Kyrian Knox was reported missing in Rockford, Illinois, and police are investigating a possible connection to a toddler found dismembered in a Chicago lagoon. (Rockford Police Department/Facebook)
Police in Rockford, Illinois, are looking for a missing 2-year-old boy, while investigators in Chicago work to determine a possible connection to a dismembered toddler found in a lagoon earlier this month.
Kyrian Knox was reported missing last Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The unidentified toddler was found in Chicago’s Garfield Park on September 5. Police said they believe the child was African-American or bi-racial and between the ages of 2 and 3. Rockford Police said at a press conference Wednesday that a link to the Garfield Park case is “only speculation,” because the toddler found in the lagoon has not been identified yet.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Knox’s Mother Last Saw Kyrian in August After Leaving Him With a Family Friend
Knox in an undated photo. (Rockford Police Department/Facebook)
Kyrian Knox’s mother, Lanisha Knox, told WREX-TV that she brought her to Rockford to stay with family friends while she finished moving from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Chicago. the friends have not yet been identified.
Lanisha Knox said she called regularly to check in with the friends, but never spoke to Kyrian. She said she texted her friends on Thursday after the friend didn’t pick up the phone, but the friend never told her that Kyrian was missing. Lanisha Knox told the news station she learned her son was missing when police called her.
Rockford Police described Kyrian as an African-American male, about 30 inches tall, weighing 35 pounds, with low cut black hair and brown eyes.
“Kyrian is not believed to be abducted, one of the primary guidelines for the issuance of an AMBER Alert, and was last seen in the care of a family friend prior to his disappearance,” Rockford Police said. “The police department has been working non-stop with the family, and several law enforcement agencies, and continues to investigate all leads to ensure a safe and timely return of Kyrian to his family. Information regarding the timeline of events and supporting details are not being released at this time due to the sensitivity of this active investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 815-987-5824.
2. Police Have Taken a DNA Sample From Kyrian’s Mother
Chicago Police released this sketch of a toddler found dismembered in a lagoon in a park. (Chicago Police Department)
Rockford Police contacted Chicago Police after Kyrian was reported missing because of the similarities to the toddler found in Garfield Park.
Police said at a press conference that they have collected a DNA sample and sent it to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia for testing.
The DNA sample collected for analysis was from Kyrian’s mother, Rockford police said
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Chicago Tribune that the results “will take some time,” and detectives are “cautiously optimistic” about the lead.
3. Kyrian’s Mother Says She Doesn’t Think Her Son Is the Boy Found in the Lagoon
Police officers search along the shoreline of the lagoon in Garfield Park for evidence. (Getty)
Lanisha Knox, Kyrian’s mother, told WREX-TV that she doesn’t think the sketch of the toddler found in the lagoon looks like her son.
“That’s not my son,” Knox told the news station. “I don’t know (what happened) and I don’t really want to speculate. I just want my baby to come home that’s all I know,”
4. Police Have Investigated Other Leads in the Garfield Park Case
Chicago Police told the Tribune that they have investigated other leads in the Garfield Park case that are not as strong.
“We’re not ruling it out, but we do have some reason to believe the (Garfield Park) victim to be different,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said of two other cases, involving missing children from Gary, Indiana, and Searcy, Arkansas.
5. Police Have Called on the Public to Come Forward With Information About the Toddler
(Getty)
Police said they believe someone has information knows what happened to the toddler found in the lagoon.
The case has similarities to a baby found dead on an island in Boston. The child has been identified as Bella Bond, and her mother and her mother’s boyfriend have been charged in the baby’s death after police received tips from the public.
