Woman Falsely Claimed Estranged Husband Shot, Killed Children Amid Custody Dispute: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 39-year-old Lake County woman was arrested late last week for allegation she called 911 to falsely report her estranged husband had shot and killed her children.

Theresa Kennedy, of the 25000 block of West Jersey Drive in unincorporated Antioch, made the phone call at about 1:20 p.m. on Friday. She told the dispatcher she received a call from her oldest son who'd returned home and found his younger brother and sister had been fatally shot, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

She also said she believed her oldest son had been shot and killed because his phone was disconnected, and she could no longer reach him, police said. Deputies rushed to the scene and determined no one had been shot or killed and that both children were safe and at school, according to the news release.

During their investigation, police determined Kennedy and her estranged husband were in a custody dispute at the time of the call, according to authorities. Kennedy has been charged with felony disorderly conduct - making a false report to 911.