Skokie Mom Was Strangled, Police Still Searching For Father Of Her Child

(CBS) -- The Skokie mother who was found dead Thursday -- spurring a police search for the woman's 10-month-old son, and the boy's father -- had been strangled, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office says.

Authorities on Thursday morning found the body of Catherine M. Benyamin, 31, in an apartment at 8239 Keating Avenue after a family member had requested a "well-being" check, the Skokie Police Department said. Police initially said the woman's baby son, Joshua Powell, was unaccounted for, but he was dropped off at a Chicago church later in the day.

Police say the child's father, Jermaine Powell, may have been the person who left the child at the church.

Skokie authorities were still trying to find the elder Powell.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the Skokie Police Department at (847) 982-5900.

Benyamin's death was a homicide by asphyxiation and strangulation, the medical examiner's office said Friday.