CHICAGO – The body of a missing woman was found in a Northwest Indiana field; an Illinois State Trooper was hit and killed on a highway in Will County on Christmas Eve; and there were plenty of big lottery jackpot prizes up for grabs.

These are the top stories on Fox 32’s Week in Review.

Jamie Vlamos-Jones: Missing woman’s body found in NW Indiana field, cause of death revealed

The cause of death for a Porter County woman found dead in a wooded area near the Little Calumet River has been revealed.

An independent search team discovered 45-year-old Jamie Vlamos-Jones of Valparaiso around 10:30 a.m. Thursday near the 2100 block of Clay Street in Lake Station.

FULL STORY

Cook County jury awards $66M to family of woman who died after tummy tuck, liposuction

A Cook County jury awarded more than $66 million to the family of a woman who died in 2019 after undergoing surgery for a tummy tuck and liposuction.

The family’s attorney called it a “shameful case of medical malpractice.”

FULL STORY

Who will receive the $1,400 stimulus checks? Here’s how to check.

Approximately 1 million taxpayers will automatically receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS in the coming weeks. The funds will be directly deposited into eligible individuals’ bank accounts or sent via paper check.

FULL STORY

Cook County women and teens accused of Oak Brook Sephora theft; employee assaulted and officer threatened

Two Cook County women and two teenage boys are facing serious charges after allegedly stealing from a Sephora store at Oak Brook Mall Sunday evening.

Marisol Ocampo, 35, of Chicago, is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, two counts of burglary, and one count of retail theft. Deysi Villalobos, 32, of Melrose Park, faces similar charges, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, three counts of burglary and three counts of retail theft.

FULL STORY

Illinois State Police trooper hit, killed by car on I-55 in Will County

An Illinois State Trooper was killed Monday night in Will County when he was struck by a car while removing debris from an expressway.

It happened on the very same day designated as “Scott’s Law Day” in Illinois, a day to remind drivers to slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles.

FULL STORY

1 dead, 4 seriously injured, including 3 children, after crash on Chicago’s West Side

A woman died, and four people, including three children, were in serious condition after a crash last Sunday afternoon on the West Side.

The crash occurred just before 1:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of West Lake Street.

FULL STORY

Illinois Lottery player wins $1M after purchasing Powerball ticket at Jewel-Osco in Cook County

An Illinois Lottery player won $1 million after purchasing a Powerball ticket at a Jewel-Osco grocery store in Cook County.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Melrose Park store located at 800 North Ave.

FULL STORY

$1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot claimed by NJ resident: Will they stay anonymous?

The lucky winner has finally come forward to claim a huge lottery prize, ending a nearly nine-month-long mystery.

So, who won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot?

FULL STORY

Cook County judge orders release of Chicago man convicted of murder following unconstitutional trial ruling

Just two days before Christmas, Hilton Keller, a Chicago man who has served more than three decades behind bars is being released after a wrongful conviction ruling.

On Monday, a Cook County Circuit Court judge vacated his murder conviction after determining that Keller was not given a fair trial in the 1990s.

FULL STORY

Chicago fugitive on the run after removing electronic monitor, sheriff’s office says

A Chicago man charged with burglary is on the run after allegedly removing his electronic monitoring device, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said.

Jermail Conley, 41, was placed on electronic monitoring on Oct. 3 after being charged with burglary, the sheriff’s office said. 

FULL STORY

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BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana women’s basketball team is heading into 2025 on a six-game win streak after beating Wisconsin 83-52 on Saturday afternoon at Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers (10-3; 2-0 Big Ten) were in control after an 18-2 run in the first quarter. The Badgers (10-3; 1-1 Big Ten) scored a season-low 52 points — it was only the third time this season they scored less than 60 — as their five-game win streak came to an end.

Indiana forward Lilly Meister matched her season-high with 20 points (9 of 13) to lead all scorers. Shay Ciezki (14 points), Sydney Parrish (13 points) and Yarden Garzon (13 points) also scored in double-digits.

“Our kids executed the game plan as good as we wanted them to,” Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren said. “Really happy with the way we played this afternoon.”

The Hoosiers starters were done for the day with 2:46 to go in the game.

Portal tracker: Indiana football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for the Hoosiers

Indiana’s front court faces off against Wisconsin’s leading scorer Serah Williams

Indiana forwards Lilly Meister and Karoline Striplin held their ground against Wisconsin’s Serah Williams on Saturday afternoon. 

The 6-foot-4 forward came into the game averaging 20.0 points per game on 54.1% shooting and 12.3 rebounds. She’s one of only four players in the conference averaging 20 or more points and recently set a career-high with 36 points in a win over Butler. 

Indiana occasionally doubled Williams, but much of the Hoosiers success came from Meister and Striplin matching her physicality in the low post and contesting every one of her shot attempts while avoiding contact. 

Williams, who averaged 9.3 free-throw attempts in her team’s last three games, only made one trip to the free-throw line on Saturday.

She closed out the first quarter with just two points on 1 of 6 shooting and finished the first half with as many turnovers (three) as field goals. She finished the game with 13 points on 6 of 13 shooting, it was only the second time all season she shot under 50%.

“We kept Serah uncomfortable for most of the game,” Moren said. “I thought our pace was not something she was incredibly excited about in terms of getting up and down the floor. We wore her out, that was our goal to make her tired.”

The best stretch of the game for Wisconsin came when it hit three straight 3-pointers during an 11-0 run late in the first quarter, but that scoring outburst was an anomaly. That was the only time the Badgers scored on three straight possessions and they made only one other 3-pointer the rest of the game. 

They didn’t have any field goals the final 4:31 of the game.

Indiana women’s basketball has found its footing on offense

Indiana’s early-season shooting woes are long gone.

The Hoosiers shot better than 50% for a fourth straight game and fifth time in six games and also tied a season-high going 50% from 3-point range (9 of 18). They have also scored more than 80 points in three straight games for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

It was a team effort as IU players continue to share the basketball — it had 25 assists on 32 field goals — and for the first time this season really pushed the tempo. The Hoosiers had 22 fast break points with Chloe Moore-McNeil, who had a game-high seven assists, and Ciezki really pushing the pace off Wisconsin’s miscues.

The Badgers tied a season-high with 18 turnovers while IU had a season-low eight turnovers.

“We talk about how much better of a basketball team we are when we’re playing in space, when we are playing with pace and get the ball out of our hands,” Moren said. “You’ve heard me say it a lot of times, there’s moments when the ball sticks and we hold onto it. We’ve really talked about our ball movement and getting it out of our hands quicker.”

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.