DNA confirms: Garfield Park lagoon body parts match Rockford boy

DNA samples taken from a child’s body parts discovered in a Garfield Park lagoon in September have been confirmed as a match to Kyrian Knox, a 2-year-old boy missing from Rockford.

Kyrian Knox | Photo courtesy ABC7 Chicago

Kyrian was believed to have been last seen in mid-August, Rockford police previously said. The boy had been staying with a family friend just before he disappeared. Investigators don’t believe the child was abducted.

Rockford investigators contacted Chicago Police in mid-September to see if there might be a match. DNA samples from Kyrian’s mother, Lanisha Knox, were provided to both Rockford and Chicago police for testing, Rockford authorities said.

An unidentified child’s foot was discovered Sept. 5 in the Garfield Park lagoon, sparking a search that led to retrieval of a child’s hands and head. Investigators have estimated the child is 2-3 years old and African-American.

Cause and manner of death have yet to be determined. All of the body parts were decomposed.