Emil Riley, 46, was stabbed to death at the door of his apartment in the 5300 block of South Calumet Avenue in Washington Park, on Chicago's South Side, in the early hours of Monday, June 29, 2020. The Chicago Police Department investigated, and Area One detectives were assigned to the case.
According to police, someone knocked on the door of his apartment about 12:30 a.m. When Riley went to answer it, he was stabbed in the neck with a knife. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner's office identified him, and an autopsy found that he died of the stab wound and ruled his death a homicide. Police did not say whether anyone else was inside or hurt, and no arrests were made that day.
Police did not release a description of the person who knocked, a vehicle, a weapon recovered at the scene or a motive.
A post by a Chicago law firm that publishes notices of local homicides on social media described Riley as having been stabbed "reportedly by his son," but police never publicly confirmed that account or named a suspect, and no charge connected to his death has been reported. No reward tied to his case could be found.
Riley's family moved quickly to give him a proper farewell. Kenya Riley organized a GoFundMe fundraiser titled "Emil's Homegoing," writing: "Emil Riley was tragically taken away from us on 6/29/20. Emil was well loved and will be missed deeply!!" His wake and funeral were held on July 14, 2020, at Leak and Sons Funeral Home at 7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave., with the wake at 10 a.m. and the funeral at 11 a.m.
The 5300 block of South Calumet Avenue sits in Washington Park, a South Side community area named for the large park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. The block lies a short walk north of Garfield Boulevard, a busy east-west route served by the CTA Green Line. A neighbor or someone sitting outside that summer night may have seen who came to the door.
Chicago recorded about 780 homicides in 2020, up from about 500 the year before. Police reported clearing roughly half of the city's homicides in those years, though those figures count cases closed without charges.
Old Chicago cases can still move. Rasheedah Beyah, 42, died in August 2020 of injuries from a 2019 beating in Park Manor; in March 2022, prosecutors charged a man with first-degree murder in her death.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Emil Riley could be found in news archives or public records. More than 6 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in or near the building on South Calumet Avenue that night, or who heard talk afterward about who came to his door, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at (833) 408-0069 or submit a tip online at CPDTIP.com, or contact Cook County Crime Stoppers at (800) 535-STOP (7867).
