Prairie State Wire

Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Task Force met April 14.

Here is the agenda provided by the authority:

Task Force Member Attendance	WebEx	Absent
Dr. Adrienne Adams	x
Verda Bhatti, Between Friends	x
State Representative Kambium Buckner	x
Margaret Duval, Ascend Justice		x
Jennifer Greene, Life Span	x
Representative Jackie Haas		x
Senator Mattie Hunter	x
Major Abigail Keller, Illinois State Police	x
Thomas Lemmer, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police	x
Senator Seth Lewis		x
Rebeca Perrone, Cook County Medical Examiner	x
Amanda Pyron, The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence	x
Mandy Sark, Chicago Missing Person’s Guild	x
Teresa Smith		x
Scheherazade Tillet, A Long Walk Home	x
Cristina Villarreal, Planned Parenthood of Illinois	x
Diane Walsh, Office of the Chief Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County	x
Carrie Ward, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault		x

Also present were:

Angela McLemore, Executive Assistant, Senator Hunter’s Office

Brenda Myers Powell, Founder, Dream Catcher Foundation and Ernestine’s Daughter

Brenda Stewart, Ernestine’s Daughter

Kathy Vanderwarf

ICJIA Staff Present:

Delrice Adams, Executive Director

Brianna Martin, Associate General Counsel

Amanda Vasquez, Research Manager

Karen Galbraith, Project Coordinator

Minutes by: Karen Galbraith, ICJIA Project Coordinator

I. CALL TO ORDER/ OPENING REMARKS

• Chairperson Senator Hunter called the meeting to order at12:02 P.M.

II. ROLL CALL

• Brianna Martin, ICJIA’s Associate General Counsel, took roll andannounced quorum was reached.

III. OLD BUSINESS

• A motion to approve the minutes from the January 13, 2025, and February 10, 2025, meetings was made by Amanda Pyron, and seconded by Mandy Sark.

IV.NEW BUSINESS

• Update on Missing Persons Day – Task Force Member Rebeca Perrone o Missing Persons’ Day will be held on May 10, at the MedicalExaminer’s Office from 10 am – 2 pm. Families of missingindividuals may make reports, provide materials and DNA samplesfor identification, and input into NamUs.

• Presentation: Brenda Myers Powell, Survivor Expert Leader and Founder, Dream Cather Foundation and Ernestine’s Daughter

o Ms. Myers Powell shared about her work to prevent trafficking andsupport survivors.

o Key Takeaways

▪ Ms. Myers Powell noted the importance of meeting survivors“where they are” and tending to their basic needs by offeringthem safe, nonjudgmental spaces to rest, eat, relax, seekcomfort and support. Once basic needs are met, assessmentsare conducted and survivors are connected to resources,including therapy and referrals.

▪ Trends: Since COVID, she has noted an increase in thenumber of suburban women who are being trafficked, oftenwith their children in tow. She has also seen an uptick ingang-related trafficking and challenges due to languagebarriers when working with increasing numbers of Latinasurvivors. Young girls and women in her programs describestreet harassment and attempted abductions, as well as onlinerecruitment.

▪ Recommendations: Ms. Myers Powell promotes the use ofprogramming that is empowering and breaks the cycle ofcoercion and violence and counteracts the survival mindset.

She noted the disproportionate number of missing andmurdered Black women and girls, and intersections withracism, domestic violence, financial instability, communityviolence, systems involvement and trauma that need to beaddressed. Additionally, she spoke of the need to advocateand collaborate with law enforcement and community-basedproviders, such as Lifespan, to help meet survivors needs andaddress the root causes. She has advocated for the formationof a national commission focused on Missing and MurderedBlack Women and Girls.

• Chair and Vice Chair Nominations and Election

o Karen Galbraith announced that she had received the followingnominations prior to the meeting via email:

Chair: Senator Mattie Hunter

Vice Chair: Representative Kambium Buckner and Mandy Sark

No additional nominations were made. Representative Bucker withdrew his nomination for Vice Chair. The votes were held and Senator Hunter will remain as Chair, and Mandy Sark will serve as Vice Chair.

• Bylaws

o Prior to the meeting, members were sent drafts of the Bylaws toreview.

o A question was raised about liability protections for Task Forcemembers. It was established that members are protected under theState Employee Indemnification Act.

o Additional suggestions included the inclusion of any recentlegislative changes, including any clarification about the focus of thetask force on missing and missing and murdered women.

o Senator Hunter called the vote and the bylaws were passed, notingthat future amendments can be made, as needed.

• Report Writing Subcommittee Report

o Member Mandy Sark provided a summary of the subcommittee’sMarch meeting. The subcommittee will be meeting monthly toidentify key takeaways from Task Force presentations anddiscussions. The group discussed the importance of identifyingaction steps and accountability measures within the 2025 report.

Content will include recommendations related to missing, andmissing and murdered, women and girls.

• Next Meeting: Senator Hunter reminded members that the next meeting will be held on Monday, May 12, 12 pm. Senator Hunter requested that members come prepared to discuss ideas and recommendations.

V. PUBLIC COMMENT

• Senator Hunter opened the floor to members of the public.

• Ms. Kathy Vanderwarf, step-mother of Noah Enos, a young man who went missing in 2023 and whose body was found 5 days later in the Chicago River. Ms. Reardon stressed the importance of looking into the large number of water related deaths and prevention measures, as well as developing approaches to expedite and elevate the priority of missing persons reports and investigations.

She noted that while this Task Force is focusing on women and girls, attention needs to be paid to the number of young men who are going missing and are found dead or murdered. Many of these deaths are categorized as accidental without further investigation. Member Mandy Sark concurred that more effective communication and investigation of missing persons cases is critical.

• Task Force Member Jennifer Greene suggested that a similar Task Force be formed to address the issue, as to not dilute or distract from the unique factors at play in cases of missing and murdered women and girls, especially Black women and girls. Member Thomas Lemmer pointed out that the Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Task Force is not race-specific. Some members voiced support for expanding the Task Force’s focus statewide.

VI. ADJOURNMENT

• Senator Hunter requested a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Motion: Diane Walsh

Seconded By: Mandy Sark

Vote: The motion passed. No Nays. No abstentions.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:09 pm.

https://agency.icjia-api.cloud/uploads/Missing_and_Murdered_Task_Force_Minutes_4_14_2025_Approved_b3c3474f62.pdf