When an Illinois mother said someone stole her car with her 4-year-old child inside, police took the claim extremely seriously. Princess Ilunga, 37, reportedly told police during a 911 call just after 6 a.m. January 16, 2025, that her daughter, Blessing Aoci, was inside the running car when someone stole it. The dispatcher confirmed the mother’s story multiple times, leaving police no reason to believe her story was a lie. Sadly, she did not tell the truth.
During a news conference, Rock Island Chief of Police Timothy McCloud said Ilunga told police a man stole the car around 6 a.m. Police found her car a short distance away at 6:24 a.m., but Blessing was not inside. The mother gave a detailed description of her daughter, who is one of seven children. Police then enacted an Amber Alert.
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McCloud explained that Ilunga speaks fluent English and Swahili. When police went to her home to question her, the mother apparently didn’t want to talk. She eventually sat down with officers to discuss the morning’s events, and it appears the mother’s story was all a big ruse.
The police chief said Blessing was in the house the entire time police were there. Ilunga allegedly referred to her by her Swahili name, Baraka. She also apparently instructed her other children to change the child’s clothes and go along with her story.
“Fortunately, we have an officer who speaks fluent Swahili,” McCloud said. ”We were able to determine that Ms. Ilunga was lying to us from the very beginning.”
Several hours after their first encounter, while the Amber Alert was still active, Ilunga allegedly sent Blessing outside in the coat she reportedly disappeared in. At that time, the mother staged the child’s miraculous discovery. McCloud said something didn’t add up, as the child did not appear distressed and her body was not cold from spending an extended amount of time outside.
“We have tried to understand why she would invent this story, but when confronted with all the information, the family stopped cooperating with the investigation,” McCloud said during the news conference.
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Since uncovering the alleged deception, police say Ilunga and her children have disappeared. Their father, Richard Aoci, told KWQC he was in Iowa when the car was stolen and has no idea what really happened.
“She called me, and I ask her, where you were, uh, she didn’t provide too much details,” Aoci said. “But I think she’s around.”
Police have continued looking for llunga on a warrant for filing a false police report.
Police arrested 18-year-old Jaron Bailey-Harris and charged him with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is due in court on February 27.
The search for Ilunga and a motive continues.
