WICKER PARK — Residents of an apartment building across from Wicker Park's namesake park are seeking more information after the body of a 62-year-old woman was discovered in her apartment on Friday.
Around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan Kelly, 62, was found by the building's maintenance worker in her apartment at 1527 N. Wicker Park Ave, according to Michael Banghart, CEO of Renaissance Social Services, a West Town-based agency that helps homeless people find homes.
Officer Ana Pacheco, a Chicago Police spokesman, confirmed that "an unresponsive" 62-year-old woman was discovered by a worker in the building.
Area North detectives are investigating the death.
"We are hoping to hear something soon. We don't think it was burglary; there are a lot of unanswered questions. We are very sad that we lost her; it's really devastating," Banghart said.
A spokeswoman for the Renaissance Companies, a Bucktown-based real estate development company that owns the 62-unit vintage building — a former Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel that was converted into affordable housing several years ago — declined to comment.
Ester Newell, a resident of the building, described Kelly as "a caring person."
"She had a heart so big it could cover the whole world with joy. People take advantage of sweet people. They feel that sweet people are weak. I had been in the same state she had been in and we helped each other. I will miss her," Newell said.
Newell, like Kelly, was homeless before moving into the building and the two would occasionally watch movies together, or Kelly would call Newell and see if he could help her fix her DVD player, program her TV, or move her furniture around.
Newell, 54, said he last saw Kelly on July 10, when paramedics from an ambulance transport service were escorting her into the building, where she lived in a first-floor apartment.
"Where had she come from, no one knew or what hospital was she in. She was walking very slow like in so much pain. A lady had to hold her up," Newell said.
Newell, who was battling some personal issues at the time, did not follow up with Kelly and then went into the hospital himself a day or two later, returning on Saturday after Kelly had already died.
It was unclear how long Kelly had been in her apartment before being discovered on Friday. Several residents of the building said they had not seen Kelly in the week prior to her body being found.
Shakespeare District Police and a detective were observed in the building on Friday looking at video surveillance tapes and removing items from Kelly's home before putting a seal across her door, located on the first floor of the four-story building.
Banghart said Kelly's two adult children were notified on Friday of their mother's death and are planning funeral arrangements.
Banghart said that "it's odd" that his agency was not informed that Kelly was released from a hospital and had come back home, where she lived alone.
"There is that disconnect in our healthcare system, within two entities trying to help the same individual. They released her without informing anyone. We were not sure what state she was in," Banghart said.
The Wicker Park Renaissance apartments provide affordable housing for people who earn 60 percent or less of the city's median income, or around $31,900, when they move in.
A separate company, Renaissance Social Services, offers onsite, 24-hour support to 18 of the building's 62 residents, some of whom are managing mental illnesses or transitioning off of the street. The nonprofit group serves 200 people per year who live in buildings around the city, including the Wicker Park Renaissance apartments.
Banghart said Renaissance Social Services has an agreement to be in the building to provide support to those 18 clients who are receiving support from the agency.
"We try to create a community in helping our population get quality housing and integrate into the community," Banghart said.
A resident who lives in the building but asked not to be named, said, "We are concerned for our safety. There are several women living on the floor. We just want to rule out foul play."
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