Woman Found Stabbed To Death In Burning Washington Park Home
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An elderly woman was found stabbed to death in a home in Washington Park early Monday, when firefighters responded to an apartment building fire.
Firefighters were called to a three-story greystone 5100 block of South Michigan Avenue around 2:50 a.m.
When crews arrived, they found 89-year-old Josephine Johnson on the ground in the first floor bedroom; she had been stabbed multiple times.
Ten-year-old neighbor Jaylen Morris said his mother got him out of the burning building first, then went back in to check on Johnson.
"My mom went back in to go help Miss Josephine, but she found her dead," Jaylen said.
Johnson was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Her godson, Charles Morris, said Johnson was unresponsive when he and other neighbors found her in the bedroom.
"When I was knocking those embers off of her, she didn't moan, she didn't say anything, she didn't move," he said.
"She was just an overall good person, you know? She would do whatever she could for anybody to help them. I always told her she had a good life," Morris added. "She was a very nice person. … I considered her as an angel. She helped everybody."
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Jaylen Morris says his mom got him out first and then went back to check on their neighbor.
"My mom went back in to go help Josephine but she found her dead," Jaylen said. "She said there was a lot of blood."
A man was also located in the home on an upper floor. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. His condition was not available Monday morning.
Investigators believe the fire was intentionally set to cover Johnson's stabbing.
Area Central detectives were conducting a homicide investigation. The Police Bomb and Arson Unit also was investigating the fire as arson.
