Will County sheriff visited house of dead toddler roughly 60 times

Image 1 of 3

There is still no justice for 1-year-old Semaj Crosby who was reported missing by her family last week.
Thirty-three hours after an intense police and volunteer search, her body was found inside a Joliet Township home under a couch.

After the flurry of activity last week, the home on Louis road is now quiet. The community continues to add to two memorials, honoring the short life of Semaj Crosby.

The now-condemned home was deemed uninhabitable by Will County Land Use Department, which also released images from inside.

Cluttered rooms and filthy conditions are where 16-month-old Semaj and her two older brothers lived alongside up to 15 people including squatters, according to police.

Will County Sheriff's deputies visited the home almost 60 times between February of last year and april of this year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Forty of the visits involved people on probation and two of them were welfare checks. The Sun-Times reported a number of other visits involved disturbances or crisis intervention.

One neighbor, who didn't want to share her identity, said she doesn't remember that many police visits but added there was always a lot of activity.

"I haven't never seen them over here a lot of times maybe been when I was passing or they had just left when I pulled up, they probably have, it's chaotic over there,” the neighbor said.

Department of Children and Family Services officials are facing criticism for their handling of the case. An inspector had visited the home just a few hours before Semaj was reported missing.

Earlier this week, a Will County judge demanded answers about the little girl's death and said the caseworkers missed obvious signs of trouble in previous visits.

The DCFS director told a state senate committee his agency doesn't remove children because a home is filthy.

An autopsy was ruled inconclusive. The Will County Sheriff's office said there were no obvious signs of trauma. No one is in custody.