Garfield Park Lagoon Toddler Identified as Missing Rockford Boy

DNA analysis has confirmed the remains of a child found in the Garfield Park lagoon in September belong to Kyrian Knox, who has been missing from Rockford.

The investigation remains open and ongoing, said Chicago police officer Veejay Zala.

It is believed that Kyrian, age 2, was last seen in mid-August, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The child’s head, feet and hands were found Sept. 5 and 6 in the lagoon. DNA was taken from the remains and compared to a sample from Kyrian’s mother, Lanisha Knox.

Chicago police were notified Nov. 4 of the match from the FBI in Quantico, Virginia.

Lanisha Knox said she left Kyrian on Aug. 18 with a friend’s family in Rockford for two weeks while she moved from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Chicago, the Rockford Register Star reported.

She told NBC Chicago that she tried arrange to pick up Kyrian from Rockford several times in September, but the family he was staying with made excuses about timing. Kyrian was reported missing Sept. 17.

The FBI determined in October that the child’s remains did not belong to King Walker, a 2-year-old boy missing from Gary, Indiana.

Officials reported the body parts may have been in the Garfield Park lagoon for one or two weeks.

No information about the cause of Kyrian’s death has been released.

Read more on this story:

• DNA of Garfield Park Lagoon Toddler Not a Match for Missing Gary Boy: FBI
• Chicago Police Checking DNA for Links to Garfield Park Lagoon Toddler
• No New Remains Found as Garfield Park Lagoon Search Ends
• Police Sketch Shows What Dismembered Toddler May Have Looked Like
• Chicago Police Will ‘Stop at Nothing’ to Find Person Responsible for Dismembered Child in Lagoon
• Police to Drain Lagoon Where Child’s Severed Limbs and Head Were Found

Image: left, an artist’s sketch of the baby found in the lagoon. Right, Kyrian Knox, via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children