VALPARAISO, Ind. (TCD) — A 19-year-old male faces charges after allegedly strangling his mother last week and inflicting serious brain damage, causing her to die days later.
On Monday, Feb. 5, at around 4 p.m., officers with the Valparaiso Police Department responded to the 1350 block of Diamond Boulevard after Conner Kobold called dispatch several times requesting their assistance.
In one of those calls, Kobold said, “I need you to send a police car here right now” and hung up, according to WXIN-TV.
According to court documents reviewed by WGN-TV, Kobold, who sustained scratches on his face, asked that a police officer handcuff him and place him in the back of a squad car. Inside the police vehicle, Kobold reportedly told an officer, “There is a dead person inside of the house on the corner.”
Police went to the nearby residence, where they reportedly found Kobold’s mother, Shanelle Burns, unresponsive without a pulse, and officers identified Kobold as the primary suspect.
Fire personnel transported Burns to a local hospital for treatment. She died two days later, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, WGN reports.
Hospital staff reportedly determined Burns’ injuries put her in “grave danger.” According to WXIN, she suffered “substantial” brain damage before her death, sustained small ligature marks on her neck, and at one point had a body temperature of 93 degrees.
Inside the home, officers reportedly observed the furniture had been moved, suggesting there was a struggle.
On Friday, Feb. 9, an autopsy determined Burns died of asphyxiation secondary to strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide, WGN reports.
Before the fatal attack, Burns reportedly filed an eviction notice against her son because he allegedly failed to follow “agreed upon house rules.”
Police said Kobold was initially booked into the Porter County Jail on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, and strangulation. However, according to jail records, he now faces an upgraded charge of murder.
Prior to her death, Burns worked as a vice president of advancement at Loyola University Chicago.
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