Police are seeking leads in the beating death of a woman whose body was found Monday morning at a north suburban Evanston church.
The woman was found dead shortly before noon in the 1600 block of Hinman Avenue in Evanston, according to Evanston Police Dept. Cmdr. Ryan Glew. She was found in an alcove of First United Methodist Church, which is at the corner of Hinman and Church Street.
Glew said the woman, whose exact age was not immediately known, appeared to be “transient or homeless” and had no affiliation with the nearby Northwestern University. She had been dead for “quite some time,” possibly up to 24 hours, by the time she was found.
An autopsy on Tuesday determined she suffered blunt force injuries to her head and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A passerby on the sidewalk had noticed a person in the alcove earlier Monday morning, and notified the church when he saw the same person still there about 11:30 a.m., according to Glew.
Glew said the death appeared to be an isolated incident and said there was no threat to the public.
