Park Forest grandparents used belt, shoe in beating death of 5

The grandparents of a 5-year-old Park Forest girl who died Saturday used a belt, shoe and their hands to beat the girl over a period of time, causing extensive injuries to her brain, prosecutors said at a bond hearing Monday where the couple were ordered held without bond.

Klent Elwoods, 62, and his 57-year-old wife, Lisa Jones, have watched Jada Moore since March and began beating her in their home in the 300 block of Osage Street about a month after taking her in, according to a court document filed Monday.

The girl’s biological mother lives out of state and was informed of her daughter’s death, according to Park Forest police Chief Brian Rzyski.

Police said that Elwoods called 911 Friday night to report the girl was unresponsive, and told a dispatcher that he had physically abused the girl.

He told the police dispatcher “I was beating my little granddaughter and now she is out of it,” according to the court document.

Police said they responded just before 11 p.m. July 14 to the home. The girl was taken to an area hospital then transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where she died at about 9 a.m. July 15, according to police.

The girl was found nude on a couch, and first responders rendered aid, prosecutors said.

Elwoods is the father of Moore’s mother, who lives in Georgia but had “fallen on hard times” and needed a place for her daughter to stay, according to the court document.

The medical examiner’s office reported finding bruises, abrasions and scars over most of the girl’s body. The office reported Sunday, following an autopsy, that the girl’s death was the result of multiple injuries and child abuse.

More injuries were found on the back of the girl’s body than the front, and a belt taken from the couple’s home was consistent with some of the injuries, according to the court document. It also noted the girl suffered injuries to her brain that “would have required substantial force to be exerted.”

Elwoods and Jones told police they brought the girl to their home in March, and began beating her about a month later, using a belt, shoe and their hands, according to the court filing.

The court filing noted the mother had not reported any injuries to her daughter’s body when she last saw her in March, and stated the injuries were consistent with a “pattern of ongoing behavior as the wounds were in various stages of healing.”

Elwoods and Jones are scheduled to appear in court again Aug. 2 at the Markham Courthouse.

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