A single mother of seven is grieving the loss of her daughter, who celebrated her 10th birthday just days ago, after the girl died by suicide in Waukegan Tuesday evening.
The incident happened around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 5000 block of Country Place in Waukegan.
Mayolita Montejo told Lake and McHenry County Scanner she was getting ready for bed with her infant when she heard one of her children yelling.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Harmony Rose, was found hanging outside of their home.
Harmony’s aunt and uncle got her down and the family began attempting to perform CPR, Montejo said.
Paramedics transported the unresponsive girl to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where she was pronounced dead.
A heavy police presence was seen on the cul-de-sac where the home is located.
Crime scene tape was set up around the residence during the investigation.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to the hospital.
Coroner’s office officials confirmed foul play was not suspected in the incident, which appears self-inflicted.
Montejo said she never sensed that anything was wrong with her daughter, whose 10th birthday was celebrated just days prior on February 16.
Harmony loved celebrating her birthday and proclaimed the entire month, not just February 16, as her birthday, her mother said.
“There were no signs. None,” Montejo said, adding that she has been left in shock and that the “pain is unbearable.”
Montejo said she herself suffers from depression and knows the signs, which is why she has been left shocked and confused by what happened. “I try to sit back and rewind but there was absolutely nothing.”
Montejo said Harmony was a very special child and a big help, especially with her 9-month-old sister.
“She went above and beyond for everybody,” Montejo said. Harmony, a fourth-grader at Prairie Trail School in Wadsworth, loved TikTok dances, Roblox and watching “Sam and Cat” on repeat.
The 10-year-old was a huge fan of the musician Rod Wave and made it known to those around her, Montejo said.
Montejo, a single mother of seven, said she is unable to pay for the unexpected funeral expenses to lay her daughter to rest and is seeking help from the community.
A GoFundMe account raised almost $7,000 as of Friday morning.