Chicago teen ‘gang-raped’ on Facebook Live; 40 watched, none reported

Chicago, March 22

A 15-year-old Chicago girl who went missing on Sunday, and was seen on Facebook Live being sexually assaulted by multiple young men, was found on Tuesday, police said.

The girl was being treated at a local hospital after the attack, Chicago Police Department spokesman Frank Giancamilli said.

Giancamilli  said about 40 people viewed the crime on Facebook while it was happening, and none of them reported it to the police.

The girl's mother approached police Superintendent Eddie Johnson after an unrelated news conference on Monday and showed him images of her daughter being assaulted by five or six young men, Giancamilli said. 

The mother said the girl's uncle told her on Monday morning about a video on Facebook Live that showed the assault, news station WGN reported.

The high school freshman had gone to the store on Sunday afternoon, and her mother became concerned when she did not return home, the station said.

After meeting with the mother, Johnson ordered detectives to investigate and a missing person bulletin was issued Monday night, Giancamilli said. He said police were reconstructing a timeline and working to identify the suspects.

"The Superintendent was visibly upset when he heard about the case and saw the pictures of the girl and incident on FB Live. He was also very dismayed when he learned that there were people (who) were watching the incident live and no one called police," Giancamilli said.

It was the latest incident in recent months in Chicago in which the social media site has played a role in broadcasting apparent crimes.

The shooting death last month on the city's West Side of a two-year-old boy was captured on Facebook Live by his aunt, who was also shot.

In January, an attack by four people on a 19-year-old man with special needs was partially broadcast on the social media site. The four accused in the attack have pleaded not guilty. —Reuters/AP