Maher Said was 48 years old when he was found stabbed to death inside an apartment building in the 8000 block of South Ellis Avenue in Greater Grand Crossing, on Chicago's South Side, on the night of Monday, June 1, 2026. He lived on the same block. Area 2 detectives of the Chicago Police Department investigated.
Police said Said was found with stab wounds around 9:25 p.m. He died at the scene of multiple sharp force injuries, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which ruled his death a homicide. The Chicago Sun-Times homicide tracker, which lists every homicide in the city, records the case as a stabbing. Beyond those facts, almost nothing about his death has been made public.
The record does not say who found him, whether he was attacked in his own apartment or in a hallway or other part of the building, whether he knew his attacker, or whether anyone else was hurt.
No description of a suspect, vehicle or person of interest was released, and no follow-up story could be found.
Little is known publicly about Maher Said's life. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this account. He surely had relatives, friends and neighbors who remember him, but none of that has entered the public record.
His name also makes him hard to trace. Searches for it are swamped by unrelated news stories and by other people who share it, which may help explain why his death drew so little attention. A local law firm's social media post about the killing placed it in the Chatham area, while the Sun-Times tracker lists the community area as Greater Grand Crossing; the block sits near the boundary between the two.
The 8000 block of South Ellis Avenue is a residential stretch of brick apartment buildings and homes just south of 79th Street, one of the South Side's main commercial corridors. Because Said was killed inside an apartment building on a weeknight, neighbors and other tenants may have heard an argument, seen someone enter or leave, or noticed who had been with him earlier that evening.
Maher's death came as Chicago's violence continued to fall. The city recorded 416 homicides in 2025, the fewest in about 60 years, after about 590 in 2024 and about 800 in 2021, the deadliest year in a quarter century. Chicago police reported clearing 56 percent of homicides in 2024, though that figure counts cases closed without charges, which means many families are still waiting for an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Maher Said could be found in news archives or public records. Months later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived in or visited the building on South Ellis Avenue that night, or who knew Maher Said and saw him in the days before he died, 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).
