Friday evening turned grim on Chicago’s West Side when police discovered a woman dead in an alley in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. Officers found the body in the 3900 block of West Arthington Street and pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to Chicago Tribune, officers located the woman shortly before 7:30 p.m. in the alley on the 3900 block of West Arthington. She was pronounced dead where she was found and had not yet been identified. Detectives have opened a death investigation, police said.
Citywide context
The discovery comes as Chicago continues to see a broad decline in violent crime. The city ended 2025 with 416 homicides, down from 587 in 2024, according to CBS Chicago. City officials and violence-intervention groups have pointed to a combination of policing efforts and prevention programs as key drivers of the drop, even as individual neighborhoods still experience unsettling incidents like Friday’s discovery.
Police response
Chicago police have asked anyone with information about the woman or the circumstances of her death to contact investigators, the Chicago Tribune report notes. Detectives have not released additional details about the victim, and the case remains under investigation.
