Photo Credit: William Lund/Limitless Media

ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS - Around 12:07 PM on Saturday, July 8th, 2023, the Rockford Police Department reports they received a 911 call from a woman that her 6-year-old daughter came home and saw an unknown man take her 10-year-old sister from their residence.

The Rockford Police reports that an officer was flagged down by a male who reported finding a young girl who was unresponsive outside of an abandoned home in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue around 12:40 PM. Once Rockford Police Officers arrived on the scene, they immediately began performing CPR on the young girl. The Rockford Fire Department was called to the scene and transported the young girl to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.

The Rockford Police Department quickly set up a perimeter around the crime scene. A Rockford Police K9 unit began searching the area and found a man that matched a description that was given to them of a possible suspect near 9th Street and Woodruff, which is about 3 blocks north of the area the girl was found. The man that the Rockford Police took into custody after a brief struggle was later identified as 44-year-old Antonio Monroe of Blue Island, Illinois. Blue Island, Illinois is a south suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The Rockford Police Department reports he was taken to a local hospital for an unrelated issue, and was later released and taken to the Winnebago County Jail. Antonio Monroe is also a registered sex offender.

The Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case, and Monroe was charged with the following charges:

First Degree Murder
Attempted Murder
Kidnapping (2 counts)
Aggravated Battery/Strangulation

As the investigation continues, the Rockford Police Department stated that further charges and arrests could be possible. The charges are simply accusations, and Monroe is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Rockford Police Department asks, if you have any information regarding this case, to please contact them at 815-966-2900, on Facebook, or on Twitter. To submit an anonymous tip, you can text the word RPDTIP and your tip to 847411, or get the Rockford PD App in the App Store or Google Play Store. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.