Bodies of Two Girls Found in Illinois Woods; UPDATE - Father Charged [Archive] - www.s0lidgr0und.org

sws4420

05-09-2005, 03:33 PM

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ZION, Illinois (AP) -- The bodies of two young girls were found in woods Monday morning, not long after two 8-year-olds were reported missing, authorities said.

The girls were discovered by a resident walking through the area near Beulah Park in this town north of Chicago, Deputy Chief Clyde Watkins said. A bike path and a ravine run through the area.

"We had a complaint of two missing 8-year-olds earlier," Watkins said. But he said authorities had not confirmed whether the dead children were the ones who had been reported missing.

He said he couldn't comment further on the report or say whether the missing girls were related.

Zion, some 40 miles north of Chicago near the Wisconsin line, has about 22,000 residents.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/09/dead.girls.ap/index.html

sws4420

05-10-2005, 07:11 PM

ZION, Illinois (CNN) -- Police have charged Jerry Hobbs with killing his 8-year-old daughter, Laura Hobbs and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias.

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Hobbs faces two counts of first-degree murder.

He was reported to have found the girls' bodies early Monday in a park just blocks away from their elementary school, said police in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago.

Zion School Superintendent Connie Collins said the killings have left the community "in terrible shock."

"It's very difficult to begin to understand something like this," Collins said. "It's something that was not expected. In a community like this, we have never had this type of experience, so it's been very difficult for everyone."

'Mostly rage'
Laura's grandmother, Emily Hollabaugh, said her granddaughter was "a typical 8-year-old girl" who "always had a smile for everybody," and Krystal was "just as sweet as Laura was."

"I have a lot of questions, but it's just mostly rage at whoever could do this to two little girls," she said.

Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said the girls appeared to have been stabbed to death. Investigators found no initial signs they had been bound or sexually assaulted, he said.

Parents, police and city and school officials were expected to attend a community meeting Tuesday night to talk about the killings, to offer safety tips and to provide an update on the investigation, Collins said.

She said the girls' class had recently touched on the issue of loss.

"Fortunately, in talking with the classroom teacher, she shared with me that the children recently read a couple of books on loss -- 'Charlotte's Web' and 'The Taste of Blackberries,' " Collins said. "The children had an opportunity to discuss feelings and talk about what it meant to lose someone and to share with each other."

The girls were last seen riding bicycles during the afternoon on Mother's Day, Malcolm said. One of the bikes was recovered near the spot where their bodies were found, shortly after 6 a.m. Monday by a man taking a walk in Beulah Park, a spot that neighborhood parents warn children to avoid.

"It's out of sight of many adults who might possibly be around the kids or monitoring them," Collins said. "We try to keep them in the open."

Earlier, Malcolm promised that "no stone will be unturned" in the investigation.

"Right now there's no solid leads that we're focusing in on," Malcolm said. "It's a heinous crime. It's a crime against not only those kids, but against all of us."

Hollabaugh said the girls were seen playing in the park about 5:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

"I know she didn't come home for dinner and we got worried, and her brothers and sisters went out looking for her," Hollabaugh told Chicago television station WLS. "They didn't find her, and then, about 9 o'clock, they called the police."

Keller estimated the time of death at 1 to 2 a.m. Monday, but said that estimate could be affected by rain and cool temperatures in the area. Each girl had been stabbed at least twice, he said. Malcolm said the bodies were found about 100 yards off a bicycle path in a wooded area on the north end of the park.

Zion isn't used to such criminal events, said Mayor Lane Harrison. "This is an unusual occurrence for our community," she said. "We are going to do everything we can to bring this to a quick resolution."

Zion, population 23,000, had three reported homicides in 2002 and none in 2003, according to the police department's annual reports.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/10/illinois.girls/index.html