A pregnant mother who was beaten, run over and had her two-year-old abducted in a carjacking near Libertyville in February has given birth to her baby, who she says is healthy and a “miracle.”
The incident happened around 3:35 p.m. on February 23 in the 16000 block of West Buckley Road in unincorporated Libertyville.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies received a call for a vehicular hijacking with a two-year-old child still inside the vehicle.
34-year-old Taylor Shepherd, who was approximately six months pregnant at the time, had just returned to her residence, according to her neighbors and police.
She pulled into her driveway and brought one of her children inside, Covelli said.
Shepherd came back to her car to retrieve her other child, a two-year-old boy, when a white BMW pulled into her driveway behind her car.
A man exited the passenger side of the BMW and struggled to get into the woman’s 2021 Volkswagen Atlas as she tried to keep her two-year-old son safe.
The offender battered Shepherd and knocked her to the ground, Covelli said. He then stole her car with the child inside.
He and the driver of the BMW, described as a 2000s model with a black bumper and loud exhaust, fled from the scene.
One of the two drivers ran Shepherd over as they fled, causing serious injuries to her extremities, Covelli said.
The woman was still able to call 911 and sheriff’s deputies immediately responded.
The abducted child was later located abandoned in Waukegan and found by an employee of a business. He was unharmed.
Sheriff’s deputies located the stolen Volkswagen in a parking lot near Casimir Pulaski and Route 43 in Waukegan. The wanted BMW, which was stolen from a car dealership, was later located as well.
Shepherd underwent multiple surgeries for her traumatic injuries and was hospitalized for weeks.
In an update Thursday, Shepherd announced she gave birth on June 26 to Noah Collin, who is healthy and thriving.
“All of the waiting and all of the unknowns, he has not only survived but he is thriving! I’m so beyond thankful. As I sit and hold my miracle in my arms, all I can see is God’s hand on my life. We have been saved, and today I’m lucky enough to celebrate 35 years of life,” she said.
“This has been the hardest road I’ve been on in life yet, but I still see God in it all. I want to thank everyone who has helped our family get through this–the first responders, my neighbors, my family, the nurses who sat with me (even on their off time), the doctors who went above and beyond, and the strangers. Ah, the strangers- people from all over coming to drop meals off for our family- you are all my heroes!” Shepherd said.
Shepherd said that she has had a “rough recovery” but is getting stronger every day and was recently approved for more therapy.
The North Libertyville Estates neighborhood created a GoFundMe account to help the Shepherd-Koutelidakis family in February.
Over $82,000 has been raised by 1,400 donors, far surpassing the fundraiser’s initial goal of $50,000.