Round Lake Beach mom indicted on 12 counts of murder in son's death
A Round Lake Beach woman accused of carrying her son's body on a Metra train and through Union Station in July was indicted Wednesday on 12 counts of first-degree murder, officials announced.
A Lake County grand jury also approved charges of aggravated battery to a child against Jamie L. Jones, 29, stemming from the death of 6-year-old Carl Rice Jr.
Jones, of the 1800 block of Cedar Lake Road, remains held in the Lake County jail on $3 million bail.
Authorities said Carl died in his sleep overnight between June 30 and July 1 after his mother beat him.
Surveillance videos show Jones on July 1 took the child to the Round Lake Beach Metra station to catch a train to Chicago. She then carried the boy's body through Union Station before getting into a car outside of the busy Chicago station and driving to her parents' home.
After the child did not wake up in Chicago, Jones alerted family members that something was wrong, according to Lake County prosecutors. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
An autopsy conducted by the Cook County medical examiner's office showed Carl suffered extensive bruising on his face, arms, chest, buttocks, thighs, skull and inside his mouth. The medical examiner determined he died six to eight hours before authorities were called.
Jones is due back in court Dec. 7 for arraignment.
Also Wednesday, the grand jury indicted Jasperin F. Melendez, 19, of Waukegan on first-degree murder charges in connection with the October slaying of a Zion man at a home near Grayslake.
Fabian J. Cortez-Milan, 30, was gunned down at 1:36 a.m. Oct. 21 on the 33300 block of Lone Rock Road in unincorporated Lake County.
Melendez, of the 1100 block of West Grove Avenue, was taken into custody in Milwaukee two days later and extradited to Lake County. He remains held in Lake County jail on $5 million bail and is due back in court Dec. 6.