The mother of an 11-year-old girl who was attacked on her way home from school last week says that Chicago police picked up a possible suspect Monday after community members identified him near the scene of the Washington Park incident.
Lissy Wakefield, whose 11-year-old daughter was grabbed and sexually assaulted Thursday afternoon as she walked home from school in the 6200 block of South Indiana Avenue, says that detectives told her that the man is not being charged yet in the case, but police have not confirmed details about the latest developments in the case.
Wakefield told NBC 5 that community members located a man who matched the description of the suspect given to police by her daughter following the assault.
Those community members apparently held the man until police arrived on the scene, and he was taken to a local hospital. She says her daughter identified the man as police arrived.
“They held him on gate to police came,” said Lissy. “My daughter identified him. It is 100 percent him. The same man who was taking her clothes off. Who laid her on the ground…smelling her neck. That is him."
Police told NBC 5 that no one is currently in custody, and said that no individual had been questioned in the case. Police did not provide any other details about Monday's incident.
Meanwhile, the girl’s family members will hold a press conference Tuesday morning at Chicago Police Headquarters, demanding that a suspect be held without bail.
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A $4,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
The girl is a 6th grader at Dulles Elementary. In a statement, the school told NBC-5 in part:
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We also want to emphasize again that we take all safety concerns very seriously and that we are working with the CPS Office of Safety and Security and CPD to continue to implement additional safety measures to support the safety of our students and staff, including requesting special attention to areas in the vicinity of our school grounds.
We will do everything we can to support those members of our school community that were impacted by this incident. If your child voices any concerns or fears regarding the incident, please let us know and we can provide them extra support through Crisis and Counseling supports.
