Bodies Of Mom, Sister Are Buried In Backyard, Brothers Tell Cops

LYONS, IL — Two brothers told Lyons police the bodies of their mother and sister were buried in the backyard of their home, authorities said Friday.

Officials conducted a well-being check on two brothers in the 3900 block of Center Avenue Thursday night after a utilities company alerted police that the residence was not using water or electricity.

When they arrived, officers said they found feces across the home and no working toilets, a village spokesman said. ABC7 reported multiple liters of urine were stored in jars around the house.

The two men, brothers in their late 40s to early 50s, told police their mother and sister died this past year. Police said they were told the brothers buried the mother and sister on their own to avoid costs and pandemic-related restrictions.

Officials said the brothers claimed their mother, who was in her 70s, had died of COVID-19. The brothers also claimed their sister, who they said was 44 years old, hit her head and died.

While the State of Illinois has no record of either death, police said the brothers appeared to have mental health issues and could be telling the truth.

A forensic excavation began Friday morning with assistance from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, authorities said. Both brothers were taken to the hospital and have yet to be charged with any crimes, police said.

"We are going to have to have expert crews come in to empty this residence," Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion told WLS-TV. "We will have detectives outside as items are coming out of the house, every piece of evidence is going to have to be evaluated (and) read (to) determine whether it's valuable or not valuable."

On Facebook, police asked residents to avoid the area where the excavation continues.

"The investigation may not conclude for multiple days and we ask all residents to respectfully allow the investigation to be conducted with no interruption," Lyons police said.