Relatives believe the woman is Zenobia Weatherspoon, who had been missing for about three weeks before Saturday’s discovery.
CHICAGO, IL — Relatives and community leaders are calling for a thorough investigation after a woman’s body was found inside a trash can in a South Side alley, a discovery that has brought grief, anger and new concern about missing women of color.
Chicago police said officers found the woman at about 6:25 p.m. Saturday in an alley in the 700 block of West 54th Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Detectives are treating the case as a death investigation while authorities work to confirm the woman’s identity and determine how she died. No arrests have been announced.
The family of Zenobia Weatherspoon believes the remains are hers based on the clothing found with the body. Her relatives said Weatherspoon, known to loved ones as “Zee,” had been missing for about three weeks. Authorities had not publicly confirmed the identification as of Tuesday, and the Cook County medical examiner’s office was conducting an examination.
Weatherspoon’s relatives said they learned about the discovery after cellphone footage showing authorities removing the body began spreading on social media. Family members and public officials have asked people to stop sharing the video, saying its circulation has added to the family’s pain.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s really heartbreaking,” Weatherspoon’s brother, Javon Weatherspoon, told WLS-TV. Other relatives remembered her as a caring person who helped those around her. Family members gathered Monday near 54th and Peoria streets for a vigil and balloon release as they called for answers and accountability.
Fatima McKay, one of Weatherspoon’s cousins, urged investigators to carefully examine all available evidence. She said the family wants the case handled with the same urgency that officials would expect if the victim were one of their own relatives. The family also appealed to anyone with information, photographs or video connected to the case to contact investigators.
Community organizations joined the family at the gathering. Representatives of Black Lives Matter Chicago and the Chicago Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression said the circumstances of the discovery required a full investigation. They stressed that the woman should be remembered as a person whose life mattered, rather than only for how her body was found.
Illinois state Sen. Lakesia Collins said she knew Weatherspoon and described the case as deeply personal. Collins said the death also reflects wider concerns about missing and murdered women, particularly women of color whose cases may struggle to receive sustained public attention.
Collins called on members of the public to preserve and provide potentially useful evidence rather than circulate disturbing images online. She also urged police to conduct a complete investigation and said Weatherspoon’s family deserves clear answers about what happened.
Police have not announced a suspected cause of death, identified a possible offender or said whether investigators have evidence that the woman was killed. The medical examiner’s findings will be needed to establish the identity and determine the cause and manner of death. Area One detectives continue to investigate.
Author note: Last updated July 14, 2026.