Woman, 18, found dead in suburban Lansing

LANSING, Ill. (WLS) -- An 18-year-old girl, whose family said she attended Kenwood Academy in Chicago, was found dead Sunday morning in a suburban Lansing apartment.

Summer Mitchell was fatally shot in a first-floor apartment in the 17700-block of Commercial Avenue, which she shared with her boyfriend. Her family said she was shot in the chest.

Lansing police gave few details, only confirming that they are conducting a death investigation. Police said they plan to release more information on Monday after an autopsy is conducted.

They would not say whether they are looking for a suspect.

Mitchell's family, who waited outside her Lansing apartment as investigators were inside, said they are frustrated by the lack of information from the police. They said they have not seen Mitchell's boyfriend all Sunday and allege that he left in her car.

Mitchell was a high school senior who spent most of her time studying or at her job at the Dollar Store, her family said. She was the youngest of 15 children.

"I talked to her last night, she was happy. She was laughing ... She was fine, nothing was wrong," said sister Kahla Mitchell, who had planned to spend Sunday with her sister. Summer Mitchell had planned to borrow her laptop to finish her online class.

Her father, Calvin Mitchell, said he received a phone call from his daughter's boyfriend's mother who told him that she was dead.

"She was a real sweet person," Calvin Mitchell said."She had everything going for her, she loved life. There is nothing she would not have done for you."

Summer Mitchell is a cousin of Chicago community activist Andrew Holmes. He made a public plea to Mitchell's boyfriend: "If indeed you didn't do anything ... why are you not here? There are just a lot of unanswered questions."