Evanston police are investigating the death of a 45-year-old woman whose body was found in her apartment at 1727 Howard St. this morning.
Police say there were signs of a small fire in the apartment and the body of the victim, Eva Marie Toney, had burn injuries, but that it’s unclear how the fire occurred or whether it caused her death.
Police and fire units responded to the scene about 8:05 this morning after receiving a call from a relative of the victim who had discovered her body.
The Cook County Medical Examiners Office, the state fire marshall’s office and the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the case along with the Evanston police detective bureau.
Investigation
Is there an update on this case?
Yes … the chief tells me police have concluded no foul play was involved.
— Bill
Thanks for posting
Bill, thanks for posting the reply. We (her coworkers) just find this so hard to believe and feel something isn’t right with how she passed. We think foul play was involved. I spoke to Eva on Thursday and she sounded strong. I heard something about rubbing alcohol and candles. There is no way she would mess with alcohol or candles, especially since she was sensitive to scents and alcohol makes skin dry.
Rose
Eva Marie Toney
To put an end to rumors and speculation, Eva and I were friends for 23 years. Her husband Terry found her body. She had in fact lit a candle in the living room, fell asleep in the easy chair, her night shirt caught fire, she was able to remove it, as it fell to the carpet which also caught fire. She was over come by smoke and fumes. There is nothing mysterious or sinister, just a tragic accident and a huge loss to those of us who knew and loved Eva.