Sept. 02--A suspect has been taken into custody in the weekend stabbing and sexual assault of a woman at her home in suburban Willowbrook.
The suspect was arrested in South Bend, Ind., and was being questioned by police, according to a statement from the Willowbrook Police Department.
No other details were available, but on Monday authorities said they recovered a blue Nissan with an Indiana bicentennial license plate in nearby Brookfield that appeared to match the suspect's. Later in the day, the Illinois State Crime Commission announced a $5,000 reward in the case.
Before the arrest was announced, residents who lived near the scene of the attack said the crime was a reminder to lock doors and not take safety for granted.
"I was outside the other day, and I thought maybe I was unsafe," said Matt Szilagyi, whose family lives about a block away.
"It's scary," said Dominca Kaphusman, 80. "The things you don't have to do, you're doing now."
The victim, in her 20s, was loading her car in a driveway in the 700 block of 73rd Court around 1:10 p.m. Saturday when a dark blue Nissan Altima pulled up and a man approached and asked for money, Willowbrook police said.
She refused and went into the home, but the man knocked on a side door and asked to use her phone. He forced his way inside and stabbed her several times and sexually assaulted her, according to police and family.
The Tribune is not naming the woman or her family because of the nature of the crime.
The victim fought back "as hard as she could," her sister said. "The doctors were amazed that all these knife wounds missed major arteries and organs."
After the attacker left, the woman ran to a neighbor's house, where police were called. The suspect fled in the Altima, which had tinted windows and a "wind reflector" where the sunroof is, police said.
A person fitting the suspect's description had been in the area earlier in the week, and police have been re-interviewing neighbors. Police took sketches to residents in the area and a nearby strip mall, police Chief Mark Shelton said.
Neighbors on the victim's block barricaded the street with garbage cans Tuesday to prevent visits from media and gawkers. One woman, who did not identify herself, said neighbors made a pact not to speak with any more reporters out of respect for the family.
A GoFundMe page, set up by the sister to help cover medical expenses and lost wages while the woman recovers, had raised more than $35,540 by Tuesday afternoon, mostly in donations of $25 to $100 from about 540 people.
