Police in Frankfort, Illinois, have launched a homicide investigation after a 2-year-old child died and their mother was hospitalized after trying to self-harm.
Frankfort police said officers were called to a home in the 22700 block of Brook Stone Court around 4 p.m. Tuesday after a 17-year-old girl called 911 for help.
When they arrived, officers found a 2-year-old being given CPR by the teenager. The toddler was taken to a local hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
As officers searched the home, police said they found the child’s mother attempting to harm herself. She was also taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Neighbors were deeply shaken as police surrounded the home in crime scene tape and began an investigation that lasted nearly a full 24 hours.
“It’s very quiet in Frankfort,” said neighbor Melvin Woods, Jr. “I mean, you rarely hear about anything of this sort, so it’s a bit much.”
The relationship between the teen who found the toddler unresponsive and the family is not immediately clear; neighbors said four young children lived in the home.
“This is just absolutely heartbreaking to understand,” said neighbor Carolyn Pappas. “What happened a couple blocks away, and that it’s impacting our community.”
The exact circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death were not immediately known, but Frankfort police said they believe it was a domestic-related homicide, and a homicide investigation is ongoing.
The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services told CBS News Chicago they have not had prior contact with the family until Tuesday.
No one has yet been charged with a crime. The identity of the child and the mother have not yet been released.
“It’s gut-wrenching. To understand that a little 2-year-old could be the victim of such a horrific event just makes us very sad,” Pappas said. “It just makes us very sad and devastated for the family, and devastated for those children.”
Police have not released any further information.
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