ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. — The suburban man accused of killing his “on again, off again” girlfriend and her baby daughter was denied bond Wednesday.
Ahmeel Fowler, 26, of Pingree Grove, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping — which was added in court on Wednesday.
He’s accused of killing his girlfriend Ja’nya Murphy, 21, who was found dead by police in her Wheeling apartment after conducting a well-being check. Police determined her 1-year-old daughter Jaclyn “Angel” Dobbs was missing after she was found dead.
On Nov. 11, construction workers alerted authorities in Hammond of a body in a retention pond off I-80 near Kennedy Avenue. The body was identified to be Jaclyn Dobbs later that night.
Investigators tracked down video that helped them to identify a man, later determined to be Fowler, seen with Murphy earlier that week.
Prosecutors in court Wednesday said GPS from Fowler’s phone allegedly placed him at Murphy’s apartment and the retention pond. Murphy’s body had bruises on it and smelled like bleach, according to court documents.
Authorities said Fowler smelled like bleach when he was arrested in Missouri. The prosecution said it was not the first time Fowler allegedly put his hands on Murphy.
Back in February, Murphy reportedly called her parents crying — saying Fowler choked her. In a separate incident in 2017, he was charged with unlawful restraint and two counts of domestic battery.
His bond request was denied and his next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.