Infant's body found in Wheaton, investigation underway

UNINCORPORATED WHEATON, Ill. (WLS) -- The DuPage County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of an infant whose body was found in west suburban unincorporated Wheaton, Ill.

Authorities were called to the heavily-wooded residential area around 3 p.m. by two tree-trimmers who found the body in a small black backpack. Neighbors were stunned.

"I don't think even now I have digested it in my mind, that this is true, or that there was a baby here," said Stella, a nearby resident who only wanted to be identified by her first name.

The tree trimmers were at the site working for Mike Abbott.

"Devastating. Being a father of three, just unimaginable for sure," said Abbott of the discovery.

Abbott said his workers initially spotted the bag around 8 a.m. in a patch of brush along a private drive just off Plamondon Road. They thought nothing of it until they saw it again hours later.

"My guys, on the way out from the job, stopped and saw the backpack and just stopped to investigate it and came up with the worse. Couldn't tell if it was thrown out of a car. Couldn't tell if it was set there," Abbot said.

Police have not released details regarding the infant, including its gender or the circumstances of its death.

"That's unbelievable. I don't know how anybody could do that. I have a baby, so that's insane," said nearby resident Kristin Fara.

Residents said they have had some issues in the past with teenagers using the wooded area for drinking and drug use, but nothing like this. The DuPage County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on the death to call (630) 407-2400.