Damari Perry, 6, of North Chicago, Lake County, Illinois, United States was found dead near an abandoned house on Van Buren Avenue in Gary, Indiana, USA on January 8, 2022. He is one of the sons of Jannie M. Perry, 38.

A relative allegedly forced Damari into a cold shower for an extended period of time as punishment for misbehaving. On December 29, 2021, the boy started vomiting and became unresponsive but nobody in the house sought medical attention.

On December 30, 2021, Jannie told relatives Damari needed to be punished so he was put into cold water in a tub with a shower, according to Lake County’s assistant state attorney Kyle Doyle. The boy later died from his injuries and his body was taken by Jannie and her son Jeremiah R. Perry, 20, to an abandoned house in Gary.

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On January 5, 2022, Damari was reported missing by one of his siblings and their mother. They told police that Damari was kidnapped at a party at an apartment in Skokie, Cook County, Illinois, which prompted a search by the North Chicago Department and the Federal Bureau Investigation.

Investigators found out that evidence contradicted the family’s kidnapping story. On January 7, 2022, Jannie, Jeremiah and her daughter were arrested in their North Chicago home. The name of the daughter was not released.

Jannie is charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice. Neither she nor her daughter, who is also charged, appeared in court on January 9, 2022 for undisclosed reasons.

Jeremiah is charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a child under 12, concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice. He is being held on $3 million bail and will return to court on January 12, 2022.