2 Brothers Arrested After Human Remains Found At Chicago Area Home Where They Said Their Mom & Sister Were Buried (Video)

Video After The Jump

LYONS, Ill. (WGN9) — Two brothers have been taken into custody after containers with remains have been found beneath a Lyons home after the brothers admitted to burying their mother and sister.

The men have not been formally charged or identified yet and are being taken into custody as the investigation continues.

A well-being check was initiated at a home Thursday in the 3900 block of South Center Avenue. When officers arrived, they were met by two brothers, in their late 40s and early 50s, living there. According to police, the residence was a “hoarder home” with items filled from the floor to the ceiling.

Police said there were feces all over, bottles filled with urine and no running water or working toilets. The water department said the home didn’t have running water for a year. Because of the amount of stuff in the house, it was impossible to enter through the front or back door. The brothers were apparently entering and exiting through a side window.

While speaking with the brothers, police learned that their mother died in 2019 and that her death “may have been an accident that involved the sister, who also died this past year.”

Lyons police said the brothers told them they buried the bodies in the backyard due to fears of COVID-19 and because they didn’t have money to pay for the funeral costs. The brothers also said they buried several animals in the yard.

Burying a body is not illegal in Illinois, but it is illegal to conceal a death or homicide. The brothers have not been charged because police still do not know if the bodies are actually buried in the yard.

The two men were placed in custody for their safety Thursday, according to police. They arrived at the house Friday morning in hospital gowns and spoke to reporters in a bizarre and sometimes incoherent interview.

Police Chief Thomas Herion said there is no record of the mother and sister’s death. Police checked with the state and Cook County and found no records.

Neighbors in the area said they had not seen the brothers for several days.

One neighbor said she didn’t even know there were two people living there — she thought it was just one. She said the brother she knew of never bothered anyone. However, she said she was not surprised to hear the bodies were buried in the backyard.

“It doesn’t surprise me, you know they don’t have any money,” a neighbor said.