It is with great sadness that we report the passing of 4 year old Weston Schmidt. Last evening, the Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Cook County Medical Examiner who advised that Weston was pronounced deceased at 5:55 p.m. at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago. Weston's 6 year old brother remains in critical condition at Comer. -end-
This morning, Will County Sheriff's deputies visited University of Chicago, Comer's Children's Hospital, and have reported that the two children, ages 4 and 6, that were involved in the fatal accident yesterday, remain in critical condition. The 6 year old was placed into a medically induced coma; both of them are on life-support.
The 25 year old man who was driving the pick-up truck is currently being treated for a large laceration to his arm. Yesterday, he was transported to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn to undergo minor reconstruction surgery. He is listed in stable condition. Deputies have spoken to the driver and have stated that he is fully cooperating with them. Charges are pending. Traffic deputies continue to investigate the fatal crash and when all information has been completed charges most likely will be filed.
The Sheriff's Office would also like to confirm that the mother, Lindsey Schmidt, was pregnant at the time of her death. She was taking her children to a nearby Bible Camp when the accident occurred.
We continue our prayers for the family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic situation. -end-
Deputies were called to Yates and Corning Road at 8:38am this morning for a two-vehicle accident. Beecher Fire and Peotone Fire were on the scene and advised deputies that the female driver (age 29) of a 2014 Subaru Outback was deceased. The woman was traveling with her three sons at the time of the accident. One of the sons, 2 years of age, was also pronounced deceased at the scene. The other two boys, ages 4 and 6, were transported to St. Margarets Hospital in Indiana and were in critical condition.
Initial investigation indicates that a 2002 Chevy S10 pickup was traveling eastbound on Corning Road and failed to stop at the stop sign. The male pickup driver entered the intersection and struck the Subaru on the driver's side and caused her vehicle to go off the roadway into a field. The Subaru had been traveling northbound on Yates Avenue; she did not have a stop sign.
The driver of the truck was transported to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights. Initial reports indicate that he suffered from minor injuries. No charges have been filed at this time. The investigation remains open. Deputies are still on the scene. Roads are expected to be re-opened within the next hour or two.
The Sheriff's Office will not be releasing the names of the deceased. The Will County Coroner's Office will release the names when appropriate.
The Will County Sheriff's Office would like to extend our heartfelt sympathy and continued prayers to this family. -end-
The Will County Sheriff's Office Traffic Division is on scene of a fatal two-vehicle accident in Crete Township, unincorporated Beecher. The accident occurred around 9am at the intersection of Corning and Yates Roads between a vehicle carrying four passengers and a pick-up truck with a single driver. The driver of the pick-up truck suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The female driver of the vehicle was transporting three children and is deceased. Preliminary reports indicate one child, approximately 3 years of age, is deceased. Two other children, approximate ages 5 years and 9 years, were both transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The accident scene remains fluid at this time. Road closures in this area are expected until the investigation is complete. Further information will be forthcoming later today. -end-
The Will County Investigations Division is seeking help from the public in indentifying the deceased man that was found on June 21, 2017 in Green Garden Township. A Will County Highway Department employee advised the Sheriff's Office that while cutting grass in a ditch, along Manhattan-Monee Road, he discovered a dead body.
On June 22nd, the Will County Coroner performed an autopsy and advised Sheriff's detectives that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. The body was badly decomposed and remains unidentified. His ethnicity has not been determined.
Sheriff's Detectives are continuing their investigation, however, as of this date they have no leads in their attempt in identifying the man. The man was wearing Clarks brand sandals size 8.5, red shorts, a men's Burberry watch and a gold ring that is believed to depict St. Jude. He was approximately 5'3" tall with a 32" waist.
Three photos are attached of the watch and ring in hopes that someone will recognize the jewelry and be able to assist the Sheriff's Office with his identity.
If anyone has information, please call 815-727-8574.
WANTED! - PUBLIC'S HELP IN LOCATING 'WANTED' INDIVIDUALS
Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley is pleased to announce the successful first year anniversary in the renovation of the Sheriff's Fugitive Warrant Division. Prior to the revamping, the Warrant Division's main objective was basically a transport unit. Sheriff's deputies were responsible for transporting individuals with active warrants from surrounding counties and bringing them to the Will County Adult Detention Facility. With the newly instated changes, the division is now 'apprehension focused', in other words, actively seeking those individuals with outstanding warrants within Will County.
Within the past year, the success of the division is clear with 963 warrants being served. Twenty-four of those offenders were charged with additional crimes at the scene. Seized in those warrants was: 2.8 grams of Heroin, 7.7 grams of Mushrooms, 50 grams of Cocaine, 106.5 grams of Methamphetamine, and 498.2 grams of Cannabis. In addition, deputies seized six illegal firearms, two vehicles, and over $11,000 USC.
In the Sheriff's Office tireless efforts to get offenders off the street, we have added three initiatives for the public to assist us in our continued success. One of the ways the Sheriff's Office is getting the word out is the recently installed T.V. monitors inside the Will County Courthouse. These monitors have a continuous scroll of 'Wanted' individuals. As many as 2600 people, including employees, visit the courthouse daily. It is our hope that tips in locating these individuals will be generated to the Sheriff's Office.
Another successful addition is the "Warrant of the Week" that is posted on the Will County Sheriff's Facebook page. Since the start of these posts, several 'Wanted' individuals have been located and arrested, proving its success.
The most recent effort to get the word out to the public is our new website: www.willcountywarrants.com. This website is extremely informative. The hope is that people will visit the site in order to identify those who have active warrants within their neighborhoods, at their jobs, or people they may know, and that they will provide us with tips or information that will be helpful in locating them. This website provides users to search by name, address, and offenses. It also provides users to search on maps by towns, municipal police department warrants, and you can even search yourself if you think you may have an outstanding warrant. The site provides instructions on what you need to do to take care of the warrant or ask any question regarding it.
The Sheriff's Office is excited about the accomplishments in the first year of these changes. But, with the public's help, we know that we can do an even better job at apprehending offenders. No tip or piece of information is too small. All information supplied by visitors to the www.willcountywarrants.com site can remain anonymous.
Take a few minutes..."Like" us on Facebook and visit our new website!
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