The 56-year-old woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she died. She was the manager of the store.
Hanover Park police have launched a murder investigation.
Police were back at the scene searching through the area possibly looking for the murder weapon. Hanover Park police investigators closely combed the area of bushes near the store Friday afternoon. They also went through a dumpster. They're looking for clues that might help lead them to the killer who stabbed the Dollar Store manager.
"I'm really scared about the lady because this dollar store helps everybody in this area. That's so sad to see that," said neighbor Rollande Louis.
Neighbors recall Thakkar as being very friendly, and her murder has many worried about the possibility of a killer on the loose in the area. Her family confirmed she was a doctor in India before moving to this country recently. She was not licensed to practice medicine here and apparently worked at the Dollar Store in the meantime.
"She's very nice. Everybody like(s) her," Louis said.
The motive for the killing was unknown Friday afternoon.
The Dollar Store has only been open for a few months. It is the only business that is open in the strip mall, so there were likely few if any witnesses to the murder Thursday.
"We're trying to say we're sorry to their loss and that they can always remember her deep down, and never forget her, because she was a really good lady," said 10-year-old Kurt Wegner.
Kurt's mother says the Dollar Store is one of the few places her son and some of the other neighborhood kids were allowed to go, in part, because the store manager looked after them when they were there.
Police have no one in custody, nor suspects that they've identified.
