A young child was found dead inside an abandoned home that had been set on fire on Chicago’s South Side Tuesday night.
Manuel Aguilar, 4, of the 6400 block of South Wolcott Avenue, was prounduced dead at the scene about 9:44 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. A cause of death was pending further investigation.
Fire crews discovered Aguilar's body around 9:30 p.m. after responding to reports of a small fire at an Englewood neighborhood home in the 1400 block of West Marquette, police said.
Preliminary investigation found someone had used an accelerant to deliberately start the blaze in the basement of the home, according to police. The fire was quickly put out, police said, but soon after crews uncovered Aguilar's body wrapped underneath a pile of cloth and debris.
A transport team removed the body from the basement of the empty home early Wednesday to be taken to the Cook County morgue for testing.
Three people were arrested after running from the scene, according to police, and remain in custody for questioning.
