5-year-old Damari Perry died from hypothermia, body ‘partially charred’ after forced into freezing shower: coroner
The 5-year-old Chicago boy forced into a freezing shower as punishment a day before his birthday died from hypothermia, the coroner announced Tuesday.
Damari Perry’s body “was found naked and wrapped in a plastic trash bag and partially charred,” the Lake County, Ind., coroner’s office reported, saying the burns happened after he was already dead.
The cause of the charring is unclear.
The coroner also noted “partially frozen internal organs,” “extremely cold core temperature” and scattered bruising on his right leg.
The cause of death is in line with the gruesome story painted by officials, who allege that three family members, including Damari’s mother forced the boy into the shower until he vomited and lost consciousness.
Instead of calling for help, Damari’s family allegedly left him to die near an abandoned building in Gary, Ind.
Damari was found dead on Dec. 31, a day after his birthday and two days after family members reported him missing, falsely telling police that he may have been in Skokie, Ill.
His mother, 38-year-old Jannie Perry, has been charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice.
His brother, 20-year-old Jeremiah Perry, was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death and obstructing justice. He is being held on a $3 million bond.
A second sibling, who has not been publicly identified, faces charges in Lake County’s Juvenile Court.
Jannie Perry previously lost custody of her six children in 2014, as well as Damari almost immediately after he was born in December 2015, after a domestic violence complaint, the Chicago Tribune previously reported. The children were returned to her care in 2017.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also reportedly investigated Perry in May, but determined the complaint was “unfounded.”
