Search continues for men who stole a car with toddler inside, ran over mom
Despite ongoing efforts from investigators, neither of the two men who police say stole a Volkswagen that had a 2-year-old inside - and then ran over the child's mother - has been caught.
Lake County sheriff's office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Friday detectives have reviewed all available video surveillance footage from last Thursday of the men believed to be responsible for the crime, and have sent evidence gathered from the victim's Volkswagen to the crime lab for DNA analysis.
"We are putting forth every resource we can to identify and hold the offenders accountable," Covelli said.
In the week since the crash, an online fundraiser organized by the woman's neighbors in North Libertyville Estates has raised more than $72,000.
Taylor Shepherd, 34, is beyond thankful for the outpouring of support she has received from the community, neighbor Colleen Pragalz said Friday.
"What happened was absolutely horrific and we were desperate to do something," said Pragalz, who co-founded the fundraiser last Friday on Shepherd's behalf. "My heart kept breaking over and over thinking that as it was happening to her I was greeting my kids off the bus and had no idea what was going on just a block away."
Shepherd had just pulled into the driveway of her home around 3:30 p.m. last Thursday and briefly left her young son in the car to bring her other child inside when she saw a BMW had pulled up behind her Volkswagen. She told officials she saw a man get out of the BMW and go to steal her car. When she tried to get her son out of her car the man knocked her down.
While she was down, one of the two men ran her over as they drove away. Shepherd described the man who took her car as being tall, thin and wearing a gray sweatshirt and light green face mask, officials said.
The men eventually dropped off the abducted child in a parking lot on the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan and got away in the BMW. Shepherd's Volkswagen was recovered in a parking lot on the 2200 block of South Lakeside Drive, about 2 miles away from the spot where the men had dropped off the child, officials said.
Pragalz said Shepherd has had one surgery and will require additional procedures for her recovery. Shepherd also is five months pregnant and needs additional monitoring to assure the health of her yet-to-be-born child, as well as at-home medical care during her recovery.
Pragalz said Shepherd and her family are so relieved the community's donations will help cover the cost of her treatment.
"It's the Libertyville community," Pragalz said. "It's such an amazing town. We never fall short lifting each other up and supporting each other when in need."
The GoFundMe fundraiser can be found at gf.me/v/c/5x9/taylor-shepherd-and-the-koutelidakis-family.