BRIDGEPORT, IL – A grim discovery unfolded in the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago as police found a body of a 15-year-old boy in the trunk of a burning car early Friday morning. The boy, whose identity remains undisclosed by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, was found in the vehicle in the 3700 block of South Parnell Avenue.
Community activist Andrew Holmes revealed that the family confirmed the boy attended Menta Academy on the South Side. The cause of the death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the neck and chest, according to the medical examiner.
Holmes recounted his meeting with the victim’s mother, emphasizing the impact of the tragedy on the teen’s mom. “She’s trying to hold her memories in of her baby,” shared Holmes. “He can light up a room and the disturbing part of this is, it’s her only child.”
Authorities established that the boy was shot elsewhere in the city before his body was placed in the vehicle and later set on fire in an alley. Holmes relayed further information that the vehicle in question had been reported stolen.
In the pursuit of leads, local residents have been implored to scrutinize any security footage that they may have from the time of the incident. A $1,000 reward has been offered by community activists for any information leading to an arrest.
Authorities will not have the victim’s name released as the investigation continues, and no arrests have been reported thus far.