MPD and ME's Office give conflicting information on possible homicide investigation in death of 12-year-old Jacarie Robinson
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Questions continue to swirl around the investigation into the death of a 12-year-old Milwaukee boy whose decomposing body was found in a home earlier this week.
Both Milwaukee Police and the Medical Examiner's Office are investigating, but they conflict on whether it's a homicide case.
The Milwaukee Police Department is not investigating Jacarie Robinson's death as a homicide, but the Medical Examiner's office says it is being investigated as a homicide.
Regardless, no arrests have been made, and it's not clear when the boy died or how long he was in the home before the body was discovered.
It's a second day of confusion for the family of Jacarie Robinson and his neighbors as they wait for answers.
On Tuesday night, police found Jacarie's malnourished body in a home near 39th and Elmhurst.
The Medical Examiner's office was unable to positively identify the body right away because it was so badly decomposed. They said, "This death is being investigated as a homicide".
When we asked police about the homicide investigation, MPD said, "That is incorrect", adding "This is a suspicious death and has not been classified as a homicide at this time."
So we went back to the Medical Examiner's Office to ask about the discrepancy.
They said the Medical Examiner's Office has four classification choices when there is a death: natural death, accidental death, homicide, or suicide.
They added, "We are investigating this as a homicide based on that criteria. MPD has different criteria."
At a vigil Wednesday night, Jacarie's family said the boy was living with his father, one of 10 siblings living in different homes.
While an autopsy was performed this week, the results have not yet been released.
Neither the Medical Examiner's Office nor police have shared a timeline about how or when Jacarie died or whether someone else was living in the home at the time.
His brothers said they had not seen Jacarie in at least a year because it was sometimes difficult for the large family to stay in touch.
A neighbor who did not want to go on camera Thursday said the house was boarded up Wednesday after the investigation.
She said Jacarie would play with her grandson, but the last time that happened was earlier this year, though she had seen him since then.
It's also not clear if Jacarie was enrolled in school, and if so, how long he may have been absent.
MPS would not answer questions about Jacarie, saying, "MPS does not comment on open investigations or circumstances of individual students and families. This is in accordance with district policy, and federal and state laws."
We asked MPD repeatedly about the father, whether he's cooperating with the investigation, if he's in custody, or if he's missing.
But MPD did not say anything about him specifically or anyone else, only saying there are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.