Harvey Girl Dies 17 Years After Being Shaken As Baby
HARVEY, Ill. (STMW) -- A 17-year-old Harvey girl who had been in state care for most of her life died Monday due to injuries she suffered when she was shaken as a baby.
Makeda Oyeyinka had been a ward of the state since September 1993, Dept. of Children and Family Services spokesman Jimmy Whitelow said. She was put in state care based on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, he said.
"We mourn her loss and express our sympathies to those who knew and loved her," Whitelow said.
Oyeyinka, of 121 W. 154th St. in Harvey, was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Rush University Medical Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
An autopsy on Tuesday determined that Oyeyinka died from complications relating to diabetes, pneumonia and blunt head trauma. Her death was ruled a homicide.
DCFS is not investigating, Whitelow said. Harvey Police did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)