Man Charged After Mother, Sister Found Buried In Backyard

Two brothers in Illinois were taken into custody after police discovered the dead bodies of their mother and sister inside plastic containers buried in the backyard of their suburban Chicago home, police said.

Michael Lelko, 45, of Lyons, Illinois, was charged with two felony counts of concealment of death/moving body in connection with the burial of his mother, 79-year-old Jean Lelko, and sister, 44-year-old Jennifer Lelko, in their family home's backyard, CNN reported, citing court documents filed in the Cook County Circuit Court.

John Lelko, Michael's brother, was also taken into custody but was not formally charged and was later released.

Michael was not charged with the deaths of his mother and sister. This was due to the medical examiner's office being unable to determine the two women's cause of death due to the deterioration of their bodies, Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion told CNN.

Herion said police are still looking into whether criminal charges need to be filed because the mother's Social Security checks were cashed for some period after her death. The police chief said the amount at issue is between $75,000 to $80,000.

It is unclear if the brothers have legal representation.

On Aug. 26, 2021, police conducted a well-being check visit at the Lelkos' house because water had not been used in the home in the past year, according to court documents.

Police spoke to Michael, who told them that they hadn't had running water in a year. Michael also said that his brother had a heart condition, according to Herion.

After Michael gave them permission, officers attempted to enter the premises, but they discovered that they needed to crawl through a window to get in. The home’s entry points were almost completely blocked, the police chief said.

"Officers attempted to enter the residence, but entranceways were almost completely blocked with boxes and detritus," court documents read. "Due to [the] deplorable condition of the residence, officers were only able to get inside the residence through a window."

Police ended up needing biohazard suits. "The doors were barricaded with debris," Herion said. "I could see fleas and bugs and piles from floor to ceiling, and I can smell urine and feces."

After calling for medical aid for John, the police chief asked Michael where his mother and sister were. Michael later told officers that his mother and sister were buried in the backyard.

Michael claimed his mother died in 2015 after their sister allegedly pushed her down a flight of stairs, causing a fatal head wound, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

Michael also told police that his sister came down with COVID-19 in 2019 and died from the illness, according to Herion. The first confirmed death from COVID-19 in the U.S. was in February 2020.

Michael continued to deposit his mother's Social Security checks following her death, Herion said. Two surveillance videos from Citi Bank show him making withdrawals from his mother's account, according to court documents.

Lyons Police Department officers and Cook County medical examiners went to the location where Michael said his mother and sister were buried and found two large plastic containers, court documents said.

Human remains were found, and DNA analysis was conducted, according to the documents.

Michael was released on bond and placed on electronic monitoring, Cook County State's Attorney's Office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.