FBI offers $10,000 reward in search for 2-year-old girl's killer

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The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the shooting death of a 2-year-old Indiana girl whose funeral is set for this morning.

Joette “JoJo” Malone died at a hospital after being struck by gunfire on July 29 while sitting in the back seat of her mother’s vehicle at an apartment complex in Hammond. Police, who initially said Malone may have been caught in a crossfire, raised the possibility this week that the shooting could have been “an accident,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Me and my children’s lives are not going back to normal,” JoJo ’s mother, Ronnica Taylor, was quoted by the newspaper as saying Thursday. “It’s really hard every day knowing she’s gone.”

Joette "JoJo" Malone was shot on July 29, the FBI says. (FBI)

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Taylor, who also has a 4-year-old daughter and 5-week-old son, added that the eldest child is still processing the shooting and thinks “her sister’s coming back.”

Malone’s funeral is scheduled for Friday morning and her obituary says “her smile, laugh, spirit, and eyes will always be remembered, and her mother always told her ‘Mommy loves you and Mommy will always be here.’”

It described JoJo as a “caring and sweet” child who “preferred to eat her mom’s home-cooked meals over fast food or restaurants” -- but on one condition: “JoJo had to have her food just right.”

“She refused to eat anything that wasn’t properly seasoned,” the obituary says.

Her mother says "me and my children’s lives are not going back to normal." (FBI)

The FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office says it is offering $10,000 for information leading to the identification and arrests of the person or persons responsible for her death.

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“Our hearts are heavy today, mourning the loss of JoJo with her family. Now more than ever, we ask the public for help. This little girl’s life was stripped from her in an act of senseless violence that will forever impact those who knew her,” Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said in a statement. “Please spread this information to anyone you can, and come forward if you know anything that may be valuable to this investigation so that we may bring justice to those involved and assist in bringing peace to Jo Jo’s family.”