Latest news with #Ilunga
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Germiston athlete eyes national success and university scholarship
Lucie Ilunga, a 400m and 800m sprint specialist, has come a long way since her early days as a netball player. Now in Grade 12 at Queens High School, she shares her journey into athletics, guided by coach Elvis Khoza. Ilunga only began to take athletics seriously in Grade 8, despite having a strong netball background. ALSO READ: CGA hosts cross-country in Germiston 'Running wasn't really my thing,' she recalled. 'But I took part in a school athletics event and, to my surprise, finished 29th.' After that race, Khoza approached her with an invitation to train. 'At the time, my heart was still with netball. I had just played my last matches at the district games and had been selected for the provincial team, so I didn't think much of it at first,' she explained. But Khoza's persistence paid off. 'He convinced me to give running a try, and my journey has been fascinating ever since.' A promising athlete with global potential Now affiliated with Thembisa Athletics Club, Ilunga has made remarkable progress. In her first year, she won the 800m at the OR Tambo Socini Games and qualified to compete in Italy. 'Unfortunately, Covid-19 had other plans,' she said, referring to the cancelled trip. ALSO READ: CGA announces team to lead SA at Paris Olympic The following year, in Grade 9, she placed second in the 800m at the same games but was unable to make the national team due to unforeseen circumstances. Balancing athletics with academics and leadership Beyond the track, Ilunga shines academically. She has served on the school's Representative Council of Learners (RCL) for four consecutive years and currently holds the position of Deputy Head Girl. 'I've received academic merits since Grade 11 and was awarded the best leader award,' she said. Despite a demanding school year, Ilunga is working hard to secure a scholarship for university. 'Next year I aim to study something I'm passionate about, like business management.' She continues her training at Germiston Stadium as she prepares for upcoming competitions. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mother of ‘missing' daughter appears in Rock Island County Court
Proceedings in the case of a woman accused of reporting her daughter missing when the child was safe at home were decided Thursday in Rock Island County Court. In a brief appearance, 37-year-old Princess Ilunga sat with other people in the courtroom and waited for the judge to call her case number and name. Her attorney and the prosecutor discussed whether extended media coverage – whether a camera will be allowed in the courtroom – is appropriate. The defense attorney asked that photojournalists show Ilunga only in street clothes. The judge said extended media coverage should be granted because so many people in the community were involved in the search for Ilunga's daughter Blessing Aoci. Our Quad Cities News crew saw Ilunga sit quietly in the courtroom with a group of supporters. Additionally, the judge wanted to clarify that all pretrial proceedings will be held without an interpreter because Ilunga understands English well enough to follow court procedures. The case is tentatively scheduled for a jury trial. Once the trial begins, a Swahili interpreter will be present. Ilunga's attorney asked for a continuance, citing the need to examine hundreds of hours of officers' body-cam video. The prosecution said there are more than 600 pieces of evidence in this case. The judge said a status hearing will be scheduled for 8 a.m. June 13 in Rock Island County Court. At a status hearing, the judge, attorneys and sometimes the person accused will discuss the case's progress and the next steps in court proceedings. Ilunga, who earlier reported her daughter, 4-year-old Blessing Aoci, was missing in a stolen car, faces a Class D felony charge of filing a false police report after law enforcement discovered the child had been safe at home the whole time. A community joins law enforcement in a search On Jan. 16, Ilunga called 911 shortly after 6 a.m. and reported her vehicle, which was left running, was stolen. During the call, Ilunga told the dispatcher six times that her daughter was in the car. 'It's important to note that Ms. Ilunga speaks very good English, albeit with an accent,' said Rock Island Police Chief McCloud at an earlier news conference. 'She is easy to understand.' At 6:24 a.m., the stolen car was found about eight blocks away, abandoned and with no sign of Blessing. An Amber Alert was issued, followed by a mobilization of local, state and federal law enforcement resources 'on a scale not seen in my 30 years in the Quad Cities,' McCloud said at the news conference. 'We had upwards of 120 law enforcement officers working hundreds of man hours, joined by countless concerned citizens from around the area who walked block by block in cold temperatures, drove around in vehicles and shared information through social media.' Searchers considered every possibility – that Blessing had been transferred to another stolen car, that she had gotten out of the stolen car and was lost, or that she had been abducted by someone else. Throughout the day, officers responded to numerous unfounded sightings of Blessing, as well as reports of pink backpacks or pink coats left abandoned in alleys or back yards, while numerous calls for service were put on hold as all resources were diverted to the search for Blessing. After about nine hours of intensive searching, McCloud said, 'Blessing suddenly showed up at the back door to her residence, unharmed, showing no signs of distress or even of having been out in the cold temperatures.' Body cams support the findings. 'We have tried to understand why (Ilunga) would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation,' McCloud said. 'During the course of the investigation, we learned that Blessing had, in fact, been inside her own residence the entire time, her identity hidden from officers by her mother from the moment officers arrived,' McCloud said. Body-camera footage showed Blessing inside the residence, no longer wearing the pink coat she earlier was described as wearing. 'This was, by all account, an intentional deception that wasted the time and resources of six local law enforcement agencies, the Illinois State Police, the FBI and the federal marshals,' McCloud said. Ilunga has seven children, many close in age and all with familial resemblances, 'so there was no reason to believe that (the girl Ilunga referred to as 'Baraka') and Blessing were not one and the same,' said McCloud. 'In fact, Ms. Ilunga actually pointed to 'Baraka' and said that Blessing looks just like her sister. ' Ilunga advised officers not to speak with 'Baraka' 'because she was too young and did not speak very well,' he said. As officers pored over body-camera footage, they determined Ilunga was lying. 'Throughout the day, we had a detective assigned as a liaison for Ms. Ilunga,' McCloud said. 'Body camera and other video evidences show Ms. Ilunga continued to perpetuate the lie several times. It was only when our detective had to run back to the station that Ms. Ilunga seized her opportunity to put the pink coat back onto Blessing, and took her outside into the alley where she was found shortly thereafter by a citizen,' McCloud Video 'We have tried to understand why she would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation,' McCloud said. Immediately after the girl was 'found,' the family vanished. Later, Ilunga was arrested in Wisconsin, and was transported back to Rock Island. She is on pretrial release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Hearing for mother of ‘missing' Rock Island girl postponed so interpreter can be there
A preliminary hearing for a 37-year-old Rock Island woman has been postponed because an interpreter was not available Tuesday. Our Quad Cities News crew saw Ilunga speak quietly to another person during the brief Rock Island County Court hearing Tuesday morning. Ilunga, who earlier reported her daughter, 4-year-old Blessing Aoci, was missing in a stolen car, faces a Class D felony charge of filing a false police report after law enforcement discovered the child had been safely at home the whole time. No Swahili interpreter was available for the hearing Tuesday, so the preliminary hearing was rescheduled to March 4. Court records show Ilunga is allowed to travel to Davenport 'for work purposes only,' and is out on conditional pre-trial release. A community joins law enforcement in a search On Jan. 16, Princess Ilunga called 911 shortly after 6 a.m. and reported her vehicle, which was left running, was stolen. During the call, Ilunga told the dispatcher six times that her daughter was in the car. 'It's important to note that Ms. Ilunga speaks very good English, albeit with an accent,' said Rock Island Police Chief McCloud at an earlier news conference. 'She is easy to understand.' At 6:24 a.m., the stolen car was found about eight blocks away, abandoned and with no sign of Blessing. An Amber Alert was issued, followed by a mobilization of local, state and federal law enforcement resources 'on a scale not seen in my 30 years in the Quad Cities,' McCloud said at the news conference. 'We had upwards of 120 law enforcement officers working hundreds of man hours, joined by countless concerned citizens from around the area who walked block by block in cold temperatures, drove around in vehicles and shared information through social media.' Searchers considered every possibility – that Blessing had been transferred to another stolen car, that she had gotten out of the stolen car and was lost, or that she had been abducted by someone else. Throughout the day, officers responded to numerous unfounded sightings of Blessing, as well as reports of pink backpacks or pink coats left abandoned in alleys or back yards, while numerous calls for service were put on hold as all resources were diverted to the search for Blessing. After about nine hours of intensive searching, McCloud said, 'Blessing suddenly showed up at the back door to her residence, unharmed, showing no signs of distress or even of having been out in the cold temperatures.' Body cams support the findings. 'We have tried to understand why (Ilunga) would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation,' McCloud said. 'During the course of the investigation, we learned that Blessing had, in fact, been inside her own residence the entire time, her identity hidden from officers by her mother from the moment officers arrived,' McCloud said. Body-camera footage showed Blessing inside the residence, no longer wearing the pink coat she earlier was described as wearing. 'This was, by all account, an intentional deception that wasted the time and resources of six local law enforcement agencies, the Illinois State Police, the FBI and the federal marshals,' McCloud said. Ilunga has seven children, many close in age and all with familial resemblances, 'so there was no reason to believe that (the girl Ilunga referred to as 'Baraka') and Blessing were not one and the same,' said McCloud. 'In fact, Ms. Ilunga actually pointed to 'Baraka' and said that Blessing looks just like her sister. ' Ilunga advised officers not to speak with 'Baraka' 'because she was too young and did not speak very well,' he said. As officers pored over body-camera footage, they determined Ilunga was lying. 'Throughout the day, we had a detective assigned as a liaison for Ms. Ilunga,' McCloud said. 'Body camera and other video evidences show Ms. Ilunga continued to perpetuate the lie several times. It was only when our detective had to run back to the station that Ms. Ilunga seized her opportunity to put the pink coat back onto Blessing, and took her outside into the alley where she was found shortly thereafter by a citizen,' McCloud said. 'We have tried to understand why she would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation,' McCloud said. Immediately after the girl was 'found,' the family vanished. Later, Ilunga was arrested in Wisconsin, and was transported back to Rock Island. In addition to 18-year-old Jaron Bailey-Harris, four juveniles also were arrested in connection with the stolen car. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
30-01-2025
- CBS News
4-year-old girl who was subject of Amber Alert was safe at home the whole time, police say
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 4-year-old Rock Island girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert earlier this month was never abducted, and was safe at home the entire time, police said. Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud said the girl's mother, Princess Ilunga, repeatedly lied about her daughter being abducted when her car was stolen while it was left running, and even claimed her missing daughter was a different child when police saw her in the home. "This is not just a big misunderstanding. This is not the result of a language barrier. From the minute our first responding officer arrived, Ms. Ilunga could have told the truth," McCloud said on Thursday. "This was, by all accounts, an intentional deception that wasted the time and resources of six local law enforcement agencies, the Illinois State Police, the FBI, and the [U.S.] Marshals." An Amber Alert was issued on Jan. 16 when Ilunga's car was stolen from outside her house, and she called 911 to report that her 4-year old daughter, Blessing Aoci, was in the car. McCloud said Ilunga told dispatchers six times that Blessing was in the car when it was stolen, adding that Ilunga "speaks very good English, albeit with an accent. She is easy to understand." Although the stolen car was found within 20 minutes, Blessing was not inside. "We considered every possibility; that she had been transferred to another stolen car, that she had gotten out of the stolen car and was now lost, or the nightmare scenario that she had been abducted by someone else," McCloud said. It wasn't until nine hours after she was reported missing that Blessing was found in the alley outside the back door of the family's home. McCloud said police were immediately suspicious when Blessing turned up safe, because she showed no signs of distress or exposure to the cold, and couldn't explain where she'd been. "Despite the relief that we all felt at her safe return, our investigators then had to begin working to answer the question 'Where was Blessing during those nine hours?'" McCloud said. Further investigation revealed that Blessing had been safe at home the entire time, and that her mother had concealed her real identity. "From the moment the 911 call was made, our officers were lied to, with the only thing being true was that the car had been stolen after she left it running," McCloud said. After reporting the girl missing, her mother claimed she couldn't provide picture of Blessing, and police had to get a picture of her from her school. McCloud said Ilunga also initially refused to let police search the house for Blessing, and when officers later saw the girl inside the house, Ilunga claimed it was a different daughter named Baraka. A Rock Island police officer who speaks fluent Swahili helped uncover the deception by listening to body camera footage of Ilunga telling her other children to go along with her deception and refer to Blessing only by her Swahili name Baraka. McCloud said Ilunga has seven children, including Blessing, and many of them are close in age, with "strong familial resemblances," so at the time police had no reason to doubt her claims that Blessing was a different child. "We have tried to understand why she would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation," McCloud said. The family has since vanished, and McCloud said an arrest warrant has been issued for Ilunga, charging her with one felony count of filing a false police report. Five teens were arrested in connection to the case on the day Blessing was reported missing. McCloud said any kidnapping charges they were facing will be dropped, but they will still be prosecuted for stealing the car. McCloud said police don't know why Ilunga would have lied about Blessing being kidnapped, other than possibly thinking by reporting she was in the stolen car, police would work harder to find it faster. "That's the only thing we can think of that's plausible at this point, but since they won't give us a statement, I think only they are going to be able to answer that question," he said.
