Sept. 23--Investigators trying to identify the toddler whose remains were found in the Garfield Park Lagoon over Labor Day weekend are looking closely at the case of a 2-year-old boy reported missing this month in Rockford, Chicago police said Tuesday.
Kyrian Knox was first reported missing Thursday, but Rockford police said it was not clear when the boy was last seen. A statement issued by Rockford said the boy was believed to be in the care of a family friend before he was reported missing.
Kyrian is African-American, about 30 inches tall and 35 pounds, according to the statement. Police said he has closely cropped black hair and brown eyes.
Rockford detectives contacted Chicago police over the weekend to report a possible link, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Chicago detectives traveled to Rockford to collect a DNA sample from a family member of the boy, which was sent for testing at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va., Guglielmi said.
Those results "will take some time," but detectives in Chicago are "cautiously optimistic" about the lead, Guglielmi said.
Rockford police are holding a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss Kyrian's case. A statement issued by the city made no mention of any link with the Garfield Park remains. A Rockford police representative could not be reached.
The foot of a toddler was found in the lagoon Sept. 5. Additional remains, including the head, were found over the next two days.
Investigators believe the remains to be that of an African-American boy, but officials cautioned the body could be of a "mixed-race heritage" and possibly that of a girl. The toddler was most likely about 2 years old, investigators said.
"The hair was short, curly and black in color; the eyes were brown; and the earlobes were not pierced, suggesting the child may be male (but female gender cannot be ruled out at present)," according to a previous statement from Chicago police and the medical examiner's office.
Investigators have looked into two other missing cases out of Gary and Searcy, Ark., but don't feel either connection is strong. "We're not ruling it out, but we do have some reason to believe the (Garfield Park) victim to be different," Guglielmi said.
"There are people out there that know what happened to this baby," Guglielmi said. "We need you to come forward. This baby deserves better."
rcrosby@tribpub.com
