Girl, 15, found dead from strangulation in Chicago; had been subject of missing persons alert
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 15-year-old girl was found dead from strangulation in South Shore this week after being reported missing months ago.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, the body of Amarise Parker, 15, was found in an apartment in a building in the 7200 block of South Phillips Avenue. Police said her body was found at 7:24 p.m. Tuesday.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office on Wednesday identified the victim as Amarise Parker, 15. Investigators said she died of asphyxiation from strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Amarise was the subject of a missing person alert from Chicago Police on Nov. 26. She was also reported missing back on Aug. 31, but returned home a day later.
Security officers were outside the building the night Amarise was found dead.
The teen's mother and father joined by community activist Andrew Holmes and other advocates Thursday evening, asking anyone for information about her daughter's murder to come forward.
"She was a lovely soul. Everybody loved her. Although she had been missing, but she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve this," said Amarise Parker's mother, Yahanna Clark. "To the person who did this, you need to just give it up, because God is going to get you anyway."
"It's extremely hard to say the words 'strangled to death' with the mother and father present here. Imagine hearing those words from a detective," an activist added. "Somebody out there knows something. This is not a small act. Somebody has made a phone call. Somebody has told somebody this. By the grace of God, maybe there's some remorse or regret, and maybe they want to talk to somebody about it – or they're the devil that we think they are, and there's no remorse. But we know that you bragged about it, you said something, you told somebody something."
Amarise was a sophomore at CICS Loomis Longwood High School, 1309 W. 95th St.
In a statement, the Chicago Public Schools said their condolences go out to all impacted by this tragedy - and they are devastated by the loss of another young life.
Police said there was no one in custody in the case Thursday, and detectives are investigating.
