A toddler, who was found dead inside a fire-ravaged mobile home in New Chicago on Thursday, still hasn’t been identified.
Authorities and family members said DNA from the girl’s father is being used to confirm her identity, but the results aren’t completed yet.
The Lake County coroner’s office said Monday it still had not identified the girl, whose cause of death is also pending.
The fire, which destroyed three mobile homes in the Ravinia Pines Mobile Home Park, 534 E. 37th Ave., Hobart, erupted Thursday afternoon. The girls’ mother, who authorities haven’t identified, was found by Hobart and New Chicago firefighters in a bedroom. She was airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Her aunt, Jacqueline Carman, of Beecher, Illinois, said her niece underwent surgery on Monday and a faced a series of additional surgeries this week for burns.
State fire marshal investigator Phil Topor, of the Merrillville Fire Department, said Monday the fire’s origin was still under investigation, but there’s no indication of arson.
He said more information will be released Tuesday or Wednesday. Topar said firefighters also planned to launch a smoke alarm initiative for the mobile home park in memory of the young girl who lost her life.
Meanwhile, Carman is hosting an online funding page to raise money for the girl’s funeral. Other groups are collecting clothing and money for all the families affected by the fire. Clothing and donations are being accepted in the mobile home park office.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
