Communities want justice for 4 babies who each died mysteriously recently

MARKHAM, Ill. (WLS) -- Community leaders issued an impassioned pleas for justice for four babies who each died under mysterious circumstances in recent separate incidents.

The most recent of the four cases involved an unidentified baby girl found dead in a burning Markham home. Friday there was an appeal for information and a plea not to forget the young victims.

Tokens of compassion mark the scene outside the home in Markham where the body of a baby girl was discovered in the attic after a fire was struck out.

"Mothers, if you know your daughter was pregnant and you don't see your grandchild, then you need to do some homework and look in the mirror and give us a call or give Markham a call," said community activist Andrew Holmes.

Police released photos showing replicas of the clothing the infant was wearing. The child is believed to be less than a year old, and her cause of death is undetermined.

The case is heartbreakingly similar to one in Dolton, still unsolved after a month, where the badly-decomposed body of an infant was found in a bag in the storage area of a home.

"Now we have cases piling up with little ones being forgotten, and it shouldn't be that way," said Michael Airhart, All Kids Matter.

Holmes also highlighted two other open investigations involving young children: the death of 17-month-old Semaj Crosby in April, who was found underneath a couch in a filthy home in Joliet Township, and the shooting death of 4-year-old Garrion Glover, Jr., in an East Chicago, Ind., apartment complex. Glover's death was initially ruled accidental but is now being investigated as a homicide.

"If we can't protect our children, we are not civil. And it's time to come forward with information," said Ursula Phoenix, court-appointed special advocate.

Police in Markham hope someone recognizes the photos of clothing they released. Investigators said it appears the infant had been cared for because her ears were pierced.