Joshua Summeries 5 m/o missing - Suspect In Custody

[luvit]

Police continue to search Thursday morning for 5-month-old Joshua Summeries, a northwest suburban Zion boy who was reported missing from his home early Wednesday.


Joshua Summeries, a 5-month-old Zion boy, has been missing since early Wednesday

The boyfriend of the missing baby's mother was apprehended and questioned sometime early Wednesday evening, according to Fox Chicago. Police are questioning him as a person of interest in the case.

He put up no resistance, but it took most of the day to find him, Zion Police Chief Wayne Brooks told the Sun-Times.

We still don't know where the infant is, and it's breaking my heart, Brooks said.

The mayor of Zion, a town roughly an hour north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border, said police believe the missing boy is still alive and that police are "going about [the investigation] believing the child is alive."

An estimated 125 police officers, emergency workers, K9 units and others went searching for Joshua after he was reported missing from an apartment in the 2300 block of Galilee Avenue 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Police say an AMBER Alert was not issued because that particular missing-child notification system requires confirmed information about an abduction.

After Joshua's mother reported him missing, police say she changed her story several times. According to CBS Chicago, she first stated a man had snatched the child through the window of her home, later saying the child was crying "a lot" and that her boyfriend had went to quiet him.

We think it's very suspicious. We're taking it very serious. We absolutely do believe that harm could have come to this child and we're gonna keep at it until we find him, Brooks said.

As the search expanded, the Zion Police Department fielded rumors of a death in relation to the case, but took to Facebook Wednesday afternoon to set the record straight:
"The rumors of deceased individuals at the scene are not true. All available law enforcement resources have been called in to assist with the missing child. This is an isolated incident. The Public Is Not In Danger [sic]."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...hp_ref=chicago

[TupeloHoney]

Doesn't sound like there's a lot of hope for little Joshua. And I'm perplexed because NONE of the news stories I've read name the mother or father, even the stories that say a "MAN" is in custody, implying that he's not a juvenile.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=9215049

August 22, 2013 (ZION, Ill.) (WLS) -- Zion police held a press conference Thursday afternoon where they asked residents to make detailed searches of their property for missing 5-month-old baby Joshua Summeries, who was reported abducted on Wednesday morning.

Zion police spent a lot of time at the mother's apartment on Galilee Avenue Thursday, where they say Joshua was taken out of a window early Wednesday. His mother says she last saw him around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, but at 8 a.m. realized he was missing from his crib. Dozens of cops continued their search, checking dumpsters, garbage cans and abandoned buildings. Police continue to question the mother's boyfriend. Neighbors say they heard arguing on Wednesday morning.

"They be fighting, and all cussing, and slamming doors and all that, so it's been issues. The last time I heard them fight was like a week ago," said Jerry Cooper, neighbor.

A north suburban police chief was holding out hope that a missing 5-month-old baby could be found alive, but expressed doubts on Thursday.

"Our concern and belief is that Joshua has been harmed or worse," Zion Police Chief Wayne Brooks said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

He pledged that police are still committed to finding Joshua Summeries and will use all available resources. About 200 law enforcement personnel responded to Zion's call for mutual aid to search the area after the infant was reported abducted Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, a biohazard sticker was on the door of the mother's apartment door, and the scene had been sealed off, suggesting that the baby could have been harmed. Brooks explained a bio-hazard sticker placed by police on the front door of the apartment where the abduction occurred by saying: "There could be any fluids, but we're not talking about a horrendous scene, but just enough to think things aren't right here."

Police were actively searching for the baby Thursday morning. Besides police, Zion residents have joined in the search for the missing baby boy. One man was looking through an alley with his three collies on Thursday morning.

"This was the area where the crime scene was, or where it all came down, where the baby's missing, this area. And then I'm gonna go back where I live, I live on the other side of town, so that's two areas," said Robert Pye, unofficial volunteer.

"He's just a baby. Some people, I just don't understand what they think about, why do they think that way. Who am I to question, but you do not harm a child. Your thoughts shouldn't even be to harm a child. If you don't want it, give it to somebody. Give it to somebody who's going to love it, don't just harm it like that," said Clementine White, baby's neighbor.

Joshua Summeries' mother told police the baby was crying early Wednesday morning and the boyfriend told her he would take care of the child. He left with the baby and came back about 10 minutes later saying he went for a smoke, the mother told police. The baby was not with him.

There was an argument between the baby's mother and boyfriend; neighbors reported hearing the shouting. The mother went to the home of the baby's father, which is nearby, but before they could talk she took off. When she got back to the home, her boyfriend was gone. Police later brought him in for questioning.

Police said officers are conducting interviews and "painstakingly" searching the area. They also noted that they believe this to be "an isolated incident."

[luvit]

Snipped

August 23, 2013 (ZION, Ill.) (WLS) -- Police in north suburban Zion have now focused their search efforts for a missing baby on a landfill 10 minutes from the boy's home.

On Friday, Chopper7 HD could see the backhoes and excavators alongside up to 50 investigators, accompanied by cadaver dogs, all fanning out to locate the infant. Joshua went missing Wednesday morning and on Thursday, Zion's police chief said he feared harm had come to the little one, or worse.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=9216299





A "person of interest" in Zion missing baby case being detained (taken by a witness on scene).

[Feetprints]

I have to agree with the chief there, this baby is probably dead. :(

[TupeloHoney]

Yep. The mama's boyfriend confessed. RIP little guy.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=9217741

Missing Zion baby Joshua Summeries: Mom's boyfriend Demetries Thorpe charged with murdering child

August 24, 2013 (ZION, Ill.) (WLS) -- Authorities continue the search for the remains of 15-month-old Joshua Summeries in a Zion landfill after murder charges are filed against 26-year-old Demetries Thorpe, the boyfriend of the boy's mother, who confessed to suffocating him. Joshua was reported missing Wednesday morning.

Authorities have been searching the Zion landfill for much of Saturday. They said they have identified the garbage truck driver who helped pinpoint an area of the landfill where he dumped the load that they believe included the baby's body.

Friends and neighbors began the day still holding onto hope of finding Joshua alive, but authorities dashed those hopes with the announcement they have charged Thorpe with first-degree murder.

"Joshua was crying. He went in, placed his hand over his mouth for about 10-15 seconds until he stopped breathing," said Lake County States Attorney Mike Nerheim. "He then placed Joshua's body in a backpack, put the backpack out the window, took the backpack down the alley behind the residence and placed the backpack containing Joshua in a garbage can."

Police say they have surveillance camera video of Thorpe putting the backpack containing the baby's body into this dumpster behind the apartment he shares with Joshua's mother.

Investigators say he told the mother someone had kidnapped the baby early Wednesday morning. Then he took off. Police arrested him that evening.

"I was just hurt because I didn't think he'd do nothing like that," said neighbor Lettye Andrews.

Investigators continue to search the landfill for Joshua's remains this afternoon. They say Thorpe told them he moved the backpack to another dumpster where he watched until the dumpster was emptied into a garbage truck and hauled away.

"I can't only imagine to get the devastating news that my baby was thrown away like a piece of trash. I hope they prosecute him to the fullest," said neighbor Ericka Caples.

"As a father, as a grandfather, as a family member, for a child to go through this, it's unacceptable," neighbor Al Rogers said.

Thorpe is being held on $5 million bond. In the meantime, neighbors and friends are planning a prayer vigil in Zion for Saturday night.

[blighted star]

Demetries Thorpe 26.



My Space

https://myspace.com/forevainluv

[blighted star]

Parents names released -

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=9217741

August 24, 2013 (ZION, Ill.) (WLS) -- A vigil was held Saturday night for missing 5-month-old Joshua Summeries just hours after murder charges are filed in the case. Searchers in Zion still have not located the child's body.

Demetries Thorpe, his mother's boyfriend, was charged Saturday with first degree murder and people gathered to remember baby Joshua.

Residents gathered for a couple of hours, lighting candles, praying for baby Joshua, leaving a memorial for the child.

Initially, he was reported as having been kidnapped Wednesday morning, but quickly police's attention turned to the mother's boyfriend, who they say after his arrest that evening, gave a full confession of the crime.

"Just please find my son, because he's all I had. Please," said Keisha Summeries, Joshua's mother.

A large crowd gathered tonight in front of the Zion apartment building which, until Wednesday was the home of Keisha Summaries and her five-month old son Joshua. They prayed for the baby, killed Wednesday, allegedly by Thorpe, the mother's boyfriend.

Announcing first-degree murder charges against Thorpe Saturday morning, Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim recounted what he says was Thorpe's confession to police.

"Joshua was crying, he went in, placed a hand over his hand over his mouth for ten to fifteen seconds until he stopped breathing," Nerheim said. "He then placed Joshua's body in a backpack put the backpack out the window, took it down the alley behind the residence, place the backpack containing the body in a garbage can."

Investigators say surveillance video of the dumpster corroborates the story. They also say Thorpe later changed his mind and took the baby's body to another dumpster and waited till it was removed by a garbage truck. Police were later able to pinpoint the location within the landfill where they believe the truck unloaded, but the search, although it continues has so far not been fruitful.

"The environment is harsh," said Zion Police Chief Wayne Brooks. "It's a terrible situation up there. And to say a needle in a haystack, it's worse than that."

At Sunday night's vigil, Joshua's father thanked everyone for their help.

"I just want to thank city of Zion for all their support and the volunteers for trying to find my son Joshua Sumeries, I really appreciate," Clarence Summeries said. "I just want to say I love you, son, always and forever."

Thorpe is being held on $5 million bond at Lake County jail. Meanwhile, Zion police said they've called on the FBI for advice in their continuing search of the landfill.

(Copyright ?2013 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

[blighted star]

Yet another horrible story -
http://my.chicagotribune.com/#story/...ound-20130825/

Zion cops: Landfill search over, infant's body not found

By Carlos Sadovi, Tribune reporter

10:54 am, August 26, 2013

Investigators have terminated the search at a Zion landfill for a 5-month old boy who investigators fear has been killed, officials said Sunday evening.

Zion police believe the boy, Joshua Summeries was killed by the mother's boyfriend Demetries Thorpe after he put his hand over the baby's mouth while the infant was crying and then threw the baby into a trash bin last week.

"The search and recovery efforts for Joshua Summeries have been terminated at the Zion landfill. Sadly, Joshua was not located," according to a release issued by Zion Police Chief Wayne Brooks.

Thorpe was ordered held on $5 million bond Saturday on a first-degree murder charge.

During his bond hearing, prosecutors said he was captured on video throwing a backpack containing the body of Joshua Summeries into a bin in an alley behind his Zion residence in the 2300 block of Galilee Avenue.

The infant was reported missing at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, triggering a massive search involving 200 police officers and emergency workers. On Friday, workers used construction equipment to pick through garbage at a 330-acre landfill facility on Green Bay Road in Zion, general manager Jim Lewis said.

On Sunday, investigators said they ended the search at the landfill at 5:30 p.m. according to a press release issued Brooks.

Zion police and investigators from other departments combed through an area where they thought the dumpster that had been seen on the video was dumped. They searched the area with cadaver search dogs along and volunteer members of the Illinois and Wisconsin National Guard.

Searchers used rakes and their hands to sifted through the refuse for four days, officials said.

"This search took a physical and emotional toll on even the most seasoned professionals, who did everything humanly possible to find Joshua."

[TupeloHoney]

I'm glad this guy is going to prison, but it's so awful that Joshua's final resting place is a landfill. Ugh.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#sectio.../p2p-80746327/

Zion man pleads guilty to killing girlfriend's baby

(July 8, 2014) Demetries Thorpe pleaded guilty this morning to first-degree murder in the killing of his girlfriend's 5-month-old son.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed Thorpe's maximum sentence would be 35 years.

Joshua Summeries went missing from Zion in August 2013, prompting a massive search involving 200 police officers and emergency workers.

Thorpe, 27, initially told Joshua's mother that someone had reached in the window and taken the baby, court records stated.

When questioned by police, Thorpe admitted putting his hand over Joshua's mouth to stop the infant's crying, then put the baby in a backpack and threw the bag into a garbage can in an alley behind his Zion home. Thorpe was later captured on video moving the backpack from the garbage can to a large metal trash bin and watching as a garbage truck emptied the bin.

Workers searched the 330-acre landfill in Zion, but Joshua's body was never found.

"I feel this result brings us one step closer to justice for Joshua Summeries, his family and the community," said Lake County State?s Attorney Michael Nerheim. "This will ultimately help in providing the closure the family as well as the community deserves."

Joshua's mother sat quietly during the court hearing in Waukegan and spoke briefly with Nerheim and others after the hearing. When the meeting ended, she bolted out of the conference room wailing.

"The emotions caught up with her," Nerheim said. "This is never easy for anybody."

Thorpe will be required to serve 100 percent of any sentence given, prosecutors said. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 2.

[neenerneener]

I have to ask....why are these mothers allowing random dudes to have so much access to their children?! I was just reading another article on mds where the moms boyfriend threw her 3 month old baby out the car window. Like, wtf. These men are not the babies parents. They need to be a lot more selective about who is around their kids.

[Sarahric13]

I have to ask....why are these mothers allowing random dudes to have so much access to their children?! I was just reading another article on mds where the moms boyfriend threw her 3 month old baby out the car window. Like, wtf. These men are not the babies parents. They need to be a lot more selective about who is around their kids.

Neens you said what I was thinking. I'm an asshole for saying that baby was only 5 months old and baby Daddy was no longer coupled with Mom. Mom had new boyfriend... Random dude. Ugh. Poor baby.

[queenaevadamthng]

So is there a possibility that the baby was still alive in the backpack when he was emptied into the garbage truck. If so, this piece of shit had more than one opportunity to save this baby...that makes it all the more evident that this guy has no heart whatsoever.

[luvit]

Man sentenced to 30 years for dumping baby's body in trash

The mother of a baby boy who was killed and dumped in the trash said she longs to hold her son and to give him a proper burial.

The woman, Kisha Summeries, wept in a Lake County courtroom Tuesday as a prosecutor read her statement before her former boyfriend
was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of her 5-month-old son, Joshua Summeries.

Joshua was first reported to have been kidnapped in August 2013. But authorities soon alleged that Summeries’ boyfriend, Demetries Thorpe,
had smothered the baby to stop him from crying, placed the body into a backpack and then toss out the backpack into a trash bin outside the couple’s Zion home.

Authorities said they also located surveillance video showing Thorpe move the backpack to a larger trash bin,
watch as a truck emptied the bin and then check the receptacle to make sure the backpack was gone.

The boy’s disappearance prompted a local vigil and a massive search of a Lake County garbage dump, though Joshua’s body was never located.

“I am not able to hold Joshua. I can't be a mother to him,” Kisha Summeries’ statement read. “I didn't get to bury my baby. He was a happy baby.”

In the statement, Summaries described having met Thorpe, 27, when both were teenagers living in a residential treatment facility for youths
with emotional and behavioral problems.
She said he became “more controlling” when they became a couple and “one time put his fist in my mouth so I couldn’t breathe.”


Prosecutors sought 35 years in prison for Thorpe. In seeking a lesser sentence for Thorpe, who pleaded guilty in July, defense attorney outlined his own troubled history: He was abused by his parents, placed with a foster family that also abused him, eventually found loving foster parents but was placed back into state care after that foster mother died when he was 14.

Once Thorpe left the state’s care at 21, he no longer received help or medication for his mental illnesses, his attorneys said.

Judge Daniel Shanes called the murder of a child “particularly reprehensible” and the specifics of this case “horrific.”

“He looked to you as a father. Instead, what he got was pain and death,” Shanes said.

swescott@tribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...902-story.html