2025 On Sunday, June 29, for Coeur d’Aene, Aidaho, behind him, a rifle fire, then shot and killed two firefighters and injured a third of the flames. According to the Kooten County Sheriff Service, the gunman killed himself until he could be detained.
When the name of the suspect was released – Wess Roley -, the Internet started doing what he had done for some time when the tragedy was widely reported – trying to identify the perpetrator’s family history and their political beliefs.
It never lasts. Social records on social media, including Reddit, Facebook and X, quickly appeared in showing “Roley’s Mother” and stepfather, Heather Lynn Cuchiara and Tony Cuchiara, who posed in front of the White House, wearing a Make America Gree Great hat, both supported by US President Donald Trump.
https://www.facebook.com/femineisttrnews.us/posts/pfbid0gaaaaqnbcswiFifq8mx32Sffzpg4bgxkvn8Tnxjfgdkjz4Tok49g9gvyujucl
Snopes readers wrote when asked if the photo was real. We contacted a lawyer who goes to the Roley family to ask you to comment on the story and check the photo, but we haven’t heard it yet.
In most cases, individuals in such situations quickly delete their social media accounts after news. In fact, it happened here – while Snopes tried to check the record, the personal accounts of Heather and Tony Cuchiara were private or deleted.
We did not find a photo in the accounts where we could have accessed until they were deleted. Basically, we could not directly check that the record was authentic because its origin, if real, had to be eliminated now the social media account had to be abolished.
However, there is no doubt that the woman in the White House photo is Heather Cuchiara.
The deleted Instagram account under the Heather_and_tony_ handle was in line with the name “Heather Lynn Cuchiara” and has recently been posted with headlines celebrating its 20th birthday named Wess, published by the Sheriff Service. In that account, Snopes found a tattoo Heather Cuchiara inside the right forearm that was also visible in a picture of the White House. The ink seemed to read “The Daddy of Love.”
(Snopes illustration / Instagram page Heather_and_tony_)
The fact that these small details were accurately correct are essentially guaranteed that the photo was not created because the AI tools try to depict the fine details. And while Snopes could not be rejected exactly that the picture was Photoshopped, a thorough look at any signs of digital editing did not reveal anything suspicious.
Although we cannot finally conclude that the photo of the Maga Hat is authentic and unpredictable without the direct approval of Heather or Tony Cuchiara, there is no evidence that the photo has been fake or edited.
Sources:
Table, Alexx Altman-Devilbiss &. Taylor Fishman |. National News. “Gunman recognized the deadly Aidah firefighter’s rescuer in Canfield Hill.” WPDE, 2025. June 30, Https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/gunman-dentify-wess-roley-recated-in-deadly-idaho-firefighter-asam USH-ON-CANFIELD-COEUR-Dalene-County-Sheriff-First-Resonder-Aow-Athoncaurcecation.
Gainor, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Bob Ortega, Casey Nolan, Danya. “What we know about Wess Roley, the 20-year-old is suspected of shooting at Aidaho Fire.” CNN, 2025. June 30, https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/us/idaho-fire-hototer-wess-roley.
Mascarenh, Tuanh Dam, Zoe Sottile, Amanda Musa, Danya Gainor, Susannah Cullinan, Amanda Jackson, Audry Jeong, Omar Jimenez, Hanna Park, Karina Tsui, Lauren. “June 30, 2025 – a suspect named in a firefighter’s ambush that remains 2 dead and 1 injured Aidaho.” CNN, 2025. June 30, https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/idaho-coeur-dalene-firefighters-shoot.
The press, Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson are related. “A man shot Aidah’s firefighters who asked him to move his vehicle by killing 2, Sheriff says.” NONTOP LOCAL KHQ, 2025 June 30, https://www.khq.com/national/man-hot-idaho-firefighters-who-useked-him-to-to-to-to-his-his-vehicle-killing-2-heriff/article_c5b0b0b7a-5c8f-5967-934d
“Suspect in Aidah’s firefighters’ rescuers identified as Wess Roley.” NBC News, 2025 July 1, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/susect-idaho-firfighter-ammbush-ntify-wess-roley-rcna215977.