Homeowner spotted armed suspects in backyard during south suburban manhunt, shelter-in-place
Marisa Rodriguez
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (WGN) — A search continues in the south suburbs on Tuesday as authorities work to locate two car burglary suspects who were the subject of a manhunt on Monday.
According to police, it all began in the early morning hours after Matteson police received a call about a group of armed men gathered along Central Avenue, south of Vollmer Road, dressed in dark clothing and allegedly acting suspiciously.
Further investigation indicated that the group was allegedly breaking into cars in the area.
When officers arrived on the scene, police say the suspects allegedly fled in a car, eventually making their way to nearby Frankfort Square, where officers said they attempted to switch cars amid the attempted getaway.
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Officers caught up with the group as they attempted to make the alleged switch and were able to arrest three suspects, but at least two others got away.
Police then initiated a manhunt for the individuals.
The search prompted the Will County Sheriff’s Office to announce a shelter-in-place order just after 6:30 a.m. Monday for the area of Harlem Avenue and Vollmer Road in Frankfort Square. Residents in the immediate area were urged to stay inside with their doors locked.
Tinley Park and Matteson police, along with the sheriff’s office, assisted in the search for the men and the shelter-in-place had been lifted by 8:40 a.m.
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“Deputies and various other law enforcement agencies searched the vicinity and have given the all clear. We will update the public if any further information becomes available,” the Will County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook.
A homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, says after hearing that authorities were looking for five men, he never thought he’d see two people breaking into his backyard.
“I look at the camera, and sure enough, there are two younger gentlemen running from our backyard to our front yard, so I run out the back to try and catch them,” he said.
The homeowner says he immediately called 911 to help them locate the men.
“I was on the phone with the dispatch the entire time, just following them around the block to make sure I didn’t lose them so when the police showed up, I could tell them where they were,” he said.
When he got back home and looked at his security cameras, he made another shocking discovery.
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“I actually discovered, crazy enough, around 5:45 in the morning, two of them had hopped my neighbor’s fence and got into my yard,” the homeowner said. “It’s not a good feeling, and it’s not the first time we had violence come over from different neighborhoods and just shady characters roll into our neighborhood. It’s unfortunate.”
The incident remains under investigation. Charges are pending for the three suspects who were arrested.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing and authorities did not provide a description of the two individuals at large.
Police have not identified or announced charges against anyone taken into custody.
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Rising Latin singer gunned down in L.A. may have been set up by friends
Josh DuBose
Mon, December 15, 2025 at 9:10 AM GMT+7
4 min read
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Two of the three people charged in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Maria De La Rosa, a rising Latin singer known professionally as DELAROSA, may have set the artist up, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
The Nov. 22 shooting unfolded just before 1:30 a.m. on Bryant Street east of Tampa Avenue in Northridge.
“Witnesses described seeing two male suspects approach a vehicle that was parked on Bryant Street,” LAPD officials said in a statement issued Nov. 24. “Multiple rounds were fired at several victims who were parked in the area in their vehicle.”
Three people, including De La Rosa, were inside the car when gunfire erupted and all of them were struck, LAPD confirmed. The 22-year-old suffered a gunshot to the chest and was rushed in a private car to the hospital, where she died.
The two surviving victims, who have yet to be identified, were also taken to the hospital in critical condition.
In a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Times, Det. Siranush Simonyan alleged that Francisco “G Boy” Gaytan and his friend Benny “Player” Gomez, both of whom had known De La Rosa since childhood, set the singer up.
Gaytan, who was arrested the same day as the deadly shooting, told police that it was Gomez who made plans to meet with the singer for a “drug buy” on Bryant Street and that the plan was only to rob her, Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.
Both Gaytan and Gomez, as well as the two alleged gunmen, are reportedly members of Bryant Street, a Northridge street gang.
Gaytan maintained his innocence, telling police he had nothing to do with the robbery. But a search of his phone revealed text messages to one of the alleged shooters, Eduardo “Active” Lopez, Simonyan said.
The text to Lopez, sent five hours before for De La Rosa was killed, reportedly said, “Go get a ski mask.”
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Gomez spoke to investigators a day after the shooting. He claimed he’d been speaking to the singer outside of Gaytan’s apartment when the shooters opened fire. He said he ducked and ran off and later learned from De La Rosa’s mother that she had been killed.
Surveillance cameras from the nearby apartment building contradicted Gomez’s version of events, according to the affidavit. Simonyan wrote that the cameras showed Gomez talking to Lopez and the second alleged shooter moments before the singer pulled up and that he shook their hands and made a Bryant Street gang sign before the pair disappeared down an alley.
De La Rosa called Gomez as he approached the Cadillac Escalade she pulled up in. Moments later, the two alleged gunmen emerged from the alley and pulled out a shotgun and a handgun, Det. Simonyan wrote.
After the gunfire, the Escalade sped off. The security cameras, according to investigators, captured a person, possibly Gomez, saying, “Why’d you shoot them, fool?”
The alleged shooters, according to The Times reporting, stashed their guns in a Chevrolet Astro van before getting into Gaytan’s BMW where he berated them, calling them dumb and saying, “I told you what to make it look like.”
Lopez and the other alleged shooter fled in a Honda Civic, likely to Mexico, Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.
Less than 24 hours after De La Rosa died, Gomez reportedly text Gaytan, saying, “We good they left to tj.”
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office listed bail amounts ranging from $2.18 million to $2.28 million when charges were filed, though LAPD said Gaytan and Gomez were being held without bail following their arrests.
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“This was a ruthless and targeted attack that stole the life of a young woman and artist and inflicted profound lifelong trauma on her family and the two survivors,” L.A. County DA Nathan Hochman said.
Gaytan and Gomez have each been charged with one felony count of murder and two felony counts of aggravated second-degree robbery. If convicted as charged, they face a maximum of life in prison without the chance of parole.
Prosecutors also announced the same charges against Lopez. However, it is unknown if he has been taken into custody, nor is it known if charges are pending against the second alleged gunman, whose whereabouts are also not known.
DELAROSA, who released the single “No Me Llames” in August, had recently posted footage from a recording studio and was believed to be working on new music. Her death sparked grief across social media, including condolences from fans and industry figures.
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Police say new evidence gathered in JonBenét Ramsey killing
Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY
Sun, December 14, 2025 at 5:28 AM GMT+7
2 min read
Nearly three decades since JonBenét Ramsey’s mysterious killing, Colorado police said her cold case is still a top priority.
In an annual update, the Boulder Police Department urged anyone with information to come forward about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old child beauty queen in her childhood home. Ramsey’s killing has captivated international audiences for decades.
In the past year, Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said detectives have conducted several new interviews based on tips received, and also collected and tested new evidence. They did not release information about what new evidence has been gathered.
Meanwhile, police have re-interviewed people and re-tested other pieces of evidence, especially with evolving DNA technology.
“It is never too late for people with knowledge of this terrible crime to come forward,” Redfearn said in a Dec. 12 pre-recorded video, “and I urge those responsible for this murder to contact us.”
The morning of Dec. 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey called 911 after they found a ransom note for their daughter, who was missing. John Ramsey later found JonBenét Ramsey dead in their home’s basement.
An autopsy ruled her cause of death as strangulation, and she had been sexually assaulted. Her skull was also fractured. She had a person’s unknown DNA under her fingernails and in her underwear.
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Patsy Ramsey died in 2006, a decade after her daughter’s death. In 2008, the local prosecutor cleared her family, including an older brother, as suspects due to DNA testing.
In his video, Redfearn, who joined the department in 2021 and became chief in 2024, said he had met with JonBenét Ramsey’s family and said they shared the same goal of finding the girl’s killer. Boulder police encouraged anyone with information to contact BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or the police tip line at 303-441-1974.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Search for JonBenét Ramsey killer still active; new evidence gathered
