A woman has been released without charges as police continue to investigate the death of a 1-year-old girl whose body was discovered Wednesday evening at a home in the Lawndale neighborhood.
Officers went to the home after a 40-year-old woman walked into the Ogden District station about 6 p.m. and reported “an incident” having to do with the child, according to Chicago Police.
The girl, identified as Nicole Davis, was found unresponsive by officers at an apartment complex in the 1900 block of South Harding and pronounced her dead at the scene, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The girl, who lived in the block where she was found, died of multiple injuries in an assault and her death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner’s office ruled Thursday.
The woman who reported the incident was “an acquaintance” of the girl, according to police. She was taken into custody Wednesday night Police initially said charges were pending against her, but she was released Thursday evening without charges as detectives continue their investigation.
A spokeswoman with the state’s Department of Children and Family Services said Thursday that the agency is investigating Davis’ death for allegations of neglect and abuse.
She added that DCFS has previously investigated Davis’ caregiver six separate times, though none of those investigations involved Davis, and all the allegations were ruled unfounded. Those cases, involving a child born in 1999, were in 2007, twice in 2008, once in 2012, 2013 and 2015, DCFS said.
