July 19--The cause of death remains unknown for the woman and three children whose decomposing bodies were found late Saturday evening inside a home on Chicago's South Side, authorities said.
The woman, who was described only as an adult, appeared to have suffered some trauma to her head, authorities said. Her body also showed some signs of burns, sources said, perhaps from an unreported fire in the home.
The woman's body was found facedown inside an enclosed porch, blocking access to a door into the home, according to sources. The door was locked. Another body was found facedown on the other side of the door, and the other two bodies were faceup in the same room.
Official sources had not immediately revealed the exact ages and names of the woman and the children, but relatives told WGN-TV that the woman was Latoya Jackson, 27, and that she was the mother of the three children. Family said the three boys are Andrew, 11; Cameron, 9; and Cantrell, 5.
It was not known how they died and it's not clear what injuries the children suffered.
An 18-year-old nephew of LaToya Jackson said his aunt loved her children and was dealing with recent hard times. When he heard the family had died, the teen said, "We just couldn't believe it. We just started crying. It was really hard. ... I'm trying to be calm."
He said his aunt enjoyed spending time with her boys and barbecuing. He's not sure how long, or why, they moved into the rental house on Drexel, but said the family had long lived in a place on Cregier Avenue that is about a mile away and the boys attended Cardwell Academy.
Officials discovered the four bodies around 8:25 p.m. inside a one-story red brick house in the 8300 block of South Drexel Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood, according to police.
Two basketballs lay in the weedy backyard near the back porch of the home. The rear door was blackened and appeared charred. Police tape hung from the backyard fence and in the side yard.
The home's kitchen was charred, according to authorities.
"There was a contents fire inside the house," said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. "We are not sure when it occurred. It was never called in."
It's unclear if the bodies suffered any fire-related injuries. The outside of the house did not show any traces of a fire.
Area South detectives are conducting a death investigation.
Police officers intially blocked off about a half-block of Drexel south of 83rd Street with yellow tape. Inside that area, the officers also used red tape to cordon off a one-story red brick home on the east side of Drexel.
Several neighbors gathered near the police tape at the south and north sides of the crime scene.
A neighbor who lives two houses away from where the bodies were found said he and other neighbors called police Saturday evening after noticing a bad smell on their block.
"It smells terrible if you walk past (the home)," said the man, who declined to be identified.
The man sat with his grandson on the porch of his home and watched police officers and detectives work.
Both said they would frequently see three boys play in front of the house. The oldest could not have been older than 12, they said.
The man and his grandson also said they would see the woman who lived in the house walk on a sidewalk to and from a neighborhood store. But they added that they didn't know much about the family. Neighbors on the block tend to keep to themselves, they said.
Nairobi Miller, 36, was coming home from work when he stumbled upon police tape.
Miller, who has lived in the area for about three years, said the block has been a quiet one.
"Nothing like this has ever happened over here," he said. "It's unfortunate."
Police officers and detectives talked to neighbors and walked in and out of the house where the bodies were found.
One detective, who was wearing gloves and had a white breathing mask pulled up onto his forehead, came out of the house and sat down on the front steps of a home next door. He leaned slightly forward, pressing his hands against his lap.
Around 3:40 a.m., two white body removal vans parked in the alley behind the house with the decomposing bodies. Police officers blocked off a part of the alley with yellow tape.
The vans parked in front of each other, partially blocking what was happening behind the house.
Body removal workers wearing full-body white suits and gloves rolled out a small body covered by a red sheet on a stretcher.
About a half-hour later, the workers rolled out a larger body wrapped up in a white sheet on a stretcher.
Nearby, four women stood in the alley, about 20 yards away from the vans, and watched police officers and body removal workers. Some of them covered their noses with their hands.
"We should say a prayer," one woman said.
