Mom Whose SUV Was Stolen With Son Inside Thanks Cops Who 'Worked Endlessly' For Arrests

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — A Libertyville mom who was brutally beaten by two teens who hijacked her car with her 2-year-old son still inside is grateful to the detectives who worked tirelessly for two years to "give our family justice."

Since then, Taylor Shepherd, who was five months pregnant at the time of the February 2023 hijacking, has given birth to a healthy baby boy — the family's "miracle baby." She is "still processing" news of the arrests of two 19-year-old men this past week in connection with the Feb. 23, 2023, attack and hijacking, Shepherd wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday.

• 2 Years Later, Teens Linked To Violent Carjacking With Boy, 2, Inside Vehicle

She did share her gratitude regarding the police work done to bring charges in the case.

"We want to share the amazing news that the criminals who attacked my family and I are in jail! We want to thank the detectives for all of the hard work," Shepherd wrote in an update posted on a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for her and her family. "They saw me at my worst, they saw what these people did to my family and I. They assured me that they would not give up and to be patient that these things would take time. The detectives worked endlessly to give our family justice. Something I wasn’t sure we would ever get."

On Thursday, officials with the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced two 19-year-old men, one who is from Waukegan and the other who lives in Lindenhurst, had been identified as the suspects in the case. The men, who were 17 years old at the time of the crime in February 2023, are in custody on unrelated charges, police said.

Christopher Covelli, deputy chief with the sheriff's office, said hundreds of hours were spent linking the suspects to the case. He said police were happy to hear of Taylor's gratitude for their hard work.

"We truly are just so happy that she overall has been able to recover and that she was able to deliver the baby she was pregnant with," Covelli said Wednesday.

As for the suspects, since they were juveniles at the time of the crime, they have been referred to the juvenile court system on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and vehicular hijacking, according to prosecutors And, since they were minors at the time of the crime, their names are not being released.

"The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office is currently working to have these charges transferred and tried in adult court," according to the news release. "Until this process is completed, the Illinois Juvenile Court Act prohibits the release of the offenders’ identities."

Covelli said it can take months to transfer charges from juvenile to adult court.

"It generally takes months. There could be multiple hearings in juvenile court before a Judge decides," he said.

Both remain in custody on juvenile charges as of Wednesday, Covelli said.

And as for what specifically helped detectives link the teens to the crime after nearly two years, Covelli said he could not share much publicly as detectives are continuing to probe the case and do not want any clues to hinder that investigation.

"Detectives spent hundreds of hours going through not only physical evidence obtained, but also seeking search warrants for electronics and cellular towers, where they were able to put several clues together that helped to identify the subjects involved," he said.

The Day Of The Attack

The teens are accused of attacking Shepherd, who was 34 years old at the time, in her driveway in the 16000 block of Route 137 in Libertyville on Feb. 23, 2023.

She had pulled into her driveway in her Volkswagen and was coming back to retrieve her 2-year-old son after bringing her other young child inside her home. At the same time, a white BMW pulled into her driveway behind her car.

One of the teens is accused of getting out of the BMW and trying to get into the Volkswagen, according to authorities. Shepherd tried to protect her young son as police say the suspect then beat her, knocking her to the ground, and stealing the car with the child inside.

He and the driver of the BMW fled the area. One of the drivers ran over Shepherd as they fled, causing serious injuries to her extremities, according to a news release.

Shepherd was able to call 911 and deputies responded immediately, police said. They searched the area and contacted Volkswagen Car-Net, which is a service that can track Volkswagen vehicles. Deputies were then able to track down the Volkswagen.

Shepherd's 2-year-old son was abandoned a short time later in a parking lot at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan by the suspect, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A person at the business came to the child's aid and was able to bring him to safety before he wandered onto a nearby busy roadway, police said. The Good Samaritan called police and deputies were able to reunite the boy with his mom.

He was not hurt, according to the GoFundMe.

Both teens have a history of violence, Covelli said Wednesday. Detectives have not obtained "definitive proof" that the teens knew there was a child inside the car until they actually stole it, Covelli said.

"They did know at some point, as they pulled over and removed the child from the car," he said.

Covelli said he thinks the attack and hijacking "was a crime of opportunity." Police "do not feel Taylor was specifically targeted," he added.

"When this crime occurred, nearly every division of the sheriff’s office was involved in trying to locate the child and identify the offenders. Our detectives continued the investigation, working tirelessly, with the state’s attorney’s office, to hold the offenders accountable and provide the initial steps of justice for the victims," Lake County Sheriff John Idelburg said in a statement Thursday. "Complex investigations like these require time and precision to ensure justice is served, and I am very proud of everyone involved in this investigation.”

MORE ON PATCH

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• Stolen BMW Used In Violent Vehicular Hijacking Found: Sheriff

Taylor Shepherd And Family Recover, Heal Following Trauma

Shepherd, who was five months pregnant at the time of the attack on Feb. 23, 2023, sustained serious injuries, which required ongoing medical attention. Shepherd was unable to work following the attack and required nursing care at home, as well as additional monitoring to make sure her unborn baby was OK, according to the GoFundMe.

On June 26, 2023, Shepherd gave birth to "our little miracle," who they named Noah Collin after her grandfather. He was 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

Shepherd shared her gratitude over the fact that Noah was "not only survived but is thriving" in the following update on GoFundMe:

I’m so beyond thankful. As I sit and hold my miracle in my arms, all I can see is God’s hand on my life. We have been saved, and today I’m lucky enough to celebrate 35 years of life. This has been the hardest road I’ve been on in life yet, but I still see God in it all. I want to thank everyone who has helped our family get through this--the first responders, my neighbors, my family, the nurses who sat with me (even on their off time), the doctors who went above and beyond, and the strangers. Ah, the strangers- people from all over coming to drop meals off for our family- you are all my heroes!!
The way people stepped up to help our family shows the true character of our community! I want people to remember all the good people did and not the terrible crime. Evil will not win. I am sorry it’s taken me so long to post this update. I was preparing for another surgery and all of the unknowns of baby Noah and how everything would go.
The recovery of birth through a c-section has been a lot on my body and my bones are all going back into place. I’ve had a rough recovery. Thankfully, I have been approved for more therapy which will help me gain strength now that I am no longer pregnant. Every day I’m getting stronger and my family is getting stronger. Thanks to all of you we will get through this. I can’t wait to personally hug and thank all of you. You have no idea the impact you all have had on our family. God bless all of you.

In the first month after the attack and hijacking, Shepherd underwent several procedures and surgeries.

She spent weeks in the hospital's trauma center and underwent an initial 8-hour surgery. She suffered a shattered elbow, hip, pelvis and tailbone and detached vertebrae, which left her "non-weight bearing" on the left side of her body.

She also lost a lot of blood and became anemic.

When she first returned home, she required the use of a custom-made walker and a wheelchair. She also needed in-home physical therapy twice per week at the time and went to several appointments with a pain management specialist, orthopedists and her OB/GYN.

Here is what Taylor shared on the GoFundMe a month after the attack:

Following the first month of I can't believe Thursday will be four weeks since our lives were turned upside down. I’m now home from the hospital. Despite the struggles, I continue to see God's goodness every day with all the amazing people and their kindness. The outpouring of love, the amount of flowers in my home, the warm meals on my table for my family and I to enjoy, the donations that are allowing my husband to be at home with me during this time and helping my family immensely, and my mom to be here to help me, I can truly never thank you all enough. The prayers, the love and support from this community have been remarkable. I am so grateful to have you all. My family and I will never be able to thank you enough truly from the bottom of our hearts. Every day I remind myself that my bones and body will heal, and that it truly is a miracle that my baby and I are alive. I never would've thought that at 34 years old and pregnant with my third baby that I would be getting around my house in a wheelchair and asking my loved ones for constant help. This has been a truly humbling experience and I look forward to so many things like holding my baby, changing my baby’s diaper, cooking my family a meal and cleaning up my children's toys; all the things in the day-to-day life that we normally take for granted, I can't wait to do those things again with a grateful heart. The fact that I get the opportunity to live, to heal, that the miracle inside of me continues to grow and give me unbelievable strength. Again, thank you to everybody. You all are a part of this journey and it would not be possible without you.