The body of Catherine Saterfield-Buchanan was found sprawled naked on a curb. Angela Ford was found dead in the basement of an abandoned building. Cynthia Halk, in an alley garbage can. ...
Since 2001, Chicago police have logged more than 8,800 homicides. Most of the victims were young adult males. Another subset: 75 women who've been strangled or smothered, their bodies dumped by killers who had reason to think they'd never be caught and punished. Sure enough, arrests have been made in only a third of those slayings.
The Tribune's Annie Sweeney and Ariana Figueroa delved through thousands of pages of crime reports and medical examiner records to build a database from the 17 years for which the information was publicly available.
... Saudia Banks, in an empty apartment. Margaret Gomez, in a muddy gravel lot near the Stevenson Expressway. Nancie Walker, in plastic bags on the side of a road. ...
Many of these women struggled with drug addiction, and at least 47 had histories of prostitution. We'd guess that only the killer and the victim were present at many if not most of these crimes; often the two may not have known each other's names. Some women were raped. Or severely beaten. Or gagged. Others had plastic bags tightened around their heads.
As Sweeney and Figueroa reported, the dangerous world many of the women frequented makes it difficult for Chicago police to solve their slayings. The last person who was with the victim often isn't known. Witnesses don't trust detectives. DNA evidence doesn't always lead to a suspect. And as in other illegal trades, people involved with drugs and prostitution frequently use aliases.
... Jacqueline J. Berott, on the riverbank of Bubbly Creek. Vanessa Rojakovich, in the Chicago River. Genevieve N. Mellas, near a lagoon in Marquette Park. ...
Family relatives, clergy members and neighborhood groups advocate to prevent the often high-profile killings of young men. Gunplay often leaves victims in public places and, when it stops, draws crowds.
These women, as a group, do have a few advocates: individuals and organizations trying to extricate victims-in-waiting from their perilous lifestyles. But when a crime is private and takes place in an economic underground _ when it's a "Murder on the margins," as the headline on the Tribune's report put it _ there may be no one who misses the victim. No one who says, "We want to help solve this crime."
... Precious J. Smith, wrapped in a comforter in an alley. Quanda Crider, in a closet of an abandoned house. Bree E. Gregory, in snow on the street. ...
These crimes are more likely to be avoided than solved. To the groups that try to pull women back from the brink, our heartfelt encouragement. To the cops who may have a corpse but not much other evidence, our hope that this city always remembers: Each of these women was somebody's daughter.
... Lutelda Michelle Hudson, in a stairwell. Rita French, in her bedroom. Amy Martinez, in a burning dumpster. ...
