Tags:

An 18-year-old woman, identified as Egypt Otis, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of 16-year-old Heaven Taylor in the Loop.

The arrest was made after a pastor from a West Side church contacted the police, reporting that Otis expressed a desire to turn herself in.

Otis, a resident of Oak Lawn, was taken into custody without incident during a meeting with the pastor just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. She was scheduled for a detention hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

Around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, police officers, originally called to a disturbance at a Loop Taco Bell, were directed by an individual to a nearby incident in the first block of West Van Buren Street.

There, they discovered Heaven Taylor on the ground, with stab wounds to her chest. Quick action was taken, with officers applying a chest seal to her injuries.

The area was still populated with witnesses, as a significant altercation had taken place. One person provided the suspect’s name and informed the police that Taylor had engaged in an argument with her.

It was during this dispute that the suspect brandished a knife, stabbing Taylor twice in the chest before making her escape. Tragically, Taylor, who was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, was pronounced dead early Wednesday.

Chalesia Clayton, Taylor’s mother, shared with the Sun-Times on Wednesday that her daughter had recently commenced her junior year at UCAN Academy on the South Side. Taylor was described as “a lovable person” and the devoted mother of a 2-year-old son, whom Clayton has now taken the responsibility of raising. She expressed, “I just want her remembered as a good momma and a good auntie and a good daughter. This right here just hurts.”

UCAN also issued a statement on Wednesday, extending their heartfelt condolences to Heaven’s family and her cherished son. Tragically, Taylor was the second child Clayton lost to violence in Chicago within less than a year. Clayton revealed, “I just buried my oldest son last year — her older brother — and now I’ve got to bury my daughter this year. There’s just too much violence out here.”