Update: Medical examiner unable to determine how woman found in burning car died

The death of a woman who was found in the back seat of a burning car in Andersonville last winter remains a mystery. The Cook County Medical Examiner was unable to figure out how 23-year-old Yasmine Parker died, according to newly-released information.

Her cause and manner of death are now both listed as “undetermined” in county records.

Yasmine Parker | Change.Org

Fire department personnel and police found Parker’s body in the back seat of her burning vehicle, which was parked on the 1400 block of West Farragut around 12:50 a.m. on Nov. 22.

Her car still bore California license plates. She moved to Chicago last August in the hopes of becoming a pharmacist, her father told WGN-TV shortly before Christmas. He said she fell into the wrong crowd here.

Some neighbors said they had noticed Parker’s car on the block for a few days before it burned. Blankets and a few other items were seen inside. A police source said detectives were considering the possibility that Parker was living in the vehicle. The fire may have been started by a candle that was left burning as she dozed off in the back seat, the source said.

But Parker’s father told WGN that he believes she was intentionally killed by a man she hung out with in Chicago.

Officially, CPD classifies the case as a death investigation.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com