A “barbaric monster” decapitated and dismembered a 2-year-old boy before dumping the toddler’s remains in a Chicago lagoon because the lactose-intolerant child was fed milk and wouldn’t stop crying, police said.
Kamel Harris, 41, was charged Tuesday night with murdering Kyrian Knox, whose remains were found in a lagoon on Labor Day weekend in 2015. Authorities say he was caring for Kyrian when the boy had a bad reaction to milk and cried all afternoon. “He kind of just snapped and couldn’t deal with it anymore,” Chicago Police Commander Kevin Duffin said at a Tuesday news conference.
Harris allegedly made a false police report that the baby was missing last year, authorities said. A “meticulous” investigation has led authorities to believe Harris is behind the grisly crime, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.
The blood they recovered from the suspect’s vehicle belonged to the boy, authorities said. Harris was also charged with concealing a homicide and dismembering a human body.
Police last September found Kyrian’s feet, hands and head floating in or around the lagoon, according to the Chicago Tribune. Anthony Guglielmi called the suspect a “barbaric monster,” while authorities said they had a difficult time coming to grips with how horrific the crime was.
“Some incidents create a lasting memory,” Johnson said.
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