An elderly man who formerly owned the house featured in Home Alone died just days after he was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material.
John Abendshien, a 79-year-old from Lake Forest, Illinois, was found dead Wednesday at a local nature preserve after he was reported missing by his wife, the Lake Forest Police Department told The Independent.
Preliminary autopsy results suggest he “died from asphyxia in a manner consistent with being self-inflicted,” the Lake County Coroner’s Office said Thursday. Investigators do not suspect any foul play, and the incident remains under investigation.
Abendshien was taken into custody last week after police executed a search warrant at a Lake Forest home as part of an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation. He was then charged with seven felony offenses related to the possession of child sexual abuse material, according to police.
“The search warrant was supported by multiple cyber tips indicating that an online account associated with the suspect had been used in the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse material,” the Lake Forest Police Department said in a statement.
Abendshien attended a hearing Friday, where a petition to detain him was denied and he was “released with conditions,” the agency said.
“These cases are deeply concerning, and we are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those involved. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect children and ensure community safety,” Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke said in a statement.
The Independent spoke to Abendshien in December about what it was like to own the house featured in the 1990 Christmas film Home Alone. Abendshien recalled visiting the home, located outside of Chicago, in 1989 and feeling immediately drawn to it. Less than a year later, he was contacted by a location scout who hoped to use it in the film.
“I cannot explain it to this day, but when we pulled up and looked at it something about that place just captured my heart,” he said. “For one thing I really love natural light, and that home has an abundance of windows. I just liked the shape of it. True confession, we pretty much bought the house from the curb.”
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