Family of woman strangled in Schaumburg apartment files lawsuit

The family of a woman found sexually assaulted and strangled by a neighbor in her apartment in northwest suburban Schaumburg earlier this year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Misty King filed the suit Tuesday against Bulmaro Mejia-Maya, Home Properties Schaumburg, LLC; and Estrellas Drywall Inc. in Cook County Circuit Court.

Meijia-Maya faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault and home invasion in the death of 33-year-old Tiffany Thrasher, King’s half-sister.

On April 16, Thrasher was found dead in her apartment in the Lakes of Schaumburg complex in the 2600 block of Clipper Drive after she failed to show up for Easter services at her church, authorities said at the time. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Mejia-Maya fled to Florida after the murder, but was brought back to Illinois by Cook County sheriff’s officers. He remains held without bond at the Cook County Jail.

According to the lawsuit, the management company, Home Properties, rented a two-bedroom apartment to Estrellas Drywall, which used the apartment to house six transient workers. The workers were not required to submit to criminal background searches, as were other residents of the complex.

“Mejia-Maya, who had an extensive and violent criminal history, was allowed to reside at the Lakes Complex in close proximity to Tiffany, which allowed him to observe her from his unit, plan his attack and then execute his brutal criminal sexual assault when he knew Tiffany was alone,” the suit claims.

Thrasher rented her apartment about a month before her murder, partly because it was marketed as a safe environment, according to the lawsuit.

The eight-count suit claims negligence, survival against Home Properties, survival and wrongful death against Mejia-Maya, and survival and wrongful death against Estrellas Drywall. It seeks at least $400,000 in damages.

A message left with Home Properties Schaumburg seeking comment about the suit was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon. Calls were also not answered at Estrellas Drywall, which is based in Florida.