Crime & Safety
Sema'j Crosby Tragedy, One Year Later: Ferak Column
The media frenzy surrounding the 18-month-old toddler's disappearance began on April 25, 2017.
JOLIET, IL — One year ago this week, Will County was jarred by the disappearance of a happy and bubbly little girl, barely 1 year old. Two days later, everyone learned the agonizing mystery had come to a sad ending. Little Sema'j Crosby was found by the Will County police, her body hidden underneath a couch at her family's filthy house on Louis Road.
In the aftermath, people put their faith in the Will County Sheriff's Department, in lead detective, R.J. Austin, in Sheriff Mike Kelley and in then-deputy chief Rick Ackerson, who later retired last October.
People put their faith in the Will County State's Attorney's Office, in Jim Glasgow, to hold the baby's killer accountable. Now, a year later, that has not happened.
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The culprit has not been brought to justice.
One year later, the mood in the Joliet community is not overly optimistic that criminal charges are imminent. Sema'j's homicide faces the real possibility of joining a list of terribly tragic high-profile unsolved homicides here in Will County. For me, her case brings back memories of my own childhood, growing up on Joliet's east side across from Nowell Park, during the summer of terror, 1981, when 6-year-old Sarah Avon vanished without a trace near Joliet's Oscar Avenue.
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This summer, will be 37 years and the Sarah Avon homicide remains unsolved at the Will County Sheriff's Department. Sarah's killer got away with his crime, just like Sema'j's killer has so far.
In recent days, I reviewed our coverage chronicling Sema'j's case during the past year. One of the few positives surrounding the tragedy lies within the Joliet community. Dozens of people have been vigilant and energetic about trying to keep Sema'j's case in the media spotlight.
After all, unsolved murder cases tend to turn into cold cases when they fade from the public's memory.
Here's a look at our Joliet Patch coverage from the past year. Patch has been the leading news media outlet providing the most frequent and in-depth coverage of Sema'js case, and we will continue to lead the way. We owe that to Sema'j and to the community. We can't let her tragedy become forgotten.
April 25-27, 2017
Missing Baby: Sheriff's Department Seeks Public's Help
What Patch reported: An intensive search for a 1-year-old missing baby girl lasted through Tuesday night well into Wednesday morning with no sign of the child. Bloodhounds, other search dogs and helicopters were used. Sema'j Crosby was playing with about a dozen other children in a yard near Luana Road and Richards Street in Joliet Township's Preston Heights when she disappeared Tuesday evening. The Will County Sheriff's Department was contacted about 5:45 p.m. and launched its search effort, said Deputy Chief Rick Ackerson.
April 27, 2017
What Patch reported: On Wednesday, April 26 at 11 p.m., the Will County Sheriff’s Office along with the FBI gained consent to search the residence of 309 Louis Road in Joliet Township with the assistance of the attorney the family had obtained. At approximately midnight, the deceased body of Sema'j Crosby was located inside the residence. The preliminary autopsy did not reveal how she died. At the time, Will County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Rick Ackerson would not say where in the house the Baby Sema'j was found, if she died or was killed elsewhere and was returned to the home, or if she was taken out of the home and brought back.
April 28, 2017
Dead Baby Investigation: Sheriff's Dept. Pleads For Patience
What Patch reported: Sheri Gordon, the baby's mother, did not call the police until about 6 p.m. Tuesday, which was two hours after Sema'j was last seen by anybody. Gordon initially agreed to speak with Will County Sheriff's detectives and was questioned in a trailer that was being used as a mobile command post, Ackerson said, but another woman tried to end the questioning. "During the interview we did with the mother (a woman) was pounding on the outside of the trailer, telling her to stop," Ackerson said. Ackerson said he does not know if the woman is related to Gordon. She has been identified only by a first name.
May 3, 2017
Senator McGuire Wants Answers On Baby's Death
What Patch reported: Senator Pat McGuire has asked the DCSF Director George Sheldon what is being done to investigate Sema'js death after sheriff's deputies found Sema'j Crosby's body under a couch at her family's Preston Heights home.
May 5, 2017
Rev. Dorris Rips DCFS At Baby's Funeral Service
What Patch reported: A Joliet pastor lashed out at the Department of Children and Family Services during his fiery eulogy at the funeral of baby Sema'j Crosby. "In my opinion, DCFS failed this family," the Rev. Warren C. Dorris Jr. said during the Friday morning funeral at Prayer Tower Ministries Church of God in Christ.
May 7,2017
What Patch reported: East Joliet Fire Department responded to a Saturday morning fire that began in a bedroom and engulfed the home. The home on Louis Road in Preston Heights had been deemed unfit for home occupation and was vacant at the time of the fire.
July 10, 2017
What Patch reported: Will County Detective R.J. Austin held a question-and-answer session at a Joliet church to discuss the Sema'j Crosby death investigation. "This is not like some random gang shooting. There were four women at that house the day that Sema'j went missing, four grown women," Austin said. "One, if not more, of those four grown women know exactly what happened to Sema'j and how she got under that couch. I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that she did not get under that couch by herself."
Sept. 8, 2017
Sema'j Crosby Coalition Displeased With Will County Police
What Patch reported: About 30 people came to the Will County Courthouse on Thursday for a rally mobilized by the Justice for Sema'j Crosby Action Team. "We want the sheriff's department to stand up. We want the police chief, every official on the ground, we want to hear what is going on? The community is entitled to be updated about this case. The family members who are standing with us need to know something. Tell them something. Let them know something," declared Bishop Gregg L. Greer, president of Freedom First International based in Chicago.
Sept. 15, 2017
Coroner O'Neil: Sema'j Died From Homicide
What Patch reported: Just one day after The Justice For Sema'j Crosby Action Team held another peaceful rally in downtown Joliet, Will County Coroner Patrick K. O'Neil announced on Friday afternoon that the cause of the 17-month-old toddler's death is being classified as asphyxia. Sema'j was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m. on April 27 inside her Preston Heights residence, 309 Louis Road, in Joliet Township. The manner of her death is homicide, O'Neil stated.
Sept. 18, 2017
Ackerman: No Arrests In Sema'j Case Expected Soon
What Patch reported: Chief Deputy Rick Ackerson said that Will County "is not going to be arresting people just to arrest people." The only way that charges will be filed is when police have solid evidence to show that a specific person or persons committed a crime, he indicated.
Sept. 21, 2017
Action Group, Including Father, Pray For James Glasgow
What Patch reported: Several adults, including the father of Sema'j Crosby, clutched hands as they gathered in a circle for a prayer vigil in the 300 block of Louis Road. "We are doing it for your grace, Father," declared Pastor Joseph Pughsley, field director at Freedom First International in Chicago. "We ask you to touch the elected officials, from the State's Attorney to the sheriffs to the senators. God, give them a heart that they shall do the job that they was elected to do because you chose them to do the job for your people, God."
Nov. 3, 2017
Sheri Gordon Darts Out Door During Birthday Celebration For Sema'j
What Patch reported: A few dozen people came together Thursday night across from Nowell Park to sing "Happy Birthday," blow out candles and cut a cake for a sweet little angel who is no longer with us. Thursday would have marked Sema'j Crosby's second birthday, her golden birthday. The birthday party was organized by Bishop Gregg L. Greer of Freedom First International and The Sema'j Crosby Coalition for Justice. Also on hand were three of the four women the Will County Sheriff's Department has identified as being uncooperative in the unsolved homicide. However, one of those women, the dead child's mother, Sheri Gordon, abruptly ran out of the room after a soloist sang "Happy Birthday" in honor of Sema'j.
Nov. 8, 2017
Grandmother: Sheri Gordon Is the Killer Of Sema'j Crosby
What Patch reported: Bishop Gregg L. Gregg held a press conference emphasizing that three women will be cooperating with the Will County Sheriff's Department in connection with the still-unsolved April homicide of little Sema'j Crosby inside of her home in Joliet Township. The event was attended by dead baby's grandmother, Darlene Crosby, and family friend Tamika Robinson. Both women told reporters they had nothing to do with Sema'js death. Crosby revealed she believes Sema'j was killed by her mother, Sheri Gordon. "I feel as though she did it out of spite," Darlene Crosby declared, referring to Sheri Gordon. "In my eye, there is only one woman for Sheri, that's Sheri."
Dec. 18, 2017
Joliet Park Board Rejects Plans To Rename Park For Sema'j Crosby
What Patch reported: "The Joliet Park District unanimously voted NO to rename Oak Valley Park to Semaj Crosby Park ... They are willing to plant a tree in her honor," the Justice For Semaj Action Team posted on its Facebook page Monday night. The Action Team informed its followers it had submitted more than 500 signatures of people who supported renaming the Joliet Township park near her house in her memory.
April 9, 2018
Sema'j Crosby Anniversary Event Planned
What Patch Reported: The Justice For Semaj Action Team announced plans to hold a community play day event starting at noon on Saturday, April 28. "As we reach the 1-year anniversary of Semaj's tragic death April 27, we are asking the community to join us as we celebrate her incredible impact on our community."
All images via Joliet Patch archives/via Patch staff and Will County Sheriff's Office
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