06-26-09
Body Found
 Jada Justice, 2, was reported missing on June 16, after her 18-year-old babysitting cousin, Engelica Castillo, told police she left the toddler in her car while she went to buy a gallon of milk and some cigarettes from a gas station on Ridge Road in Gary. When she returned, the girl was gone.
A young body was found in rural northern Indiana, Thursday, June 25, and Lake County Prosecutor, Bernard Carter, said he's quite certain that the body is that of Jada Justice.
"We have reason to believe that we have recovered the body of Jada Justice but we do not know from forensic standpoint," Carter said. "We feel very comfortable that we do, in fact, have Jada Justice."
Carter said two people are in custody in relation to the murder investigation into the toddler's June 16 disappearance. He would not confirm the identities of those in custody, saying it was still an active investigation.
 However, other sources with knowledge of the investigation said Thursday that the baby sitter Engelica Castillo and her boyfriend Tim Tkachik were arrested at a rural Porter County residence near Valparaiso Wednesday night in connection with the case.
Carter said charges are expected to filed in the case Friday.
An autopsy is, also, scheduled for Friday.
 Authorities believe Tkachik burned his face when he tried to burn Jada's dead body, a source close to the investigation said. Mug shots released by authorities clearly show blistered and burn-damaged skin on Tkachik's face.
The source said Jada did not die of those burns, and authorities believe Jada may have died two weeks ago Saturday, several days before Castillo reported the toddler's disappearance.
Castillo's mother, Rita Rincon, denied police criticism that Castillo has been uncooperative with authorities in the investigation.
Read resource details...
http://www.nwi.com/news/jada_justice/
http://www.wsbt.com/news/regional/49119587.html
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2009/06/25/updates/breaking_news/doc4a43a1384f183585438698.txt |