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.
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.