Parents Accused of Dismembering 16-Month-Old

A judge denied bond Sunday for a couple accused of the “despicable” act of killing their 16-month-old daughter to silence her cries and dismembering her body.

Joan Tribblet and Everett Johnson are accused of beating to death or strangling Onowanique Tribblet on a December night when they were frustrated by her crying, police said. The couple then cut her body apart, police said.

“There were portions that had been cooked up that [Johnson] then basically distributed at another location so that dogs and vermin would get to the child,” said prosecutor Thomas Epach.

Cook County Judge William Wise shook his head in disbelief and called the alleged acts “despicable.” He ordered Tribblet and Johnson jailed until a preliminary hearing today. They are charged with murder and concealing a homicide, counts that can be punishable by death.

In court, Tribblet, 27, kept her head down and eyes closed during most of the hearing and told authorities she is pregnant. Johnson, 29, stood expressionless. The couple have three other children, who are in the care of an aunt.

The girl’s maternal grandmother filed a missing persons report Tuesday. The grandmother had not seen Onowanique in weeks and was dissatisfied with the conflicting stories the girl’s parents gave about her whereabouts.

After police questioned the couple over several hours, they allegedly confessed. They were arrested Saturday.

As of late Sunday, three forensic scientists from the Illinois State Police had not found any body parts after a search of the West Side neighborhood where the couple lived, police said.