Woman murdered in Carol Stream

Police were questioning late Friday the 35-year-old son of a Carol Stream woman found slain in their condo.

Nearly five hours after the grisly discovery, detectives arrested the man minutes before 9 p.m. while he was eating in a Schaumburg restaurant.

Chief Rick Willing said the suspect did not resist arrest. The Daily Herald is not identifying the man because he had not been charged with a crime late Friday, nor the woman until police confirm the rest of her family has been notified. Willing said charges may come today.

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Detectives still were piecing together what led to the violence inside the Klein Creek condominium complex on the village's north side. Neighbors said the son moved in with his 60-year-old mother in her condo about one year ago and the two seemed to get along well.

"She was the sweetest woman," said neighbor Melissa Turner, who recalled a poolside chat in which the victim spoke of her son. "She was all excited. She said, 'He's a great, great son and he's going to help me pay the bills.'"

Rescuers rushed before 4 p.m. to the 200 block of Klein Creek Court, off Gary Avenue, after receiving a 911 call.

"We received a phone call from someone who said he might be agitated and to go check on him," Willing said.

Rescuers found the slain woman, who had been stabbed, inside her first-floor condo. A forensic pathologist will perform the autopsy this morning.

Carol Stream police immediately put out an alert to surrounding law enforcement Friday to be on the lookout for the man, who is 6 feet tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and visible cuts on both hands. The alert also said he was driving a 2005 Ford Escape, possibly heading toward Chicago.

But several hours later, police tracked him to a Hooter's at 1705 E. Golf Road, near the Woodfield Shopping Center, in Schaumburg. He was arrested without incident, Willing said.

"We located the vehicle in the parking lot of the mall and started checking the outlining restaurants and saw him eating up at the counter," the police chief said.

Neighbor Tim Didier said he arrived home Friday and saw police officers, with their guns pulled, outside the condo, which was cordoned off with yellow tape. Shortly afterward, he said, police approached him and showed him a photograph, which he recognized as the son.

Didier says he often saw the son walking his mother's dog, Cosmo. Didier described the neighborhood as safe and close.

"It's so sad. It's odd," he said. "This neighborhood is tight. We barbecue together. We cook for the whole neighborhood. We all know each other and hang out."

Rafael Vera, another neighbor who lives across the courtyard, recalled often seeing the victim reading outside on her porch while drinking a cup of coffee.

"I got home and the police cars were already here," he said. "It hits close to home. I've lived here for over 12 years and never seen something like that."

Meanwhile, late Friday, police were waiting for a search warrant to get back inside the condo to continue their investigation. Willing said his officers would be working the homicide investigation all night into the morning. He is expected to release more details Saturday.