A chilling plea from a young woman moments before her death is shedding new light on a brutal double homicide that has rocked the Streamwood community outside Chicago.
Police confirmed that 21-year-old Janiya Jenkins was heard saying, "Don't kill the kids," during a phone call just minutes before she and her 10-year-old sister, Eyani Jones, were found stabbed to death in their home on McKool Avenue last Wednesday night, CBS News reported.
The suspected attacker, 25-year-old Jalonie Jenkins, was arrested late Sunday night in Downers Grove after a four-day manhunt. His relationship to the victims has not been publicly confirmed, and formal charges are still pending.
The attack occurred in the presence of other children, police said. According to a neighbor, whose daughter was on the phone with the sisters at the time of the incident, Janiya's final words were a desperate attempt to shield the younger kids from harm. Moments later, two surviving children fled the home to alert neighbors that their sisters were dead.
The brutal slayings prompted a massive manhunt. Police later located the suspect's vehicle in Bensenville and conducted a search in a nearby retention pond.
The murders have devastated the Streamwood community. Residents have built a growing memorial outside the family's home, expressing grief and outrage.
Neighbor Denise Howard recalled Eyani as a bright presence who often played with local children. "She always called me grandma. She gave me a hug every time," Howard told CBS. "One person hurt a whole community when he did that."
