HAMMOND, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Hammond Police earlier this week responded to a report of a person in distress at an apartment building. They found 13 migrants living in the basement.
Police said the person in distress was suffering from a drug overdose and died.
Police were informed that 13 Venezuelan migrants - nine of them children between 2 months to 14 years old – were living in a basement apartment described as “inadequate for housing.”
There were numerous code violations in the building on the 1100 block of Indiana Street. The living arrangements were made by a Pastor from East Chicago, Manuel Corazzari.
He spoke to CBS 2. "We're doing everything we can to go by the law. We don't want to cause any harm."
The apartment was determined to be “uninhabitable,” and the occupants were issued a notice to vacate. The four adults and nine children had been living in Chicago at police stations at one time.
“Over the last 20 years as mayor, I’ve had to visit horrific scenes of tragic fires where people have died, trapped in illegal basement apartments," said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.
"We have worked very hard to eliminate these illegal apartments and hold the owners responsible and will do the same here."
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok