A child from Aurora was safely recovered from Indiana after being taken in a home invasion on Monday, law enforcement officials said Tuesday afternoon.
The 8-year-old was taken from their home in the 2000 block of Cheshire Drive after two men are accused of breaking into the house at around 10 p.m., according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department. Officials said in the release that the two men, who were determined to be the child’s father and uncle, also injured the homeowners before being driven away by a woman, who was determined to be the child’s grandmother, police said.
Detectives and street technicians from the Aurora Police Department’s Bureau of Investigations responded to the scene and began investigating the incident while one of the homeowners was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries, the news release said.
At 10:50 p.m., police stopped the vehicle driven by the child’s grandmother, Lisa C. Bearden, 58, of Birmingham, Alabama, in the area of South Lincolnway and Lovedale Lane in Kane County, according to the release. Officials said Bearden was alone in the vehicle.
Within the vehicle, police said they found a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun along with accessories and ammunition for the guns, according to the release.
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Bearden with three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle without a Firearm Owners Identification card, the release said.
Investigators believed that the two men and the child were in another vehicle, so the details of that vehicle were broadcast using the State of Illinois Emergency Notification Plan and the Aurora Police Department’s local alerts through social media, police said.
According to the release, the vehicle was located in Sullivan County, Indiana, by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. The child was located unharmed and reunited with family members from Illinois, officials said.
Joshua T. Bearden, 30, of Rancho Cordova, California, and Christopher A. Bearden, 35, whose address is currently unknown, were taken into custody by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office around 3:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to the release.
Officials said that the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office charged both with two counts of home invasion and that the two are being held in custody at the Sullivan County Community Corrections facility In Indiana pending extradition back to Illinois.
Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said in the release that the department “dedicated a significant number of resources to make sure this child returned home safely” and that he is “glad we were able to do just that.”
The case is still under investigation by the Aurora Police Department’s Bureau of Investigations, so police officials are asking anyone with information to contact detectives at 630-256-5500 or email tips@aurora.il.us