HORROR IN RIVERDALE: 30-Year-Old Shaniqua Kinnard Murdered in Her Home While Children Were Present; Suspect Arrested
RIVERDALE, IL — A shocking and heartbreaking crime has rocked the Riverdale community after 30-year-old Shaniqua Kinnard was found brutally murdered in her home on the 13000 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The fatal incident occurred on the morning of Friday, July 11, 2025, and has left six children without their mother—and a community searching for answers.
According to Riverdale Police, officers responded to the residence just before 9:00 a.m., where they discovered Kinnard unresponsive inside the home. She was pronounced dead at 8:48 a.m., and an autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed she died from multiple injuries resulting from an assault. Her death was officially ruled a homicide.
Even more tragic, authorities confirmed that Kinnard’s children were inside the home at the time of the killing, and it was her own children who discovered her body. The children, whose ages range from 9 months to 13 years old, are now in the care of family members as they begin to process this traumatic and life-changing event.
The victim’s family and loved ones are now mourning a woman remembered as a devoted mother and loving daughter. Shaniqua Kinnard had dedicated her life to raising her six children, often working multiple jobs to support her household. Her death has devastated everyone who knew her.
“She was the backbone of her family,” one relative shared. “She lived for her children. They were her world.”
In a major development just two days later, on Sunday, July 13, 30-year-old Jarve Toms-Dixon was taken into custody in connection with Kinnard’s murder. He has been formally charged with one felony count of first-degree murder, according to Riverdale authorities. Police have not yet released details regarding the motive, nor have they confirmed what relationship—if any—Toms-Dixon had with the victim.
The arrest has brought a sense of relief but not closure to a grieving family and community that is still reeling from the brutal nature of the crime.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support Kinnard’s six children and help cover funeral costs. The page describes Shaniqua as a “loving, hardworking mother” whose life was taken far too soon. It also shares the most gut-wrenching detail: that her body was discovered by her own children—a trauma that will haunt them for years to come.
The case has sparked renewed calls for greater support systems for families affected by domestic and interpersonal violence. Advocates say more resources are needed to prevent tragedies like this and to provide emergency shelter, counseling, and intervention for at-risk individuals.
The investigation remains ongoing. Riverdale Police are urging anyone with additional information about the case to come forward. Meanwhile, prosecutors are preparing to move forward with charges against Toms-Dixon as the case enters the criminal justice system.
As the legal process begins, the Riverdale community is rallying behind Shaniqua’s family. Vigils are being planned, and neighbors are stepping in to support her children.
Shaniqua Kinnard is gone—but her memory, her love for her children, and her fight to provide for them will never be forgotten. What remains now is a commitment from her community to seek justice in her name and to ensure her children are given the care, comfort, and future that their mother always worked so hard to give them.