A mother charged with the death of her 6-year-old son was hospitalized over the weekend after she complained of feeling ill.
Damari Perry’s family reported him missing on Wednesday in North Chicago, and his body was found Friday night in Gary, Indiana, 70 miles away. But investigators said the story the family told — about Damari disappearing along with a man known as “Wacko” while at a playdate/party in Skokie — was “completely false,” as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Instead, prosecutors said Sunday, Damari was killed on December 30 — his birthday — while he was being “punished” for something he’d done wrong.
North Chicago police arrested Damari’s mother, 38-year-old Jannie Perry, his 20-year-old brother Jeremiah, and a juvenile sibling, who has been charged in juvenile court.
Jeremiah Perry — charged with with aggravated battery causing bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death, and obstructing justice — appeared in court on Sunday and was ordered held on a $3 million bond. Jannie Perry had been scheduled for a bond hearing on Sunday but was taken to a hospital instead, where she remains in police custody, WGN reported. Officials said she’ll be taken to court when she’s discharged from the hospital.
The mother has been charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death, and obstructing justice.
An autopsy on the boy’s body was expected on Monday. Officials said the suspects could face further charges once they have the results of the autopsy.
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[Featured image: Damari Perry/North Chicago Police Department]