Why Tasers sometimes fail to stop suspects — and what weight has to do with it

Multiple Taser deployments failed to stop Pamela Cisneros, 49, during a roughly four-minute standoff in Times Square last Monday, after she allegedly stabbed two people. The attack left a 32-year-old woman dead and a 68-year-old man wounded.

"As multiple officers discharged Tasers, which proved to be ineffective, the subject continued to advance toward our officers with the knives," Jessica Tisch, New York City police commissioner, said in a news conference that evening. 

When the Tasers failed to subdue Cisneros — who stated, "I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you" — two officers opened fire, striking her. Cisneros was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

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The incident sparked broader questions about why Tasers sometimes fail and whether obesity or body composition can impede their effectiveness.

A standard Taser is designed to fire two small, barbed probes connected to the device by insulated, conductive wires, according to Axon, the manufacturer.

"Electrical pulses travel along those wires and into the body, triggering involuntary muscle contractions," Axon’s website states. "For NMI to occur, it is best that two probes make contact 12 inches (30 cm) or more apart."

Steve Keller, a retired police sergeant in Blue Ash, Ohio, said the most common causes of Taser failure include clothing, probe placement, substance abuse by the perpetrator and connectivity between probes.

However, obesity can affect the Taser, he said, as a large layer of body fat could interfere with the connectivity.

"The purpose of the Taser is neuromuscular in capacity," Keller told Fox News Digital.

"Your large muscle masses are your back and thighs. Officers are trained to aim for those areas," he said, just as they are also trained to adjust their aiming for clothing and the distance between them and the subject.

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If one of the probes hits the abdomen and the person is obese, it can affect the connectivity of the two probes, according to Keller.

"If one probe hits the person and the other probe misses, the Taser will not work," he said.

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For example, if one probe hits a subject in the thigh and the other probe hits a thick bubble jacket, there’s a good chance the officer won’t have good connectivity, Keller said.

"The same could be considered if there is a large layer of body fat — they could still feel it, but it might not be as effective."

Referring to Cisneros’ case, Keller emphasized that mental health may also play a significant role in how a person responds to a Taser.

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Tisch confirmed at the press conference that the suspect had a documented mental health history with the NYPD, with one incident in 2018 and another in 2019.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, agreed that body composition can affect the Taser’s effectiveness.

"Tasers are much more effective for muscle than fat because muscle conducts electricity much better, and the Taser delivers a high voltage," he said. "In an obese person, it is more difficult to find an area that conducts electricity."

Fox News Digital reached out to Axon, the NYPD and obesity organizations requesting comment.

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Georgia woman celebrates 112th birthday, reveals her secret to a long life

A Georgia woman who just celebrated her 112th birthday credits her longevity to staying close to her family and embracing her strong religious faith.

Mabel Dunbar, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was born in Jamaica in 1914. She is the mother of one, grandmother of four and a great-grandmother, and was honored by loved ones on her birthday Sept. 5 with a custom berry cake, flowers and a crown, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

"God is love and I love my families," Dunbar said at her party. "I love all my families and strangers."

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Those who know her describe Dunbar as "deeply religious, pleasant and talkative," according to FOX 5.

She spent her life serving others and remaining active, the station reported. Until recently, Dunbar still enjoyed cooking and made breakfast for herself every morning. She also enjoyed sharing stories with visitors.

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After moving to Florida to live with her daughter in 1994, Dunbar relocated to Fayetteville in August 2025 to live with her granddaughter and grandson-in-law.

Family remains an important part of Dunbar’s daily life, according to FOX 5.

"Treat them the best you can, because they are important," Dunbar said of younger generations, specifically her grandchildren. "You need them when you can't help yourself like me. These good people are on me all the time, and I'm happy to see them when they come."

Leading oncologist and University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel has identified several principles for living longer and reducing disease risk.

They include prioritizing an active social life, staying mentally active with new hobbies and opportunities to learn, limiting processed and sugary foods and drinks without being overly restrictive, engaging in moderate exercise and getting proper sleep, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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Emanuel also recommends avoiding obviously dangerous activities and behaviors.

Religious involvement has also been associated with greater longevity, research has suggested.

In a 2016 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined religious service attendance and health outcomes among 74,534 women over 16 years.

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They found that women who attended religious services more than once a week had a 33% lower risk of dying during the follow-up period compared with women who never attended religious services.

Weekly attendance was associated with a 26% lower risk, while attendance less than once a week was associated with a 13% lower risk. Regular attendees also tended to smoke less, experience fewer depressive symptoms and have stronger social support, the researchers reported in 2016.

The world’s oldest documented living person is Ethel Caterham, of England, who turned 117 in August.

Caterham previously told The Associated Press that she credited her long life to "never arguing with anyone," adding, "I listen, and I do what I like."

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Why couples should flirt with each other every day — plus the ‘red flag’ to avoid

Flirting may do more than spark romantic interest — experts say it can also benefit emotional well-being, as long as it stays within appropriate boundaries.

Dr. Mindy DeSeta, a clinical sexologist and mental health counselor in Miami, Florida, defined flirting as a "one-on-one interpersonal experience," delivering a message that someone is interested in learning more about another person.

Flirting in general "feels good," the expert told Fox News Digital, adding that there are both emotional and physiological effects.

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Flirting may activate brain chemicals involved in pleasure, reward and social bonding, DeSeta said. It can also lower the stress hormone cortisol.

"It builds confidence, it's a positive social interaction that improves self-esteem," she went on. "What I also hear is that people want to flirt in general because it makes them feel attractive and desired … That's a normal human feeling."

DeSeta views flirting as a signal of attraction and believes it should remain between romantic partners or people pursuing a romantic relationship.

"It’s really hard to be platonic because it does release that bonding hormone," she said.

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For those who feel the need to flirt with someone who is not their partner, the expert suggested this could be a "red flag" for what’s happening in the relationship.

"As a sexologist, I'm a huge believer that we must date and flirt with our partner every day," DeSeta said.

It's normal for relationships to sometimes need a "reboot," she said.

"In one marriage, you're going to get many, many marriages… you'll find people getting stale or very hollow in their relationship, and that's when you will start looking outside to get those needs met, especially in flirting, because it's something that's very easy to do."

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If flirting begins to extend beyond the relationship — from a coffee-shop barista to a colleague at the office — DeSeta advised stopping "immediately" and redirecting that energy toward the partner.

"Be vulnerable and go in with, ‘I miss this about us. I want to bring this back into our relationship,’" she said. "And don't forget to share, ‘This is what would make me feel attractive and desired by you.’"

Dr. Anna Elton, a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical sexologist in Massachusetts, said couples struggling with intimacy often miss the fun they shared at the beginning of their relationships.

As couples devote more attention to schedules, errands, bills and child care, other aspects of the relationship can get pushed aside, Elton said. Affection, physical touch, flirting and playfulness may become less frequent, making room for "stress, conflict and growing resentment.

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Body changes, aging and stress can also affect how confident or desirable people feel, Elton noted.

"When couples have been together for a long time, I ask them, ‘So, how do you flirt with your partner? How do you let them know about your erotic intentions?’ And they say, ‘Oh, we don’t flirt.’"

Creating a "new language of flirting" can help couples reconnect and spark intimacy, Elton said.

Elton suggested small ways to rebuild connection, including a 20-second hug or a six-second kiss.

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Small acts of self-care, such as applying lotion or following a skincare routine, can also help people "feel more connected with themselves," she said.

DeSeta cautioned, however, that flirting may not always be welcomed by a partner, depending on timing and mood.

"I’ve heard from my couples, ‘They were trying to flirt with me when I was unloading the dishwasher,’" she noted as an example. "There’s a time and place for flirting, and you have to be in the right headspace."

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"Maybe when someone's in a stressed mood, they're really focused on work, or they're just doing a task that does not make them feel sexy – this is not the right time."

Positive signals from a partner, such as leaning in, making eye contact and smiling, can indicate that flirting is welcome. Still, partners should communicate about when flirting feels appropriate, DeSeta added.

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Your daily coffee habit could be taking a toll on your bones, new study suggests

If you’re a woman who regularly reaches for coffee throughout the day, you may want to think twice about that next cup — or consider switching to tea.

Researchers at Flinders University reported in a study published in the journal Nutrients that high coffee consumption may be associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) in older, postmenopausal women.

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The scientists analyzed coffee and tea consumption among 9,704 women age 65 and older over a 10-year period. During that time, they also measured participants’ BMD at the femoral neck and hip — areas where osteoporosis-related fractures commonly occur.

The researchers found that drinking tea was associated with higher total hip BMD, while drinking more than five cups of coffee per day was associated with lower BMD.

Moderate coffee consumption — about two to three cups a day — was not associated with negative effects on bone health.

The study also identified differences based on other health and lifestyle factors. Coffee consumption was associated with lower femoral neck BMD among women with higher alcohol intake, while the positive association between tea and bone density was more pronounced among women with obesity.

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The researchers wrote that osteoporosis, which is characterized by low BMD, "is a major global public health concern affecting individuals across all ages, genders and ethnicities."

About one in three women and one in five men age 50 and older worldwide experience osteoporosis-related fractures, according to the study.

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Women face a particularly high risk because they generally have lower bone mass and experience accelerated bone loss after menopause.

In the U.S., the number of adults age 50 and older with low BMD in the hip or spine is projected to increase by 17.2 million by 2030, adding to the healthcare costs and long-term disability associated with osteoporosis-related fractures, the researchers noted.

The scientists wrote that they studied the relationship between coffee and tea and bone health because dietary factors play a "crucial role in the prevention of noncommunicable disease and may influence bone health," and these are two of the most widely consumed beverages globally.

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Study co-author Ryan Liu told ScienceDaily that "compounds called catechins, abundant in tea, may promote bone formation and slow bone breakdown."

"Coffee’s caffeine content, by contrast, has been shown in laboratory studies to interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism, though these effects are small and can be offset by adding milk," Liu said.

"Our results don't mean you need to give up coffee or start drinking tea by the gallon," Liu added. "But they do suggest that moderate tea consumption could be one simple way to support bone health, and that very high coffee intake might not be ideal, especially for women who drink alcohol."

Symptoms of osteoporosis and early bone loss include back pain, loss of height over time and stooped posture, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Steps that can help prevent bone loss and support bone health include eating calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, leafy greens and canned fish with bones; getting adequate vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium; and exercising regularly, particularly through weight-bearing and strength-training exercises. 

Balance exercises can also help reduce the risk of falls and fractures.

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The marriage warning sign that may be worse than fighting — and 4 ways to turn things around

Much like the workplace term that means doing the bare minimum, "quiet quitting" could also happen in marriage, sometimes gradually.

The informal term — which is not a clinical diagnosis — refers to spouses who remain together while reducing their emotional effort, communication or involvement in the relationship, according to experts.

New York City divorce lawyer James Sexton described what "quiet quitting" can look like at home and at work: "I'm not going to go through the dramatic gesture of ending this thing. I'm just going to stop. I'm going to stop paying attention. I'm going to stop participating."

‘QUIET QUITTING’ IN MARRIAGE: THE SUBTLE SIGNS A SPOUSE HAS EMOTIONALLY CHECKED OUT

Silently pulling away from the relationship may seem to be easier than going through the "trauma" of divorce, Sexton told Fox News Digital — and the person avoids looking like the "bad guy" for ending the relationship.

"Very often, you actually receive more sympathy because you're perceived as the victim of the breakup as opposed to the perpetrator," he added.

A lack of effort in a relationship can be a bigger warning sign than frequent conflict, according to Sexton.

"When people are fighting, it kind of means there’s still skin in the game," he said. "The opposite of love is not hate … it’s indifference."

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Dr. Mindy DeSeta, a clinical sexologist and licensed mental health counselor in Miami, said some couples seek help after about 30 years of marriage, when the demands of family life have eased.

"The kids are gone, or they're hitting that retirement age, so they don't have the life distractions, and they're realizing, ‘Wow. I actually quiet quit my relationship when my kids were toddlers,’" she told Fox News Digital.

DeSeta identified four relationship principles, including the following.

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Couples experiencing quiet quitting may continue to function well as a team, managing the household and other responsibilities while becoming emotionally disconnected.

DeSeta said this disconnection can develop gradually, as spouses begin living increasingly separate lives.

"When you stop spending the evenings together … you each are kind of doing your own thing. Your shows are different. You're going to bed at different times … You may have different friend groups. You're working out at different times," she listed.

Both experts shared tips for addressing emotional disconnection between romantic partners.

Reconnection often requires small, active steps that re-start the momentum, rather than making grand gestures, Sexton suggested.

The divorce lawyer encouraged re-visiting the simple acts and gestures that both partners enjoyed early in the relationship.

His suggestions included sending sweet "good morning" texts, writing a note complimenting a partner, or sharing a song that sparked a romantic memory.

"It costs nothing, takes 30 seconds to do it," he said. "What does it cost to write an email with a list of 10 things I like about you? These are not only things we welcome receiving under any circumstances, but they're actually reminders."

Oftentimes, quiet quitting looks like zoning out during moments of quality time, DeSeta said.

If one partner scrolls on a phone while watching a movie together, the device can become "the third member of the relationship," signaling where that partner’s attention lies, the expert cautioned.

"When you're on your phone, you're actually saying, ‘I'm choosing to do this versus spending quality time with you,'" she added.

In addition to paying attention during one-on-one activities, the act of asking personal questions — as simple as "how was your day?" — can also help to restore a connection, DeSeta said.

Instead of leading with a complaint about the relationship, Sexton suggested using a positive approach.

For example, instead of saying, "We never spend time with each other anymore," try calling back a positive memory and suggest recreating it.

"Focusing on what we need to work on is harder than focusing on what it is that we really like about this person, what drew us to them to begin with," he said. "Chances are, they might feel far away from who they were at the beginning of the relationship."

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"And maybe our job in a relationship is to try to remind each other of the 'you' and the 'me' before we became the 'we.'"

Making an active effort to flirt with a partner can boost mood while signaling continued romantic interest, according to DeSeta.

"Let your partner know that you are there to earn them every day," she said, emphasizing the importance of continuing to learn about and pursue a partner throughout the relationship.

"Let them know in the most subtle ways every single day that you care about them, that you're thinking about them – and if you do that, you kind of break this cycle of the quiet quitting and eventually it starts coming back to you."

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Sexton reminded couples that their time together is limited, so illness or tragedy should not be the catalyst for renewed effort.

"Every single person in your life is not permanently gifted to you — they're loaned," he said. "There’s a finite number of times that you're going to be with this person, see this person, tell this person that you love them."

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Scientists discover new tick-borne virus after testing thousands of patients with mysterious illnesses

Scientists in China have identified a previously unknown tick-borne virus that can cause flu-like illness, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a new study.

The newly discovered virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), which is part of the orthonairovirus group, has also been found to cause thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelet counts) and laboratory evidence of liver-cell injury or inflammation.

Since 2009, Chinese researchers have been tracking patients with unusual illnesses, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), according to Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York.

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"Thrombocytopenia is low platelet count, so those patients bled, and it had about a 30% mortality, which is quite high," she told Fox News Digital. "So, they kept following those patients."

Many of the cases were linked to Dabie bandavirus (DBV), a tick-borne hemorrhagic fever, but it was not the most common virus.

After extensive testing of blood samples and viral fragments, researchers identified the new virus, ALTNV, which is genetically distinct from DBV.

Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity in Beijing identified the virus in 10.4% of 3,163 patients who had been bitten by ticks.

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Patients who had both ALTNV and DBV were more likely to have respiratory issues and kidney complications. Seven (18.4%) of these patients died during the course of the study.

"The cocirculation of ALTNV and DBV in the same areas, coupled with their shared tick vector, underscores the need for improved differential diagnosis between infections with these viruses in regions where SFTS is endemic," the authors concluded.

The findings were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"The big picture is that ticks carry lots of viruses," Nachman said. "We're getting smarter at identifying those viruses. And when one blood sample is negative, it's important to say, 'Maybe there was a new virus there, and let's look for it.'"

Illness from ALTNV can initially resemble the flu, causing fever, muscle aches, fatigue and sometimes respiratory symptoms.

Although an ALTNV infection can cause low platelet counts, the study did not link the virus alone to severe bleeding or deaths. The fatal cases involved patients who were also infected with DBV, which causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Because tick-borne viral symptoms can overlap with many infections, Nachman emphasized the importance of identifying the specific virus.

"Effective antivirals exist for flu, but not for many tick-borne viruses, including the newly identified one," she said.

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For most patients, supportive care is given to help manage symptoms, "but it's also about being smart and not giving patients the wrong medication," Nachman noted. "And we certainly don't want to use antibiotics because those only work for bacteria, not for viruses."

Nachman shared the best practices she recommends to families looking to avoid tick bites.

"Wear the right clothing, meaning long pants, tucking them into your socks, and use tick repellents on your skin if you're an adult or on your clothing if you're a young child," she advised.

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It’s also important to be on the lookout for ticks on the skin.

"The longer the tick is on your skin, the more it's engorged, the more it’s likely to pass an infection to you," Nachman said. "So, removing them after you've gone hiking or walking on the beach will be really important."

While the Asian longhorn tick is not yet seen in the U.S., Nachman noted there are "lots and lots of other ticks, and those ticks carry other diseases."

"I don't want to say one tick is worse than another tick. It's rather all about the diseases they carry and who you are," she said.

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"So, if you're a healthy adult, and you get babesiosis, you often get better without any medications. But if you're an immune-compromised adult, you're going to be quite sick.

"It’s not really about the ticks. It’s about the patient. Who are you? What's your underlying illness if you have any? How old are you, and how healthy are you?"

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Common cholesterol drug linked to lower dementia risk when started early

Starting statin therapy shortly after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis may not only protect the heart — it may also be linked to a lower dementia risk.

A large study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich on Aug. 30 found that adults who began taking a statin within one year of their type 2 diabetes diagnosis had a 15% lower relative risk of developing dementia over 10 years compared to those who did not take the medication within five years.

Even for those who delayed starting a statin for one to five years, there was still a 10% lower relative risk, according to the findings, which were published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

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A statin is a prescription medication that lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol and helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Researchers conducted the study by tracking health data from 132,585 patients in Denmark who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 2006 and 2019 and had no prior history of statin use or dementia.

During a median follow-up of 7.1 years, the team analyzed how the timing of statin treatment impacted overall dementia rates.

Dr. Liron Sinvani, a geriatrician and director for research and innovation at the Northwell Institute for Healthy Aging in New York, said this was a "well-designed, large-scale observational study that adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that statins may help protect brain health."

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She noted that while a 15% reduction is a modest improvement, it remains "very significant."

People with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of cognitive decline and heart disease, consistent with previous research.

Although guidelines generally recommend statins for many adults ages 40 to 75 with diabetes, statin treatment is not always started soon after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The study also examined whether the timing of treatment was linked to dementia risk. People who started statins within a year of their diagnosis had a lower risk than those who did not begin treatment.

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"The message here is that maybe waiting is actually not the right approach," Sinvani said, supporting earlier consideration of statin therapy in routine diabetes care.

The expert said she found the results "especially compelling" because the benefit was driven by a lower risk of vascular dementia rather than Alzheimer's disease.

"And that makes biological sense, because we know statins lower cholesterol, reduces inflammation and protects blood vessels," she added, pointing out that these same mechanisms prevent vascular damage to the brain.

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Statin therapy should be viewed as one piece of a broader health strategy alongside exercising regularly, adhering to a healthy diet and staying socially connected, according to the expert.

Almost half of dementia cases may be preventable or delayable by addressing modifiable risk factors, according to the Lancet Commission.

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The study did have limitations. Because it was observational rather than a randomized clinical trial, the researchers could not definitively state that statins directly prevent dementia.

As Sinvani cautioned, "This is not proof that statins prevent dementia, but I think it's an important step in this literature."

The doctor encouraged people with type 2 diabetes who are not taking a statin to ask their doctor whether the medication is appropriate for them."

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