A convicted sex offender from suburban Blue Island was arrested Saturday for the kidnapping and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Rockford, according to authorities and WREX-TV in Rockford.
Antonio Monroe, 44, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation, the Rockford Police Department said in a news release.
At around 12:07 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Rockford police responded to a call during which a women said that her 6-year-old daughter had come home and stated that a man took her 10-year-old sister. Around a half hour later, police officers were flagged down by a man who found a young girl, who was unresponsive, outside a home in the 1200 block of Ninth Avenue.
Officers immediately began CPR prior to the arrival of the Rockford Fire Department, which transported the child to a local hospital where she later died. Police subsequently established a perimeter in the area, and a time later, a K-9 officer located a man who matched the suspect's description near Ninth Street and Woodruff, according to law enforcement. The suspect, later identified as Moore, was taken into custody after a brief struggle, police said.
Moore was transported to an area hospital for what police called an "unrelated issue," but stated he will be taken to the Winnebago County Jail upon release.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Rockford Police Department at 815-966-2900 or submit an anonymous tip by texting "RDPTIP" to 847411 or by calling 815-963-7867.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
