Body Discovered In Indiana Pond Is Missing Wheeling Baby: Police

Buffalo Grove IL

11 November, 2021

10:24 AM

Description

WHEELING, IL — Indiana State Police and the Lake County (Indiana) coroner confirmed Thursday night a body recovered from a retention pond in Hammond, Indiana, is that of missing Wheeling baby, Jaclyn "Angel" Dobbs, 1. An investigation into the cause of death is ongoing with an autopsy scheduled for Friday morning, according to a news release. Meanwhile, a person of interest in an apparent homicide of the baby's mother, Ja'nya Murphy, 21, was found in Missouri. Murphy was discovered dead Tuesday night in the Wheeling apartment she shared with Dobbs. The Cook County Medical Examiner said Murphy was strangled and died from asphyxiation as the result of a homicide. RELATED: Mother Slain, Daughter Kidnapped: Wheeling Police Police were dispatched to the area of Interstate 80 and the Kennedy Avenue ramp Thursday afternoon for a report of a person in a retention pond. The pond is located south of the ramp from I-80 eastbound to northbound Kennedy Avenue. When troopers arrived at the scene, they spoke to a construction worker who showed them what appeared to be a body in the pond, according to the news release. The Hammond Fire Department also arrived on the scene and immediately entered the water, removing the body from the pond. It was apparent that the body, a black female whose age appeared to be less than five years old, was deceased. This is an ongoing investigation. State Police detectives are currently following up on leads while working with the Major Crimes Assistance Team, which is comprised of multiple law enforcement agencies in Illinois, on this case. Ja'nya Murphy, 21, was found dead in her Wheeling apartment, which she shares with her daughter. (Wheeling Police Department) PERSON OF INTEREST Wheeling police said Thursday a person of interest has been identified in the case after acting upon information uncovered from video. The person had a previous relationship with Murphy and was seen with her on Monday, but is not Dobbs' father, according to police. Task force members learned the person had left Illinois. Police said they believe Dobbs had been in a maroon 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan with Illinois license plates. Late Wednesday, both the vehicle and person of interest were located in Missouri. Illinois State Police released an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory Notification in regard to Dobbs on Wednesday night. This notification is designed for situations which do not fit the criteria for an AMBER alert but do involve a person who is missing and believed to be in danger, according to police. A maroon 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan, believed to be involved in the case, was found abandoned in Missouri. "From the time of the initial discovery of the crime scene, investigators have executed multiple search warrants and are working around the clock to locate the missing toddler," Deputy Chief Al Steffen said. "Evidence has been recovered in several locations, including Missouri, and is in the process of evaluation. " The body of an African-American toddler was spotted by construction workers Thursday in a pond near the interchange at I-80 and Kennedy Avenue near Hammond in Northwest Indiana, state police in Indiana said Thursday afternoon. State police said identification of the child is pending an autopsy, but the child is a little girl and is under age 5. Indiana State Police said they have been in contact with police in Wheeling. "That's one of the leads we are pursuing," a state police spokesman said. Lake County, Indiana, where the child's body was found, is around 70 miles southeast of Wheeling. Murphy, a 2018 Stevenson High School graduate, was found dead Tuesday night at her Inland Drive home during a well-being check. Her daughter, Dobbs, who lived with Murphy, went missing in what police called a kidnapping. Police received a missing person report at around 10:22 p.m. Tuesday after Murphy's family became concerned when she didn't report to work and had not been in contact with family members since Monday, according to Wheeling police. Anyone with information can call Wheeling police at 847-459-2632.