Father of Murdered Girl Arrested In Chicago Suburb

The bodies of two young girls were discovered early Monday morning in a wooded park north of Chicago, leaving the quiet suburban town stunned and fearful that a killer was on the loose. Anxious parents hurried to schools to meet their children and hug them tightly while walking to their cars. Police and Beulah Park Elementary School officials escort children directly onto buses at the end of the school day, while other parents chose to keep their children home until the monster who had murdered the children was caught.

Both girls had been beaten and stabbed multiple times, then left to die in the wooded area where they were found. The park was known by local residents to be a place to avoid, because of shady activities that routinely take place there. "There have been incidents of kids beating up people and taking their wallets and park rangers have had to shoo people out of there for hunting illegally," one Zion resident said, adding that Beulah Park, a nature preserve, is also a popular hangout for teens to drink. "Our children are told not to be down in that area," she said. "My husband and I don't go down there anymore because you hear the stories." The park has a ravine and trails made by mountain bikes, as well as a paved bike path through the trees, and that’s where 8-year old Laura Hobbs and her 9-year old best friend, Krystal Tobias, were headed to for a Sunday afternoon bike ride. When they hadn’t returned by 8:45 that night, the parents of one girl reported her missing. The parents of the other girl reported their daughter missing shortly afterward, and police and rescue dogs began searching.

Initial reports of the bodies being found told that a Zion resident had made the grisly discovery while walking through the park at dawn. That resident happened to be the father of one of the girls, 34-year old Jerry Branton Hobbs III. Hobbs' father-in-law, Arthur Hollabaugh, 51, said Tuesday that he and Hobbs found the bodies of the girls just after dawn Monday morning. Hollabaugh said that they had searched for the missing girls through the night, and then they spotted Laura’s bike in the bushes part way down the ravine. Minutes later, the girl’s father was screaming that he had found the bodies. The two led police to the bodies in a grassy area just off a wooded bike path. Police began investigating the crime immediately, searching the girls’ homes for possible clues, taking clothes and computers, and talking to friends and family. Jerry Hobbs was questioned Monday night and shortly afterward was described by the media as being "a person of interest" in the investigation. Tuesday morning he was questioned again by investigators, and this time he broke down and confessed to killing his daughter and her best friend.

According to authorities, Laura Hobbs had been grounded for the weekend, but her mother lifted the punishment on Mother’s Day, which infuriated Laura’s father. Jerry Hobbs told police that he went to the park looking for his daughter, and when he found her with Krystal Tobias, he was so angry that he punched both girls in the face, beat them with his fists, and then stabbed them repeatedly and left them to die there. Police say Hobbs has an extensive criminal history, including arrests for assault, resisting arrest, drug charges, and evading arrest. Hobbs had just returned to the Zion area about a month earlier after being released from a Texas prison.

Hollabaugh, Laura’s grandfather, said that police had searched the home where she and her father lived, and they took measurements of Hobbs’ shoes and talked with Laura’s siblings. "Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault and I think they’re holding that against him," Hollabaugh said. "I don’t think he did it." But Hobbs himself confessed to killing the young girls, and police have charged him with murder. Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Waller announced the arrest, but was unable to share details of the crime prior to a bond hearing scheduled Wednesday morning for Hobbs. But he did say, "This horrific crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and, I think it's safe to say, people of good will everywhere."