Allendale officials say staff is 'saddened' by youth's death

Lake County authorities are investigating the death of a teenage boy at the Allendale Association campus in Lake Villa.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Det. Christopher Covelli said Lake Villa police and rescue were called at 9:58 p.m. Wednesday for the report of an injury at the private, nonprofit social service organization for children and adolescents with moderate to profound emotional and behavioral disabilities.

The unidentified 16-year-old victim was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Covelli and coroner's officials said. The boy was pronounced dead at 11:10 p.m., he said Thursday.

Covelli declined to release the name of the victim but said he was a client of Allendale.

The task force was called in and has taken over the investigation, with the help of the Lake Villa Police Department, he said. Authorities are speaking with several staff members and clients, he said.

Covelli would not say if anyone is in custody at this time.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning, he said.

Connie Borucki, Allendale's senior vice president of human resources, said the staff is cooperating with authorities during the investigation.

“We are just heartbroken for the loss of the young life,” Borucki said. “Our entire staff is saddened beyond words.”

Allendale, in the 0-100 block of Offield Drive, was founded in 1897, according to its website. The youth and their families enrolled at Allendale receive care and treatment through the residential treatment programs, day treatment special education schools or from community-based clinical programs and services.

The website says that more than 1,200 clients between the ages of 7 and 18 are served annually. The Lake Villa campus has residential services for 150 clients and a school with an enrollment of 200 students. It also has homes or community-based centers in Wisconsin, Highland Park and Waukegan.

Because the investigation involves a juvenile, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, has been notified. Veronica Resa, spokeswoman with DCFS, said the department is investigating but declined to comment further. The Lake County coroner's office will conduct an autopsy at 9 a.m. Friday.