The father of an 18-year-old Highland Park girl who was attacked and sexually assaulted outside of the Congress Theater on New Year's Eve says his daughter is at home and in stable condition, and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of community support since the incident this weekend.
"The only thing I want to say is my daughter is doing well," the father, who is not being identified to protect the victim's privacy, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "The high school, the letters, the gifts...it's so nurturing and so caring. We're so appreciative, it makes this thing, which is the most horrendous thing in the world, it makes it easier...You can’t imagine."
Highland Park High School, where the victim is a student, had counselors on hand when students returned to classes Tuesday, Fox Chicago reports.
British DJ Christopher Mercer, who performs under the stage name Rusko and who was headlining the show that the victim was barred from entering Dec. 31, lobbied on his Facebook and Twitter accounts for anyone with information about the attack to "do the right thing & contact Chicago PD."
Police took three "persons of interest" in for questioning, but they were released Sunday. No charges have yet been filed in the attack, but investigators suspect that as many as eight people may have been involved, a source in the department told the Chicago Tribune. Their roles in the incident have yet to be determined as police review witness accounts, surveillance video and forensic evidence, including DNA evidence found at the scene.
Anyone with information is asked to call Harrison Area detectives at 312-746-8252.
See early reports on the incident:
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