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Mom says baby sitter was alone when he was killed

Posted November 14, 2007 10:00 pm

Jayette Bolinski

A Springfield teenager who apparently was stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon was waiting for the four children he baby-sat to return home from school, according to a woman who lives in the house where his body was found.

Carlos Reese, 18, was found dead in the living room in the 1600 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive about 2:30 p.m.

Latashia Williams, who lives there, told a reporter Wednesday that Reese was a family friend and regularly cared for her four children, who range in age from 11 to 7. He lived with his mother on North 14th Street, she said.

An autopsy scheduled for today should reveal more about the exact cause of death.

Police said they are still working on the case.

"We've done several interviews. We have one person who was and still remains a person of interest, but he is not a suspect at this time," said deputy chief Clay Dowis, who oversees the Springfield Police Department's investigations division.

Reese was found in the living room, which is on the side of the gray single-story house. The front door, where there is a wheelchair ramp, enters into a bedroom.

Williams returned home from work Tuesday afternoon to find Reese dead inside. She said he was on the floor with his head resting on the sofa.

"He was waiting on them to come home from school," she said of the children.

Reese baby-sat for her at various times of the day and night, she said. His name was on the mailbox so he could conveniently get his mail, Williams said.

Dowis said police have a general timeline of Reese's whereabouts Tuesday. Investigators believe he was killed within two or three hours of when his body was found.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, Williams still hadn't been able to get into the house to retrieve clothing and personal items for her children and herself because police were collecting evidence inside and were trying to keep the crime scene untainted. Police said they were going to try to work with her to get a few items out of the house for her.

Police are seeking help from the public. Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the police department at (217) 788-8311 or Crime Stoppers at (217) 788-8427.

Jayette Bolinski can be reached at (217) 788-1530 or jayette.bolinski@sj-r.com.

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