Ellis Washington was 1 year old when he died in a home in the 2400 block of West 80th Street in the Ashburn community area on the Southwest Side early on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The Chicago Police Department investigated, and months later his death was ruled a homicide by asphyxia. The Chicago Sun-Times homicide tracker records it as a homicide caused by asphyxiation.
According to police, they were called to the home at about 3:02 a.m. A witness found a 25-year-old woman, Ellis's mother, Kendrea Richardson, unresponsive in the backyard, and she died at the scene. A Chicago firefighter noticed that the door of the home was open, and paramedics found Ellis unresponsive inside. He also died at the scene. Police at first treated both deaths as a death investigation and did not say how either had died.
Two days later, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled that Richardson's death was a suicide, while results for Ellis were pending.
In November 2025, the Sun-Times reported that Ellis had died of asphyxia and that his death had been ruled a homicide. No public statement from police explained who was responsible for his death, no arrest or charge was announced, and no reward tied to the case could be found.
Ellis had turned 1 in April. His father, Kylen Washington, spoke to ABC7 Chicago after the deaths and described his son as a happy and lively baby. A funeral home posted a notice for Ellis Romero Washington of Chicago, who died on June 10, 2025. His death and his mother's were mourned widely in community posts that urged parents to check on their children.
The 2400 block of West 80th Street is in the Beverly View area of Ashburn, a quiet Southwest Side neighborhood of brick bungalows, small apartment buildings and tree-lined streets near Western Avenue. At 3 a.m. most neighbors would have been asleep, but someone may have heard voices, seen lights on or noticed people coming or going from the home in the hours before police arrived.
Ellis died in a year when Chicago's killings fell sharply. The city recorded about 590 homicides in 2024 and 416 in 2025, the fewest in about 60 years. Chicago police reported clearing 56 percent of homicides in 2024, though that figure counts cases closed without charges, and the figures do not say how often deaths of young children are resolved in court.
His age stands out. He is among the youngest homicide victims in Chicago that year, and he could not have protected himself or told anyone what happened. Five months passed between his death and the public homicide ruling.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Ellis Washington could be found in news archives or public records. More than a year later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in contact with the household on West 80th Street on June 9 or the early hours of June 10, 2025, or who knows how Ellis spent his last hours, may be able to help investigators give his family answers. 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).
