FFK Blog Fehmeeda Farid Khan Blog for Unsolved Miseries
Demetrius Griffin Jr. embodied the essence of a young lad, with sapphire eyes that held a captivating allure for all fortunate enough to cross his path. The corridors of high school had embraced him merely a fortnight prior to his fateful demise. During his earlier years in middle school, Demetrius had etched his presence as a jovial spirit, a maestro of amusement, delighting in the symphony of laughter. Kindness was his signature, a quality that set him apart from his peers of the same age.
Demetrius Jr. held no penchant for taunts or the act of belittlement, instead dedicating his efforts towards cultivating friendships and eliciting smiles that adorned the visages of those he encountered. His intellect shone resplendently, a luminary in the realms of science and mathematics, his spirit indomitably driven. The anticipation of embarking upon the nascent chapter of his life brimmed within him, as he looked ahead to the inaugural year of high school, nurturing aspirations to join the ranks of the swim team.
A rigorous curfew Demetrius adhered to with unwavering resolve. The sequence of events on September 16 unfolded in South Austin, Chicago, as Demetrius strolled alongside a female comrade, their paths diverging several blocks from his abode. As twilight enveloped the horizon and the hours slipped away, curfew was missed, a stark departure from his routine. Polly Skyes, his mother, recounted that this aberration in behavior instantly raised an alarm, a testament to the profound connection they shared.
The Tragic Passing of Demetrius Jr.
In the wake of a report concerning a conflagration in the western quarters of Austin, law enforcement ventured forth. The ensuing day, at the stroke of 1:30 a.m., Demetrius was discovered, a mere semblance of his former self, within the confines of a receptacle designed for refuse.
The circumstances surrounding Demetrius were of such complexity that the office of the medical examiner expended nearly an entire month in discerning the cause and modality of his untimely demise. Pronounced a homicide, the enigma of the identity behind Demetrius’ unfortunate end endures, concealed within the shadows. A perplexing mist veils the minds of family and companions alike, for Demetrius was devoid of any associations tinctured with negativity or malevolence. Quite the opposite, his kin attested to his deep-rooted affection for the community, frequently extending gestures of assistance through the conveyance of groceries and canine companionship. Demetrius, unaffiliated with any faction or organized criminal enterprise, remained an embodiment of benevolence, a notion cherished by those who held him closest.
The family conjectured that while Demetrius remained aloof from the clutches of a gang, fate had ensnared him within their web. An unfortunate case of misidentification or an initiation rite tainted by violence may have manifested, compelling a prospective adherent to inflict harm upon an innocent soul in demonstration of loyalty. Alternative suppositions encompass the realm of a hate crime, mirroring the tragic narrative of Emmett Till, a young lad of 14 whose life was extinguished through brutality in the state of Mississippi.
The Demise of Demetrius Jr.
Some speculate that Demetrius had fallen prey to a predator, ensnared in a sinister act of abduction and potential violation, his life prematurely terminated to satiate perverse desires. A devout member of the church, a participant in the local children club, and an aspirant to the ranks of his school’s swimming fraternity, Demetrius, a child, a confidant, and a son, met an untimely end, the rationale shrouded in obscurity. Two years hence, the investigation into the identity of Demetrius’ assailant remains mired in uncertainty, mirroring the very day it was initiated.
It is imperative to note that Demetrius was not the sole victim within the realms of Chicago to endure the ignominious fate of being incinerated and discarded within a receptacle. The annals of 2007 bear testimony to the tragedies that befell Theresa Bunn and Hazel Lewis, both women succumbing to asphyxiation, disrobed and reduced to ashes, consigned to blazing dumpsters within proximity to Washington Park.
The initial victim, Theresa Bunn, 21 years of age and bearing life within her womb, her form doused in accelerant before the inferno consumed her existence. In a span of less than a day, the stage was graced by the presence of Hazel Lewis, 52 years of age, her life snuffed out in the same manner as her predecessor, the flames licked by the diligent firefighters tasked with quelling the fervent blaze. Parallels intertwined their fates – both women, of African descent, their destinies intertwined within the confines of Chicago’s South Side, victims of strangulation, conflagration, and desecration. The backdrop bore witness to the utterance of Monique Bond, the voice of Chicago Police, positing the plausibility of a singular malefactor, a harbinger of serial transgressions.
A decade and more have elapsed, and the enigmas surrounding Theresa and Hazel endure, their tales of tragedy remaining unsolved, emblematic of the yearning for justice that perseveres. Within this span, a mosaic of additional narratives has unfolded, wherein individuals of every age have met an analogous end. A somber list emerges, evoking echoes of the past:
• November 6, 2012 – The embers embraced an unidentifiable form, reduced to cinders within a blazing crucible adorning the west alley of North Central Park Avenue.
• May 20, 2013 – The life force of Amy Martinez, a mere 20 years in age, was extinguished, her body discovered by the very flames that obscured her form within a dumpster on the Northwest Side of Chicago, her tale, akin to a dormant symphony, remains unresolved to this day.
• April 1, 2013 – A charred silhouette, life relinquished within a vehicle nestled within the confines of Irving Park.
• June 13, 2015 – In the heart of the Brighton Park neighborhood, a life consumed by flames, a charred vessel, a poignant testament to the capricious nature of fate.
• June 21, 2015 – A macabre discovery on the southern fringes, a body incinerated, nestled within a receptacle in Calumet Park.
And now, as the narrative wends its way into the year 2016, Demetrius Griffin’s existence concludes, a replication of the very fate that had befallen others. The riddle persists, an unsolved tapestry woven with the threads of despair and unanswered questions.
