On July 5, 2023, 24-year-old Natalie Negray’s body found in a hotel room. The hotel is on the 1200 block of Bank Drive in Schaumburg, Illinois. Police are still reviewing her case to determine the cause of death. Evidence suggests that Antonio Monroe was the last person to be with Natalie before her death.
Antonio Monroe is a registered sex offender. He has a case involving the sexual assault of a 19-year-old in Peoria, Illinois when he was 31. Schaumburg police are working together with Rockford police to help solve Natalie’s case. Since Monroe was just recently involved in a case in Rockford, Illinois.
Rockford Case
The 44-year-old from Blue Island is being charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, and aggravated battery. On July 8, 2023, after 12 p.m., Antonio grabbed 10-year-old Destiny Huggins and her 6-year-old sister while they were playing outside. Monroe struggled with both Destiny and her sister.
Destiny’s sister was able to get away and tell her mother about what happened, and her mother called the police. Around 12:40 p.m., someone flagged down police because they saw a lifeless body and police found Destiny unresponsive outside a house in the 1200 block of 9th Ave.
The responding officers tried to revive Destiny with CPR. After, The Rockford Police Department took Destiny to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
A K-9 dog tracked the murder suspect just a few blocks away from the crime scene near 9th Street and Woodruff. Monroe matches the suspect description. He was arrested after a brief struggle and taken to the hospital for another issue. Once everything is clear, Monroe will go to Winnebago County Jail.
Police do not know why Monroe was in Rockford that day, considering that he lives 100 miles away. Here is the link to Destiny Huggins’ GoFundMe to help pay for her funeral.
Monroe’s virtual court date was on July 11, 2023, when Judge Scott Paccagnini raised his bond to $5,000,000. The next court date is August 15, 2023, at 9 a.m. Monroe can spend possibly up to 60 years in jail.
By Brynn Walker
Sources:
ABC 7 News: Schaumburg police believe man accused of murdering Rockford girl connected to suburban death
ABC 7 News: Blue Island man charged with kidnapped, murdering 10-year-old girl in Rockford: police
New York Post: Sex offender kidnapped, strangled 10-year-old girl was playing outside with her sister: cops
23 WIFR: Alleged killer of 10-year-old Rockford girl a ‘person of interest’ in Schaumburg death investigation
Feature image courtesy image of Jay Kleeman’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset image courtesy of National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
