A medical examiner ruled the death of a 15-year-old boy burned alive in a Chicago alley a homicide Monday, The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported.
Firefighters responding to a garage fire in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago found the body of Demetrius Griffin, 15, burned to death, WPVI reported.
Autopsy results showed Griffin died of thermal injuries due to a fire started in the garbage can, which authorities says means he was alive when the fire started.
Polly Sykes, the victim’s mother, asked the community’s help in finding the killer.
“Community, I need your help. They killed my baby out here in this alley. I need somebody. If you know something, please come forward. They took my life,” Sykes said.
A group of Chicago pastors are offering a $7,500 reward to anyone who can provide information to track down Griffin’s killer, WLS reported.
“He was a typical teenager. My wife was his Sunday school teacher when he was a child. He was baptized in the church,” said Rev. Marshall Hatch, who knew his family for over 20 years.
Griffin’s murder is not a novelty in Chicago, where the city’s homicide total is up to 468 deaths as of September 2016, Breitbart News reported.
Murders in Chicago in 2016 have shot up by 49 percent since the previous year and shooting incidents have shot up by 48 percent.
No one is in custody yet as Griffin’s case remains under investigation.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.