CHICAGO (CBS) — Police are conducting a death investigation after an 8-year-old girl was found dead inside a home in the Uptown neighborhood. Sources said the girl was asphyxiated, and her mother was hospitalized after a suicide attempt.
Police said the girl was found unresponsive inside a home in the 4600 block of North Winthrop Avenue around 11 a.m. Wednesday.
She was pronounced dead at the scene and has been identified as Amaria Osby, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Police sources told CBS 2’s Brad Edwards the girl was asphyxiated.
A 38-year-old woman in the home was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital in good condition, according to police.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told CBS 2’s Suzanne Le Mignot that the woman is Amaria’s mother, who was hospitalized after trying to kill herself.
As CBS 2 Chris Tye reports, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services confirmed they have had previous contact with the family, but they say never for the children, but for the adults. The most recent visit came one day before Amaria was found dead.
“No signs of abuse, neglect, or danger were noted by our investigator,” DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey said in an email. “This family previously participated in intact family services from a substance abuse-related incident in 2017. The recent visit was the result of an allegation of domestic violence and was the first contact with the family since closing the prior case in 2018.”
Neighbors of the family said she liked to make cookies out of Play-Dough and always had a smile on for them. Neighbors like Dave Dolinski.
“She was an angel. Always smiled and said hello, hi Dave.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office has sealed the apartment that Amaria died in.
“I mean I held her when she was months old. We did barbecues together. Just a great girl,” he said.
The domestic violence allegation DCFS investigated in 2018 involved abuse by one parent against the other, not against Amaria. There have not been any previous allegations of abuse or neglect of Amaria.
Police say they are continuing to investigate. An autopsy on Amaria is scheduled for Thursday.
No charges have been filed.
