Suspect in custody after stabbings that killed woman, wounded 2 of her children on Chicago's South Side
A man was arrested in northwest Indiana on Friday in connection to the stabbing death of the mother of his child on the South Side of Chicago, and the kidnapping and stabbing of her two other children.
The abduction prompted an Amber Alert overnight, before it was canceled early Friday when one of the boys, age 8, was found safe.
Teone Jones leaves behind three sons, age 11, 8 and 3. Two of them were recovering Friday afternoon at Comer Children's Hospital after being stabbed multiple times. Her family said they were attacked by the man who said he loved her.
Jones' family said, around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, she spoke to her mother as she was cooking dinner for her family. Sometime after, her boyfriend and the father of her youngest son stabbed her and her two eldest boys, kidnapped them, and left her behind.
"She was a great mom. Her children changed her life. She turned it around for them," said her brother, Malik Wilson.
Jones' family said the mother of the 39-year-old man now in custody found Jones in her home Thursday night on the 7100 block of South Eberhart Avenue, with the doors and windows nailed shut.
"There was blood all over the house. By the time she got to her, she was still alive. ... She was alive in the ambulance, too. She was giving her CPR when the ambulance was coming, but she died in the hospital," Wilson said.
Amber Alert issued after boys were kidnapped
An Amber Alert went out for Jones' 8-year-old son after her family said her 11-year-old son somehow escaped the suspect's car and ran down the street looking for help. He found Cynthia Keel, a neighbor who called 911.
"I heard someone running up the stairs, and then I heard this bam, bam, bam, 'Help me. Help me.' I froze," Keel said. "I came to my door, and I saw a young man and run across the street, this car was coming, so I run across the street, some blood all over his face, all over his hands. Well, first of all, when I opened my door, there were two bloody handprints on my window. That just shook me."
Later, the 8-year-old was found after he was seen entering a gas station at 79th and Damen just before 4 a.m. on Friday.
Police said both the 8-year-old and the 11-year-old were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Their conditions have since stabilized, and both have undergone multiple surgeries for serious stab wounds all over their bodies.
The suspect was taken into custody around 10 a.m. by police on Interstate 65 in Merrillville, Indiana.
According to police, a plate reader alerted officers about the silver 2022 Ford Escape mentioned in the Amber Alert around 9:30 a.m. About 10 minutes later, the Ford was located on I-65 near U.S. 30 in Merrillville, where Indiana State Police began chasing the car, with help of a Lake County Sheriff's Department helicopter.
Police were able to box in the car and force it to stop. The driver was ordered to exit the vehicle but refused while putting a knife to his neck, police said.
He was then taken into custody and then to a local emergency room for evaluation for a neck wound.
The suspect previously worked as a caseworker at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
"I found out at the tail end that they were in an abusive relationship two months ago, and then I just went over to my mom's house two days ago and found out that she had moved back in with him," Wilson said.
Jones' family described her as a wonderful mom; someone who was loving working as a hairdresser, and someone who will be dearly missed.
"She was a beautiful soul. She was the person that would help out at the cookout, and she would help clean up before, after, during. She would help cook everything. She just, she brought the family together in a lot of circumstances," Wilson said.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
