Aurora mom slain in her apartment

Police are hunting the killer of a 25-year-old Aurora mother found stabbed to death early Tuesday in her apartment.

Rescuers discovered Brenetta Beck at 6:35 a.m. in her apartment on the 1700 block of Molitor Road. She was stabbed to death. Her two children, though crying, were physically unharmed.

The slain woman's mother called police to the apartment on the city's east side in Kane County after relatives were unable to reach Beck. She lived in the second-floor apartment with her 16-month-old daughter and infant son, born just 10 days earlier.

Police said Beck's relatives became worried when they could not reach her. They last heard from her about 10 p.m. Monday. Her mother and an aunt went early Tuesday to her apartment and, from outside, they could hear at least one child crying. The mother called 911.

Police canvassed the apartment complex, where other members of Beck's family also lived. They also spent several hours in the apartment searching for physical evidence. Beck lived alone in the apartment with her two children. Police said she was not married.

"We've got several leads that we're pursuing right now," said Dan Ferrelli, a police spokesman. "We have one person of interest, although we have no one in custody."

Anyone with information is urged to call Aurora police at (630) 801-6655 or the Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. The group is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information.