Part 2: Missing Jada Justice

original story posted June 30, 2009

In part 2 of the case of missing two-year-old Jada Justice disappearing only to be have her remains found in a swamp, the gritty details are given in relation to how this girl came to die.

As reported earlier, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter announced that Engelica Castillo, 18, and her boyfriend, Tik Tkachik, 23, are being charged with murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing.

Suspicion arose when Castillo and her boyfriend

were not cooperating in the process of the investigation, according to the police. They also noted that in their first questioning of Castillo, she seemed to be under pressure of some substance.

As reported in the affidavit, Tkachik told the police that Castillo had been beating young Jada on the head after they had both used heroin. It was while on their way to buy more heroin that evening when they noticed that the girl was no longer breathing.

Allegedly the beating came from a bathroom accident that the infant had.

"I told you to stop. I told you enough is enough," Tkachik said he told Castillo, according to the affidavit. The pair allegedly repeatedly tried CPR to revive the child.

When they became aware of Jada no longer breathing, they took her to the house and once they realized that she was dead, they made attempts to dispose of the body.

Her body was allegedly placed in garbage cans the next day and taken, by Tkachik, to an obscured, wooded-type area in LaPorte County. It has been reported that he may have tried to burn the body which can be the explanation for the suffered that he suffered on his face that he stated was an accident with a propane grill, according to police.

After this unsuccessful attempt, the body was taken back to the home, entombed the body in a tub of concrete, and sank it in a swamp near Westville, according to the affidavit.

Reports state that Tkachik was the person to lead police to the location of the body.

According to ABC news, if convicted, both could face 45 to 65 years in prison.