A Reminder To All Of Us Life Is So Very Precious
Yesterday, a beautiful 8 year old child was murdered. Had it been a slow news day across the country, you probably would have read about it or seen it on a national media network. Explaining how a man, who was her father murdered this precious gift of life. Who knows, perhaps Lauren would have grown up to be a doctor or maybe a scientist discovering a cure for a fatal disease, we will never know. And although she didn't receive national attention for being killed by her father, her death should have more importance to each of us as parents, grandparents, neighbors and teachers. This could have been your neighbor next door. A quiet family, that no one really knew. A neighbor who played with your kids or sat next to them in school. This is just a reminder to all of us that life is precious. We can't predict if we will see the sunrise the next morning. So in memory of Lauren lets all remember to give our kids a great big kiss and tell them how important they are each and every day.
The father of an 8-year-old west suburban girl has been charged with her murder. Police say Lauren Lofquist was violently attacked Sunday in her Clarendon Hills home.
Neil J. Lofquist, 40, is charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say lauren was killed by her father after he offered to put her to bed.
According to the DuPage State’s Attorney’s office, police responded to a 911 call at about 10 p.m. at the Lofquist residence. Lauren was found strangled and stabbed in the neck, officials said.
Officials stated that Lofquist allegedly entered his daughter’s bedroom just after 8 p.m. while his wife was downstairs and his son was asleep. Lofquist allegedly strangled his daughter in the bedroom, then took her to an upstairs bathroom, where he allegedly tried to drown her in the toilet and stabbed her in the neck, officials said.
The man then went to a neighbor’s house and was told to go home, officials said. Once home, Lofquist and his wife decided to go to the hospital because he was injured.
Officials said Lofquist asked his wife to call a neighbor to babysit Lauren while he, his wife and son were at the hospital.
After they arrived at the hospital, employees called 911 to ask for a well-being check at the family’s home.
They went to the home in the 100 block of Chicago Avenue and found Lauren in the upstairs bathroom. Authorities tried to revive Lauren and transported her to Hinsdale Hospital.
“When you see a vicious murder like this you can’t help but wonder what went wrong last night that caused Mr. Lofquist to allegedly take the life of his own beautiful daughter,” State’s Attorney Joe Birkett said in a press conference.
Birkett said he is requesting a psychiatric evaluation to examine Lofquist’s mental capacity.
No motive was discussed.
He attended Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, earned an undergraduate finance degree from Iowa State University and graduated with an MBA from DePaul University in 1997.
The young girl's death shocked the quiet neighborhood in Clarendon Hills.
Neighbors of the family as in most cases from the west suburb say they didn't really know the family.
Some remember her as selling Girl Scout cookies not long ago.
Lauren Lofquist
Neil Lofquist
