Person Of Interest Held In Death Of Pregnant Woman
CALUMET CITY -- (CBS) A person of interest is in custody as police continue to investigate the death of a pregnant 18-year-old south suburban woman found strangled in a forest preserve on Sunday.
The Cook County Sheriff's office announced Wednesday a "person of interest is now in custody" for the strangulation of Rosemary "Rosie" Newman, 18, of Alsip. Newman was nine months pregnant at the time of her death, according to Tim McCarthy, Orland Park police chief and head of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force.
Sheriff's office spokesman Steve Patterson said "investigators do not believe Newman's death was a random act of violence."
Newman's body was found between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday by a man who was walking his dog in a Cook County Forest Preserve, Patterson said.
She was found near Freeland Avenue and Warren Street near Calumet City, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
An autopsy on Monday found Newman was strangled and her death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner's office said.
Newman was last seen at a south suburban restaurant with a friend Saturday night. Her family reported her missing when she failed to return home, Patterson said.
The sheriff's office and the task force continue to investigate.
Anyone with information or who saw Newman between 9 p.m. Saturday and early Sunday morning should call sheriff's detectives at (847) 635-1188. Tips can be made anonymously.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
