Missing Rosa Chacon

A 21-year-old Illinois woman, who had vanished for nearly two months, was discovered deceased — bound, enveloped in a sheet, and ensconced in a shopping cart on Chicago’s Southwest Side, just a mere week preceding her 22nd birthday. The mortal remains of Rosa Chacon, last seen entering a ride-hailing conveyance in January, were unearthed earlier this month and definitively identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, as proclaimed by a private investigative agency.

As per a private investigator purportedly in close connection with the family, Chacon was observed entering an Uber circa 10:40 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the vicinity of the 2800 block of St. Louis Avenue, destined for the 2400 block of Western Avenue in Chicago.

The shopping cart in which Chacon was abandoned was discovered within an alley in the 2300 block of West 24th Place, according to a report from Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV. Her remains underwent examination by the medical examiner to ascertain the manner and cause of her demise.

Chacon’s family informed WLS that she had not arranged the Uber that picked her up on Jan. 18.

“She said, ‘I’ll return, mom. I’ve arranged for the Uber to take me there and back,’ those were her words to me,” her mother, also named Rosa Chacon, conveyed to the station. “I cannot fathom how someone could perpetrate such an act.” According to her mother, Chacon provided no details regarding her destination, companionship, or the individual arranging the transport for her. Additionally, she ventured out without a coat or identification, as relayed by her mother to WLS.

The family recounted to the station their attempts to involve the authorities after Chacon’s disappearance, though they were met with disheartening responses, with investigators suggesting that their daughter was likely a runaway. “She’s not a runaway. A mother alone discerns her child,” her mother articulated in an interview with CBS News. “I was her confidante. I was always by her side, save for that night. She mentioned she was taking an Uber. I presumed she wasn’t going far. I retired to bed. She said, ‘I’m departing in the Uber and will return.’ Those were the final words I heard from my daughter.”

However, for Chacon to sever all communication with her loved ones and acquaintances for an extended duration was uncharacteristic, her father lamented. “I yearn for my child,” Chacon’s father, Jose Lucio, lamented to WLS. “Typically, when our daughter leaves, we hear from her. She reaches out the following day, within an hour of leaving; she’s settled in somewhere, safe, warm. But this time, there was silence.”

Reportedly, a spokesperson for Uber informed WLS that they refrain from disclosing personal details for reasons of privacy and protocol.

Chacon’s kin and companions divulged that they dedicated weeks to distributing missing-person leaflets before ultimately enlisting the services of a private investigator to probe her disappearance.

Per CBS News, law enforcement presently maintains an open investigation into her demise pending the medical examiner’s report. Community leaders have pledged a $15,000 reward for any information shedding light on Chacon’s demise.