The coroner’s office has released the identity of a 5-year-old boy who died after he was found unresponsive following a “tragic accident” in Zion.
The Zion Fire and Rescue Department and Zion Police Department responded around 3:20 p.m. Saturday to the 2100 block of Gilead Avenue in Zion for a report of a person not breathing.
Zion Police Department Detective Lt. Paul Kehrli said it was reported that the unresponsive victim was a 5-year-old boy.
Dispatchers provided the family with instructions on how to administer CPR.
Officers arrived on the scene and found the mother and father administering CPR to the child, Kehrli said.
Officers took over emergency care until the fire department arrived.
Paramedics transported the 5-year-old to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said Friday the child was identified as Kyrie Burns, 5, of Zion.
The police department conducted a “full investigation” into the circumstances that led to the child’s death, Kehrli said.
The father and mother were fully cooperative throughout the entire investigation.
Banek said an autopsy showed Burns died from asphyxia and the child’s death was a “tragic accident.”
Evidence at the scene along with the autopsy indicate no foul player is suspected, Kehrli said.
Tosha Allen, the grandmother of Burns, said the child lost his life “playing like a normal kid would do.”
“Kyrie was a free spirit and loving child. Kyrie loved to dance and play with his siblings. Gone too soon, our hearts will forever ache,” Allen said.
“Querra and her family are living every family nightmare. Kyrie will be dearly missed by so many,” Allen added.
The grandmother created a GoFundMe account to raise funds for the family to pay for funeral and other expenses.