Crystal Carter, a 35-year-old African American woman, was found fatally shot in her home in Greater Grand Crossing on the morning of February 23, 2025. Officers responded to a well-being check about 6 a.m. at her residence on the 7600 block of South Ingleside Avenue and discovered her unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the arm. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival.

Authorities recovered a firearm at the scene. Investigators arrested Carter’s ex-boyfriend, Bobby Thornton; he was charged with her murder and ordered detained pending further legal proceedings, with a next court appearance scheduled for March 12, 2025. The incident has been described as an act of domestic violence.

Carter was the mother of five, leaving three daughters and two sons. Friends and family called her a kind and devoted parent, and a fundraiser was started to help with funeral expenses and support her children. Does anyone in Greater Grand Crossing have information about Crystal’s case or knew her and can share details that might help?