Two Girls Found Slain in N.Ill.Park

[sunny]

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.

[Wpwxguy]

So sad...It seems that an all out attack has been waged against our babies in this country. People have gone completely nuts. So sad!

[sunny]

They were just babies, just little girls. My GOD.

[StormChasr]

It is all so frightening? What kind of a world are we leaving for the children?

[cycloneye]

How sad this story is.My prayers to the family.

[Cookiely]

No child is safe to be on their own anymore. Surely someone had to have heard them screaming. I wonder why there are no leads.

[Aslkahuna]

Although it may not apply in this case, things will only get worse as the US Government continues to let people convicted of sex (and other) offense against children in this Country reenter illegally after being deported.

Steve

[GalvestonDuck]

Although it may not apply in this case, things will only get worse as the US Government continues to let people convicted of sex (and other) offense against children in this Country reenter illegally after being deported.

Steve

Since when did we ever start deporting child molestors?

[azskyman]

Prayers to the family of the two girls. In my childhood years, I used to frequent another Zion park, Shiloh Park, which was within walking distance of my aunt and uncle's home on Eschol Avenue.

Zion is a deeply religious community...known widely for its summer "Passion Play." Residents there will take this very personally...so I would surely expect that justice will be served on the person(s) responsible.

[Javlin]

Yea if they would just quit letting these guys out of jail.My sister worked with Florida Corrections for awhile I guess like an analyst to these creeps.She told me I think years ago these guys are not that reabilatable.They should just throw them in with the regular population and we will not have to worry about them coming out.Even theives and murders have more moral values than these scum.

[Aslkahuna]

Those who are not US Citizens and are convicted of a crime in the US are deported to their home country after serving their sentences. A very large number of these from Mexico have returned to the US or tried to and among these are quite a number of pedos. If you doubt this try digging up the Border Patrol's own stats on this and remember that by their own admission they do not apprehend more than 1/3 of the illegals entering the Country.

Steve

[CaptinCrunch]

I HOPE THEY CATCH THAT SICK PERSON AND SHOT HIM ON THE SPOT!!!

[sunny]

I HOPE THEY CATCH THAT SICK PERSON AND SHOT HIM ON THE SPOT!!!

I know Captin. It just makes me sick. Why would they do this to those poor little girls?

[GalvestonDuck]

Apparently, the father of one found them and now he's a "person of interest." Also of note, they were NOT sexually assaulted.

[sunny]

Apparently, the father of one found them and now he's a "person of interest." Also of note, they were NOT sexually assaulted.

I hadn't heard about the father. IT MAKES ME SO MAD.

I did hear that their clothes were still on both of the children, so at that point they did not think there was a sexual assualt.

[sunny]

I just read on Fox that the father and grand-father of one of the girls found that bodies. Also, they expect an arrest later today.

[Wpwxguy]

Seems that they do know who did this, waiting for a statement from the Zion , IL police dept. Lets hope they've got whom ever it may be.

[southerngale]

Those poor little girls...innocently riding their bicycles. Now they're gone from their families and friends forever. So heartbreaking and unimaginable. Whoever is responsible should be tortured to death! How can you harm innocent children? Makes me sick!!

They can't even ride their bikes!! What do you with kids today? Keep them under your nose all the time so some psychopath nutso evil predator won't get them?

I say we do a round-up in this country. Anyone who has ever hurt a child, physically, sexually, whatever - lock them all up in one place and throw away the key. THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS LIVING IN SOCIETY. NO SECOND CHANCES! Only then will our children be a little safer.

[sunny]

Kelly - that is what I just told a friend of mine. WE USED TO LIVE ON OUR BIKES. We rode them every where all of the time. Now we cannot let our children be children because of the psychos out there. And in some cases, because of the psychos in their own families. I don't know why - but this case has really gotten to me.

[OklahomaWeather]

Just heard on the radio- Laura's father has been arrested