Calumet City Police are investigating the death of a 4-year-old boy who was found unresponsive in his bed by a man taking care of him while his parents are serving in Iraq, authorities said.
Though the body of Cameron Smith was visibly bruised, police said they wouldn’t know if he had been abused or the cause of his death until the autopsy was completed. Calumet City Police Chief Patrick O’Meara said he expected to have the results Friday.
“On a 4-year-old, it’s hard to judge,” O’Meara said. “What looks like a bruise to us may be determined to be a superficial wound. At this time, we don’t suspect foul play, but we’ll know once the autopsy is complete.”
Because there have been no charges filed, the chief would not release the name of the man caring for Cameron. He is the fiance of the boy’s mother and also is caring for Cameron’s 7- and 8-year-old siblings, O’Meara said. The children’s parents are divorced, and both are serving in Iraq.
No one was home at the small, modest apartment in the 500 block of Ingraham Street late Thursday afternoon. A neighbor said the family had only been living there for a few weeks.
It was unknown how Cameron’s parents might have been notified of their son’s death.
Police learned about the case around 5 a.m. Thursday when the boy’s guardian found him unresponsive and not breathing in his bed, O’Meara said.
When police and medical staff arrived at the apartment, Cameron was pronounced dead, he said.
The case also is being investigated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, said spokesman Kendall Marlowe. The agency had no prior contact with the family, he said, but as a result of Cameron’s death, his siblings have been removed from the home and are being cared for by a relative, he said.
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lbowean@tribune.com
