8-Year-Old Found Dead Inside Chicago Apartment Was Asphyxiated: CPD

CHICAGO —An 8-year-old girl who was found dead in a Chicago home on Wednesday morning has been identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, which determined that the girl had been asphyxiated, Chicago police said on Thursday.

Amaria Osby was found unresponsive in an apartment in the 4600 block of North Winthrop Avenue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, police said. The girl was found at about 11 a.m. and she was pronounced dead 23 minutes later, police said.

A 38-year-old woman who has been identified as the girl's mother, but not named, was also found in the home and was taken to Weiss Hospital, where she is reported in good condition, police said..

Police and medical examiner officials said that the girl was found to have bruises on her leg and had been asphyxiated. The cause of the girl's death was inconclusive and still pending, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Thursday that the girl's mother had a meeting scheduled with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on Tuesday.

Chicago Public Schools sent a letter to parents of students in the Uptown elementary school that is nearby the apartment, but did not mention the gender or age of the student.

“This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for the entire school, especially said,” the letter said. “The Chicago Public School’s Crisis Management Unit will work with our own counselor, social worker, and psychologist to provide grief counseling and support to staff members.”

The letter encourages parents to contact the district if their students have further concerns.