The 25-year-old cold case of an infant found dead in a Round Lake Beach dumpster has been solved as a 48-year-old woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her newborn, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Jennifer Lebron, 48, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and charged after investigators reopened the case and submitted DNA of the child for genetic genealogy testing, an office release said.
According to the release, on Aug. 26, 2001, Round Lake Beach police officers responded to a report of a deceased infant found in a bag in a dumpster behind a grocery store on Rollins Road. At the time, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force conducted an investigation.
A different woman was initially charged with first-degree murder in September 2001, but investigators later found she had never been pregnant and was not involved in the infant’s death. The case was dismissed the following month, and “the investigation went cold,” the release said.
But that changed in early 2024, when Round Lake Beach investigators reopened the case and submitted DNA of the child for genetic genealogy testing. Tests identified a genetic match to someone related to the infant’s father, eventually leading investigators to identify both the infant’s father and mother, Lebron. The father is not suspected of any criminal activity, the release said.
Investigators spoke with Lebron, the release said, continued to review the evidence and worked closely with the State’s Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation. Two counts of involuntary manslaughter, which is a felony, were approved,
The release said the infant boy was named “Jacob Hope” by AMT Children of Hope. The Lake County Public Guardian assisted with that to honor the child.
In a statement, Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said he was “extraordinarily proud” of the determination of the detectives and investigators. He had personally been at the scene of the incident in 2001, and “the memory of that day has remained with me throughout my career.”
“Our children and senior citizens are among the most precious and vulnerable members of our community, and cases involving harm to them resonate especially deeply,” Rodriguez said. “Jacob Hope deserved answers, dignity, and justice.
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“Today’s arrest represents an important step toward accountability for this innocent child, and I am grateful to everyone whose persistence and collaboration made it possible,” he said.
In a statement, State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart praised the police department and the officers involved in the investigation.
“With the painstaking investigation having been completed, we will now seek to secure justice for this child who lost his life because of the offender’s criminal actions,” Rinehart said.