Author: Paul Stukel

An Aurora couple has been charged with sexually exploiting a child after a video surfaced showing them performing sexual acts in the child’s presence. The male suspect, 25, has been charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child Under 13, a Class 4 felony (4 counts), and Obscenity, a Class A misdemeanor. The female suspect has been charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child Under 13, a Class 4 felony (4 counts). According to prosecutors, on May 7, 2026, a woman reported to Aurora police that the male suspect had sent her a video showing him and his girlfriend, the female…

At least two tornadoes impacted Illinois and northwestern Indiana Thursday evening, and the Fox Valley region was not spared. Although assessments are just getting underway in earnest, damage in some areas was significant. In Bartlett, near Route 59 and Stearns road, a tornado caused major damage to a BP gas station and reportedly severely damaged several homes in its path. According to a social media post from the National Weather Service – Chicago, teams will be sent out today to survey damage in Streator, Naperville, Bartlett and Northwest Indiana. Tornadoes were confirmed in Streator and Northwest Indiana. This story is…

A 29-year-old convicted felon from Aurora was arrested Tuesday afternoon after investigators from the Aurora Police Special Operations Group (SOG), with assistance from the Community Oriented Policing (COP) Unit and K9 officers, executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the recovery of firearms, narcotics, and drug-related paraphernalia. According to police, at approximately 5:00pm, investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in the 300 block of Evans Avenue as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. Prior to the warrant being served, officers observed the suspect leaving the residence and conducted a traffic stop, taking him into custody without…

A 52-year-old Geneva man has agreed to a life sentence in prison in the brutal stabbing death of his girlfriend and her 13-year-old son. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced today that Alejandro Cota has agreed to a sentence of natural life in prison in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to two counts of First-Degree Murder, Class M felony. Judge Julia Yetter accepted the plea. According to prosecutors, on December 26, 2024, Cota stabbed his girlfriend, Christina L. Chavira, age 47, and her son, D.C., age 13, multiple times causing their deaths. At approximately 8pm…

An Elgin man and woman are in custody in connection with an alleged armed robbery and carjacking in Elgin mid-day Monday. According to police, at approximately 12:15pm Monday officers responded to the area of the 700 block of Bluff City Boulevard for a report of an armed robbery. They spoke to the adult female victim who reported that an unknown male and female subject approached her as she was sitting in her vehicle, with the male subject displaying a firearm and demanding that she exit her vehicle. Both male and female subjects then proceeded to enter the victim’s vehicle and…

A Chicago man has been charged with arson and related charges following an investigation of series of fires in Elgin last week. According to Elgin police, on Thursday at approximately 2:15am, officers responded to the 0-100 block of Douglas Avenue for a report of a dumpster that was on fire and an adjacent transformer that was damaged due to the fire. While officers were on scene, garbage cans that had also been set on fire were located at Chicago Street and Riverside Drive; Chicago Street and Grove Avenue; 100 West Chicago Street; Symphony Way and Spring Street; and Spring Street.…

Carpentersville police officers shot and killed a man while responding to a shooting at a restaurant early Saturday morning that sent two men to the hospital. According to police, at approximately 12:03am officers responded to a call of shots fired at a restaurant in the 1300 block of Kings Road in Carpentersville. Upon arrival, officers observed a suspect actively shooting at a person and fired their service weapons, striking the suspect. The suspect was later pronounced deceased. During the course of the incident, the suspect shot two individuals, both of whom were transported to a local hospital for treatment. One…

A 31-year-old Aurora man is in custody in connection with the death of a 57-year-old man who was critically injured during an altercation near a downtown church earlier this week. According to police, at approximately 9:33am on Wednesday Aurora police officers responded to the Warehouse Church in the 300 block of East Galena Boulevard where they located a 57-year-old male victim suffering from severe head trauma. Aurora Fire Department paramedics transported the male to Rush Copley Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. A preliminary investigation revealed the victim had been involved in a…

The Plainfield juvenile whose plan to attack a nearby elementary school was thwarted by an alert family member has been charged with attempted first degree murder, attempted making a terrorist threat, and several weapons charges. The charges stem from an incident in Plainfield Township incident on May 22 at around 12:50pm when deputies were dispatched to the 2400 block of Helmar Lane for a male suicidal subject. Preliminary investigation showed a family member pinned down the juvenile and dialed 911, after they discovered the juvenile was armed with a firearm. It was later learned that the juvenile was on his…

The Kane County Coroner’s Office has officially identified the body found Monday afternoon as Shafia Murad, who was reported missing in Aurora on May 28. The autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning. Preliminary investigations by the Aurora Police Department have found no evidence of foul play. A deceased woman found in a retention pond in the area of North Farnsworth Avenue and Corporate Boulevard in Aurora Monday may be related to a missing person investigation underway. According to police, at approximately 5pm Monday investigators were conducting follow-up activities related to an ongoing missing person investigation when they…