The parents of an 11-year-old girl who was sexually molested in Washington Park last week have approached authorities.
They have asked to officially arrest the guy who was challenged by neighbours on Monday.
Police have responded that they are still compiling evidence against the suspect.
Child Pointed Him
According to the girl’s relatives, neighbours detained a guy who matched the suspect description on Monday. They waited for authorities to arrive. The child pointed him out as her attacker.
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Police have confirmed that a certain person is a suspect in this case. But they have also said that as of Tuesday morning, he was no longer in custody because there wasn’t enough evidence to make an arrest and file charges.
“We need to stay on the right side of the law, so we can’t reveal too much just now; we want to make an arrest and file charges, after all.
Indeed, this is a legalistic country. In order to increase the likelihood of the state’s attorney authorising charges, we must comply with the law and collect all relevant evidence,” Police Chief David Brown said.
The Head of Detectives’ Report
Brendan Deenihan is the head of detectives for the Chicago Police Department. He said that the detective in charge of the case has talked to the girl’s family. That detective is working with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office to build the case and file charges.
Currently, “we’re engaging with the family and continuing to construct our case,” he added.
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The guy was allowed free by the police, and his family is upset about it.
“My little girl has started to get the jitters. Please lock him up and don’t let him out. She is certain that this is really him “. Her mom claimed during a gathering in front of Chicago Police Headquarters on Tuesday morning.
“Wait, so you’re saying they’re going to release this guy? Oh, you mean to tell me that? I can’t believe you think that. It’s not something I can tolerate. This is not fair, and I will not stop fighting for justice as long as I have the energy to do so “. Her grandma said.
For privacy reasons, East County Gazette is not revealing the girl’s identity or the identity of her family.
On Monday, we reported that the police had produced a sketch of the guy they believed was responsible for the assault and sexual abuse of the 11-year-old girl.
On her way home from school along a Safe Passage route, the child was pulled into an alley behind the 6200 block of South Indiana Avenue. She was sexually molested at about 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The guy left when the girl managed to free herself and escape away.
The suspect’s drawing rapidly went viral in the Washington Park area and on the internet.
On Monday, people in the area saw a guy who fit the description and challenged him.
They restrained him and made a FaceTime call to the mother. He took a snapshot and emailed it to the girl’s grandma, who was also there.
Grandma’s Notes
According to the girl’s grandmother, the granddaughter is certain the guy seen in the image is the one who assaulted her.
She became visibly upset, began to weep, and said, “That’s him! There he is!” We had to hold her because she was trembling so much.
That’s how I realised she was speaking from experience. Monday, the girl’s grandma said. When asked about it, she responded, “I will never forget that face.”
The family claims that police warned them that the investigation was compromised when the youngster saw the photo and that the man’s detention may be overturned as a result.
Deenihan said that the girl’s ability to figure out who did it by looking at a family photo wasn’t the same as being able to figure out who did it by looking at a photo array used by police during an investigation.
“The investigator has been coordinating with the state attorney’s office and the family. Even though that’s clearly not a good picture, we’re going to try all in our power to construct the case correctly, ” Deenihan said.
Implications of The Finding
“Any single image of the perpetrator shown to a crime victim is contaminated in their eyes. A case of faulty identification. At the absolute least, they should be shown more than one photo or one lineup of suspects to eliminate the possibility of a false positive “In the words of Miller.
Miller stressed that the fact that there hasn’t been an arrest shouldn’t be seen as proof that there won’t be one in the future.
Local activist Andrew Smith said the family wants Brown, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to treat the case as if the child were their own daughter and move quickly to find the person responsible.
Brown stood up for the Police Department’s actions.
“Really, we always behave as if it were a close friend or family member involved. We, and our investigators in particular, always move quickly when necessary.”
In his words, “We’re in a hurry, but it’s important that we don’t rush the process. If we want the state’s attorney to authorise charges, we have to do our best. “
