Father Sought in Connection with Mother's Death; Baby Found at Church

SKOKIE, IL - Police in Skokie are looking for a man in connection with what is believed to be a homicide at an apartment in the 8200 block of N. Keating Ave.

Just before 10 a.m. on Thursday, police found Catherine Benyamin, 31, dead after being called to the apartment unit for a well-being check. Her son, 10-month-old Joshua Powell, was missing from the home but found later that day at a church on the South Side of Chicago.

While Joshua is safe and with a family member at UIC Hospital, police are on the hunt for his father, Jermaine Powell. A person matching Powell’s description was reported by witnesses as having dropped the baby off at the church.

The circumstances behind the death of Benyamin have not been determined and are pending an autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, but police believe the matter is a homicide.

If anyone has information that might be helpful in locating Jermaine Powell, please contact the Skokie Police Department by calling 9-1-1 or by calling the non-emergency at (847) 982-5900. Information can also be reported to the automated Crime Tip Hotline at (847) 933-TIPS (8477).