Downers Grove Police Detail Burglaries at Home of Deceased Neighbors

The items that a Downers Grove man is accused of taking from his deceased neighbors were valued at over $2,000, according to two police reports.

The Downers Grove police reports reveal new details about the burglary and thefts that Kenneth Harry, 43, of the 6200 block of Park Avenue, has been charged with. He remains in the DuPage County Jail on $250,000 bail as of Sept. 23.

Harry is accused of entering the home of his late neighbors, Thomas and Jennifer Smith, and taking various items, including six Coach purses, a snowblower and a guitar. The Smiths were found dead July 19 at their Park Avenue home in an apparent murder-suicide, according to police.

On Sept. 13, the executor of the Smith's estate found an unlocked front door and various items missing.

"(The executor) went upstairs and discovered a window open, but the screen was on," the Sept. 13 report said. "(The executor) touched the screen and it fell off of the window."

The executor checked for valuables that were still in the house and a few were missing, including a guitar initially valued at $500 that was in the hallway at the top of the stairs. There were also six Coach purses worth about $800 that were gone from inside the master bedroom closet. A $500 Kitchen Aid mixer was taken from the kitchen counter, the report said.

The executor on Sept. 17 then found that someone forced entry to the garage and took a $600 red snowblower.

"The offender appeared to have used an unknown means to force the overhead door up that damaged the spring release mechanism to the automatic overhead door opener," the Sept. 17 report said.

Harry is due back in court on Oct. 21.

Related Stories

• Downers Grove Man Accused of Burglarizing Dead Neighbors' House
• Police: Home of Downers Grove Murder-Suicide Burglarized

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Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.