On April 7, authorities arrested Michael, 45, and John Lelko, 41, on multiple felony charges. This arrest is in connection to the death of their mother and sister. Michael revealed the burial location of the deceased mother, Jean Lelko, and sister, Jennifer Lelko, in the backyard. Michael and John face concealment of death charges.
Eight months prior, on August 26, 2021, the Lyons Township water department noticed the Lelko residence had no running water for over a year and launched a wellness check. When authorities arrived, they spoke with neighbors and identified Michael walking down the street. Officers ventured into the home, but boxes, paper, and waste filled the home. “The doors were barricaded with debris,” Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion said. “I could see fleas and bugs and piles from floor to ceiling, and I can smell urine and feces.”
There were no working toilets. Police entered the house wearing biohazard suits.
Michael also stated John helped bury Jean, 79, but John has not released any comment on his involvement. Michael told police his mother died in 2015 and the brothers buried her in a plastic container in their backyard.
Both Michael and John told authorities their sister, Jennifer Lelko, pushed their mother down the stairs of the home in 2015, causing a type of “head contusion” which led to her death. Michael also confessed his sister Jennifer, 44, died in 2019 and that her corpse was in the yard as well.
“He said, ‘We buried my mom in the backyard,’ and when I asked him how his sister is doing, he said, ‘In 2019, she came down with Covid, she got sick and she died,'” Herion said. This raised concern because the first death from Covid-19 was documented in Feb 2020.
Michael led officers to the burial site of the bodies so they could dig up the remains and deliver them to the coroner’s office for official identification. DNA processing took many months and DNA samples of the deceased match the brothers. However, authorities were not able to determine the cause of death, so Michael could not be charged with the deaths of his mother and sister.
John could potentially be charged with obstruction because he told police that his mother and sister were alive and living some place else, while having knowledge both parents were dead.
A federal investigation is pending in connection to Social Security checks that Michael was accessing after Jean died in 2015. Michael was caught on film making withdrawals from his mother’s account.
John was released without charges. Michael was released on bond after his court hearing on Friday, April 8 and is currently being monitored electronically. Michael is set to appear in court on May 5.
