Reginald Potts briefly dated Nailah Franklin and is now charged with the young Chicago woman's death. She was 28 years old when she was killed in September. Her nude body found in a wooded area. Police say cell phone activity conflicted with the Potts's alibi of the suspect.
Nailah Franklin's family says, while the arrest won't bring her back, it is one more step along the road to recovery. Nailah's is a story that captured the city's attention, and Reginald Potts is no stranger to law enforcement.Over eight days, her family prayed, a community searched, but police now say Nailah Franklin was already dead. They believe Potts abducted and immediately murdered the pharmaceutical sales representative.
"I know everything done in the dark comes to the light, so I don't worry about that, I know justice will be served," said Ashley Franklin, Nailah's sister.
Police have always viewed Reginald Potts as a suspect. Shortly before she disappeared, Franklin told friends he had made threatening phone calls to her. She was in the process of getting a restraining order against him when she disappeared.
"The detectives never lost sight of the real victim and that's Nailah Franklin. Mr. Potts tried to win sympathy, but investigators never swayed," said Dep. Supt. Hiram Grau, Chicago Police Department.
While Potts was calling the media proclaiming his innocence in September, police were running down his alibi. They brought in the FBI to track Potts' movement via his cell phone.
"We obtained cell phone records from the victim, do a comparison and disproved his alibi. They show that where he said he was based on his phone records, the victim and Potts were in the same geographic area," said Nikki Ruddi, FBI special agent.
Divers found Nailah Franklin's body in a pond near a Calumet City golf course in late September.
Potts has been in and out of trouble with the law. In 2001, he was arrested for threatening a Highland Park police detective and his family but managed to escape from custody at the Dirksen Federal Building. Police recaptured Potts after two weeks on the run. Now, he is once again in police custody this time facing far more serious charges.
"I think for me, not to minimize the efforts, but it doesn't bring my sister back. I'm grateful there's been 24-7 working on this, detectives working every shift, but for me it's bittersweet because it doesn't bring her back," said Lehia Franklin Acox, Nailah's sister.
Nailah Franklin's family says as they prepare to gather for Christmas they will focus on remembering her life and legacy and not dwell on her death.
