In what appears to be a case of parental abduction, two men and a woman are in custody in two states in connection with the abduction of an 8-year-old child from his Aurora home.
According to Aurora police, on Monday evening at around 10:14pm, officers were summoned to the 2000 block of Cheshire Drive to investigate a report of a home invasion. During the preliminary investigation, the officers determined that two males had forced their way into the home and had taken an 8-year-old boy, injuring one of the homeowners in the process. (The victim was transported to an area hospital.)
Officers also learned that a female was in the area and drove the offenders away from the scene. It was subsequently determined that the offenders involved were the child’s father, uncle, and grandmother.
At around 10:50pm, a vehicle believed to be related to the incident was located by Aurora police in North Aurora. A traffic stop was conducted in the area of South Lincolnway Street/Lovedale Lane and the driver was identified as the 58-year-old grandmother of the abducted child. The woman, a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, was in the vehicle alone and several firearms were located in the vehicle including a rifle, a shotgun, a handgun, firearm accessories and ammunition. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office was contacted and authorized 3 counts of Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapon in a vehicle with no FOID.
After alerts were broadcasted using the State of Illinois Emergency Notification Plan and the Aurora Police Department’s local alerts through social media, another vehicle related to the incident, which was believed to be occupied by the two males and the child, was eventually located in Sullivan County, Indiana, by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
The two men – a 30-year-old California man and a 35-year-old believed to be his brother – were taken into custody at approximately 3:19am this morning, and the child was located unharmed and reunited with his family in Aurora.
The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged both men 2 counts of Home Invasion. Both males are being held in custody at Sullivan County, Indiana Community Corrections facility pending extradition back to the State of Illinois.
“Your home should be a place where you feel safe and secure, especially for an 8-year-old child.” said Chief Keith Cross. “Regardless of your relationship with a child, it does not give you a right to force your way into somebody else’s home and cause harm to others. The Aurora Police Department dedicated a significant number of resources to make sure this child returned home safely and I’m glad we were able to do just that.”
The case still remains under investigation by APD’s Bureau of Investigations. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact APD Detectives at 630-256-5500 or email [email protected].
