Mpls. Police Calling Boy's Clothesline Death 'Suspicious'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis Police are now calling the death of a 9-year-old boy found hanging from a clothesline suspicious.
Last Thursday, neighbors in north Minneapolis found the boy hanging from his neck on a clothesline in the backyard of an abandoned home. They got him down and performed CPR, but the boy died of his injuries Monday night.
On Tuesday, community activists stood in the McKinley neighborhood talking to kids, trying to figure out what they need and to help them deal with the loss of someone so young -- someone they played with.
"We all lost this young man. This hit all of us. It hit us all in different ways, but this is affecting all of us," Mysnikol, a community activist, said.
Police hope a new round of interviews of people, both old and young, will answer those questions.
"It is my understanding is that he was playing with a group of kids that were 7 and 8 years old, possible some older kids. You have a 9-year-old boy who was found hanging his feet again were dragging the ground that in general is suspicious itself," said Minneapolis Police spokeswoman Cyndi Barrington.
Police say they know there are lots of rumors and speculation about what may have happened, they ask for the public to not jump to conclusions and let investigators sort it all out.
"Was he playing a game? Was it a joke? Too early to say. That will come out with the investigation," Barrington said.
Police do have some advice for parents during the long summer vacation.
"Eyes and ears on kids at all time. There is no blame being passed here. When I say that, it's just that it's summer. Kids are out. One thing can lead to another and unfortunately tragic things can happen," Barrington said.
The Crimes Against Children Unit is now handling the investigation. They hope to learn more once the medical examiner determines an exact cause of death.
The victim's family has asked for privacy as they deal with this tragic loss.
