Missing South Heights Mother Likely Murdered: Police

SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — The search continued Sunday for Jessica Flores, a South Chicago Heights mother of six who police now say may have been murdered. She had been considered missing until Friday when Gary authorities charged Drew “Tiny” Carter III, 41, with her death.

Carter, who lives in Gary, was charged with murder in connection with the disappearance of Flores, 36. She was reported missing Feb. 25, along with Melina Cottrell, 26, also of Gary. Cottrell has since been found safe, the Northwest Times of Indiana reported.

Police from Indiana and Illinois, including those from South Chicago Heights, combed the city of Gary Sunday while the family of Flores held out hope that she would be found alive.

Family members have clung to the possibility that she is still alive, but according to the Times, police have said they found a blood pattern in a burned-out car that contained some of the woman's possessions that would made that possibility seem unlikely. Records show that Flores left South Chicago Heights on Feb. 24 in her boyfriend's 2010 Nissan Altima. It was later found in Chicago. It had been set on fire and police found a pool of blood and blood spatter in the backseat.

Details that were released after Carter's arrest show that the disappearance of Flores is a complicated case that may have left one other dead person in its wake.

George Heath, a potential witness in the case, died Monday after he was shot in the back of his head at his home in Gary. That death was ruled a homicide and remains under investigation, the Times reported.

According to the Daily Southtown, an unidentified witness left with Flores when she was last seen alive to go to a bar in Gary and visit a man named "Tiny." Tiny and Flores argued, the paper says, in part because a woman Tiny was expecting had not arrived, and then Tiny persuaded Flores and the witness to leave to get cocaine with him.

They continued to argue while they picked up drugs, records showed, and when they went back to the house where they had met, they could not get in. Tiny was angry that the other woman still had not arrived. The Southtown reported that at one point, Tiny made Flores get in the back seat of the car, and while he was driving, he would often stop the car as they continued to argue. During one of the stops, he asked Flores if he could have sex with the witness. When she said no, he pulled out a revolver, turned around, and shot Flores, records show.

The witness tried to flee, but Tiny was able to stop her and bring her to another house. Authorities said that he tried to give her cocaine and asked her for sex, but she declined. She waited until he fell asleep, and ran from the house.

Police are asking the public to call them if they have any information about Flores or the location of her body at 219-755-3855. Anonymous calls can be made to 866-CRIME-GP.

Read more in the Times and in the Southtown.