Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― An Amber Alert is in effect Tuesday morning for three children last seen at a Humboldt Park neighborhood school, whose mother was found slain in the family apartment.

The children were last seen when their mother picked them up from Richard Yates Public School, at 1839 N. Richmond St., and have been missing since Friday; their mother was found murdered Monday.

Neighbors believe the children's abductor may have a three day jump on police and may have taken them out of the country.

Authorities say 30-year-old Sophia Garcia was found dead in her Northwest Side home in the 1700 block of North Harding Avenue around noon Monday, a little more than a mile from where the children disappeared.

Garcia's sister, who had gone to the home to pick the children up for school Monday, reportedly found her in a closet with a plastic bag over her head. An autopsy Tuesday found she died of head and brain injuries caused by multiple blunt head trauma from an assault and the death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office.

For Fernando, Karla and Oscar Casanova, Friday was apparently like any other day. The siblings went to school at Yates, then left for the day. But they haven't been seen in Chicago since, and neighbors now believe the father of two of the children, 32-year-old Benito Casanova, kidnapped them after killing their mother.

Children, teachers and officials were distraught Tuesday at Yates Elementary as they prayed the three children would return safely.

Parents gave their children pep talks as they dropped them off for classes.

"I decided to talk to them and tell them that every parent is different – number one," said Grover Phillips, a father of students at the school. "Number two, they have parents that love them, and those kids will be found sooner or later."

"I knew the little kids; I knew the little boy; he always said, 'hi,' and 'bye;' talked," said Vanessa Aleman, a Yates mother. "They were nice kids."

Oscar Casanova, 6, is 4 feet tall and weighs 60 pounds with dark brown hair and brown eyes; Karla Casanova, 7, is 4-feet 1-inch inch tall and weighs 75 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes; and Fernando Casanova, 11, is 5 feet tall and weighs 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Chicago police say Benito Casanova abducted them on April 18, at 2:30 p.m. He is described as 6-feet 1-inch tall, 230 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

He's believed to be driving a 2002 silver/gray Dodge Dakota with Illinois license plate 86196HB.

One of the license plates on the car is missing.

"It's sad because you don't really know where they are," said neighbor Stefanie DeJesus. "Some people are saying they're in Indiana, some people say Mexico, and they're gone."

Neighbor Yvonne Amill tells CBS 2 the discovery came after Garcia's sister got what now appears to be a disturbing call from Casanova, telling her he was taking the children to Indiana.

When police came, the children were gone, and police issued the Amber Alert.

"(Garcia) was seen in school Friday morning, she came for report card pickup day Thursday, and once again there was nothing out of the ordinary," said Yates Principal Harry Randell. "I want everybody to understand the children were not abducted from school."

"We don't know the person that did this to the parent or did take the children," added parent Anna Troch. "I mean, it could be anybody."

Amill says the family has lived on the block since the beginning of the year. Neighbors said they often saw the children outside playing with their dog.

"They never had problems with nobody; they kept to themselves," said neighbor Luis Hernandez.

Grand Central Area detectives are investigating. Anyone with any information should call 911.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov and Joanie Lum contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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