Death of 1-month-old South Chicago girl ruled homicide

The death of a 1-month-old South Chicago neighborhood girl in June has been ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Evette West was brought unresponsive to Trinity Hospital on June 16, and was later transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead at 12:11 p.m. that day, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She lived in the 8800 block of South Saginaw.

Autopsy results were inconclusive with results pending further studies, but on Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office said the autopsy found that Evette died of blunt force injuries to the head. Her death was ruled a homicide.

No one was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon in connection with the death, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said in June that the agency was investigating allegations of abuse against Evette’s mother.

Welfare officials had prior contact with the family, including an unfounded investigation in August 2015, according to DCFS. Two siblings were removed from the home at the time of Evette’s death, and were staying with a relative under a DCFS safety plan.