Former Owner Of 'Home Alone' House Charged With Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Material: Police

LAKE FOREST, IL — Lake Forest resident and the former owner of the "Home Alone" house in Winnetka was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities announced Friday.

Authorities in Lake Forest executed a search warrant on John M. Abendshein's, 79, home on Friday after receiving multiple cyber tips that a Google Drive account associated with him contained child sexual abuse material.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Colleen McConnel told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the account contained numerous photos of children between the ages of 4 and 15 years old in various stages of undress.

McConnell said Abendshein confirmed that the Google Drive account was his and that no one else had access to it.

“These cases are deeply concerning, and we are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those involved,” said Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke. “We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect children and ensure community safety.”

Abendshein was taken into custody and charged with three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (Class 2 felony) and four counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (Class 3 felony). He attended a detention hearing Friday afternoon, and his petition to detain was denied. He was released with conditions.

The investigation is ongoing, and police said they would not be releasing additional details about the case until formal charges have been filed.

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