Overview
- Police found a newborn wrapped in a bag behind a Rollins Road grocery store in Round Lake Beach on Aug. 26, 2001, and the case went cold after an early suspect’s charges were dropped.
- Investigators reopened the file in early 2024 and submitted the child’s DNA for genetic genealogy testing, which produced familial matches that identified the infant’s parents.
- The testing first matched a relative of the child’s father and then the mother, who was identified as 48-year-old Jennifer Lebron; authorities say the father is not suspected of any crime.
- After interviews and a review of evidence, Lake County prosecutors approved two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and Lebron was arrested on July 14, 2026 and later appeared in court.
- The infant was given the name Jacob Hope by advocacy and guardian groups, and officials have highlighted the case as an example of how genetic genealogy and long-term detective work can bring answers in cold cases.