CHICAGO — The family of all three women who died in a Rogers Park apartment building, allegedly due to excess heat, have filed lawsuits against the property owner and management company.
The family of Delores McNeely joins that of Janice Reed and Gwendolyn Osborne, alleging that the James Sneider Apartments is responsible for all three deaths. The suit claims that management was made aware of several complaints from residents about the units being too hot amid a heatwave in the Chicago area.
The filing comes one day after the family of JReed and Osborne filed a claim.
The women were found unresponsive in their homes at the James Sneider Apartments, located at 7450 N. Rogers Ave., on May 14.
The medical examiner has not released their cause of death but residents believe the women allegedly died due to excess heat.
“Unless you’ve ever lived in an oven, you will never understand what we went through,” Lornas Barnes, an apartment resident, told WGN News. “You will never understand.”
McNeely is survived by two sons, Tyrone Williams and Jerome McNeely.
“We are saddened by the loss of our mother and are still processing everything that has occurred over the last two weeks. Her passing, and the passing of two other women in the building, was entirely preventable, and we look forward to holding those responsible to account.” both said in a joint statement.
Spokespeople for the building management company said on Tuesday that they’re conducting their own internal investigation.
“Hispanic Housing Development Corporation has long been devoted to providing affordable homes and services that allow seniors to remain independent,” representatives said in a statement. “The safety and security of all our residents have been and have always been our highest priority.”