Two Girls Found Slain in N.Ill.Park
Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:12 pm
God - this is so horrible.
foxnews.com
Two Girls Found Slain in Northern Ill. Park
Monday, May 09, 2005
ZION, Ill. — Police on Monday said they had few leads in the murders of two northern Illinois school girls.
The bodies of Laura Hobbs (search), 8, and Krystal Tobias (search), 9, were discovered Monday morning in a heavily wooded area at 6:03 a.m. CDT. The girls, who attended the same elementary school and were described as best friends, had not been heard from since going out to ride their bicycles together Sunday afternoon.
Zion Deputy Police Chief Clyde Watkins said that police spent all night searching for the girls after both were reported missing shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday night. The parents of every one of the girls' classmates were contacted, but none had information on their whereabouts.
It appeared the police had few clues about the killer. Watkins implored the public to phone the police department with tips.
"There are two murdered children and we don't have anybody in custody," he said. "If anybody has information about the murders, we'd certainly like that information."
The county coroner said the girls had apparently been stabbed to death in the park where they were found by a passerby.
"The cause of death appears to be stab wounds," Lake County coroner Richard Keller said at an evening press conference. "There was no evidence of sexual assault in the preliminary examination."
Keller said the girls were not tied or bound, and that it was "difficult to say" if there had been a struggle.
Full autopsies were expected to be completed by Monday night.
The first girl to be reported missing was expected back from bike riding at 7 p.m., Watkins said.
Watkins confirmed that a bicycle had been taken by police from the wooded area of Beulah Park (search) where the girls were found, which includes a bike path and ravine. He could not say if the bike definitely belonged to one of the girls.
Earlier on Monday, Constance Collins, superintendent of the Zion Elementary School District 6, confirmed the girls were in the same second-grade class at Beulah Park Elementary School (search).
She said school was in session Monday and that adults would escort children home at the end of the school day. No child would be allowed to leave unescorted, she said.
She also said social workers and a crisis intervention team had been called together to help the students.
Brent Paxton, a Lake County Board member who lives across the street from the nature area, said he saw a couple of police cars cruising through the area and shining their lights at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. He didn't see any activity when he left for work around 8 a.m. Monday.
Paxton, who has three young children who play in park, said the neighborhood is generally safe and quiet. He's waiting to learn more about the case.
"Obviously, if it was random act, somebody just picking up kids in the park, I would be very concerned about that," Paxton said.
Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border, has about 22,000 residents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
foxnews.com
Two Girls Found Slain in Northern Ill. Park
Monday, May 09, 2005
ZION, Ill. — Police on Monday said they had few leads in the murders of two northern Illinois school girls.
The bodies of Laura Hobbs (search), 8, and Krystal Tobias (search), 9, were discovered Monday morning in a heavily wooded area at 6:03 a.m. CDT. The girls, who attended the same elementary school and were described as best friends, had not been heard from since going out to ride their bicycles together Sunday afternoon.
Zion Deputy Police Chief Clyde Watkins said that police spent all night searching for the girls after both were reported missing shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday night. The parents of every one of the girls' classmates were contacted, but none had information on their whereabouts.
It appeared the police had few clues about the killer. Watkins implored the public to phone the police department with tips.
"There are two murdered children and we don't have anybody in custody," he said. "If anybody has information about the murders, we'd certainly like that information."
The county coroner said the girls had apparently been stabbed to death in the park where they were found by a passerby.
"The cause of death appears to be stab wounds," Lake County coroner Richard Keller said at an evening press conference. "There was no evidence of sexual assault in the preliminary examination."
Keller said the girls were not tied or bound, and that it was "difficult to say" if there had been a struggle.
Full autopsies were expected to be completed by Monday night.
The first girl to be reported missing was expected back from bike riding at 7 p.m., Watkins said.
Watkins confirmed that a bicycle had been taken by police from the wooded area of Beulah Park (search) where the girls were found, which includes a bike path and ravine. He could not say if the bike definitely belonged to one of the girls.
Earlier on Monday, Constance Collins, superintendent of the Zion Elementary School District 6, confirmed the girls were in the same second-grade class at Beulah Park Elementary School (search).
She said school was in session Monday and that adults would escort children home at the end of the school day. No child would be allowed to leave unescorted, she said.
She also said social workers and a crisis intervention team had been called together to help the students.
Brent Paxton, a Lake County Board member who lives across the street from the nature area, said he saw a couple of police cars cruising through the area and shining their lights at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. He didn't see any activity when he left for work around 8 a.m. Monday.
Paxton, who has three young children who play in park, said the neighborhood is generally safe and quiet. He's waiting to learn more about the case.
"Obviously, if it was random act, somebody just picking up kids in the park, I would be very concerned about that," Paxton said.
Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border, has about 22,000 residents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
