UPDATE: Illinois Man Charged with Murder of 10-Year-Old Rockford Girl

UPDATED at 8 pm on Sunday, July 9, 2023

Rockford Police Have Identified Suspect

Rockford Police say that a man from Blue Island, Illinois kidnapped and murdered a 10-year-old girl in Rockford on Saturday (7/8).

According to the press release, officers were dispatched just after 12 noon on Saturday to a home where a mother was told by her 6-year-old daughter that "a man took her 12-year-old sister."

At 12:40 pm, Rockford Police officers were flagged down by a resident who had located an unresponsive juvenile in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue in Rockford. Officers began CPR on the girl until the Rockford Fire Department arrived and transported her to a local hospital where she "was pronounced deceased."

A perimeter of the area around 9th Avenue was immediately established by the Rockford PD using a K-9 unit and a man matching the description of the suspect was located near 9th Street and Woodruff Avenue. There was a brief struggle before the suspect was taken into custody, according to the report.

The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Antonio Monroe from Blue Island, Illinois. He has been charged with the following:

• First Degree Murder
• Attempted Murder
• 2 Counts of Kidnapping
• Aggravated Battery / Strangulation

There was a large police presence reported just after 2 pm today in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue in Rockford, and we just found out more details as to why.

Murder Investigation Underway by Rockford Police

According to a post from the Rockford Police at 9:38 pm on Saturday night (7/8), authorities are actively investigating the murder of a 10-year-old juvenile female who "was found deceased in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue earlier today."

In the post on social media, Rockford Police said they are "speaking to a person of interest and will provide further details when available."

No further details were available about the murder investigation at the time this article was published.

This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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