Coroner reveals Sema’j Crosby died from suffocation

JOLIET – The mystery of 17-month-old Sema’j Crosby’s death became clearer Friday after the Will County Coroner’s Office revealed she died from suffocation at the hands of another.

The cause, asphyxiation, and manner, homicide, of Sema’j’s death comes about six months after her lifeless body was found under a couch in her home in the 300 block of Louis Road in Joliet Township.

She was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m. April 27. But so far, no further light has been shed on how Sema'j died. Will County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Ackerson blamed the progress of the investigation into her death on the lack of cooperation from four people he declined to name who are represented by attorneys.

“The lack of cooperation by the suspects is what’s stopping the investigation from going anywhere,” Ackerson said.

One, if not more, of four women who reportedly were at the home the day Sema’j went missing “know exactly what happened” to the child and how she got under the couch, Detective R.J. Austin of the Will County Sheriff’s Office previously has stated.

The women – Sheri Gordon, Sema’j’s mother; Lakerisha Crosby, Sema’j’s aunt; Darlene Crosby, Sema’j’s grandmother; and Tamika Robinson, Darlene’s friend – have retained attorneys the police must go through to communicate with them, Austin said.

Cosmo Tedone, the attorney for Darlene and Lakerisha Crosby, said they have been cooperating with the police and that Darlene Crosby has participated in multiple interviews with them and consented to a vehicle search.

“[Darlene Crosby] wants the person who was involved, whoever it may be, to be brought to justice,” Tedone said.

The Will County Coroner’s Office classified Sema’j’s death a homicide based on the “unusual circumstances” surrounding her disappearance, subsequent discovery of her decomposing body under the couch, multiple past contacts with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the “suspicious fire” that burned down Sema’j’s home, and the lack of cooperation from witnesses.

The coroner’s office also classified the cause of Sema’j’s death as asphyxia, or suffocation. The office considered the circumstances of her death, a review of available DCFS reports, police investigation and scene photographs. They also did a complete autopsy examination with ancillary radiologic, microscopic and toxicological studies.

Ackerson said there’s no indication that Sema’j choked, and that asphyxia could refer to anything that stopped her from breathing.

Will County State’s Attorney’s Spokesman Charles B. Pelkie said both the state’s attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office are searching for answers to find out what happened to Sema’j. He said in a news release that her tragic death has had a profound effect on all prosecutors and investigators involved.

“This case is highly sensitive and a top priority for the state’s attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office. We’re working vigorously on it, and no resources are being spared,” Pelkie said.

He also said in a news release that the sheriff’s office has met with and provided as much information as legally permissible to the Justice For Sema’j Action Team – a group of advocates that includes Sema’j’s godmother, LaToya Robinson – but it is an “extremely active and sensitive investigation.”

“It is common for law enforcement agencies to withhold some information from the public to protect the integrity of the investigation. This is necessary to ensure that any defendant who is identified is appropriately charged and receives a fair trial under the law,” Pelkie said.

Sema’j was reported missing by her mother the evening of April 25. She was last seen on the front lawn of her home in the Preston Heights area, where she was playing with a group of children.

The police launched a massive ground, air and water search that continued for a day and a half.

Sema’j’s body was found about midnight April 27 under a couch after police were allowed inside the child’s home to search it again. Gordon was renting the home and living there with four of her children, but there also were several squatters staying at the home at different times, Ackerson said.

County officials declared the home unfit for occupancy. Ackerson called its conditions deplorable and said that there was garbage strewn about the home. It later was destroyed in a fire May 6.

Sema’j’s death was one of many cases that led to intense public scrutiny over DCFS practices. The state agency had visited the home several times, and a caseworker visited the home the afternoon Sema’j went missing. That caseworker found “no obvious hazards or safety concerns at that time.”

DCFS released a report in May that detailed allegations of inadequate supervision, physical and sexual abuse of the children living in the house, drug use and the need for psychiatric hospitalization of at least one of the children, among other problems.

The report also explained how Gordon was described as “nurturing and caring toward her children.” But her “potential cognitive and/or learning difficulties may have impacted her ability to ensure her children’s health and mental health needs were adequately addressed.”

Anyone with information concerning the death of Sema’j is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at 815-727-8574 or Will County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-323-6734.