Body Found Burned In Austin Fire Identified As 15-Year-Old Boy
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The body found burned Saturday in an alley in Chicago's Austin neighborhood has been identified Tuesday as a teen boy.
Officers received a call around 1:25 a.m. Saturday morning to a fire located in an alley near the 5500 block of West Cortez. Police discovered a dead body, burned beyond recognition, CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports.
The body has been identified as 15-year-old, Steinmetz High School freshman student Demetrius Griffin Jr. His home address was not known as of Tuesday morning.
Griffin's grandfather told CBS 2 that Demetrius was also shot in the back of the head.
An autopsy did not rule on the cause and manner of death and is still pending, according to the medical examiner's office.
Crisis responders are helping the Griffin family cope, but said it is especially difficult given the horrific way Demetrius was killed.
"No one needs to go through that pain," said Andrew Holmes, Crisis Responder. "It's enough that you know they have to identify them once they're shot, but then you got to go through DNA, giving up blood samples to make sure that's your baby. That's some pain. You can pain all night and day and all year and the rest of your life on that. That something a parent don't want to go through."
Police are still conducting a death investigation. No one was reported in custody, police said. They are asking for help in locating the suspect, and said whoever started the fire may have suffered burns.
Chicago Survivors members and Griffin's family will hold a press conference Tuesday evening, with a prayer vigil to follow on West Cortez.