Nov. 20--Two and a half months after the remains of a 2-year-old boy were found in Garfield Park Lagoon, Chicago police say they have been unable to make progress in the case because the couple who last took care of the child are refusing to cooperate.
"We have tried numerous times to contact these people so we can talk to them and have them help us in this investigation," Chicago Chief of Detectives Dean Andrews told reporters Thursday in an update on the investigation into the murder of Kyrian Knox, whose remains were discovered in the lagoon Labor Day weekend. "... As you can imagine, it's extremely frustrating because they are critical to this investigation."
In a rare move, officials released the names of the witnesses to the media, identifying the couple as Kamel Harris and Danyelle Foggs. Harris is the father of a friend of the boy's mother, Lanisha Knox, 24.
At a news conference at police headquarters, officials would not call the couple suspects in Kyrian's death.
"We don't believe they're running. They're basically witnesses," Area North Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said. "That's why we're kind of frustrated. We don't understand their unwillingness to cooperate."
In August, Knox moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, leaving Kyrian in the care of Harris and Foggs in Rockford, according to police and family. Knox called Harris to check on Kyrian routinely but did not speak with the child on the phone, according to the family.
The foot of a toddler was found in the lagoon Sept. 5. More remains, including the head, were found over the next two days. The torso is still missing, officials said.
For weeks, authorities couldn't identify the remains. But earlier this month, officials said DNA from the remains -- tested at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va. -- matched Kyrian's mother.
Chicago police are still awaiting results from the Cook County medical examiner's office on how the boy died.
Kyrian was reported missing after the discovery of the remains in the lagoon. But police have said the boy apparently disappeared sometime in August, and the family did not go to authorities until weeks later.
Early on, Harris told Chicago and Rockford police he handed Kyrian over to a man and two women in late August after they said they were friends of Lanisha Knox.
More recently, police said Harris has been staying in the Milwaukee area, while Foggs is in Chicago. Chicago police have tried to contact both in person but haven't succeeded.
"... We had reason to believe he was in the residence," Duffin said of Harris. "A female answered the door, denied that he was there. But there was a vehicle that we knew he had been using that was parked out front."
"We've left our information at the locations where we know they are," Andrews said. "So they are not responding to our requests to talk to them."
Police believe investigators will be able to advance the case if Harris and Foggs cooperate.
"It may be something simple as Mr. Harris coming in and doing photo arrays or maybe getting with a sketch artist or something," Duffin said. "Give us some indication of who this person was that you turned the baby over to."
jgorner@tribpub.com
