Left, mother and daughter Ja'nya Murphy with Jaclyn and right, Jaclyn Dobbs
Body recovered from pond in Hammond is child missing from Deerfield, IL
Contributed By:The 411 News
Child's remains discovered by construction workers
Indiana State Police from the Lowell District announced Thursday night's positive identification of a child's body as Jaclyn Angel Dobbs, found in a retention pond along the Borman Expressway in Hammond, now awaits a coroner's autopsy for the cause of death.
Dobbs is the 1-year-old child who had been reported missing from her home in Deerfield, IL, Wednesday morning. The child's mother, 21-year-old Ja'nya Murphy had been found dead in their home.
According to NBC News 5, around the same time as the search began in northwest Indiana, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said an autopsy found Murphy, Jaclyn's mother, died of asphyxiation strangulation.
According to authorities, investigators uncovered video evidence that led them to a person and vehicle of interest in the case. Police did not release the person of interest's identity but said the person "had a previous relationship" with Murphy, though he is not the child's father, police said.
The person of interest had been seen with Murphy the day before her body was discovered.
Thursday afternoon, ISP were dispatched to the area of I-80 and the Kennedy Ave. ramp for a report of a person in a retention pond. The pond is located on the south side of the ramp from I-80 eastbound to northbound Kennedy Ave.
When troopers arrived at the scene, they spoke to a construction worker who showed them what appeared to be a body in the retention pond. The Hammond Fire Department also arrived on scene and immediately entered the water, removing the body from the pond.
News reports show that Wheeling, IL police were heading to northwest Indiana shortly after noon, Thursday. The body was a black female whose age appeared to be less than five years old.
The person of interest was located in Missouri and is in custody.
Story Posted:11/12/2021
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