Student found dead in vehicle at UIC parking garage; death ruled homicide

An autopsy conducted by the Cook County medical examiner’s office Sunday ruled the death of a 19-year-old female student — who was found in a vehicle Saturday at a University of Illinois at Chicago parking garage in University Village on the Near West Side — a homicide.

About 11:15 a.m., UIC police found Ruth George, of Berwyn, unresponsive in a car parked in the Halsted Street Parking Garage, 760 W. Taylor St., according to a public safety advisory from UIC and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The discovery was reported to the Chicago Fire Department, who dispatched crews to the location and pronounced her dead at the scene.

An autopsy conducted Sunday determined George died as a result of strangulation, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Her death was ruled a homicide.

UIC Police Chief Kevin Booker and spokeswoman Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez said George entered the parking garage alone about 1:35 a.m. Saturday, with someone following closely behind. Gonzalez confirmed that person was an adult male who is not affiliated with the university. He was taken into custody for questioning.

“It is very difficult to find words that can express the sadness our entire community experiences today following the news of the tragic death of a 19-year-old undergraduate student,” said UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis. “We offer our sincere condolences to the student’s family and friends and I know that all of us have them in our hearts as they struggle with this devastating loss.”

UIC police are working with city, state and federal agencies to investigate the death, officials said.