Family Wants Answers After Irene Chavez Dies In Custody At Grand Crossing District Police Station

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of a woman who died in police custody recently was begging for answers Monday about her death and the hours leading up to it.

Irene Chavez, 33, was arrested after some sort of misdemeanor at the Jeffery Pub, at 7401 S. Jeffery Blvd. in South Shore, in the early-morning hours on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Just before 3:30 a.m., police said she attempted suicide inside the Grand Crossing (3rd) District station, and died at the hospital several hours later.

Chavez's sister, Iris Chavez, said she got a redacted police report and got stonewalled by detectives when she tried to find out more.

"The Chicago Police Department is here to protect and serve, and that comes with taking care of the mental state of people that they take in," Iris Chavez said. "I'm not quite sure what happened with my sister."

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, is investigating Chavez's death. In a statement on Twitter, COPA said there is video of her arrest – but no video from inside the station.

In:
• Chicago Police Department