved to California” at the time. “We had mutual friends. That’s who connected me to your mom because the Troutts host events at their house sometimes.”

She continued, “I had a conversation with your mom for, like, an hour. I’m like, ‘This woman is amazing. We’re on the same page. She loves truth … I think I literally texted her and was like, ‘We should grab coffee.’ I don’t think she texted me back.” While laughing, Troutt pointed out that the “amazing woman” is now Prewett’s mother-in-law.

“It was a great conversation,” Prewett gushed. “Then next thing I know, [my friend says] there’s a single Troutt son. You guys should get connected. Preston Troutt. So my only understanding of the Troutt family was Lisa and Preston Troutt.”

Grant then joked that God was “hiding [him] away” from Prewett and “preparing” him to meet his “wife.”

Prewett explained that “it did not go anywhere with Preston” and the duo “didn’t even text” [or] “go on a date.”

The Bachelor Nation star recalled finding out that she was set up on a blind date with Grant, which was her first time learning there was another Troutt family member.

“Up until this point, I had seen you one time in church,” Grant gushed. “I had dropped to my knees — not literally — but I was like, ‘Who is this woman? I want her to be my wife.’”

Six months later, Grant came back home from a trip and reconnected with Prewett on their date and hit it off.

Elsewhere in the episode, Prewett opened up about their dating life together, calling it “not perfect.”

“It really wasn’t,” Grant agreed.

Prewett explained, “I think there are things that we did well and things that we didn’t do well. Things that we now get to share.”

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After looking for love in Bachelor Nation, Madison Prewett is head over heels for husband Grant Michael Troutt. Fans met Prewett when she competed for Peter Weber’s affections on season 24 of The Bachelor. After he ended his engagement to winner Hannah Ann Sluss because he still had feelings for Prewett, the pilot and his runner-up […]

Looking back, Troutt wished they had gone “slower on the emotions” and talked about their future.

Grant also revealed that he was so nervous to ask Prewett out that he wasn’t going to until a friend convinced him otherwise.

Prewett and Grant tied the knot in 2022. Two years after their wedding, the couple announced via Instagram that they were expecting their first baby together.. In January 2025, Prewett gave birth to daughter Hosanna Rose.

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, the two pillars of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, are set to make their return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday — and it’s going to be a tremendous mistake. As the sprawling cinematic universe moves forward into uncharted territory, the instinct to rely on familiar faces for stability makes sense, but it lacks the spirit that the characters, or the franchise as a whole, always represented. Among the expansive roster of performers in the MCU, Downey and Evans stood out as the two figureheads of the cinematic franchise.

Both actors had the most prominent roles in the entire cinematic universe; as Iron Man and Captain America, they not only starred in completed standalone trilogies but came together to lead the Avengers whenever they would assemble for their shared films. Among a cast full of stars, they were the two brightest. However, returning to Evans and Downey so soon after their intended finale exemplifies the current lack of trust between fans and the MCU, representing a lack of faith in the new actors, characters, and storylines in favor of maximizing nostalgia and familiarity.

Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Represented the Underdog Spirit of the MCU

Image via Marvel Studios

The importance of Downey and Evans to the MCU is supported by how the actors’ own professional journeys ideologically represented what the studio was trying to accomplish. The MCU was a crazy experiment— such a large and interconnected film franchise had never been made before— and so, it needed actors that were capable of fulfilling those lofty ambitions. Downey, now considered the godfather of the MCU, was just returning to Hollywood stardom after years of personal issues kept him from working at his true potential. Downey was in search of a second chance— just like Tony Stark. While it’s important to separate the art from the artist, it’s hard to fully untangle RDJ from Stark when the narrative parallels are so apparent, and the results are so effective. When audiences first saw Iron Man, they didn’t see a controversial actor or a B-list comic book hero; they saw Downey at his most captivating, embodying Tony Stark with such charm and vitality that no other actor could dare encroach on the character. Downey’s performance was so charismatic that it launched an entire cinematic universe.

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While Chris Evans had an altogether distinct path to becoming Captain America, he, too, seemed to represent a similar story to his fictional role. Evans wasn’t new to Hollywood, nor was he new to playing a superhero, but the actor had yet to truly establish himself as a leading man. Better known for more classic jock roles, like the Human Torch or Lucas Lee from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Evans clearly displayed the potential to be super, but did he have the heart to be a leader? The answer was a resounding yes, as Evans’ performance as Steve Rogers proved to be exactly what the MCU needed. Serving as the perfect accompaniment to Tony Stark’s sass and snark, Evans highlighted Captain America’s resilience and loyalty, the exact traits that made him the necessary leader of the superhero team. Both Evan and Downey had feel-good stories that reflected the underdog nature of the MCU and its characters, making the entire experience exciting for audiences on multiple fronts. We weren’t just watching characters overcome the odds, we were seeing artists and performers defy expectations. However, their return to the MCU, especially under these circumstances, dismantles everything.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Concluded their Narrative Journeys

A common criticism of comic book storytelling is the lack of sufficient stakes. Between fake deaths, resurrections, and other narrative hijinks, characters in comic books often get stuck in revolving journeys with little actual progress. Just think about how many Spider-Man stories still see the web-slinger stuck in high school and with no money? However, that issue is directly what Avengers: Endgame successfuly overcame. Endgame was a love letter to the original Avengers cast; it was a farewell tour that gave their characters conclusive narrative endings that thematically aligned with their arcs that spanned several films.

In this chapter, the MCU gave these comic book characters bittersweet but earned endings to their stories. Tony Stark, once a selfish and cavalier weapons manufacturer, proved that his humanity and selflessness were essential to the world’s survival. His destined path of becoming Iron Man wasn’t just to save his own life, but for the entire universe. In complementary juxtaposition, Steve Rogers, the man who couldn’t help but volunteer his own life at every opportunity, finally chooses to prioritize himself after years of fighting. To get to this point in their journeys, both characters went through entire trilogies and four Avengers movies, each with character development and growth to get to this point. Unlike in comic books, the MCU built off each installment and made sure that each addition had lasting influence and consequences. It’s that accumulation of audience time and commitment, one that spanned an entire decade that made Endgame such a unique movie, complete with one of cinema’s most satisfying endings.

The New Avengers Roster Deserves the Spotlight

Marvel / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

It’s no secret that the MCU has been going through a rough patch in the past few years, as reception to Phase Four paled in comparison to the near-universal positive hype surrounding the franchise during the previous two Avengers movies. The return of Downey and Evans in Avengers: Doomsday feels like a response to this waning interest, but it also feels like waving the white flag. Kevin Feige‘s ingenious marketing strategy of outlining different phases in the MCU was one of the premier reasons why fans kept returning to the franchise, as each year brought new movies and new excitement. But it was that daring and experimentation that made this cycle feel innovative rather than repetitive. Back in 2019, Endgame was meant to serve as a closing chapter to the first three phases, but rather than end the MCU as a whole, it was also meant to be the symbolic passing of the torch from one Avengers cast to the next. Steve Rogers passed down his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Tony Stark’s sacrifice ensured that future generations of heroes would live on. Yelena Belova found her own team to lead in Thunderbolts* and they’ve taken on the moniker of the New Avengers.

The following few movies even introduced new characters poised to take the spotlight, such as Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), but the MCU has failed to maximize these fresh faces. In reality, Shang-Chi hasn’t been seen in years, and he’s supposed to be one of the main members of the new Avengers roster. The MCU did something no other movie franchise could have accomplished, but its own fear is now leading to its self-imposed implosion. After years of anticipation and narrative development, the return of Evans and Downey is emblematic of how the MCU might have lost the audacious spirit that made it so beloved in the first place.

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Avengers: Doomsday

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Release Date

December 18, 2026

Writers

Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee

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