Police have made an arrest this week in connection with the death of Ja'nya Murphy, who was found Tuesday strangled to death in a Wheeling apartment and her 1-year-old daughter missing.
Wheeling police said 26-year-old Ahmeel Fowler from Pinegree Grove has been arrested in the homicide of Murphy and was taken into custody Tuesday evening from Springfield, Missouri.
Officials said Fowler was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation, though additional charges are anticipated in the case.
According to authorities earlier this week, investigators uncovered video evidence that led them to a person and vehicle of interest in the case. Police said the person "had a previous relationship" with Murphy, though he is not the child's father.
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The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said an autopsy found 21-year-old Murphy died of asphyxiation strangulation.
The body of Jaclyn Angel Dobbs, Murphy's daughter, was found in a northwest Indiana pond Thursday afternoon, according to the Lake County Coroner.
The 1-year-old was discovered in a water retention pond just off the expressway hours after authorities urged residents to avoid the area of Interstate 80 and Kennedy Avenue for "police activity," according to Indiana State Police.
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Dobbs' cause of death remains unknown as an autopsy was scheduled for Friday morning.
Wheeling police said they sent a team to the scene as they frantically searched for Dobbs, who had been missing since authorities discovered her mother strangled to death in a Wheeling apartment Tuesday. Indiana State Police confirmed they were working with the Major Crimes Assistance Team in northwest Illinois regarding the investigation.
