Baby boy dies after being left alone in bathtub in South Shore

A 7-month-old boy died Monday after he was found unconscious in a bathtub full of water in South Shore on the South Side.

Authorities were called about 7:30 a.m. for reports of an unresponsive child in the 6800 block of South Merrill, according to Chicago police.

Risilient King Woodrow Gilmore’s father told investigators he’d gone to the store and left the boy in a tub filled with water, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. When he returned, he found Risilient floating in the tub and called 911.

The child was rushed to La Rabida Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:13 a.m., authorities said.

An autopsy Tuesday did not rule on the cause or manner of Risilient’s death pending further investigation.

Police said the boy’s mother and another child were also inside the home while the father was gone.

His father was taken into custody and questioned by Area Central detectives, but was ultimately released without being charged, police said.

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services spokesman Jassen Strokosch said the department is investigating multiple allegations of neglect involving the boy’s father and mother. DCFS has not had any prior contact with the family.