1-year-old girl found dead in Joliet Township

JOLIET TOWNSHIP, Ill. (WLS) -- Investigators said 16-month-old Semaj Crosby was found dead late Wednesday night inside a home in southwest suburban Joliet Township.

At approximately 11:00 p.m., the Will County Sheriff's Office along with the FBI said they gained consent to search a home in the 300 block of Louis Road in Joliet Township. They said the attorney the family had obtained was also present. At approximately midnight, they found Semaj's body inside the home.

An autopsy was scheduled for later Thursday to determine the cause of death.

The investigation was ongoing.

Semaj was last seen playing in her front yard with a group of six to eight other children, around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. She was wearing a gray or pink long sleeved shirt with a picture of a cat on the front, dark blue jeans and was barefoot. Her hair was in multiple ponytails with white beads.

Semaj's mother said she was going to take her daughter and her cousins for ice cream when their car wouldn't start. As they were trying to jump the car, they said they realized Semaj was missing. She just recently learned how to walk.

Over 100 police personnel from multiple jurisdictions as well as over 100 volunteers searched for Semaj Wednesday, officials said. Dive teams searched six ponds, including a retention pond at nearby construction, but found no trace of the girl.

The FBI reached out to Will County police to offer assistance and had asked anyone with any information about Semaj to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Police had been talking with her mother. They said the family had been cooperative.