Sema'js Homicide May Stay Unsolved: Tedone

JOLIET, IL - The Justice For Sema'j Action Team, the Will County Sheriff's Department and the Will County State's Attorney Office all agree that the person responsible for the Preston Heights toddler's death needs to be prosecuted for this terrible crime. Friday marked the one-year anniversary since sheriff's investigators made the gruesome discovery underneath a couch at the family's home on Louis Road. While the police and the community want resolution, one Joliet attorney is not optimistic Sema'j Crosby's case will be solved.

"Unfortunately, there are just no leads," criminal defense attorney Cosmo Tedone told Joliet Patch Friday afternoon. "I can't say the sheriff's office did a bad investigation. Sometimes, cases are just cold cases.

"How many new developments are going to happen if they haven't happened by now?" Tedone asked.

Tedone said he realized the case was at an impasse after Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil, in the fifth month of the investigation, announced that Semaj's death was being ruled due to asphyxia.

Early on, Tedone got involved in the Sema'j Crosby case. Tedone has represented the dead baby's grandmother, Darlene Crosby and the child's aunt, Lakerisha Crosby. Last November, both women gave interviews to several news media outlets including Joliet Patch insisting they are innocent and had no role whatsoever in the little girl's death or in hiding her body.

Darlene's son, James Crosby, was in the county jail at the time of his daughter's death.

"I think it's a shame there is no justice for Sema'j," Tedone told Joliet Patch Friday. "Looking back on a year, I don't know if anything could have been different. The FBI, the sheriff's office, I think did a thorough investigation, and sometimes cases go cold and you just can't seem to solve them."

Although Sema'j disappeared shortly before 4 p.m. on April 25, 2017, the police were not notified until around 6 p.m. A two-hour lag time. Early on, Gordon retained Joliet criminal defense attorney Neil Patel of Chuck Bretz & Associates.

Last summer, the sheriff's office identified four women as being central to the child's death investigation: Sheri Gordon; Darlene Crosby; Lakerisha Crosby, who is Sema'j's aunt; and Tamika Robinson, a friend of Darlene Crosby.

Last Nov. 2, Gordon, as well as both of the Crosby women, attended a golden birthday celebration in memory of Sema'j. That night, Gordon ran out of the building moments after a soloist sang 'Happy Birthday' to Sema'j. This week, reporter Alicia Fabbre published an in-depth article in the Chicago Tribune marking the one-year anniversary on Semaj's case. Gordon was interviewed for the article, but would not answer questions about Sema'js death, the article indicated.

Darlene Crosby has accused Sheri Gordon of being the killer.

"Unfortunately, it's a year ago, my clients are still suffering," Tedone told Patch on Friday. " They're still thinking about Sema'j, where she would have been today. And I feel bad for the family that has to go through this, losing their minor child, but I'm not sure anything could have been done differently to solve this case here unless somebody would come forward and explain what happened here, whether it's her mother or not."

Regarding Darlene Crosby, Tedone told Patch, "my client has maintained her innocence from the very beginning. My client's been willing to cooperate with the sheriff's office and done multiple interviews with them. The police have not contacted me for any additional interviews in over a year."

Regarding both the Crosby women, Tedone remarked, "they've been willing to sit down, if need be, they just haven't been asked to do."

Tedone would not be surprised if Semaj's case remains unsolved, he said.

"There's no forensic evidence because the house has burned down. There's nothing new that the sheriff's office or FBI or any other agency could bring forward here. So, I really do expect this case to remain cold unfortunately unless a witness comes up and says, 'This is what happened.'"

From Will County's position, it would be quite problematic to bring criminal charges against someone in Semaj's death only to lose the case in court because of weak evidence, Tedone explained.

"They're smart," Tedone said. "They want to make sure they have enough evidence to charge the person.

"My guess is they're frustrated. They're working hard, they want to give the public some answers, but they can't. So they're putting pressure on the only people they knew who was last seen with Sema'j."

RELATED: Will County Plans To Stay In Charge Of Case

RELATED: Sema'j Crosby Tragedy, A Year Later: Ferak Column

Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor