Missing 1-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Joliet Township Home

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 27, 2017 2:33PM

Semaj Crosby (Will County Sheriff's Office)

Update, 2:00 p.m.:
Police are investigating the death of 1-year-old Semaj Crosby as a "suspicious death," Will County Sheriffs office Deputy chief Rick Ackerson said on Thursday, although no imminent arrests are expected, according to reports. According to the Tribune, police said that Semaj was found inside a home in which she lived that was in "deplorable condition." As many as five to 15 people were living at the home at a given time—some family, some "squatters," as the family's attorney described them, according to Ackerson. According to ABC7, deputies searched the home "seeing if they could find her in obvious places," Ackerson said, not long after Crosby was initially reported missing. But she wasn't located until police and FBI again searched "with the assistance of the attorney" for the family of the child, late on Wednesday night.

Original:
A scary situation in Will County has taken an even more tragic turn. A 1-year-old girl who had been missing for several hours was found dead inside a Joliet Township home early on Thursday.

At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, police from from the Will County Sheriff’s Office, along with FBI, searched a home in the 300 block of Louis Rd., "with the assistance of the attorney" for the family of the child. Authorities found the body of 16-month-old Semaj Crosby at around midnight, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office.

The county coroner's office has pronounced Crosby deceased, according to Will County Sheriff's Office. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is scheduled to be completed later on Thursday.

Crosby was reported missing on Tuesday evening, at around 6:30 p.m. by her family. She was found early Thursday morning at a residence "right in the center" of what had been an extensive 30-hour search, which included a dive team and dozens of volunteers, according to NBC.

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services officials were at the home just a few hours before the girl was reported missing on a pending investigation of neglect. DCFS said they found no signs of harm.

DCFS said:

“We have had prior contact with this family including four unfounded investigations for neglect and two prior pending investigation for neglect opened in March 2017. DCFS had been at the home on April 25 at approximately 3:20 p.m. and had seen all three of the mother’s children including Semaj. There were no obvious hazards or safety concerns at that time. DCFS has been working with the family, offering services since September 2016."

Police are expected to release more information at a press conference later on Thursday.