A 6-year-old boy whose body was found in Gary after he went missing died of hypothermia, the Lake County coroner’s office said Tuesday.
An autopsy on Damari Perry found an extremely cold core temperature and partially frozen internal organs, the office said.
The exam also found discoloration of the skin on the right leg, and thermal burns or charring over the body — injuries that occurred after he was dead.
The boy was found naked and wrapped in a plastic trash bag in an alley last weekend. The boy’s mother, Jannie Perry, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder and other crimes. Two other family members also face charges.
Police were initially told that the boy was missing from Skokie, but the investigation turned to Damari’s home in North Chicago “after the family’s story was contradicted,” the Lake County, Illinois state’s attorney said.
