Damari Perry's Mom Makes 1st Court Appearance After Murder Charge

WAUKEGAN, IL — The mother of a 6-year-old North Chicago boy reported missing last week before he was found dead in Northwest Indiana appeared in court for the first time since she was accused of his murder.

Jannie Perry, 38, who had been hospitalized since her arrest Saturday, appeared before Lake County Associate Judge Raymond Collins Wednesday at a bond hearing in Waukegan, prosecutors said.

The former Belvidere resident is charged with first-degree murder, concealing a homicidal death and obstructing justice in the death of Damari Perry, the fifth of her seven children, who a judge ordered returned to their mother's custody in 2017 after they were taken into the care of state child protection officials two years earlier.

Perry told Collins she "eventually" planned to hire a public attorney. Currently she is represented by a public defender, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

At Wednesday's bond hearing, Collins granted Assistant State's Attorney Lindsay Hicks' request that Jannie Perry remain jailed unless she can come up with the $500,000 cash portion of her bond specified in the arrest warrant issued while she was in hospital, where she was taken after complaining of an illness, according to prosecutors.

“Our victim advocates, prosecutors, and detectives continue to support the family in this case while awaiting the official autopsy results from Lake County, Indiana," State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the bond hearing. "We believe that the court made the right decision with respect to this defendant’s bond and custody status.”

---

Jannie Perry's eldest child, 20-year-old Jerimiah Perry, has been charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death and obstructing justice. A judge ordered him held until he can post the $300,000 cash portion of his bond.

Her 17-year-old son also faces charges in juvenile court connected with the death of his 6-year-old brother. Four others have been returned to Illinois Department of Children and Family Services custody. DCFS investigated a complaint

Damari Perry was first reported missing from a Skokie-area party on Jan. 5. But investigators determined the initial report was false, and the boy's body was found Saturday in an abandoned house in Gary, Indiana.

Authorities said Damari was forced into a cold shower on Dec. 30, his sixth birthday, as punishment for some perceived misbehavior the prior day. He vomited and passed out, but instead of seeking medical attention, his family members tried to conceal his death, according to police and prosecutors.

The preliminary findings from an autopsy conducted by the office of Coroner David Pastrick in Lake County, Indiana, indicated that Damari died of hypothermia, and that some of his organs were frozen.

The 6-year-old's body was found naked and partially charred, wrapped in a plastic bag, the coroner's office announced. The burns are thought to have happened after he was already dead.