Body of 17-year-old discovered inside SUV at city tow lot four days after crash
The body of a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was found inside a vehicle at a south side tow lot Monday, authorities said.
Milwaukee police said the vehicle is the severely damaged SUV that crashed on North 91st Street and West Fond du Lac Avenue on June 1.
Police responded to a call for service from the city-owned tow lot, 3811 W. Lincoln Ave., around 10:54 a.m. Monday. Upon arrival, officers observed a body located on the floor of the rear portion of the SUV, a statement from police says.
The statement also acknowledges the Department of Public Works is aware of the incident.
According to police, the SUV, which was suspected to be stolen, was towed on June 1 following a crash into a tree that left a 16-year-old boy injured. He was also taken into custody.
"The vehicle was severely damaged and MPD arranged for the vehicle to be towed," police said.
The cause of death for the 17-year-old is being investigated by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. MPD and DPW will both conduct inquiries into these circumstances, police said.
Nobody's work status at the Police Department has changed as a result of the discovery as of Tuesday, a spokesperson said. The Department of Public Works declined to answer the same question.
Incident resembles two others from years past
The incident marks the third time since 2018 that city personnel left someone behind in a car that was eventually towed.
That year, in January, an 8-year-old girl was left inside a van during freezing overnight temperatures after police arrested her mother during a traffic stop and towed the car.
At least 10 city employees were involved in that process, including from police and public works departments. The girl was apparently asleep and perhaps obscured by clothing during the police encounter. She spent seven hours in a van when temperatures dipped to 18 degrees.
She was found the next morning by a tow lot attendant who heard her crying. She had no injuries or signs of exposure, according to police records.
In December of last year, the city settled a lawsuit over the matter and paid the family $50,000, according to city records. Two police officers, one of whom had a history of misconduct allegations, were suspended for a combined total of 45 days.
No other city employees were disciplined and no criminal charges were filed.
In January 2022, emergency personnel responded to the scene of a car that crashed into a building, starting a fire. The car was eventually towed with the body of a 21-year-old woman in a back seat that went unnoticed for several hours.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski publicly apologized for the incident, clarified it was his personnel’s responsibility to locate the body and announced changes to the department’s standard operating procedures after a monthlong investigation.
Lipski said the department’s new process for searching vehicles now includes three separate searches from three sets of personnel, resembling that of building searches.
Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen body discovered inside SUV at city tow lot
