CHICAGO — Two years ago this Saturday, 21-year-old Rosa Chacon’s body was found in a laundry cart behind the 2300 block of West 24th Place. She had been tied up and wrapped in sheets, officials said.
So far, no charges have been filed. But Cook County Crime Stoppers hopes to change that. The organization is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps police solve the mystery of what happened to Chacon.
And it truly is a mystery. After an extensive investigation, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office was unable to determine what caused her death. The agency couldn’t even conclude if her death was natural, an accident, or murder.
Chacon was last seen getting into an Uber in the 2800 block of South St. Louis on January 18, 2023. Family members told WGN that someone had ordered the ride for her. They don’t know where she was going.
The Chicago Police Department issued a missing person bulletin to the media on January 23. She was found dead nearly two miles away from where she stepped into the Uber.
“I miss my baby,” Chacon’s father told ABC. “Normally, when our daughter leaves, we hear from her. She calls the next day, she calls an hour after she leaves, she’s in a house, she’s secure, she’s nice and warm. But we didn’t hear anything.”
After the discovery, some outlets, including People magazine, picked up on residents’ speculation that Chacon’s death is somehow linked to other young women who went missing in the area.
“It’s hard to believe and hard to comprehend that in the year 2023, we still find bodies of dead women and no answers,” Selene Partida said during a press conference after Chacon was found. Chicago police have not revealed any links between women and girls who’ve gone missing in the area.
But with Chacon’s manner of death officially listed as “undetermined,” bringing murder charges—if she was murdered—would be a steep climb.
Crime Stoppers says its reward is for information about “concealment of death,” and their offer is good for the next 60 days.
Information about the crime can be shared anonymously with Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-535-STOP or by emailing [email protected]. The Chicago police hotline number is 833-408-0069. Tipsters are not required to give their names, according to the organization.
You can contact CWBChicago and provide anonymous tips by email: [email protected]
