Several girls seen viciously beating a 15-year-old girl in a viral video were friends of the girl, who has a mental disability and had been missing for five days before she was found Tuesday, Chicago police said.
“She was discovered to be a victim of some sick and disgusting crimes that took place,” Chicago Police Officer Jose Jara said at a news conference Wednesday outside a police station at 51st Street and Wentworth Avenue.
“At this point, it is believed that the victim was invited out by some girls, who are so-called friends, who are eventually the offenders in these disgusting incidents.”
The girl, who is from the South Side, had been missing for five days before a relative reported her disappearance Tuesday, the same day she was found by her father and another person.
Police offered few specifics Wednesday, including where she was found or why the girl had been missing for so long before police were called.
The beating apparently happened on the South Side while she was missing, Jara said. The girl was briefly hospitalized but was released early Wednesday.
Jara said detectives are also looking into the possibility that the girl was sexually assaulted while she was missing “based on initial testimony from the victim herself.”
Jara said he couldn’t provide much detail on the girl’s sexual assault claim. “I don’t have all the information on it at this point, but that seems that’s the route it’s going,” he said.
“Due to the unique circumstances and the sensitive nature of these crimes . . . the task of verifying the facts in this case will take some time,” Jara said, who added that police were searching for witnesses and any video evidence.
No one was in custody, he said.
The video shared Monday on Twitter shows a Facebook recording of several females approaching a girl and hitting her as onlookers laugh. By Wednesday afternoon, the post had been retweeted more than 155,000 times, and the video had more than 5.5 million views.
Jara said anyone with information should call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8380.
WARNING: VIDEOS CONTAIN GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL VIEWERS
These girls jumped my friend Janise Harris who has a mental disability that has been progressing since the passing of her mother, I know this won’t blow up since I’m a small account but please, share and rt! I want justice for my friend, she didn’t deserve any of this. pic.twitter.com/yq3OkOlTkq
— *+ ♂️ (@D4MURE) July 23, 2019
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