Burned Body Found in Alley Identified as 15-Year-Old Steinmetz Student

CHICAGO, IL — Police have identified a body that was found "burned beyond recognition" in the Austin neighborhood as that of a Steinmetz High School freshman, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The body of Demetrius Griffin Jr., 15, was found at about 1:25 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, in an alley in the 5500 block of West Cortez Street. Demetrius' cause of death has not been determined by the Cook County medical examiner, the report stated.

Detectives are searching for an individual who might be seeking medical treatment for burns suffered while setting the boy's body on fire, according to the Chicago Police Department.

RELATED: Police Search for Burn Victim Who Possibly Set Body on Fire

A prayer vigil will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the site where his body was found, the Tribune reports. Demetrius had only recently started attending Steinmetz, the report added.

A community activist told the Tribune that Demetrius' mother said her son had missed his Friday night curfew and didn't answer his phone.

"She told me, 'I know that’s my son'," the activist said about the mother's reaction when she heard about the burned body, according to the Tribune. "Everybody was just waiting around, and she’s thinking that it was her son."

More via the Chicago Tribune

photo via Patch archive

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