A baby who was missing after his mother was found dead in her Skokie home has been located, according to police.
Police and firefighters responded to the home Thursday at 10:24 a.m in the 8000 block of Keating Avenue for a call for a well-being check from a family member, according to Skokie Police.
Catherine M. Benyamin, 31, was found dead from circumstances still under investigation and pending results from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, police said. The death is believed to be a homicide and an isolated incident, according to police.
The baby was dropped off at a church earlier Thursday and was taken to UIC Medical Center, police said at a Thursday evening press conference. He is believed to be healthy and unharmed.
The pastor at the church said he received a push notification from NBC Chicago about the missing baby and realized the boy dropped off earlier in the day was the child police were looking for.
Benyamin is the parent of a 10-month-old boy, Joshua Powell, and authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding his father, Jermaine Powell, police said. A man matching his description may have dropped the baby off at a church at Roosevelt and Halsted.
Neighbors at the couple's Skokie apartment building say they had been there less than a year.
"It's very surprising, I'm just scared," said neighbor Nicole Brown Porter. "They always seemed nice, the baby, her and him. They always said hi, just smoking and going about their business. It's very scary."
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Skokie Police said it is an ongoing investigation. The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force is helping with the investigation.
