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Police Now Dealing With Two Dead Bodies, Burning Vehicles In Gresham Neighborhood

(STMW) -- A person was found dead in a burning vehicle in Auburn Gresham Friday morning, almost three hours before a woman was found beneath a burning SUV in the same neighborhood.

The body was found about 5 a.m. in a burning vehicle in the 8400 block of South Gilbert Court, police said.

Fire authorities extinguished the car blaze and found a person dead in the back seat, Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said.

The person was dead at the scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Their gender, age, name and home address were not released Friday night.

The Chicago Police Bomb and Arson Unit is investigating.

About 7:45 a.m. Friday, a 46-year-old woman was found dead near a burning SUV in the 8600 block of South Honore Street, authorities said. The police Bomb and Arson Unit is also investigating that incident.

Family members identified the female victim as Sherita Smith and say she had been murdered.  She worked for the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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