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Man Charged With Murdering Woman, Disposing Her Body in Suburban Woods

By DNAinfo Staff on October 12, 2013 8:52am  | Updated on October 12, 2013 12:59pm

 Justino Correa is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child Jasmin Salas before disposing her body in the woods in the suburbs.
Justino Correa and Jasmin Salas
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HUMBOLDT PARK — Jasmin Salas' family doesn't know exactly why she went to the home of Justino Correa before she was killed Thursday, but did explain their relationship.

"She left him because he was abusive," said younger sister Bianca Salas, 17. "But he was the father of her daughter."

Salas' body was found stuffed in a plastic bin in the 8100 block of Chicago Avenue in the Thatcher Woods area of west suburban River Forest Thursday night.

Correa, 19, of the 1000 block of North Richmond Street, will appear in court Saturday in connection with the death of 20-year-old Salas.

Before Salas' death, the two had an argument at Correa's home which turned physical and ended with Salas being fatally stabbed multiple times, police said.

Cops described their relationship as being romantic, but Salas' sister-in-law, Esmeralda Rivera, said that's merely what Correa told police.

"He was the aggressive, jealous type," Rivera said.

The fourth of six siblings, Salas was "the best person in the world," according to older brother Lazaro Salas, 30.

"She never denied no favors to anybody," Lazaro Salas said.

A graduate of Roberto Clemente Community Academy, Salas was working at a McDonald's and wanted to work in conflict resolution and social work, family said.

"She wanted to help people," said sister-in-law Yessenia Rivera at the family's Humboldt Park home. "Being raised in a neighborhood where there's violence all around you, she wanted to help people through that."

Correa, the father of their four-year-old daughter Jaylene, took the body to the woods and later admitted to cops that he had killed Salas, authorities said.

Though the body was found outside city limits, Chicago police led the investigation.

The family learned of the death Saturday night when police came to their house. Lazaro Salas said the family was told she was stabbed multiple times and was found with two black eyes. Police couldn't confirm that she was found with black eyes.

"They asked if he had a history of abuse," Lazaro Salas said Saturday morning, with plans to attend Correa's court attendance later that day.

In addition to first-degree murder, Correa was charged with concealing a homicide.

At the time of her death, Salas was five-months pregnant with the child of her boyfriend, not Correa.

"She was a smart person and a wonderful mother," Bianca Salas said.