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Chicago officials solicit R. Kelly abuse victims and witnesses; more details on Georgia investigation

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Noam Galai/Getty ImagesIn the wake of the Lifetime series Surviving R. Kelly, in which women allege they were sexually or otherwise abused by the R&B singer, officials in Cook County, Illinois now confirm they’ve been communicating with two families who are looking for missing loved ones they believe have been at R. Kelly‘s Chicago-area home. 

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx confirmed the news Tuesday, saying police also have visited R. Kelly’s home there to do a well-being check.

During the press conference at her office, Foxx also urged other possible victims or witnesses to come forward.  “There is nothing that can be done to investigate these allegations without cooperation of victims and witnesses,” Foxx said.

Steve Greenberg, R. Kelly’s Chicago attorney, responded to Foxx’s comments, telling ABC News, “It is a disappointment that because of the publicity she feels the need to solicit random baseless accusations so people can have their TMZ moment.”

Foxx said Tuesday that she hadn’t been in touch with officials in Fulton County, GA, who earlier Tuesday reportedly launched a criminal investigation into the sexual abuse allegations leveled against the singer by several women who appear in Surviving R. Kelly

When contacted by ABC News, a representative for the Fulton County DA’s office had no comment on the matter.

Additionally, the family of Joycelyn Savage claims Surviving R. Kelly has prompted investigators to contact them about their claims that Kelly has been holding their daughter against her will in his Atlanta-area home, and that they haven’t seen her for more than two years. 

Police reports provided by Savage family representatives show Timothy Savage, Jocelyn’s father, received a threatening text and phone call on January 3 — the latter also heard by a police officer — allegedly from R. Kelly manager Don Russell, threatening Savage for participating in and supporting the Lifetime series, saying he’d be “forced to provide information” about Savage that would “ruin him, his reputation, business and family, because it would show him [to be] a liar.”

Timothy Savage alleges in a second, previous police report that a different R. Kelly manager, James Mason, threatened in a phone call last May to kill him for publicly claiming R. Kelly was holding his daughter.

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