AMBER ALERT - Duncan & Jack Connley - LEROY, IL / BODIES FOUND-Father dead too

[GramaMonkey]

Duncan Connolly is Asian male, 3'6, 66 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his upper lip. Duncan was last seen wearing a green coat, burgundy hoodie, a black shirt, and black pants with a red stripe.

Jack Connolly is Asian male, 3'4, 62 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his right eyebrow and surgical scar behind right ear. Jack was last seen wearing a red and blue coat, blue shirt, and red and blue pants.

Michael Connolly, 40, has failed to return the children after a scheduled custody visit. He's 5'8, 175 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. 

He was last seen driving a gray 1991 Dodge Dynasty with Illinois plate number A326109.

The boys' disappearance is now a criminal investigation. Chief Gordon Beck says "We are concerned because we've had some incidents in the past with Mr. Connolly that indicate he is not a stable individual. He makes verbal threats toward himself, the children, his ex-wife."

A judge granted overnight visitations. "I told him he was a flight risk, my attorney told him he was a flight risk, no body believed me,"said mother.

If you have information call the McLean County Sheriff's Office at 309-888-5019

[cookie]

hope that these little ones are safe...this amber alert has been on our local news all morning...

[GramaMonkey]

hope that these little ones are safe...this amber alert has been on our local news all morning...

This is taken from another forum.  Apparently they were taken from the POLICE STATION.
AMBER ALERT: Duncan and Jack Connolly Leroy, IL 3/9
by randilynn 10 Hours, 46 Minutes ago
Amber Alert

Missing From: Leroy, IL
Missing Date:
Issued for: Illinois: Statewide
Contact: If you have information, please contact McLean County Sheriff's Office, 309-888-5019
Circumstances: At the request of the sheriff's office in McLean County, the Illinois emergency alert system is activated for an amber alert. The McLean County Sheriff's Office has a confirmed a child abduction that occurred at Leroy Police Department, 111 East Center, Leroy Illinois. Anyone with information should call 9-1-1 and advise they have an amber alert report. This concludes the amber alert issued by the Illinois State Police.

Missing Child
Name: Duncan G. Connolly
Alias:
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
Skin Color: Asian Age: 9YO
Height: 3FT6 Weight: 66LBS
Gender: Male
Description: Scar on upper lip on left side, birthmark on right thumb. Last seen wearing a green coat, burgundy hoodie, a black shirt, and black pants with a red stripe.



Missing Child
Name: Jack D. Connolly
Alias:
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
Skin Color: Asian Age: 7YO
Height: 3FT4 Weight: 62LBS
Gender: Male
Description: Scar on right eyebrow, surgical scar behind right ear. Last seen wearing a red and blue coat, blue shirt, and red and blue pants.



Suspect
Name: Michael l. Connolly
Alias:
Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown
Skin Color: Asian Age: 40YO
Height: 5FT8 Weight: 175LBS
Gender: Male
Description:

Vehicle Information
Make: Dodge Model: Dynasty
Color: Grey Interior Color:
License State: IL License Text: a326109
Vehicle Description:
          Please note, although no boardcode and smiley buttons are shown, they are still useable
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 randilynn ()


   
  Re:AMBER ALERT: Duncan and Jack Connolly Leroy, IL 3/9
by randilynn 10 Hours, 26 Minutes ago
am i getting this right??

The McLean County Sheriff's Office has a confirmed a child abduction that occurred at Leroy Police Department, 111 East Center, Leroy Illinois.

Sometimes with joint custody parents can drop off/pick up the children at police stations if there has been a past issue of abuse between the spouses - maybe that has something to do with it?

CORRECTION TO VEHICLE YEAR-GREY 1991 DODGE DYNASTY, ILLINOIS LICENSE A326109
     


   
  Re:AMBER ALERT: Duncan and Jack Connolly Leroy, IL 3/9
by Charlie 9 Hours, 38 Minutes ago
The boys' disappearance is now a criminal investigation. Chief Gordon Beck says "We are concerned because we've had some incidents in the past with Mr. Connolly that indicate he is not a stable individual. He makes verbal threats toward himself, the children, his ex-wife."

A judge granted overnight visitations. "I told him he was a flight risk, my attorney told him he was a flight risk, no body believed me,"said mother.

Last Wednesday police were called when Connolly would not let the two children out of his car.

[cookie]

hope that these 2 boys don't end up paying the price cause no one took the time to listen to the mother...sigh....

[Nut44x4]

Friend pleads with father of missing LeRoy boys to return them safely

BLOOMINGTON -- Bernadin Charles has a message for his close friend Michael Connolly: please bring your children home. In a public plea to the media Wednesday, Charles begged Connolly to return Duncan Connolly, 9, and his brother Jack, 7, to their mother in LeRoy. | Updated photo gallery

The brothers have been missing since Sunday night when their father, Michael Connolly, failed to return them from a weekend visit in Bloomington.

“I’m pleading for you to bring the kids back… Drop the kids off anywhere someone can pick them up,” said Charles, who was described as Connolly’s close friend.

McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery escorted Charles from a podium in the lobby of the Law and Justice Center and declined to take any questions from reporters after the unscripted, emotional plea.

Charles recalled going to court with Connolly for hearings related to Connolly’s divorce from his wife, Amy Leichtenberg.

“I love you as a brother,” Charles told Connolly in his public remarks.

Friends, teachers and others in the community have been upset since the children disappeared, said Charles.

Connolly was scheduled to drop the children off at the LeRoy Police Department where a family friend picks up the boys. An order of protection prohibits Connelly from having contact with his former wife.

A nationwide Amber Alert was issued Monday night for the boys after authorities became convinced that the children could be in danger. Connolly is reportedly depressed over his recent job loss due to a lay-off and other financial-related matters.

Court and police records indicate that he has threatened suicide in the past.

Coordination of the investigation shifted from the small LeRoy Police Department to the McLean County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday. Several police agencies, including LeRoy, Bloomington, Normal, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI are assisting with the search.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Emery asked any friends or co-workers of Connolly to contact police.

The sheriff said Wednesday that investigators continue to put in long hours at a command center in the sheriff’s department. They are following up on leads received since the national alert was posted, he said.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/12/news/doc49b8304044e51146050615.txt

[Nut44x4]

The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois)
 
March 17, 2009 Tuesday 
 
Police look into report of LeRoy boys in Virginia

LeROY - The search for two LeRoy brothers has moved into its second week as police continue to follow leads related to the boys’ alleged abduction by their father.

Duncan Connolly, 9, and his 7-year-old brother, Jack, have been missing since March 8, when their father, Michael Connolly, failed to return them to the LeRoy Police Department after a scheduled visit in Bloomington.

A court order bars Connolly from having contact with the boys’ mother, Amy Leichtenberg, so family friend Michelle Johnson was supposed to pick up the children at 6 p.m.

McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery said Monday afternoon that news reports that the boys had been spotted in Virginia on March 10 were one of many leads investigated by police.

"We don’t want people to become complacent because there’s been a sighting. We still need people to call in all leads to the command center," said Emery.

He said a press conference scheduled for this morning will provide an update on the search.

Leichtenberg and Johnson have spent the past several days traveling around Central Illinois and to Chicago, passing out fliers with information and photos from a nationwide Amber Alert issued March 9.

"We’ve been out beating the streets putting fliers up," Johnson said Monday.

Meanwhile, local and federal police are working from a command post at the McLean County Sheriff’s Department.

"All the teams are out following up on leads this morning," said Emery.

Anyone with information about the missing boys is asked to call (309) 888-5019 or to e-mail jeff.ellston@mcleancountyil.gov 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:941988211&start=10

[Nut44x4]

Reward fund set up for missing LeRoy boys; 'Most Wanted' TV show next

BLOOMINGTON -- A pair of missing LeRoy boys may look different as they continue on the run with their dad, who may be using libraries and homeless shelters for computer access.

A reward fund also has been established.

“As each day goes by, it heightens our concern for the safety of the children,” McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery told reporters during an update Tuesday on the search for Duncan Connolly, 9, and his brother, Jack Connolly, 7.

The boys were reported missing March 8 after their father, Michael Connolly, failed to return them from a weekend visit in Bloomington. A nationwide Amber Alert was posted March 9.

Police also disclosed that Connolly, 40, of Bloomington, has been treated for depression, threatened suicide and is known to have a gambling problem. He frequents libraries where he may use the Internet and homeless shelters, said Emery.

FBI Special Agent Marshal Stone said investigators are looking at all options, including the possibility that Connolly may have changed his appearance and cut and colored the boys’ hair.

Friends or others who may be providing assistance to Connolly should be aware that they could face criminal charges for aiding an accused child abductor, said McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder.

“This is a very unstable situation … this isn’t your typical child-exchange problem,” said Yoder.

Although they declined to give specific details of reported sightings, police confirmed that they have checked out a number of leads, including one in Virginia.

“We’ve had people fairly sure they’ve been spotted,” said Lt. Jeff Elston of the McLean County Sheriff’s Department.

Areas of northern Illinois, where Connolly previously lived, and Florida, where he has family, are places of interest in the search, said police.

A reward fund has been established through Busey Bank in LeRoy. Contributions to the “Bring Duncan and Jack Connolly Home Safe” account may be made at any Busey Bank location.

The boys were scheduled to be returned to the LeRoy police station where family friend Michelle Johnson routinely picked up the children. An order of protection prohibited Connolly from having contact with Amy Leichtenberg, the boys’ mother. Leichtenberg and Johnson have distributed fliers about the case from Chicago to central Illinois.

The television show “America’s Most Wanted” is expected to mention the missing LeRoy boys on its Saturday broadcast, said Emery.

Information: Call (309) 888-5019 or e-mail jeff.elston@mcleancounty.il.gov
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/18/news/doc49bfec6ddec4f061225047.txt

Photographs submitted to police of Michael Connolly show him with different hair styles. Police said during a press conference Tuesday morning at the Law and Justice Center that the father may have altered his appearence after abducting his two sons

[Nut44x4]

Father of missing LeRoy boys no stranger to police

BLOOMINGTON -- Police responding to the report that Duncan and Jack Connolly were missing were aware of problems that existed between the boys’ parents, Michael Connelly and Amy Leichtenberg, authorities said.

Between July 2006 and October 2007, LeRoy police reported 57 alleged violations of the court order prohibiting Connolly from contacting his ex-wife. During a 12-day period in October 2007, Connolly allegedly left 41 phone messages for her.
Five calls to his ex-wife in July 2007 contained three suicidal threats, including two threats made directly to police officers, according to reports.

Connolly’s troubled relationship with Leichtenberg, recent financial difficulties and threats of suicide have prompted authorities to express concerns for the safety of the boys.

Problems developed between the couple when they lived in Algonquin, where an order of protection was issued in 2006. Leichtenberg filed for divorce in 2007 after 13 years of marriage.

In February 2008, Connolly was placed on 18 months of conditional discharge and ordered to complete domestic violence counseling after he admitted violating the protection order.

In November, McLean County Judge James Souk granted Connolly unsupervised visits with the boys. A psychiatric evaluation provided to the court indicated Connolly was not a threat to himself or others.

An order of protection was in effect on March 8 when Connolly did not bring the children to the LeRoy Police Department, where a family friend routinely picked them up for their mother.

Police also have disclosed Connolly suffers from depression and recently was laid off from his job with a pharmaceutical firm. His plans for an anticipated tax refund fell through when he learned the money would be applied to delinquent child support, police said.

In late February, Connolly asked for relief from child support payments because of his financial situation.

Anyone with information about the missing boys is asked to call (309) 888-5019 or e-mail jelston@mcleancountyil.gov.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/19/news/doc49c196c1d282a998949603.txt

[Nut44x4]

The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois)
 
March 19, 2009 Thursday 
 
Travelers urged to pass out fliers
 
BLOOMINGTON - People who plan to travel for spring break can help police look for two missing LeRoy boys and their father by taking fliers to hand out along the way, a Bloomington attorney said.

Duncan Connolly, 9, and his brother Jack, 7, were reported missing March 8 after their father, Michael Connolly, failed to return them to LeRoy after a weekend visit. Connolly, 40, of Bloomington also has been missing since then, and police suspect he abducted his sons.

A task force of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies is searching for the boys. A nationwide Amber Alert was issued March 9.

Helen Ogar, the attorney for the boys’ mother, Amy Leichtenberg, said having the public distribute fliers may help, and she pointed to a recent tip as an example. On Tuesday, police confirmed that they investigated a lead from a caller who believed the Connollys were in Virginia several days after their disappearance.

"The Virginia sighting was directly related to one of these fliers. With spring break and people traveling the country next week, we felt this was a chance to distribute as many fliers as possible," Ogar said.

Fliers are available at The Pantagraph, 301 W. Washington St., Bloomington; the offices of the LeRoy Journal, The Heyworth Star, and the Farmer City Journal; the McLean County Sheriff’s Department; the McLean County circuit clerk’s office located on the fourth floor of the Law & Justice Center; any Commerce Bank location; and Ogar’s office, 108 W. Monroe St.

A downloadable version of the flier also is available at www.pantagraph.com. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:943302371&start=6

[Nut44x4]

Sheriff's department hopes 'Most Wanted' appearance leads to LeRoy boys' return

LeROY -- Police have released new information about the car involved in the disappearance of two LeRoy boys and authorities hope national media exposure will speed the boys’ return.

Duncan Connolly, 9, and his brother Jack, 7, have been missing since March 8 when their father, Michael Connolly, 40, of Bloomington, failed to return the boys to a family friend after a weekend visit.

“What we are hoping to do is to get in touch with (“America’s Most Wanted”) and have them generate a little more interest and thorough story with pictures of Michael (Connolly), as well,” said McLean County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Elston.

Elston believes this is the first time the department has contacted “America’s Most Wanted” in the 28 years he’s been with the department. The nationally televised show featured a short piece on the missing boys Saturday.

* (I may be blind, but I do not see a photo at the link)
Police also have released a digitally enhanced picture of Connolly’s car, a 1991 Dodge Dynasty, with damage that resembles what’s on the actual car. Elston said the photo was compiled by Team Adam, a missing children rapid response system under the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

An actual photo of the car displays the license plate.

“There have been just a few possible sightings, but nothing has been verified,” he said. “We are doing the best we can to follow up on those.”

Jenna Griffiths, “America’s Most Wanted” producer for the Great Lakes region, said there are no plans to run a longer segment on the Connollys, but the case is featured at www.amw.com.

“We are just working to hopefully have a happy resolution,” Griffiths said. “There was such a public outcry from this case that we decided to do it. Obviously, they are very loved boys in the community, and we were just getting phone calls nonstop about this.”

She said the show is primarily a community service that helps law enforcement locate missing adults and children. Griffiths couldn’t say whether Saturday’s segment resulted in any tips.

A task force includes the sheriff’s department; the LeRoy, Bloomington and Normal police departments; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Marshal’s Service; the McLean County State’s Attorney’s office; and the Illinois State Police.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/23/news/doc49c7c6c5f2264995710678.txt

[Nut44x4]

Hearing aid left behind adds to fear for LeRoy boys' mother

UPDATED 3 p.m. LEROY -- One of two LeRoy boys who disappeared March 8 is missing special therapy sessions designed to help with a serious hearing impairment, according to the boys’ mother.

Jack Connolly, 7, and his brother, Duncan, 9, were not returned by their father after a weekend visit. A task force of local and federal law enforcement officers is following up on leads related to the boys’ alleged abduction by their father, Michael Connelly, 40, of Bloomington.

The boys’ mother, Amy Leichtenberg, told The Pantagraph that her worries are compounded by the fact that Jack left his hearing aid behind at his LeRoy classroom.

“Jack doesn’t hear everything. He has speech therapy to help him work on his sounds and his delayed speech,” said Leichtenberg.

Surgery at age 2½ left a noticeable scar behind the child’s right ear, according to his mother. Jack also receives therapy for problems with fine motor skills, she said.

Both boys receive treatments for asthma-related symptoms that may become worse with spring weather, said Leichtenberg.

Volunteers joined Leichtenberg Friday in decorating downtown Bloomington with blue and green ribbons representing the boys’ favorite colors.

A petition asking the television program “America’s Most Wanted” to include a segment on the LeRoy case was signed by more than 500 people Friday, according to estimates from volunteers. The LeRoy case was mentioned during an episode earlier this month.

People who want to sign the petition may visit the Web site www.ipetitions.com/petition/duncanandjack.

Anyone with information on the missing boys may contact police at (309) 888-5019 or jelston@mcleancountyil.gov.

On the Web:

http://www.myspace.com/helpfindduncanandjack
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/27/news/doc49cce6cbcc2ff888382220.txt

[oldfart]

Bodies of missing LeRoy brothers and father found

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1579105018/Bodies-of-missing-LeRoy-brothers-and-father-found

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted Mar 30, 2009 @ 09:53 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOOMINGTON — Authorities say bodies matching the descriptions of two small boys missing from a central Illinois town and their father have been found.

An Amber Alert was canceled Monday for 9-year-old Duncan Connolly and his 7-year-old brother Jack, who both lived in LeRoy. Authorities have said they went missing March 8 after their father allegedly failed to return them to their mother after a custody visit.

Authorities say the children’s’ bodies were found Sunday inside a car in remote Putnam County.

The car was registered to Michael Connolly, who authorities described as a fugitive in a child abduction case. The body of a man matching his description was found about 60 feet from the car on Sunday.

Police didn’t release further details pending an afternoon news conference.

Autopsies have been scheduled.

[cookie]

Bodies of missing LeRoy brothers and father found

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1579105018/Bodies-of-missing-LeRoy-brothers-and-father-found

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted Mar 30, 2009 @ 09:53 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOOMINGTON — Authorities say bodies matching the descriptions of two small boys missing from a central Illinois town and their father have been found.

An Amber Alert was canceled Monday for 9-year-old Duncan Connolly and his 7-year-old brother Jack, who both lived in LeRoy. Authorities have said they went missing March 8 after their father allegedly failed to return them to their mother after a custody visit.

Authorities say the children’s’ bodies were found Sunday inside a car in remote Putnam County.

The car was registered to Michael Connolly, who authorities described as a fugitive in a child abduction case. The body of a man matching his description was found about 60 feet from the car on Sunday.

Police didn’t release further details pending an afternoon news conference.

Autopsies have been scheduled.

oh my God! I was so hoping that this would have had a different outcome!
why do fighting parents have to involve innocent children in their battles with each other?
Gosh I am sick over this..

[klaasend]

So sad

[Nut44x4]

I agree.....there are no words 

[joesamas mama]

  Why to people kill babies? Do they think the daddy did it?

Sometimes the only humans I like are monkeys and dogs. 

[SunnyinTX]

So terribly sad!!  How can anyone harm a child.....................

[Bearlyhere]

So terribly sad!!  How can anyone harm a child.....................

 

[A_News_Junkie_Monkey]

Sheriffs: Ill. boys, father died in murder-suicide

By DAVID MERCER – 2 hours ago

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Two young boys missing for three weeks were found dead in the back seat of their father's car, apparently killed by their dad before he took his own life, authorities said Monday.

A 911 call led authorities in Putnam County to a remote spot Sunday night where they found 9-year-old Duncan Connolly and his 7-year-old brother, Jack. They discovered the body of 40-year-old Michael Connolly about 60 yards away.

The boys, from the small town of Leroy, were the subject of a national search after their father failed to return them to their mother on March 8 following a weekend custody visit. The couple divorced in 2006 and Connolly only recently had been allowed to keep his sons overnight.

Autopsies were being conducted Monday, but McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery, whose department investigated the boys' disappearance, and Putnam County Sheriff Kevin Doyle said the case was being treated as a double homicide-suicide.

Neither would discuss details of the case at a news conference Monday, including how the boys and their father died, how long they had been dead or why they ended up in a rural location about 60 miles north of where they lived. The sheriffs said they would respect the family's wishes in withholding details.

"Our hearts and prayers now are with Jack, Duncan and (their mother) Amy Leichtenberg," Emery said, his voice wavering.

Leichtenberg issued a statement expressing her own heartbreak.

"No parent should have to bury their babies," she said. "Duncan and Jack, Mommy loves you to the heavens and back."

Leichtenberg also blamed the courts for her sons' deaths.

"I feel that the judicial system failed me," she said, without elaborating. "I pray that the courts listen to the warnings from other parents like me."

McLean County State's Attorney Bill Yoder said he was unsure exactly what Leichtenberg was referring to, but that his office had recently filed four "criminal actions" against Connolly and his visitation rights had been under discussion.

Connolly was to have dropped the boys off at the police department in Leroy after picking them up there on March 6, Emery said.

A court order had barred Connolly from contact with Leichtenberg, according to her attorney, Helen Ogar. The order also initially prevented Connolly from seeing his sons.

Connolly was allowed to start keeping his children overnight without supervision in December, Ogar said.

Connolly never hurt Leichtenberg or their sons but scared her because he called often, sometimes threatening suicide and other times trying to intimidate her or persuade her to come back to him, Ogar said.

Police investigating the boys' disappearance said Connolly had a history of gambling problems and had been treated for depression. He worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative, making a "good living," Ogar said.

Before the weekend during which the boys disappeared, Leichtenberg did not want to turn them over to their father, her lawyer said.

"She was contacted by the Leroy police and told that she had to send them, that it was an arrestable offense (if she did not)," Ogar said.

She said she told Leichtenberg that failure to give the boys to their father was a civil matter, not criminal, and advised her not to turn them over if she didn't want to.

Authorities did not issue an Amber Alert in the case until the evening of March 8, roughly a day after they were due back to their mother. Leroy police did not issue the alert — eventually issued by the McLean County Sheriff's Department — because they did not believe the boys were in danger, Ogar said.

An officer who answered the phone at the Leroy Police Department on Monday directed questions to Chief Gordon Beck, who he said was out of town.

Attorney Todd Roseberry, who represented Connolly over violations of the court order barring contact with Leichtenberg, said he was stunned by the three deaths.

"The Michael Connolly I knew was very affectionate and loved his kids," Roseberry said, adding that he hadn't spoken with Connolly since last summer.

A spokesman for Leichtenberg said Monday that if she ever doubted her sons would come home, she didn't show it.

"I spoke to her last evening. She was in downtown Davenport, Iowa, handing out fliers and putting up posters," family friend Brad MacAfee said. "Every interaction I had with her, she had all the hope in the world she was going to see those boys."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbG9ClZxAuSQfsw2R19DxNdTvx5QD978N5300

[Nut44x4]

March 31, 2009 Tuesday
Chicagoland Final Edition 
 
Grieving mom rips the courts;
After 3-week search, boys are found dead with their dad; mother decries system that OKd unsupervised visits
 
Amy Leichtenberg worried this day would come, and she begged the judicial system to prevent it.

In court documents dating back to 2005, she detailed her estranged husband's threats against her family and fought unsuccessfully to keep him from having unsupervised visits with their two sons. Michael Connolly violated the orders of protection against him six times, according to police records, and he often vowed to kill himself rather than be separated from the boys.

Connolly, 40, disappeared with Duncan, 9, and Jack, 7, on March 8, prompting a nationwide search. Their bodies were discovered Sunday near a Christmas tree farm in a remote area of Putnam County.

Police described the deaths as a double homicide and a suicide, but released few details about the killings. The boys' bodies were found in the back seat of their father's 1991 Dodge Dynasty, while Connolly's body was discovered about 60 yards away.

Leichtenberg declined to comment Monday, but she issued a statement lashing out at the judicial system that allowed Connolly unsupervised visits.

"No parent should have to bury their babies," she said. "Duncan and Jack, Mommy loves you to the heavens and back.

"I feel that the judicial system failed me," she said. "I pray that the courts listen to the warnings from other parents like me."

Though Connolly and Leichtenberg lived in northwest suburban Algonquin for several years, much of their bitter custody battle took place in LeRoy, a small town near Bloomington where Leichtenberg moved with the boys after ending her marriage. She received orders of protection against Connolly there, including a current order, barring him from contact with her.

Connolly, an unemployed pharmaceutical salesman, violated the order six times but was only charged with four misdemeanors between July 2006 and October 2007, McLean County State's Atty. William Yoder said. He met with Connolly for an hour a few months ago at Connolly's request and believed him to be "unbalanced," Yoder said.

He declined to discuss his office's specific involvement in the custody battle.

"This was a tragic event," Yoder said. "This had the worst possible outcome."
Police began a search for Connolly and the boys three weeks ago when he failed to return them after a scheduled visit. McLean Sheriff Mike Emery conceded there was a delay in the Amber Alert about the abduction, saying the department's initial attempt did not meet all of the criteria required for the notification. Pressed to discuss the delay, the sheriff said he would not criticize the investigation.

At LeRoy Elementary School, where Duncan was in 3rd grade and Jack was in 2nd, the brothers' desks had been left untouched since their disappearance. Blue and green ribbons, the boys' favorite colors, were tied to trees, and parents taped pictures of the missing brothers inside their car windshields.

"In small towns something like this affects the whole town, not just one pocket or one neighborhood," LeRoy Supt. Gary Tipsord said. "We had prepared for a lot of different outcomes, but I don't think any of us expected this."

Putnam County authorities discovered Connolly's car about 5 p.m. Sunday near a Christmas tree farm about 8 miles south of Hennepin. Police say they do not know of any connection between the family and the secluded site.

Police would not say how long the bodies had been there, if they suffered obvious injuries or whether a weapon was recovered.

Connolly's aunt, Joyce Connolly, said his family rarely saw him after the couple separated.

"I feel sorry for Michael," she said. "I know that sounds terrible, but he must have been so tormented."

Court records and police accounts portray Connolly as an abusive husband who tried to force Leichtenberg to stay in their marriage. He threatened to cut open her and her parents and once told Jack that he would find "a younger, prettier, nicer mama," according to court documents.

When Connolly sensed Leichtenberg was about to leave him in 2006, she said he pressured her to sign a paper giving him custody of the boys if they divorced. He also demanded his wife make a videotape in which she claimed to abuse her sons, Leichtenberg said. It's not clear she did either.

"He went into a rage again and told me if I didn't get home he would kill me. I went home, and he told me if I ever take his boys again he would hunt me down and kill me and my parents and cut us open," Amy Leichtenberg wrote in her petition for an emergency order of protection in July 2005 in McHenry County Circuit Court.

Neighbors realized something was wrong with the couple's marriage shortly after they moved into their Algonquin neighborhood in 2003. Friends described Connolly as "controlling" and "manipulative" toward his wife and sons. Leichtenberg often would use neighbors' telephones to call her parents because her husband didn't like her speaking with them.

"She could never live a normal life," former next-door neighbor Jim Gerardi said. "That's the sad part about it, because he was watching every single move she made."

While Connolly was out of town on a business trip in 2006, neighbors said they helped Leichtenberg pack her car, and she and the kids sought refuge at a domestic violence shelter.

Leichtenberg filed for divorce in May 2006 in McHenry Circuit Court. In her petition, she described hundreds of harassing phone messages her husband left for her and her family.

In the messages, Connolly outlined stipulations for the divorce: He wanted visitation with his sons alone and one day a week with Amy alone and promised not to hurt them, according to court documents.

Leichtenberg withdrew the petition without explanation in December 2006. She returned to the family's home in Algonquin, but neighbors said she hid inside the house and rarely socialized after the reconciliation.

The couple separated again a short time later, and Leichtenberg moved to LeRoy, where a bitter custody battle ignited. She wrote in court documents in April 2007 that he had called her home and her cell at least 18 times.

In an interview with the Tribune after the boys disappeared, Leichtenberg said Connolly was granted unsupervised visitation rights in December.

She said she begged the McLean judge to deny the request.

"All Michael would do is file his own motions, and the judge was basically tired of him and gave him what he wanted."

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