CPD Releases Sketch of Remains Found in Garfield Park Lagoon, Asks Public for Help
Photo By: Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department (CPD) superintendent Garry McCarthy held up a sketch of a toddler whose remains were found in the Garfield Park Lagoon last week, as he made a public plea to anyone who might know what happened.
“People should be outraged…whether or not this is a murder…we don't know at this point,” McCarthy said. “We’ve done a lot of work and we’re going to need help from the public.”
He went on the say that whatever crime was committed, the person or persons responsible may have panicked.
“There was certainly a crime committed — maybe not a murder," he said.
"I honestly think we're going to find somebody who panicked and didn't know what to do with the child's remains,” McCarthy said during a press conference last week outside the Garfield Park Fieldhouse, 100 N. Central Park Ave., in Chicago.
The Cook County medical examiner's office and the CPD estimate that the child may have been African-American and roughly 2 to 3 years old.
Police officials say the head, feet and hands of the child were recovered from the lagoon and also said that close to 100 divers, detectives and officers were on the scene as the lagoon was drained.
The police went on to say that the remains may have been in the lagoon from anywhere from one to two weeks.
Police officials mentioned that they received several calls connecting the remains found in the Garfield Park Lagoon to a Gary, Ind. special needs woman and her 2-year-old nephew who went missing in July.
Tim McPhillips, a sketch artist from the Cook County Sherriff’s Office, said that constructing the postmortem composite sketch was something new to him.
“This was the first postmortem I’ve done. Those are hard. I’ve done sexual battery and robbery,” McPhillips says. “Those are a little bit better because I don’t have to go to the medical examiner’s office.”
He went on to make a plea of his own to the public.
“Call the Chicago Police right away. Call so they can find out when was the last time you saw them [child].”
McCarthy echoed McPhillips sentiments by imploring city residents and local media outlets to “please keep this on the front page.”
Officers distributed the sketch in the area surrounding the Garfield Park Fieldhouse.
The lagoon behind the Garfield Park fieldhouse was re-opened this week after CPD closed it to look for more evidence.
The Chicago Police Department is asking anyone with information about missing children fitting the description of the child in the sketch to contact Area North detectives at 312-744-8261, send a text to CRIMES (274637) or call 1-800-535-STOP.
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