Police say Gina Pressley's death was a homicide, yet the medical examiner has not released a cause of death as of Friday night. She died Tuesday night after paramedics took her from a home in Oak Forest.
Oak Forest police are conducting a homicide investigation. On Tuesday night, police say, a 911 call was made from a home on Walnut Road in Oak Forest. Pressley was choking when authorities arrived.
Pressley was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police say the 3-year-old died from blunt-force trauma to the head.
"Whenever a child dies from what appears to be a violent death, it's very heart-wrenching," said Oak Forest Police Chief Gregory Anderson. "We certainly sympathize with the family, understand what the family goes through, and it's also a community loss when something like that happens. We will make sure that we conduct a thorough investigation, not rush to judgment."
Police say Pressley was living at the home with an aunt, her legal guardian.
On Tuesday, police say, the aunt and the aunt's boyfriend were at the home during the 911 call.
Two people are in custody, but police will not reveal their identities because they have not been charged with any crimes at this point.
The aunt and her husband raised Gina Pressley, according to neighbors.
"We were all just so thrilled, because she was a wonderful mother," said neighbor Kim Santre. "They were a wonderful family. That's why we're all kind of shell-shocked right now."
"She was just full of life and just so bubbly," said neighbor Annette Boyle. "She was just a beautiful little girl, very happy."
Neighbors say the aunt and her husband have been going through a divorce and that the boyfriend entered the picture in the last few months.
