Help sought in solving 2005 murder of 13-year-old girl

Chronicle Media

The torso of Alexandra “Alex” Anaya was found floating in the Little Calumet River in Chicago 13 years ago. FBI agents are asking anyone with information about Alex’s death to contact them. (Photo from FBI Chicago Field Office)

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the offender in a murder unsolved for 13 years.

The 2005 murder of 13-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Anaya has never been solved and led Jeffrey S. Sallet, special-agent-in-charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Hammond (Ind.) Police Chief John D. Doughty announcing the reward.

Alex Anaya was reported missing from her Hammond home, last seen by her mother at about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 13, 2005. The teen’s torso was found floating in the Little Calumet River in Chicago by a group of boaters on Aug. 16, 2005.

Alex Anaya was Hispanic, with brown hair and eyes, 5 feet 1 and 125 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gold chain with a round, religious medallion attached.

After conducting an investigation into the teen’s disappearance and murder, both the Chicago and Hammond police departments requested the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2016. FBI agents from the Chicago Field Office’s Homicide Initiative Task Force continue to assist in the investigation.

“We believe Alex knew her assailant and her death was not a random act of violence,” Sallet said. “We are confident there is someone out there who knows what happened to Alex. It is 13 years later and her horrific demise remains unsolved. We hope that in the time that has passed someone will find the courage to come forward now. With the help of the public, we truly feel we will bring Alex’s murderer to justice.”

Alex Anaya was wearing a gold chain with a round, religious medallion attached when she was last seen 13 years ago. (Photo from FBI Chicago Field Office)

In an effort to address and solve some of the area’s most violent cold cases, the FBI Chicago Field Office established the Homicide Initiative Task Force in 2016, which includes members of the FBI and the Chicago Police Department. The purpose of the Task Force is to re-examine the cases from a fresh perspective while utilizing newly developed scientific techniques and forensic processes.

Sallet urged individuals with information about Alex Anaya’s disappearance and murder to contact law enforcement.

“No matter what you know about this case, whether it’s a lot or a little, you should still contact us now,” he said.

Anyone with information regarding the death of Alex Anaya is encouraged to call the FBI Chicago Field Office at 312-421-6700.

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— Help sought in solving 2005 murder of 13-year-old girl —-