A convicted sex offender is accused of kidnapping and strangling a little girl to death in Rockford, Illinois, on Saturday.
Officials charged the Blue Island resident, identified as 44-year-old Antonio Monroe, with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, and aggravated battery in the death of 10-year-old Destiny Huggins, the New York Post reported Monday.
“This is a real life nightmare with a real life monster,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara told reporters on Sunday.
The girl and her six-year-old sister were playing outside around noon when Monroe allegedly snatched the two children and fled. However, the younger child managed to escape and ran home to tell her mother what happened.
The woman immediately called the police, and 40 minutes later, a man flagged down officers and told them he found a girl’s body near a home on 9th Avenue.
Authorities performed CPR on Destiny before transporting her to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
“Growing up in this city, I had the ability to stay outside and play until the street lights came on. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore due to sick individuals that make their way into the community,” Rockford Police Department Chief Carla Redd stated during a press conference:
“As a parent myself, I became an avid bike rider because my kids wanted to ride bikes. So we know this is not the time of the yesteryears, and we have to watch over our children,” she added.
Following the discovery of Destiny’s body, a police K-9 led officers to Monroe’s location, which was a few blocks away, where they arrested him after a short struggle.
He was transported to a hospital regarding an unrelated problem, and he will eventually be booked into the Winnebago County Jail.
The man is also accused of strangling the younger victim before she got away, and she also received treatment for her injuries.
As of Monday night, a GoFundMe page created to help the children’s mother has raised $9,482 of its $15,000 goal.
The Post article noted that “Monroe is a registered sex offender who was previously convicted of criminal sexual assault involving a 19-year-old victim in Peoria, Illinois,” adding it remains unclear why he was in Rockford on Saturday.
It is notable that lawmakers’ efforts to eliminate cash bail in Illinois were left to the state Supreme Court once justices heard arguments from Democrats, prosecutors, and sheriffs fighting against the law, the Associated Press (AP) reported in March.
Breitbart News reported in September the law abolishing bail in Illinois that was passed by Democrats and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) would release from jail suspects accused of second-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and additional violent crimes.
“Beginning January 1, 2023, Illinois will become the first state in the nation to have eliminated cash bail — even for some of the most violent crimes,” the outlet said, adding, “As a result, local district attorneys say they will be forced to free thousands of suspects accused of crimes like murder and kidnapping.”