Chicago man charged with murder of pregnant woman dumped in Lake Michigan

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A Chicago man is accused of fatally stabbing a 19-year-old pregnant woman who was found in Lake Michigan over the summer.

Robert Drummond, 21, of Kenwood, is charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Yarianna Wheeler, the Lake County sheriff’s office said.

Wheeler was spotted by a fisherman Aug. 15 three miles southeast of Waukegan Harbor. She was six months pregnant. An autopsy found she had been stabbed several times before being dumped in the water.

Surveillance video shows Yarianna Wheeler before she went missing and was later found dead in Lake Michigan.

After she was identified, investigators searched Wheeler’s home in Chicago for evidence and worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to track water currents in an effort to narrow down where she might have entered the water, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives identified Drummond as a person of interest and determined he had met with Wheeler near Oakwood Beach. It appears the two were in some sort of relationship, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials combed the beach and found some of Wheeler’s belongings, designating the site a “likely crime scene,” the sheriff’s office said.

“I am incredibly proud of the tenacious efforts of our detectives throughout this investigation,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said. “Through their hard and diligent work, they quickly identified a person of interest, discovered the likely crime scene, and worked with Chicago Detectives to further the investigation.”