A suspect is in custody after police found human remains in a freezer on the city’s Northwest Side Monday night, according to police.
Officers responded to a well-being check in 5919 N. Washtenaw Ave. around 7 p.m. Monday. The owner of the West Ridge house — who rented the rooms out — had been missing for approximately 24 hours, the tenant who called police told them.
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The tenant also told police the residents of the home were scared of one of the other people who lived there.
“It’s a lot of information, it’s all happening at the same time, and obviously it’s still an active investigation,” Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a news conference Tuesday.
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The tenant that the others were afraid of, Deenihan said, had recently called a tow truck and carried a heavy bag out. The individual dumped the large bag in a garbage can in Foster Beach, police said.
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Detectives discovered bloody rags and towels inside the can and secured the scene. The can and its contents were transported to the medical examiner’s office Tuesday morning.
Based on that evidence, detectives returned to the West Ridge residence and found human remains in the freezer, police said. They then obtained a search warrant to search the house.
In the meantime, the tow truck driver called police and said the person he was transporting had pulled a knife on him. In responding to the scene, officers took the man into custody for aggravated assault with a knife.
Once at police headquarters, the individual invoked their right to remain silent in regards to the homicide investigation, Deenihan said.
“We have a long way to go, but obviously, we believe that the missing person is obviously, unfortunately, the individual we discovered,” he said.
Area Three detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.
