Chicago Hoarder arrested a year after mother and sister were found buried in backyard

He is not charged with death – as the cause is unknown.

A collector from Chicago, whose mother and sister were found buried in his backyard, was arrested, but not because of their deaths.

Michael Lelko, 45, has been charged with two counts of concealing death, a year after investigators found the remains of 79-year-old Jean Lelko and 44-year-old Jennifer Lelko, sealed in Christmas decorations storage containers.

His younger brother John Lelko, who lived with him and allegedly knew about the bodies, was not charged at all.

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Both men are under federal investigation, accused of continuing to cash their mother’s social security checks for about $ 1,000 a month in the six years since she died – which police say is the reason for the death not to be reported.

The grim discovery was made at their home in Lyon, when employees carried out a welfare inspection after it was found that there was no running water in the house.

Lyon police chief Thomas Herion described the conditions in the house as “incompatible with life”. He said police found hundreds of bottles of urine and feces inside and that the brothers had to use the windows to climb in and out of the house. “It was brutal. Absolutely brutal, “he recalled.

Along with all the dirt, there were brand new, unopened Star Wars toys piled high up to the ceiling, some figures worth up to $ 250, the chief said.

In the backyard, police found the two women, bent over and folded in half, glued inside separately, 2 feet long and 18 inches tall. Although the deterioration of the wreckage was “huge,” Chief Herion said anyone who taped the boxes had done “advanced” work because no animals or even groundwater had entered inside over the years.

Chief Herion said that during interviews Michael told them that after he and his brother returned from a trip to the store in 2015, their mother told them that her daughter had pushed her down the stairs; she died ten days later. He said his sister died in 2019 after contracting Covid.

The medical examiner was unable to determine the cause of death.

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“If the mother and sister were strangled, they can’t say that. “If they were stabbed – this is the example he gave me – if a knife was used to stab them and it went between the ribs and there was no bone damage, there is no way to determine that,” Chief Herion told a news conference.

“Even some drug situations, if they have been drugged, cannot determine that,” he continued. “If you really can’t determine if these people died of natural causes or not, that’s definitely a cause for concern.”

The mother’s skull did show signs of a fracture. Herion said he found Michael’s volunteering in the stairwell incident “a little suspicious.” He was also skeptical of the Covid apology, as Illinois announced its first death from coronavirus by March 2020.

“It’s always good to draw your own conclusions,” he said. “But judging by the facts, this is where we are today.”

Chief Herion also pointed out that John was not facing any charges of absconding, as the knowledge of undeclared death was not in itself a crime; one should have been actively involved in the hiding – such as helping to glue or move the bathtubs – in order to face criminal prosecution.

He said John could be charged with obstruction, as he initially told police that his mother and sister were alive and living elsewhere, hours before the story changed.

Asked if their mental state was in question, Herion was skeptical.

“Their psychological condition was not involved in this investigation at all, especially since they were able to ensure that the cash flow continued through social security checks from the mother,” he said.

He said the brother indicated that their mother and sister were “sick” and difficult to care for; “It’s impossible to say what they thought or what they did,” Herion said, adding, “We can’t interview the nurse.”

The chief admitted that if the water situation had not been reported, the police might never have known about the deaths.

He said his father had died before, but his death had been duly reported, “because there was life insurance”.

Michael was released from custody pending a May 5 hearing on charges of absconding.

The Social Security Administration will interview the siblings to determine if a federal charge of fraud can be filed, Herion said.

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