22-year-old murder victim stabbed multiple times
URBANA – Champaign County sheriff's investigators are looking for help from the public in finding the person or persons responsible for the murder of a Mahomet woman.
Holly Cassano, 22, was found dead in her home at 298 DuPage in the Candlewood Estates mobile home park, northeast of Mahomet, at about 10:30 a.m. Monday by a relative.
An autopsy done Tuesday morning in Bloomington revealed that she died of multiple stab wounds.
"They were all over," said Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup. "A couple went through the heart, but there was more than one fatal wound."
Sheriff Dan Walsh said Ms. Cassano lived at the home with her daughter, about 16 months old. The daughter was at the home of a relative and is safe.
Walsh said Ms. Cassano worked at the Meijer store in Champaign and was last seen there between 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday. Until recently, she also had a second job at the Bob Evans Restaurant in Champaign, he said.
"The investigation is still ongoing," Walsh said. "It would be premature for me to speculate whether this was a random act and whether there was more than one subject involved in this."
He asked that anyone who might have seen her late Sunday or early Monday contact the sheriff's office.
"We're trying to talk to everybody who knew her to get an idea of what she was all about and what kind of a person she was," said Champaign County sheriff's Lt. Ed Ogle, who is in charge of the investigation. "Hopefully we'll get a better understanding of what her habits were."
Walsh said investigators believe whoever attacked her may have been cut.
"Ms. Cassano suffered stab-type wounds, and we believe there is a possibility a subject involved in this case may be injured and sustained lacerations on himself or herself," Walsh said.
"If you see somebody who has come up with a recent cut after Sunday night and they are any way affiliated with the area or the family or friends, that should send alarm bells off in your head," Ogle said. "Let us know about it."
Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers at 373-TIPS or can send an anonymous tip using the Crimestopper's Web site, www.373tips.com, or via text by sending Tip397 plus the tip to CRIMES (274637).
Ogle said investigators were still at Ms. Cassano's home on Tuesday afternoon collecting evidence.
"We are being very meticulous. Once the evidence is gone, it's gone. We're taking our time to get everything we possibly can from the crime scene," Ogle said.
Staff writer Tim Mitchell contributed to this story.
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