CHICAGO — A woman is in custody on Saturday morning and a homicide investigation is underway after officers say she allegedly drowned a baby in the lake on Friday night.
According to police, officers first responded to the scene around 9:45 p.m. following a service call about a 31-year-old woman who had been found in Lake Michigan in the 7000 Block of S. South Shore Drive, near South Shore Beach.
After arriving on the scene, further investigation indicated that the woman had allegedly drowned a 1-year-old boy in the lake.
Following the discovery, officers took the woman into custody and transported her to the hospital.
Shortly after the woman was arrested, the CFD Marine Unit recovered the body of the child. The child was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A law enforcement source told WGN-TV the woman was related to the baby boy.
It remains unclear what led to the incident, and an investigation is now underway.
Authorities have not announced charges against the woman, but said the case has been classified as a homicide.
“The more I heard, the more tragic it got, the sadder it got,” Street Pastor Donovan Price said.
Price went to the hospital Friday night after learning the boy drowned in Lake Michigan.
“It speaks to the need for people…the need for mental health services,” Price said.
Price will be leading his Monday community prayer group with prayers for the boy and for all involved in this tragic incident.
He encourages families to reach out to loved ones who are struggling.
“Try to, you know, stay with them. Let them know that they’re not alone in this, and just maybe if one by one we can do that, then we can help the situation as a whole,” Price said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the CPD Area One detectives at 312-747-8380 or dial 911.
Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously.
