WHEELING, Ill. — UPDATE:
Police said child's body found in a northwest Indiana retention pond has been identified as that of a 1-year-old Jaclyn Dobbs, whose mother was found dead days earlier.
Indiana State Police found the body Thursday, Nov. 12 in a Hammond pond.
Missouri authorities arrested a man Thursday who is a person of interest in Murphy's death. Police said he had a relationship with Murphy and was last seen with her Monday at a mall.
ORIGINAL:
A baby girl was reported missing and possibly in danger after her mother was found dead in her apartment Tuesday night, Nov. 9.
One-year-old Jaclyn "Angel" Dobbs lived with her mother Ja'nya Murphy, 21, on Inland Drive in Wheeling, a Chicago suburb, according to the Wheeling Police Department.
Concerned family members filed a missing persons report with police after not hearing from Murphy since Monday, Nov. 8. Wheeling police officers visited Murphy's apartment for a well-being check and found the balcony door unlocked. Upon entering the residence, they realized the 21-year-old was dead from strangulation and her baby was missing.
According to an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory Alert, Dobbs is 2 feet tall, weighs 24 pounds, is Black and has black hair and brown eyes. It was believed that the baby girl was in a maroon 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan with Illinois license plate FP139293, and the vehicle was later found in Missouri without Dobbs.
The Wheeling Police Department asked the public to report any sightings of Dobbs or the Grand Caravan by calling 847-459-2632 or 911.