Note: This story contains graphic new information about the murder of 17-year-old Mia Maro that were detailed within a court proffer released Wednesday. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Court documents are shining light on horrific new details in the murder of 17-year-old Tinley Park student Mia Maro, who was found dead inside of her home over the weekend.
Authorities announced that 42-year-old Mohammed Almaru has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in his daughter’s death, and a proffer released on Wednesday shows the graphic details of what led up to the teen’s murder.
During their investigation, police uncovered a letter that Mohammed wrote to his son after allegedly beating his daughter to death, as well as text messages sent by the suspect’s sisters that show their frantic attempts to contact Mia in the days leading up to the discovery of her body inside of a Tinley Park home.
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.
Police say that physical evidence at the scene indicated that Mia had been brutally beaten with a metal pole and a rubber mallet.
Mohammed was found lying next to his deceased daughter on Sunday, and had suffered self-inflicted cuts to his wrists and throat, and had ingested medications, according to police. He was taken to an area hospital, where is continuing to receive treatment.
Randa Almaru and Linda Maro, who are Mohammed Almaru’s sisters, are the primary caretakers for Audrey Jorgenson. Jorgenson is Almaru’s wife and Maro’s mother, and she has required 24-hour care since suffering a medical emergency and traumatic brain injury in the spring of 2019, according to the proffer.
Local
On April 26, Randa had to leave for an appointment and had made arrangements with Mia to come home to care for her mother. Mia was supposed to arrive at the home by 11:30 a.m., but did not. When Randa texted her, she told her aunt that she had “accidentally rear-ended” someone while driving Mohammed’s vehicle, and that she was afraid that her father “was going to kill her.”
In April, the proffer reveals that Mia Maro was in the last month of her senior year at Victor Andrew High School, and was preparing to attend her senior prom on Friday.
Maro told friends and family that she had been given permission to attend the dance, and that her father had picked out the dress for the event. However, the day before the dance, Mohammed Almaru told his daughter that he had changed his mind, and that she “did not trust her,” the proffer said.
On the day of the prom, Linda arrived at the residence to take care of Jorgenson, and began to track Mia’s phone through the “Find My iPhone” feature to see if her niece had gone to the prom. The tracking showed that Mia’s phone left Tinley Park on two different occasions, but did not go to Chicago, where the prom was.
The next day, Linda messaged Mia and did not receive a response. She drove by the home and observed that the blinds were closed, and stated to police that she made note of that fact since Mia generally opened the blinds in the home.
On May 1, Linda texted Mia again, and received no response, so she began to call and text her sister Randa. At approximately 2 p.m., the pair decided that Randa would try to purchase marijuana from Mohammed to get into the house to see if Mia was okay. Mohammed told Randa not to tell “anyone that she was coming over,” and that she was the only person he trusted.
Two hours later, Mohammed texted a photo to one of his sons showing him holding a letter.
In the letter, Mohammed claimed that Mia was “hiding things from him,” and that he had to beat the information out of her. He admitted to going through Mia’s phone, and said he allegedly “found things” that his daughter had not told him the truth about.
“I lost my mind, went out of control, and beat the s*** out of her, and accidental (sp) hit her in the head,” he said in the letter. “I laid down with her, was uncontious (sp) and woke up to her cold body.”
When Randa arrived at the house on May 1, Mohammed answered the door, and asked her to sit with his wife so that he could “do some paperwork.”
It was at that point that Randa began to hear gurgling noises coming from the bedroom, and when she entered the room, she found Mia lying on the floor of the bedroom, where she was covered with a blanket. Mohammed was lying next to his daughter with his arm draped over her body, and Randa called police at that point.
Authorities say that Mia was pronounced dead just before 5 p.m. Sunday. An autopsy revealed that she had suffered multiple injuries, and her death was ruled a homicide.
She had suffered “extensive hemorrhaging and bleeding” in her brain due to repeated strikes to the head, and she also had suffered wounds to her forearms, hands, legs and feet. A metal pole was located in the kitchen, which contained blood and hair, and a rubber mallet was located in the garage, officials said.
A tarp and bungee cords were also found in the home.
Mohammed Almaru was ordered held without bond, and a court date has not been set.
