Crime News
The publication StreetsBlog Chicago has released a detailed follow-up on the tragic death of McKinley Park 5-year-old Daniel Solis, who was killed following a traffic accident at West 37th Street and Ashland Avenue the morning of March 15, 2017. StreetsBlog writer John Greenfield both examines the incident in depth and provides responses from city officials and 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas.
Click here to read the article on StreetsBlog Chicago.
Key takeaways include a push for a traffic study and better safety measures for that intersection. Community members interested in helping the Solis family cover medical and funeral expenses can do so through the GoFundMe page set up by Daniel and his family's supporters.
Neighbors gathered by the McKinley Park lagoon on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, to conduct a healing ceremony following the discovery of human remains in the lagoon on September 23.
12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas and Pastor Darrell Dalton of Bethany Baptist Church spoke at the event, as well as prayed with residents and local Franciscan monks. Cardenas asked residents to remain vigilant, but he encouraged all to continue to enjoy and use the park.
Among other measures, new surveillance cameras will be installed in the park, Cardenas said.
The ceremony follows the discovery of human remains, including a severed human head and bags of body parts, in the lagoon by Park District workers. In the course of its investigation, the Chicago Police Department cordoned off much of the east end of McKinley Park and drained the lagoon.
Officers from the McKinley Park Advisory Council (MPAC) have related that the refuse uncovered by draining the lagoon will be cleaned up by Park District workers, and that the lagoon will soon be refilled.
Members of the public are asked to help find Christal Wheaton, a 39-year-old McKinley Park neighborhood resident who was reported missing on Sunday, July 24, 2016, from the 3700 block of South Wolcott Avenue.
Wheaton has been missing since Thursday, July 21. In addition to McKinley Park, she also frequents Summit, Illinois, and Willow Springs, Illinois. She is five feet six inches tall, weighs 120 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes. She may be in need of medical attention.
Anyone who sees Wheaton or has information on her whereabouts should call 911 or the Chicago Police Department Area Central Special Victims Unit at (312) 747-8380.
According to reports issued by the Chicago Police Department, two individuals were arrested this past Wednesday and Thursday in two separate break-in incidents in the McKinley Park neighborhood.
Shawn Reeves, 44, of Johnsburg, Illinois, was arrested at 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in the 1600 block of West 33rd Street. He was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, trespassing and possession of a controlled substance. James Copeland, 57, of Chicago, Illinois, was arrested for trespassing in the 3800 block of South Paulina Street at 5:38 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, 2016. Copeland posted a $1,500 I-bond the same day.
The Chicago Police Department has issued a community alert for the McKinley Park neighborhood warning of a pattern of daytime burglaries. On Saturday, June 25, 2016, offenders broke into and looted a home in the 3600 block of South Damen Avenue, and then on Monday, June 27, 2026, burglars again hit the 3600 block of South Damen Avenue and the 3500 block of South Winchester Avenue. All of the incidents took place in the afternoon.
