Tinley Park police made the announcement on Wednesday that the father of a girl who had recently graduated high school and was 17 years old had been charged in connection with her death.
Tinley Park police say that Mia Maro, who was 17 years old at the time of her death, was found dead inside her south suburban house on Sunday night in the 7800 block of West 167th Street.
WATCH: The Tinley Park police department discloses charges in the murder of Mia Maro
According to the police, Muhammed Almaru, who is 42 years old, has been charged with murder in the first degree.
Alma’s sister contacted the Tinley Park police department and asked them to come to the house. According to Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew Walsh, when responding police encountered Almaru, he had self-inflicted cuts to his wrists and throat and had eaten medications. This information was provided by the chief.
According to the neighbors, he has transported away on a stretcher as other upset family members came. They noted a commotion-filled environment with a lot of shouting.
According to Walsh, Almaru has been intubated and is continuing to get treatment at Advocate Christ Medical Center. He is not helping authorities with their probe in any way.
“In working with the state’s attorney for a couple of days, we were able to collect enough where they were comfortable charging him with first-degree murder,” said Walsh. “We were able to obtain enough where they were comfortable charging him with first-degree murder.”
There is no clear motivation for her murder at this time, but the details that have been presented in court regarding what may have contributed to her death are difficult to comprehend.
The prosecution stated that Maro and her father had clashed in recent days about her attending prom and that she was accused of crashing her father’s car last week as retaliation for the argument. According to the authorities, a letter reportedly written by Mia’s father that was discovered in the residence said that he had beaten Mia after discovering that she had lied to him about something.
In addition, the police discovered a rubber mallet and a bent metal pole that was reportedly used in the murder.
According to the findings of the medical examiner’s office, the death of Maro was the result of a homicide that was caused by “many injuries.” Her body was located on a lower floor of the house when it was discovered.
On Wednesday, Walsh stated that she was covered in bruises all over her body.
According to Walsh, “people are being traumatized by this.” “The situation is utterly sad.”
In addition to that, he stated that after investigating the situation, his officers are receiving therapy.
He stated, “A significant number of law enforcement officials have been getting in touch with me.” “Their children are the same age, they are familiar with this female, they have a favorable opinion of this girl, and they are friends with her,”
Maro was a senior at Andrew High School when the news was disseminated to the school’s community on Monday in the form of a letter, in which the principal of the school wrote, in part, “As a result of the passing of Mia Maro, a senior at Andrew High School, today is a very difficult day for all of us in the Andrew High School Community… We would like to express our sympathies to Mia’s family and urge that everyone continue to think about and pray for Mia during this difficult time.”
On Monday night, Maro’s friends and classmates came out in droves to pay their respects at the memorial that has been developing in front of her family’s home.
“She was only a few weeks away from graduating, and it’s a very happy time, and just to have life cut short like that is just really really very, very terrible,” said Andrew Brescia, a neighbor in the area. “It’s just really very, very sad.”
The Andrew High School administration has assured her peers that there would be counselors available over the entire school week.
It was reported by Maro’s family that she had dreams of becoming a dental hygienist, but she intended to attend a local college so that she could continue to take care of her mother.
