Police Seek Father In West Side Murder; Child Abduction
CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio 780) -- Chicago police say they're concerned for the safety of a 16-month old girl allegedly abducted by her father over the weekend after her mother was murdered.
WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports police have issued an Amber Alert for Guadalupe Medina of the 40-hundred block of West 30th Street in the Little Village neighborhood.
Deputy Police Supt. Hiram Grau says investigators don't know whether the little girl and her father Fidel Carrasco are still in the Chicago area, are on their way towards Mexico, or are somewhere else.
Police say Carrasco also uses the name Daniel Medina.
The man and his daughter have been missing since Carrasco's wife Maria Medina was stabbed to death in the family's coach house apartment.
Deputy Supt. Grau says police are concerned about Carrasco's state of mind and for the girl's safety.
Two other children, a three-year old boy and a two-and-a-half month old boy were also found in the apartment. They had not been hurt. Grau says the infant and the toddler girl were fathered by Carrasco.
Deputy Supt. Grau says police are trying to find out from Medina's three-year old son whether he saw his mother killed but Grau points out that police "have to handle that situation very delicately".
Police say Carrasco is believed to be driving a green, two-door Pontiac Grand Am with Illinois license plates 6-8-1-4-6-9- 4. Anyone who sees the car is asked to call police.
Chicago police Chief of Detectives Maria Maher says Carrasco and his wife, Maria Medina, were heard arguing around seven o'clock Saturday evening. Medina later talked with a neighbor to plan a shopping trip but around midnight, witnesses reported more commotion from the family's apartment.
Deputy Supt. Hiram Grau says Carrasco's wife was found stabbed to death in the bathroom of their coach house apartment.
Law enforcement agencies from Chicago to Mexico launched a manhunt early Monday for a man accused of fatally stabbing his wife and abducting his toddler daughter. Police issued an "Amber Alert" for the suspect who may be headed to Mexico.
The bulletin issued by Chicago Police identified the suspect as Daniel Medina, 47, of Chicago. The alert described Medina as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. According to police, he is driving a green, two-door Pontiac with Illinois license plate 6-8-1-4-6-9-4 and is possibly headed to Mexico.
The Amber Alert identified the missing child as Guadalupe Medina, a female Hispanic, one-year of age, two feet tall, weighing 25 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Police said the girl was abducted from an apartment in the 4000 block of West 30th Street in the Little Village neighborhood.
It was at that address where police earlier found the child's mother fatally stabbed. The victim was identified as Maria Del Rocio Medina, 29. She suffered multiple stab wounds to the upper body, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Her body was discovered at approximately 2:30 p.m. She was pronounced dead at 4:10 p.m.
When police arrived, they found two other children unhurt, including a 3-year old boy who was wandering around outside and a 2-month old boy who was found inside the apartment. The 1-year old girl was not at the residence. Neither was the husband, Daniel Medina.
Neighbors apparently heard the victim arguing with Medina prior to the stabbing, according to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer. Police scheduled a news conference for 5:00 a.m. at Chicago Police Headquarters at 35th and Michigan to provide more information about the investigation.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services took custody of the two young boys, according to a spokesman for the child welfare agency who could not provide additional information about the case.
Neighbors said the victim was a stay-at-home wife and mother of the three children. They said the family moved into the apartment approximately two months ago.