Damari Perry’s birthday should’ve been filled with balloons, cake, and some new toys. But the night before the six-year-old’s birthday, he was punished so cruelly that, prosecutors say, it looked like a calculated plan to murder him.
The date was December 29, 2021, when Damari Perry’s mother, Jannie Perry, spoke to her relatives in a North Chicago home. She said that the child needed to be “punished.” He was then forced into an icy-cold shower for a long time, even as his body began to fail. Prosecutors say he vomited and became unresponsive, but no one called for help. The worst part is that there were adults and siblings inside the house, but no one saved poor Damari Perry.
Instead of calling for help, his mother and older brother allegedly tried to cover up the murder. Evidence showed that his mom, Jannie, and 20-year-old brother Jeremiah Perry had discussed how to dispose of the body. After that, as planned, Damari’s body was taken beyond state lines to an abandoned area in Gary, Indiana. Damari Perry was left near an empty home.
‘Calculated plan against a small child’: Mom killed 6-year-old with cold shower the night before his birthday https://t.co/jQv1MAyMtx
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) December 8, 2025
But even after a few days, they wanted to sell the lie. So the family went to the police and reported Damari Perry missing! The unbelievable story they created was that a sister brought him to a party in Skokie, and he vanished by himself. Investigators soon realized something was off as the evidence didn’t match the claims. It wasn’t long before that story fell flat.
By the time Damari was found, the FBI and local police had already been searching. But the truth was, this was a betrayal within the home that was supposed to protect him. Now, Jannie Perry is charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a homicide, and obstruction of justice. Her son, Jeremiah, faces charges of aggravated battery, concealing a homicide, and obstruction. He is being held on $3 million bond with zero family contact allowed. A third (juvenile) sibling is also charged.
Unfortunately, the warning signs were there long before Damari Perry’s death. CBS Chicago confirmed that Illinois DCFS had been involved with the family before. Damari was brought into foster care in 2015 because Jannie had lost custody of her five older kids over a 2014 domestic violence investigation. Two years later, the court ordered that all children be returned to her. But DCFS opened two more investigations before Damari’s death, which included a threat made by the mother to harm him.
DHS moves into an area in Illinois, and yet again, activists are waiting for them before they even get there.
@TriciaOhio, you guys have a serious leak, and it’s putting agents’ lives in danger.
pic.twitter.com/y8ZbYRGj7P
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) December 8, 2025
At the time, the agency ruled that the allegation was “unfounded.” But a year later, the rest of Damari’s family is left with questions that won’t go away anytime soon. His cousin Dreena Driver said, “We can’t go back and get another Damari… we all don’t understand how she could let it get to this point.” His father, Dalvin Driver, said he feels as though he lost part of himself.
As of now, charges are piling up, and prosecutors say more may be coming.
