Detectives hit wall in investigation into dismembered toddler

They were the last known people to have seen a Rockford toddler alive before his remains were found in the Garfield Park Lagoon in September.

A friend of the death child’s mother, Kamel Harris, and Harris’ girlfriend, Danyelle Foggs, are “critical” to the ongoing investigation into Kyrian Knox’s death — but they’re not cooperating with police, frustrated investigators said Thursday.

“Its unfathomable to me that when we’re talking about a tender-aged child, that we find body parts of, and you won’t cooperate on a case like that? I cannot wrap my brain around it,” Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Dean Andrews told reporters.

Without Harris’ and Foggs’ help, “Taking the next step is going to be very difficult . . . ” Andrews said.

An unknown child’s body parts were discovered in the lagoon September 5th. About two weeks later, little Kyrian was reported missing from a residence in Rockford, where he’d been staying with a male friend of his mother’s and man’s girlfriend. Kyrian’s mother, Lanisha Knox, told investigators she left her son with the friend, while she resettled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Rockford. Based on the missing person report, Chicago police went to Rockford to collect DNA from Kyrian’s mother, which matched the remains found in the lagoon.

Before the DNA match, Rockford police interviewed Harris, the male friend who reported Kyrian missing. He told investigators he’d handed the boy over to three people who claimed they were friends of the Knox family and would be taking Kyrian to his mother. Rockford police also spoke to Foggs, Harris’ girlfriend.

But now Chicago police want talk at length to Harris and Foggs. Police know where they are — Harris is living in the Milwaukee area and Foggs in Rockford — but neither has responded to requests to talk to police, Andrews said.

“We’ve tried numerous times to contact them. We know where they are. They’re just not cooperating. It’s extremely frustrating,” Andrews said.

Andrews said they’d like to learn more about the three people who, according to Harris, took Kyrian.

Police said Lanisha Knox is cooperating with investigators.