Chicago man, 24, charged with murder after missing teen found strangled to death

CHICAGO - A man has been charged with murder in the strangulation of a missing 15-year-old girl a week ago in the South Shore neighborhood.

Joshua Williams, 24, allegedly choked 15-year-old Amarise A. Parker to death, on Dec. 12 in an apartment building in the 7200 block of South Phillips Avenue, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Parker was reported missing on Nov. 26 from Morgan Park 

Williams was arrested Saturday in the West Town neighborhood. He was charged with first-degree murder and had an out-of-state warrant for his arrest.

Williams has a detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

"She was 15," said Yahanna Clark, Parker’s mom. "She was a lovely soul, everybody loved her."

Clark said her daughter loved to sing and dance, and wanted to be a cosmetologist one day.

Amarise Parker | Chicago police