Inset: Theresa M. Kennedy (Lake County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The neighborhood in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois, where Kennedy allegedly claimed her children had been harmed (Google Maps).
A 39-year-old mother from Illinois, embroiled in a custody dispute, has been detained following accusations of falsely contacting police to report that her ex-husband had fatally shot their children. Theresa M. Kennedy was apprehended on Friday and faces a charge of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly making a false 911 call, as stated by the authorities.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed in a news release that deputies responded around 1:20 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, to a residence on the 25000 block of West Jersey Drive following a call from Kennedy. This location is in unincorporated Antioch, approximately 55 miles north of Chicago.
According to officials, Kennedy informed the emergency dispatcher that she was not at the residence, but claimed she had received a call from her oldest son, who told her he had come home to find his younger brother and sister had been shot and killed.
As the conversation with the dispatcher proceeded, Kennedy reportedly suggested she assumed her eldest son had also been shot and killed, as the phone line had been disconnected and she was unable to contact him again.
Kennedy went on to indicate that her ex-husband “might be responsible” for the alleged murders of the children, the release says.
Deputies arrived at the scene without delay and discovered that no one had been harmed. Investigators quickly determined that both of Kennedy’s children were “safe and in school.”
“As they investigated, they determined Kennedy made the bizarre call to the 911 center, as she is in a custody dispute with her ex-husband,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the release. “It is unknown how she felt making this false claim would be beneficial to her, or her situation.”
Following a preliminary investigation, Kennedy was placed under arrest and transported to the Lake County Jail for processing.
Authorities notified the state Department of Children and Family Services of the situation as well as the children’s father, who took custody of the children.
Kennedy made her first appearance in court on Saturday and was granted pretrial release. She is currently scheduled to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing status conference on the afternoon of Sept. 24, court records show.
Kennedy is being represented in the matter by the Lake County Public Defender’s Office.
