Damari Perry murder: 6-year-old boy's official cause of death released
GARY, Ind. - An autopsy released by the Lake County Coroner's Office Tuesday revealed the official cause of death of 6-year-old Damari Perry.
The Coroner's Office said Damari was found naked and wrapped in a plastic trash bag and partially charred in the 700 block alley between Harrison Street and Van Buren Avenue in Gary, Indiana last week.
Dr. Zhou Wang of the coroner's office "found scattered ecchymosis on the right leg, extremely cold core temperature, and partially frozen internal organs."
Additionally, Dr. Wang said there was "postmortem thermal injury/charring over the body."
Based on the findings, the coroner's office said the pending cause of death is Hypothermia. The manner of death was determined to be homicide.
Damari was reported missing last Wednesday by his mother in North Chicago.
He was found dead Friday night in an abandoned alley in the 700 block of Van Buren Street in Gary, Indiana.
At first, Damari's mother, Jannie Perry, said he was last seen in Skokie with his 16-year-old sister at her friend's home on Tuesday, Jan. 4 around 3 p.m.
The initial story provided to police by the family stated that Damari and his sister were driven to a party in Skokie by a Black woman, who was only known as "Monique," and a Black man, who was known as "Wacko" or "Chaos."
Jannie said she had no idea where the friend's house was located in Skokie.
Damari's sister allegedly described the apartment building where the party took place as possibly being a 3-story yellow building with an exposed stairway. Jannie said her daughter was drinking, fell asleep and when she woke up her little brother was gone, and so was "Wacko."
The sister then said she was driven back to her North Chicago home, without her brother, by Monique.
Damari was reported missing Wednesday, Jan. 5, just before 5 p.m. when the sister allegedly got home.
After further investigation into Damari's disappearance, police determined that the story provided by the family was false.
On Sunday, prosecutors said Damari was "punished" and killed in late December, then dumped in Gary.
His mother, brother and another sibling have now been charged in connection with his death.
Brother Jeremiah Perry was in court Sunday morning, where prosecutors laid out the little boy's terrible last day on Earth.
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They said that on December 29, Damari did something to his mom for which his mom thought he should be punished.
The child was put in cold water in a bathtub or shower in their home in North Chicago, and eventually started vomiting and passed out.
He was taken out of the cold water; no one called 911, and he died.
Prosecutors said that Jeremiah Perry and mother Jannie Perry talked about disposing of the body, and they decided to dump him in Gary.
Jannie, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice.
MORE: Missing 6-year-old North Chicago boy found dead in Gary, 3 family members taken into custody: FBI
Jeremiah R. Perry, 20, has been charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death, and obstructing justice.
Jeremiah is already on probation for possession of a weapon with a firearm owner ID card. His bond was set at $3 million.
Police said Jannie was taken to the hospital Saturday after complaining that she was ill. She is under police custody at a local hospital and was not in court on Sunday.
Jannie will go to bond court after she has been medically discharged from the hospital, police said.
Mom charged with murdering 6-year-old son, sibling charged with helping her hide the crime
Lake County prosecutors said on Saturday that Jannie M. Perry, 38, killed her son, 6-year-old Damari Perry. She is charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death, and obstructing justice. Damari's brother, Jeremiah R. Perry, 20, is charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death, and obstructing justice. Another sibling faces charges in juvenile court. Natalie Bomke reports.
A minor sibling has also been arrested and is in juvenile jail.
In 2014, DCFS said they investigated allegations of domestic violence in the home and took protective custody of the children, however, Damari was not born yet.
The court ordered the children be returned to the family in 2017.
There was no other contact with the family until May of 2021, when DCFS investigated allegations of abuse and neglect.
According to DCFS, the claims were unfounded, and the investigation was closed in June 2021.