Lydia Samantha Elking was 15 and a student at Liberty High School when she was fatally shot on the evening of February 18, 2023. She was a passenger in a car driven by her 17-year-old boyfriend when they met two other teenagers near Oak Avenue and Perry Street in St. Charles. Police say the two boys announced a robbery and produced a handgun; a single shot struck Lydia. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and died of her injuries; police were called to the hospital at 8:50 p.m.

Within a week, investigators arrested two suspects, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, and seized the gun believed to have been used from a St. Charles home. The arrested teens were initially charged in juvenile court with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action. The 16-year-old, identified as Alex L. Mason, was later certified for adult prosecution on second-degree murder, attempted robbery, and armed criminal action. In March 2023 the 17-year-old boyfriend was arrested on second-degree murder and two counts of distributing a controlled substance near a school; his case remained in juvenile court and the investigation was active.

Did anyone in the St. Charles area see the vehicle or the teenagers at Oak Avenue and Perry Street that night, or have information about the meeting that led to this robbery and shooting?