‘We are all affected by it': Shocked neighbors grieve sisters' killings as search continues for suspect in Streamwood

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2 days ago

STREAMWOOD, Ill. (WGN) — Shocked residents in northwest suburban Streamwood continue to grieve Friday as the search continues for a man wanted in connection with the stabbing deaths of his sisters earlier this week.
A manhunt is currently underway for 25-year-old Jalonie Jenkins, a man identified as a suspect in the stabbing deaths of a 10-year-old girl and a 21-year-old woman at a townhome in the Woodland Heights East subdivision in the 1600 block of McKool Avenue in Streamwood on Wednesday night.
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Loved ones identified the victims as 21-year-old Janiya Jenkins and 10-year-old Eyani Jones, both believed to be the suspect's sisters.
While authorities searched for answers Thursday morning, a car belonging to Jenkins was located about 15 miles from the crime scene at Redmond Recreational Complex in Bensenville. Following the discovery, authorities conducted an extensive search of the park, but there was no sign of Jenkins.
As the search continues, residents who live near the home where the deadly stabbings occurred are shocked.
The woman who called 911 was badly shaken while speaking to WGN-TV Thursday. She said she discovered the victims after being led to the scene by the victim's 7-year-old brother, who informed her that 'something very bad' had happened at their home.
'I open my door, I say 'What happened?' He gets going into detail, you know, he's only 7 years old, this is his big sister that he discovered,' the family friend said.
When she finally got to the home, she recognized the weight of the tragedy.
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'He said, 'Can you call my mom? eyani is dead,' Head leads me upstairs, I walk up the stairs and I just see, like, blood and stuff, you know, everywhere. I see the oldest girl, you know, laid out, I see the little girl, she's laid out. I'm on the phone with the mom, so I'm telling her like 'Oh my gosh, like, you know, your kids are gone,' the woman said.
The woman, who called the deadly incident 'heartbreaking,' said 10-year-old eyani was best friends with her daughter.
'She was a really sweet girl,' she said. 'They go to school down the street. They just got out of school last Thursday after a vacation. They were on their way to fifth grade.'
The family friend is among several residents in the area grieving after the horrific killings.
Just outside the police perimeter Friday morning, messages of love could be found.
'We are all affected by it,' neighbor Gabrielle Morales said.
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One of the victim's friends, Jasmine Marshall, said she knew Janiya well and described her as one of a kind.
'She was a good friend, like a friend I've never had,' Marshall said.
Others who live nearby said they were distressed by the news.
'It took us by surprise, it really has. It kind of shook us,' Andres Sullivan, who also lives nearby, said.
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Officers say Jenkins is believed to be armed and dangerous, and his last known location was in Bensenville.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 25-year-old Jalonie Jenkins is asked to call the Streamwood Police Department at [phone] or leave a message on the Streamwood Police Department Confidential Tipline at [phone].
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