Woman, 47, found shot to death on Austin sidewalk

Chicago police investigate the scene were a woman was shot and killed, Saturday morning, in the 5300 block of West Iowa, in the Austin neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The body of a woman was found with several gunshot wounds early Saturday in the West Side Austin neighborhood.

Officers arrived at 12:25 a.m. to the 5300 block of West Iowa in response to gunfire detected by ShotSpotter technology, according to Chicago police. They discovered a woman lying on the sidewalk next to an alleyway entrance.

She was identified as 47-year-old Elisa Corona Vargas, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Chicago police investigate the scene were a woman was shot and killed, Saturday morning, in the 5300 block of West Iowa, in the Austin neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Vargas, who lived in the same block, had multiple gunshot wounds in her head, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:43 a.m., authorities said. No one is in custody.

Over a dozen officers were seen restraining her grief-stricken family as they tried to bypass the crime scene tape blocking off her body.

Chicago police officers restrain family members who rushed into the crime scene after police uncovered the body of a woman who was shot and killed, Saturday morning, in the 5300 block of West Iowa, in the Austin neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times