After 3 Years, A Mother Is Looking For Answers For The Murder Of Her Daughter Found In A West Side Garage

CHICAGO (CBS) – It's been four years since Shantieya Smith's body was found in a West Side garage. The case is still unsolved and the mother of the murdered Chicago woman is looking for answers.

CBS 2' Suzanne Le Mignot investigates.

The mother says she called the Chicago police detective on the case at least five times in the past two years. She says she's gotten the same response when she was able to talk to the detective, "we're still waiting, for the DNA results."

Latonya Moore expresses her frustration, in her quest for justice.

"It's the same thing, the DNA is not back and I was like, how, it's been four years and the DNA is not back," Moore said.

On May 26th in 2018, Moore's daughter, Shantieya Smith, was reported missing. Almost two weeks later, She was found in a garage underneath a car in North Lawndale.

The Medical Examiner ruled Smith's death a homicide. She had blunt trauma to her head and neck. Moore spoke to us back in 2019.

In 2019, police had told us, DNA results were not back yet. Now, three and a half years after her daughter's murder, the Lawndale alley and garage where she was found, look the same. Moore says, the status of finding her daughter's killer, appears to be the same too.

"It's just like I've been getting run around.  At first, there was supposed to be a handprint on the garage. Never found out about that, so I don't know what's really going on with the case," Moore said.

Moore says she's not only waiting for handprint results, but primarily the DNA. Police had named a person of interest in her daughter's case. A man she was last seen with, before she disappeared.

"DNA don't take that long, especially for fingerprints, to come back. Fingerprints, did you find any DNA on her dress, did you find anything. It's like, no answers," she said.

Moore says that DNA would let her know, if the person of interest is the one responsible for her daughter's death, or if the killer, is still at large.

"We as parents, all we want to do is make sure the murderer is not on the street and make sure they're tried for the crime that they did," Moore said.

So where is the DNA sample? The Illinois State police crime lab says the sample was given to the Chicago police. A spokesperson says the case is still open.