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Brenda Ramos, 29, found murdered in her Lincoln Park apartment

January 1st, 2019

29-year-old Brenda Ramos was found murdered in her home in the 2600 block of North Hampden Court. She suffered apparent blunt force trauma and was discovered after police said they received a phone call alerting them to the incident. According to ABC7 Chicago:

The call was placed by a relative of Ramos's estranged husband, who told them they found the woman dead in the basement of the apartment.

An autopsy performed by the Cook County medical examiner’s office revealed Ramos died of multiple injuries from an assault. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

No arrests have been made at this time and no further details have been provided. Area North detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.

(Photo: John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

#murder #unsolved murder #homicide #chicago #chicago crime #true crime

Six months after the brutal murder of 81-year old Thana Muhammad, her family again increases the reward in hopes for new information

The reward now stands at $30,000.

Check out my previous post on Thana Muhammad’s horrific murder.

December 20th-

Thana Muhammad’s family refuses to give up. They continue to appeal to the public for help, and on Thursday launched a social media campaign called “Sunday Justice.”

They ask that at least one day a week, people make a point to share the reward flyer, pictures, and information on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Those pleas for help are echoed out on the streets as well- a sign hangs in front of the home where Thana was killed, urging someone to come forward to help find her killer.

“We’re convinced that the answers are in our community,” said Ashanti Chimurenga, Muhammad’s daughter. “We are convinced that we have a role in solving this case and we are convinced and determined that we are going to carry out that responsibility and duty to my mother.”

"She was a pillar of this city, of this community," said granddaughter Camille Durham. "She gave back as a radiologist at Cook County Hospital, Jackson Park Hospital. She dedicated her life to people."

Review of Facts of the Case:

Thana was killed shortly after she moved into a new home at 100th and Forest Avenue.

Her decomposed body was found inside the house stuffed into two storage bins

Her silver 2012 Honda Accord was discovered by police on June 14th on Chicago’s West Side, near Polk and Division. Police said she had previously lived in that area.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said she may have known her killer

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has not determined how or when the woman died. Investigators have not yet determined a motive.

Thana’s purse was also stolen

How the public can help:

If you have a tip, contact Justice for Thana.

Hotline number: 224-678-5001

Email: [email protected]

Anyone with information about the murder should call detectives at 312-747-8271.

#homicide #chicago #truecrime #unsolved #justiceforthana #cookcounty #murder #reward

The man charged with the murder of Karalynn McNicholas remains behind bars without bail

October 28th, 2018

The Chicago man charged with the murder of 18-year old nursing student Karalynn McNicholas is being held without bail at the Cook County Jail.

Trevon Clark, 20, was arrested August 22nd, 2018 - 3 long months after Karalynn was found dead in the backyard of a Chicago Lawn home. Clark was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a stolen vehicle.

You can find more information in my previous update here, and the original post here.

Little information was shared during the investigation, and no public updates have been made since the arrest of Trevon Clark.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s website, Clark is scheduled to be seen in court on November 14th, in the Criminal Courts Building.

As criminal proceedings continue, my thoughts are with Karalynn’s family and friends.

Updates will be made when available.

#crime #truecrime #justice for karalynn #mount greenwood #chicago #arrest #homicide #murder

Justice for Karalynn McNicholas. 20-year-old Trevon Clark has been charged with first-degree murder

Wednesday morning police announced that Trevon Clark, 20, has been charged with strangling the Mount Greenwood teenager. This news comes an agonizing 3 months after the death of the 18-year old nursing student Karalynn McNicholas.

Previous update here, original post here.

Detectives determined Trevon Clark was the last person seen with Karalynn, and still had possession of her car at the time of his arrest. He has been denied bail.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini, Karalynn and Trevon had begun a friendship online before meeting in person on May 4. On May 10, she was with Clark and another person in his basement apartment when an argument broke out. It is at this time that Clark grabbed her.

Santini reportedly told the judge,

“The witness saw the victim … as this defendant choked the life out of her’’

The Assistant State’s Attorney went on to describe the horrifying events of that night.

Clark then shoved her body into a rear storage compartment of her own car and drove off while the witness sat in the front passenger seat. When they reached the 6000 block of South Maplewood Avenue, Clark dumped her body in a backyard.

The arrest was made following the discovery of McNicholas’ car, a 2014 silver Kia Sorento, which was spotted near Clark’s home. The vehicle had undergone “major modifications.” Police traced the license plate to an address where Clark had been living at the time of Karalynn’s murder. When police pulled the car over, the unnamed driver (not Clark) was able to identify Clark as the person who strangled McNicholas.

Clark is being represented by Assistant Public Defender Andrea Webber. She plead with the judge for leniency, citing the fact that Clark has a child, has lived in Chicago his whole life and works in security. He has a minor criminal background, with one juvenile conviction for theft.

For the past three months, Karalynn’s family and supporters have been waiting with bated breath for any answers. The news of the judge’s decision to deny bail is but one small victory.

This past weekend would have been Karalynn’s golden birthday.

What’s Next?

Clark is due to return to court on Sept. 10.

In felony cases, a date is set for a preliminary hearing. This is an evidentiary hearing in which the District Attorney’s office must prove to a judge or court commissioner that there is enough evidence to believe the defendant committed a felony.

This is followed by arraignment, where the defendant is formally charged and enters a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest

Then there is a Plea Hearing - at which the defendant's responds to a criminal charge by entering a plea of guilty, not guilty or no contest. A plea agreement or plea bargain is an agreement between the prosecutor and the defendant for the defendant to plead guilty or no contest under certain terms and conditions, which must be approved by the judge, to prevent going to trial.

I speculate that due to the nature of the crime, the evidence that has been presented so far, and the witness identifying Clark as the assailant, that it is highly likely there will be some sort of plea agreement made, and the case will not go to trial.

More information to come as it is made available.

#crime #true crime #justice for karalynn #mount greenwood #chicago #arrest #homicide #murder

UPDATE - Karalynn McNicholas, 18, was strangled. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Karalynn McNicholas was an 18 year old nursing student from Mount Greenwood. She was found dead in the backyard of a Chicago Lawn home on May 11th. You can read my initial post about Karalynn and the circumstances of her death here.

According to a report released Tuesday from the Cook County medical examiner's office, Karalynn was strangled and her death has been ruled a homicide.

Case Review:

Karalynn McNicholas was last seen leaving her home near 111th Street and Central Park around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10th. She had plans to meet up with a friend, but never made it. She was reported missing after she did not return home the next morning. Her body was discovered in the backyard of a home in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, just 8 miles from her Mount Greenwood home.

Her purse & cell phone were missing, along with her car. Her car, a 2014 silver Kia Sorento (license plate AC54906), was spotted at 39th Street & Michigan Ave heading northbound around noon that Friday, a few hours after she was discovered. No updates have been given in regards to the car since then. No arrests have been made.

The initial autopsy did not rule on the cause and manner of death pending further investigation. Chicago police stated she had no visible signs of trauma.

Questions/ Considerations:

Police stated publicly that she had no visible signs of trauma, yet friends and family report she had bruises to her face. Law enforcement will sometimes withhold information if it’s critical to an investigation. Is it possible law enforcement didn’t want to spook someone they believe to be involved?

In my first post, I discussed how although the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office did not rule on the cause or manner of death initially, this did not mean they did not know how Karalynn died. This begs the question as to what advances in the investigation allowed the ME’s office to conclusively rule her death a homicide?

I previously speculated that perhaps Karalynn was a victim of opportunity. If she was targeted at random for her car/valuables, it’s unusual for the cause of death to be strangulation. With homicides motivated by theft, or possible gang activity, you would expect a weapon, such a gun or a knife

Was Karalynn involved in any drama at school or work? Would anyone have any motive to harm her? From all family and friend accounts, she was not the type to get into trouble. Looking at her facebook, I found a few troubling posts. Is it normal teenage drama, or could there be something there?

Chicago Tribune

Fox 32 Chicago

WGN TV

Facebook Page

#crime #true crime #homicide #chicago #murder #unsolved

A man believed to be linked to the Chicago deaths of Sadaria Davis, 15, and Shantieya Smith, 26, has been arrested for the rape and attempted murder of a woman in Tennessee.

24-year-old Charlie Booker was arrested Wednesday afternoon for speeding on I-57 near Monee by Illinois State Police. It was later discovered that Booker was wanted by police in both Chicago and Memphis.

According to Chicago’s WGN9, Memphis police said Booker raped and shot a woman three times, once in the head, before stealing her car. Thankfully, the woman survived the attack, which occurred July 18th. For the full story on the Memphis assault, check out this news story/video.

Booker was driving that stolen vehicle when he was arrested 60 miles south of Chicago. At this time he has been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, obstructing identification and driving on a suspended license.

Booker is also wanted in Chicago for questioning in the deaths of 26-year-old Shantieya Smith and 15-year-old Sadaria Davis. You can read more about their respective cases here and here.

It is believed that Booker might also have something to do with the stabbing of a woman in Chicago on July 15. I do not have more information on that stabbing at this time.

Charlie Booker currently being held in the Kankakee County Jail.

The Chicago Victims:

Shantieya Smith, 26, went missing on May 25. Her body was found weeks later underneath a car in a garage not far from her home. It is unclear how she died. In June, Smith’s family said they have provided police the name of a man they think should be a suspect, in addition to text messages. Smith’s mother said she has only been able to talk to a detective one time.

Sadaria Davis, 15 went missing in April. Her body was found a couple weeks later on May 11th, in a vacant apartment. The medical examiner has not been able to determine how she died.

About Charlie Booker:

• In a previous post, I outlined some theories floating around social media. Many believed that both Shantieya Smith and Sadaria Davis were last seen with the same man. For pictures and other info, check out the Social Media Speculation section in that post. Many users had a picture of what appears to be Charlie Booker, and had identified him only by the name “Charles” on their wanted posters.

• Shantieya Smith’s mother had previously stated in an interview that Shantieya was last seen with Booker.

• In June, police said a “person of interest” was in custody in Tennessee on an unrelated charge. We now know this person was Charlie Booker. It had also been said that Chicago detectives were going there to speak with him, but it is not clear if that ever happened. See my post about that update here.

• Booker has at least two previous arrests. He was arrested January 13, 2018 in Cook County for “CRIMINAL TRESPASS TO VEHICLES”. He was arrested June 13, 2018 in Shelby County and was charged with “FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE W/O WARRANT “

More information to come as the case develops. Check back soon.

#crime #true crime #chicago #arrest #unsolved #unsolved murder #unsolved mysteries

Bradley Habas, 17, disappeared while waiting to be picked up from Tinley Park High School

Bradley Habas was last seen when he was dropped off at Tinley Park High School on May 25th. According to a missing persons alert distributed by police, Bradley was supposed to meet someone picking him up from the school that afternoon, but he never arrived to meet his ride.

CBS Chicago states that Habas was reported missing from the 5000 block of Michigan Avenue, although police believe he may still be in the Tinley Park area.

Anyone with information about Bradley's whereabouts should call Chicago police detectives at 312-747-8380.

Questions/Considerations:

I’m uncertain at this time why he was reported missing roughly 22 miles from the high school. What could have he been doing around the 5000 Block of Michigan Ave?

Who last saw Bradley? Did he attend all his classes that day?

Were there any events going on at Tinley Park HS on May 25th?

Who had he arranged to pick him up?

Are police able to access his cell phone records to determine his last location and/or who he was in contact with the day of his disappearance?

5000 Block of Michigan Ave, where Habas was reported missing

#chicago #missing #missing person #true crime #tinley park #missing persons awareness network

See my original post about Thana here, and an update here

#chicago #crime #true crime #south side chicago #murder #reward

Second victim from burned car has been identified

Don Tae Ray Morgan, 21, has been identified through dental records as the second man found in a burned car earlier this week.

courtesy of Legacy.com

On Tuesday, authorities were alerted to a vehicle engulfed in flames in East Joliet Township. There were two men inside burned beyond recognition. An autopsy performed the Will County Coroner determined that both men had died of a single gunshot wound prior to the car fire. The other male victim was Joliet resident 19-year-old Xavier Sallie.

The sheriff’s office issued a press release on Friday, stating:

Will County Sheriff's detectives are continuing their search for the offender/s of the double homicide that took place June 26, 2018 in Joliet Township. Detectives believe the vehicle that Sallie and Morgan were found in was intentionally set on fire in order to conceal the murders. Xavier Sallie was the owner of the vehicle, a 2004 Mercedes.

Anyone with information about the victims prior to the incident, or had contact them in the days prior to their murders should call the Sheriff's Office at 815-727-8574, extension 4950.

See my previous post here.

WJOL 06/29/18

Chicago Tribune 06/30/18

Patch 06/28/18

Will County Sheriff Press Release 06/29/18

#murder #homicide #truecrime #chicago

Two men found dead in a burning car; both had been shot

Rowell Avenue crime scene, image via John Ferak

On Tuesday night, East Joliet Fire Department was alerted to a vehicle engulfed in flames in southwest suburban Joliet. The vehicle, which was parked at Rowell Ave and Sugar Creek Drive, contained the bodies of two men who were determined to be the victims of a homicide.

According to the Will County Corner, both men had been shot prior to the car fire. The bodies had been burned beyond recognition, but police did confirm both victims were male.

One of the two men has since been identified as Xavier C.E. Sallie, 19. The coroner’s office has not released the name of the other male.

courtesy of Legacy.com

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Investigation Division at 815-727-8574.

Questions/ Considerations:

Xavier had some run-ins with the law. He was arrested and booked into the Will County jail on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and unauthorized possession of ammunition in January of 2017

Other incidents can be found through the Will County Court Circuit

CBS Chicago 6/27/18

Joliet Patch 6/27/18

The Herald-News 1/23/17

#homicide #chicago #truecrime #joliet #crime

Family of 81-year-old Thana Muhammad has announced an increase in the reward offered for information leading to an arrest

The reward now stands at $20,000.

Check out my previous post on Thana Muhammad’s horrific murder.

Wednesday, relatives of Thana Muhammad pleaded with the community to come forward with any information. Thana’s granddaughter, Camille Durham, appealed to the public in a heart-wrenching interview:

"These are all small things that maybe you saw and you don't realize they're part of a bigger picture. These are the type of tips that we need. We are increasing our reward to $20,000 because we need something from the community. Someone knows something. As the saying says, the truth shall set you free...that's what we need here. We need someone who knows something to step forward so that we can end this senseless violence and give my grandmother, Thana Muhammad, closure. This was a brutal, brutal murder, Chicago. This was brutal. We need your help."

Review of Facts of the Case:

Thana Muhammad drove a silver 2012 Honda Accord, with license plate R881876.

Family believes the vehicle was stolen from her home in the 10000-block of South Forest Avenue on June 5 or 6.

The vehicle was recovered by police on June 14 in the city's Lawndale neighborhood.

Police said she sustained "severe trauma” to her body

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said she may have known her killer

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has not determined how or when the woman died. Investigators have not yet determined a motive.

Thana’s purse was also stolen

Police have reviewed several angles of home surveillance video.

Thana lived alone, owned several properties on Chicago's South and West sides.

She moved back into the house on Forest about two weeks ago, after renting it out.

How the public can help:

anyone who saw the person driving that car or anyone who was given that car during that time period should contact police

anyone who saw Thana Muhammad in the two weeks leading up to her death and has pertinent information that could help the investigation should come forward

Anyone with information about the murder should call detectives at 312-747-8271.

#homicide #chicago #truecrime #unsolved

Lori Harbin, 44, found strangled in West Garfield Park

A woman was found strangled in a vacant lot in the 4500 block of West West End Avenue on the evening of May 25th.

Yesterday, Chicago Police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her as 44-year-old Lori Harbin.

Area North detectives are investigating. There are no persons of interest in custody as of Friday, according to police.

Locations:

Garfield Park and surrounding areas have had a lot of activity in the last few months with the discoveries of Sadaria Davis, Shantieya Smith, and a still unidentified man.

The starred locations on map below shows where each body was discovered:

Sadaria Davis, 15, was found dead in a vacant apartment building. Cause of death is still unknown.

Shantieya Smith, 26, was found dead under a car in a vacant garage. Cause of death is still unknown.

The unidentified male discovered June 13th was found dead in a garbage bin. Cause of death has not been released.

#chicago #homicide #truecrime

Thana Muhammad, 81, found dismembered at her Far South Side home

Her family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Human remains were found in garbage bins Sunday when a real estate agent noticed a foul odor and called police. Police identified them as belonging to Thana Muhammad, age 81, who also was known as Mattie Chandler.

CBS Chicago reported that police claim she was found dead inside her home at 100th and Forest on Sunday. Police have also said she was decapitated. Her family, however, say this is incorrect. Family members said that her body was dismembered and placed in two storage bins.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson gave an interview affirming that it’s likely the killer knew Muhammad:

“The crime scene was very clean, and there was a lot of deliberation put into this horrific act,” he said. “It’s very likely that the person knew the victim. They put a lot of thought into what they did. Like I said, the crime scene was very clean, so they took their time and meticulously tried to hide what they had done, hide any potential evidence, so it’s hard to say whether it was domestic or not, but I would just – in my time in the detective division, I would speculate that the person did know the victim.”

What we know:

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that someone put a lot of effort into a “horrific act.”

they assume Thana was killed in her home

Thana’s car was stolen. The silver 2012 Honda Accord was later discovered Thursday on the West Side, near Polk and Division

Police say the killer may have cleaned up the home after the murder

My Questions/Considerations:

This case is reminiscent of a similar case involving an elderly woman murdered in her home last month. Australia Landingham, 82, was beaten to death in her home. She died of blunt force trauma and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Her son-in-law has since been charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.

The police believe Thana Muhammad’s assailant is close to her as well.

A common motive in cases such as these would be financial gain -would anyone in Thana’s family have any monetary gain from her death?

Was Thana offering to support any family members or friends, and maybe recently stopped providing support?

Anyone with information about the case should contact Area South detectives at 312-747-8271, or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com

CBS Chicago 6/15/18

ABC7 6/15/18

Chicago Tribune 6/15/18

Seattle Times 6/15/18

Chicago Tribune 6/1/18

NBC Chicago 6/15/18

#chicago crime #crime #chicago #truecrime #homicide

Police Confirm Deaths of 15-year-old Sadaria Davis and 26-year-old Shantieya Smith are related; “person of interest” detained in TN

June 14, 2018

Additional information was provided by police today in an interview about the cases of the missing women. Supt. Eddie Johnson of the Chicago Police Department was asked about the rumors on social media about the deaths of 2 women and others who have been reported missing:

“If there was a hint of a pattern of a serial kidnapper, whatever you want to call him out there, trust me, we would be on that in a moment’s notice. Of the six cases, only two of them are related.”

This confirms our assumption that the deaths of 15-year-old Sadaria Davis, and of 26-year-old Shantieya Smith, are related. Police also stated that they have a person of interest.

It was also reported that:

Supt. Johnson apologized to the community & the family of Shanteiya Smith for a comment he made yesterday saying both women were involved with drugs and prostitution.

Case updates:

Police say the same man was seen with both girls before their disappearances

The suspect is being held on an unrelated warrant in Tennessee

Detectives from the Chicago Police Department are headed to Tennessee to question the person of interest. [Note: Since the deaths have not officially been ruled as homicides, the suspect is not required to talk with police]

We do not know if this individual is the man that people on social media have been speculating about, “Charles”

#chicago #crime #truecrime #unsolved

Another body found in North Lawndale

A man’s body was discovered Wednesday morning in a garbage can in an alley in the 1400 block of South Hamlin Avenue.

Garbage workers found the man and alerted police. According to WGN-TV, neighbors who saw the body before police arrived said it looked as though the man had been beaten.

“The driver of the garbage truck said this is the second time his co-worker, the woman who found the man, has found a body since she’s been on the job.”

He has not yet been identified, and police have not revealed how the man died. No physical descriptors of the man have been given.

Chicago detectives have launched a death investigation.

Possibly related?

The body was found near the area where the bodies of Sadaria Davis (15) and Shantieya Smith (26) were discovered on May 11th and June 7th, respectively.

#chicago #truecrime #crime #body #news

Chicago police deny rumors about potential West Side serial kidnapper, confirm all recent missing women have been accounted for

An interview with Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson attempted to shut down rumors of a serial kidnapper/murderer.

Community members, people on social media, and myself have all speculated that the string of disappearances from the West Side may be related. In an interview on Wednesday, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson stated:

"Right now, there is no credible information that we have a serial kidnapper going around in the black community, pillaging. That's just not true."

In another statement however, Johnson said that two of the cases are believed to be linked. He did not say which two victims were the ones they are investigating together.

"Let me clarify something," Johnson said. "We know that there's only two of these individuals that are related."

More details of the cases were shared. As of today, police know the following information about the linked victims:

Both missing people were last seen with the same person

All three individuals were involved "in narcotics sales, prostitution and using narcotics together."

none of the cases have been ruled a homicide, pending autopsy results from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office

Social Media Speculation

While police have not yet named a persons of interest in either case, some individuals on social media have identified a man they believe had been last seen with both Sadaria Davis (15) & Shantieya Smith (26) before their disappearances.

Youtube user @MikeLarry2K10 shared this video:

Another user, @beachbeauty35 shared a similar image:

Questions/ Considerations

Who is this “Charles” individual? Have police spoken with him?

What happened the days of their disappearances?

Did Sadaria and/or Shantieya go with him willingly?

Sadaria and Shantieya were both missing for a few weeks before their bodies were discovered. How long were they deceased before they were found?

Cause and manner of death have not been determined, and the cases are not yet ruled homicides. How did these women die?

Shantieya had a 7-year old daughter at home, and on the day of her disappearance she left without her cell phone. Her family does not believe she would have willingly left her daughter. Did Shantieya go to meet this Charles person, expecting to come right home?

Both Shantieya and Sadaria were found on abandoned/vacant properties. This feels very intentional - the person responsible for bringing them to their final locations may have some experience with this before. Not sure in what context.

Were these women drug users? Sadaria was 15 years old.

That being said, police believe these deaths may be drug related. Our city is currently facing an opioid epidemic, and addiction can happen to anyone. Could these women have overdosed?

If so, why were they not discovered for weeks, and why were they hidden in vacant buildings? If someone was with either of them and wanted to avoid getting in trouble, they would not have to go through all the effort of moving and hiding their bodies. SOMEONE KNOWS SOMETHING.

Twitter post from Chicago Police 6/13/18

WGN-TV 6/13/18

Youtube @mikelarry2k10

Youtube @beachbeauty35

#chicago #crime #truecrime #missing #dead #news

The body found in a garage last week has been identified as Shantieya Smith, 26.

Smith, who had been missing since May 25, was identified using dental records and tattoos. Her body was found last Thursday under a car in a garage in the 1800 block of South Central Park Ave - just two blocks from where she was last seen.

An WGN-TV article from June 12th states that:

“Smith’s family said they have given police the name of a man they think should be a suspect in addition to text messages. But Smith’s mother said she has only been able to talk to a detective one time.”

Many people in the community (myself included) have speculated that Smith’s death was likely related to several other disappearances in the area. One of the missing women, Sadaria Davis, 15, was found dead in a vacant apartment building in early May, around the same neighborhood as Smith’s body was found. See my previous post about the missing women here.

Sadaria Davis & Shantieya Smith -

Disappearance Locations & Body Discovery Sites

As of June 13th, according to WGN-TV, police say the other girls have been found and are safe, and that “none of them were kidnapped.”

They are not saying that the death of Shantieya Smith and Sadaria Davis are related but they are investigating every possibility & are actively looking for a suspect related to Davis’ case.

#chicago #crime #truecrime #missing #dead #police #news

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