Police have released a person of interest in a suspected arson fire at a South Side apartment building early this week that killed four people, including three children.
Officer Jose Estrada, a police spokesman, said the man was released Thursday morning but the criminal investigation continues and the fire is still believed to be arson.
Police said they received reports about 1:35 a.m. Tuesday that someone had set fire to the three-story courtyard in the 8100 block of South Essex Avenue in South Chicago. By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had spread to the top two floors and residents were trapped in their apartments, officials said.
Police and fire officials said the fire was apparently started in at least two different locations of the building.
A 3-month-old girl, Melanie Watson, died after her father grabbed her and jumped from their third-floor apartment. Melanie's sisters, identified by family as Shaniya Staples, 7, and Madison Watson, 4, were found inside the apartment, one in the hallway, the other in the living room, officials said.
A next-door neighbor, Kirk Johnson, 56, was found dead inside his apartment, officials said.
Family members said the girls' mother, Kyra Smith, was at work at the time. "Words cannot describe the feeling of being a mom the night you leave for work and getting a call to come to the hospital, only to hear that all of your children are no longer here on earth," Kasey Daniels, Smith's younger sister, said in a post on a GoFundMe page set up for the family.
An autopsy on the infant showed she died of injuries when her father leaped with her from their apartment, acording to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
Autopsies on her sisters have been completed but results are being withheld pending formal identification, officials said.
Johnson, their neighbor, died of thermal injuries and carbon monoxide toxicity. His death was also listed as a homicide.
The family of the three girls has set up a GoFundMe page to raise $30,000 to cover the burials and the cost of replacing items lost in the fire. As of midday, a little more than $11,000 had been raised.
In her post, Daniels said the three girls were a "daily joy."
"Three-month-old Melanie Rose was the strongest baby to have ever known, born a premie at 6 months," Daniels wrote. "She shocked us all when she pulled through and the family brought home a happy baby. She is now home with the Lord.
"Four -year-old Madison Watson just celebrated her birthday merely two weeks ago. She's one of the most brightest and comforting children to ever know. Oh, did she love to hold on to her mommy.
Seven-year-old Shaniya Staples, the smartest, sassiest, most joking little girls ever. Brighter than her years is what she was. Loyal is what her mother calls her. May our dearest Niya rest peacefully above."
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