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Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Man gets 11-year split term in son's death
A former Gary man got an 11-year split term Tuesday for his baby son's death. His lawyer Patrick Young said Devon Howard was caring for four kids on his own, including two born addicted to drugs. Howard wasn't watching when one of the children placed the baby on a top bunk bed, who fell off. The child, Devon Howard, Jr., only 23 days old, was taken to Methodist Northlake before he was later airlifted to the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A Lake County Metro Homicide Detective was called at 3:40 a.m. April 29, 2022, to an apartment on the 5800 block of Cypress Avenue in Gary for an unresponsive child. Howard, Sr. told dispatchers his son was 'possibly choking' or making a 'strange noise' that started the day before, according to the affidavit. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office told Indiana investigators that a Comer's doctor found the boy was hemorrhaging in his brain. It was a 'non-accidental injury,' she concluded. Howard told police his son started fussing the day before and he tried to soothe him by changing his diaper and making a warm bottle. He propped up the bottle by the boy so he could keep eating, then went into another room to pick up a phone conversation with a relative, according to court records. A half-hour later, the child was 'screaming' and 'trying to turn over,' he told police. As he started CPR, the child was gasping for air, he told investigators. He called 911 and paramedics came quickly, Howard said. His client was 'not equipped' to handle that many children on his own, Young said. It was a 'sad situation.' Howard, 28, admitted July 24 to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 3 felony, court records show. Judge Gina Jones sentenced him to 11 years — he would have to serve seven, then can petition with good behavior to go to Lake County's community transition court, modify his sentence and get out early. He faced up to 16 years in prison. 'I don't want to punish you for the circumstances you find yourself in,' Jones said. 'There has to be a consequence.' He is required to get a GED in prison, attend anger management, parenting classes, and substance abuse counseling. Howard indicated he will appeal. In court earlier, he asked Jones for 'mercy,' saying he never wanted to 'bring any harm' to his kids. Jones said the plea deal was a compromise due to various 'holes' in the case. Deputy Prosecutor Judy Massa was assigned.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sisters Spent 17 Years Searching for Brother Before a Cold Case Project Revealed He Died by Suicide in 2007
Grieving sisters spent almost two decades searching for their brother, Jean Eli Gonzalez, who went missing after he traveled to Chicago in 2007 This spring, they learned he had died by suicide that same year as part of a cold case project Now, the family is preparing to go to his grave to give their "last goodbye"On Sept. 15, 2007, 23-year-old Jean Eli Gonzalez called his mom back home in Puerto Rico to let her know that he'd arrived safely in Chicago. Then she never heard from him again. Almost two decades later, his family — who spent years grappling with unanswered questions that only fueled their fear and despair — finally learned what happened to him. According to CBS News, Gonzalez's name was uploaded into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as part of a cold case project in February 2025, eventually leading his family to learn that their beloved son and brother had died by suicide. His body had been found hanging off a billboard in a railroad yard near the Dan Ryan Expressway on Sept. 24, 2007, just nine days after he arrived in Chicago, according to the police report reviewed by PEOPLE. Investigators confirmed the cause of death was the result of depression. 'The only relief we have is that we know now where he [died] and that we can say goodbye to him,' his sister, Vilmarilys Hernandez, tells PEOPLE. But so many questions remain, she says. Gonzalez was a kind man, who wasn't afraid to fight for others. Vilmarilys remembers once when her brother, then 15 years old, jumped in to protect middle school students from a group of older high school students when they were growing up in San Lorenzo. He was stabbed with a pocket knife and hospitalized. 'My brother saw that nobody was doing anything and he intervened,' the 45-year-old esthetician says. 'So, that was my brother.' But Gonzalez had his struggles. He was using drugs and decided to go to Chicago for a substance abuse program, Segunda Vida, which he learned about from local police officers. His mom still has the brochure. (The treatment facility is now defunct.) A week after Gonzalez arrived in Chicago and told his mom a person from the program had picked him up, Vilmarilys had a disturbing dream. 'He was telling me in the airport, 'Don't worry, everything's going to be okay. I love you,' ' she remembers. 'And I took that as goodbye.' Vilmarilys woke up crying and immediately urged her mom to call the program. When their mom reached an employee at the program, she was told that the family couldn't talk to Gonzalez. The program never called back as promised, according to Vilmarilys. Days later, an employee told the worried mom that Gonzalez had left the program. So began the family's desperate search. Vilmarilys recalls calling the Chicago Police Department, local hospitals and homeless shelters in the area. She was unable to file a missing persons report, despite her request to authorities. She then called any place she could think of, seeking help for days, weeks and months, which turned into years. The grieving sister says the toll on her family was great. 'Maybe he doesn't want to talk with us. Maybe he's mad at us,' Vilmarilys says of the questions Gonzalez's four siblings and mom had as they feared what had happened to him. 'Maybe he's ashamed of himself, but what's going on? Maybe he's cold, maybe he's hungry.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It wasn't until this spring that they learned Gonzalez had died. In 2023, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office began inputting the paper files of cold cases of unidentified people into NamUs, focusing on the years from 1988 to 2014, a Cook County spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE. 'Our staff worked tirelessly to find photos, biological samples for DNA analysis, fingerprint cards and dental information for these decedents in order to create a record,' the Cook County spokesperson says. 'Law enforcement agencies have been critical partners in this process by searching their warehouses and evidence rooms for anything that could assist in identifying these decedents.' So far, more than 200 decedents have been included in NamUs and 20 cases have been resolved, with Gonzalez's case being one of them. After his case was put into NamUs, CBS News reported, Vilmarilys saw his picture on Facebook, which had been reposted by a group of mothers who wanted to help people find their missing loved ones. His identity was confirmed after Vilmarilys and her sister traveled to Chicago to provide a DNA sample. But with the confirmation came new grief. They learned that Gonzalez's body had been found with a handwritten note in Spanish, which contained the Serenity Prayer. Their brother's name was written at the top, which prompted the investigating officer to use the name for the deceased, according to the police report. After the investigating officer found a woman with the same name in Elmwood Park, who had no knowledge of the dead man, the name was changed to unknown. After that, a copy of the report was sent to the missing persons department and the case was suspended, pending identification of the deceased, the police report said. Vilmarilys was disturbed by what she tells PEOPLE was a lack of a thorough investigation, especially because she'd given authorities a description of her brother and had called to ask about his disappearance for years. The Chicago Police Department did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment about her claims. Additionally, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office would not share any specifics about Gonzalez's case with PEOPLE. Vilmarilys and her sister were unable to get Gonzalez's remains, which, according to CBS News, have been interred in Homewood Memorial Gardens, which has served as Cook County's potter's field for unclaimed bodies, since 2008. Gonzalez's family, however, was able to start a donation page, so their brother could have a proper headstone. The sisters created matching T-shirts that say 'we found you' in Spanish and plan on visiting his grave. Vilmarilys tells PEOPLE, 'We are just waiting for the day to go there and say our last goodbye to him.' Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Navy-bound teen fatally shot three days after graduating high school, IL cops say
DeAngelo Miles had recently received a high school diploma and was preparing to join the U.S. Navy this summer, according to his school and local news outlets. But his plans came to a halt when he was found fatally shot in the head in a Chicago alley on June 1, just three days after he graduated high school, police said. A relative was with Miles when they heard gunshots at around 3 a.m., police said. The witness found Miles shot in the head, according to police. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. 'It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the loss of De'Angelo Miles, a recent graduate of the the Class of 2025, Hansberry College Prep said in a statement. 'Our hearts are heavy as we grieve his passing.' Miles was attending an after-prom party the night of the shooting, family told WLS. The school's principal told WGN that Miles played football and was planning to join the U.S. Navy after graduation. No one is in custody, and detectives are investigating, according to police, who did not give a motive for the shooting.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, child found dead inside Cook County townhome, officials say
The Brief The bodies of a woman and child were discovered inside a townhome in Streamwood. A large police presence responded to the scene. A neighbor described seeing blood everywhere when she went into the home. COOK COUNTY - A death investigation is underway in northwest suburban Streamwood after a woman and child were found dead inside a townhome on Wednesday. What we know A FOX 32 crew at the scene reported seeing two bodies being carried out of the home in the 1500 block of McKool Avenue early Thursday morning. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, the victims were both female: 21-year-old Janiya Jenkins and 10-year-old Uyani Jones. We spoke with a neighbor who told us her daughter was best friends with the 10-year-old victim. She said her daughter was on the phone with the victim when she heard yelling around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday night. The daughter reportedly heard the 21-year-old victim say, "Don't kill the kids." The neighbor said the 7-year-old brother of the victims, and a "baby niece," came to her house for help. She then called the mother of the children who was at work. At that point, the neighbor went into the home and found the victims dead on the second floor — one in the bedroom, the other in the hallway. She said blood was everywhere and that she believes the victims were stabbed. A different neighbor said he heard gunfire around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday. "I was here in my house around 8:20 and there was gunshots, and I was wondering what it was, and I finally came outside and I see everything that's happening. And supposedly there's like two victims, and this is usually a quiet neighborhood. So I'm not sure. This is quite interesting. Hopefully everything is resolved because I live here and don't want to worry about my neighborhood being dangerous," he said. Neither the stabbing nor shooting narratives have been confirmed by police. Dig deeper Bensenville police issued a statement Thursday morning, saying Streamwood authorities notified them of a possible crime late Wednesday night. Bensenville PD located the suspect's vehicle in Redmond Park. An extensive search of the area was conducted using drones, K9s, and support from several local agencies. It's unclear if anything, or anybody, was found. A large police presence remained in the Streamwood neighborhood this morning. No further information was immediately available. What we don't know It's unclear at this point the circumstances surrounding the victims' deaths. Updates will be shared as soon as they become available. The Source The information in this article was obtained by a FOX 32 crew at the scene in Streamwood.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect charged in murder of 16-year-old girl at park on Chicago's West Side
CHICAGO – A teenage boy is under arrest in connection with the brutal killing of a 16-year-old girl at a park on Chicago's West Side last week. According to police sources, the 15-year-old boy, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, was taken into custody Sunday and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Sources with knowledge of the case credited community cooperation as playing a crucial role in the arrest. Over the weekend, two vigils were held for Kaylah Love, who is remembered as a kind person, a talented chef, and a bright student who had a promising future ahead of her. 'Kaylah, she did not deserve this. My little cousin, she did not deserve this,' Jasmine Reynolds said. 'At 16 years old, there's no way she should be gone. There's no way another mother should have to bury her child. That's not how it's supposed to go.' 'She was a great kid': Vigils held to honor teen found slain in West Side park Kaylah's body was found at Horan Park in the 3000 block of West Van Buren Street around 4:50 p.m. on March 17, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene. According to family, on the day before her body was found, Kaylah said she was going to McDonald's to pick up food but did not return home. She was later reported missing to police by her family. Police sources told WGN-TV that the victim suffered severe head trauma and was stabbed in the face and neck close to a dozen times. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death a homicide and said she died from multiple injuries related to an assault. Sources believe the victim's body may have been in the park since the day before she was found. A woman called to report two people fighting, but officers that stopped by and checked the area reported they did not find anything. It was the same person, sources said, who called the next day to report finding the girl's body. At a vigil Sunday in Horan Park, family, friends, and the ward's alderman called for justice and accountability in Kaylah's death, including an investigation into the actions of officers that responded to the initial call on March 16. The Chicago Police Department has confirmed an internal investigation is underway into the handling of the call for a report of a fight. No further details were released. Kaylah was a sophomore at Manley Career Academy where the first of two memorials was held Sunday. Releasing black and purple balloons, her two favorite colors, family members, friends, faculty, and elected officials came together to honor her memory. 'We appreciate the community coming together, the love and support for the family. We thank everyone, but at the end of the day, the priority is getting justice for Kaylah,' Kenyatta Euring, Kaylah's cousin, said. Kaylah's family said she loved music, was considering pursuing culinary arts in college, and loved to decorate and draw. Instead of helping her prepare for her future, they're now planning her funeral. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family. As of Monday morning, it had raised just over $10,500. Late last week, Cook County Crime Stoppers shared it was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person(s) responsible in the case. Anyone with information was asked to submit an anonymous tip to tips@ or by calling CPD's hotline at 833-408-0069. The investigation remains ongoing, police said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
