Blue Island man charged with kidnapping, murdering 10-year-old girl in Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. (CBS) -- A Blue Island man is accused of kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in Rockford on Saturday.
Antonio Monroe, 44, is charged with first degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation.
According to the Rockford Police Department, officers responded at 12:07 p.m. when a 6-year-old girl came home and told her mom that a man had taken her 10-year-old sister.
At 12:40 p.m. a man flagged down officers after finding an unresponsive girl outside a home in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue.
Officers began administering CPR to the girl, and the Rockford Fire Department trasnported her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Police then established a perimeter, and an officer with a K9 unit located Monroe, who matched the description of the kidnapper, near 9th Street and Woodruff. Police say he was taken into custody after a brief struggle.
"From the time my phone rang about this incident yesterday my stomach has been a knot. I met with the mom yesterday. My condolences to that family. No one ever wants to get a knock on the door from the police that their child has been murdered," said Chief Carla Redd of the Rockford Police Department.
Monroe was then hospitalized for an unrelated issue and will be taken to the Winnebago County Jail upon his release.