Illinois after-school camp crash: Driver, deceased victims identified

Illinois State Police identified Marianne Akers on Tuesday as the driver whose car crashed into an after-school camp yesterday in Chatham, leaving four people and multiple children dead. 

Officials announced that the 44-year-old from Chatham is “not in custody at this time as the cause of the crash remains under investigation.” 

The deadly incident occurred at around 3:20 p.m. when a car left the road for unknown reasons and went through a building at the YNOT After School Camp in Chatham, according to state police. The camp is about 11 miles south of Springfield. 

“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Akers, was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Toxicology reports are pending. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack,” state police said Tuesday. 

4 PEOPLE, INCLUDING CHILDREN, KILLED AFTER VEHICLE CRASHES INTO ILLINOIS AFTER-SCHOOL CAMP 

Jennifer Walston, 43, hugs daughter Lexi Walston, 6, while sisters Briley Walston, 9, and Madison Foster, 10, placed flowers and stuffed animals at the site where several were killed on Monday, when a car barreled through a building used for an after-school camp in Chatham, Ill. (AP/John O’Connor)

The Sangamon County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Kathryn Corley, 7, Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, and Ainsley Johnson, 8, of Chatham, and Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield.

“All four girls were pronounced deceased at the scene,” it said. “Postmortem procedures done today indicate that they all died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the incident.”

It’s unclear at this point whether Akers has an attorney. 

The car traveled through the building and struck several victims inside before exiting the other side.  

Emergency vehicles and personnel outside YNOT Outdoors, an after-school program in the 300 block of North Breckenridge in Chatham, Ill., on April 28. (Thomas J. Turney/The State Journal-Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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“Six additional children were taken to area hospitals and one remains in critical condition,” state police said Tuesday. 

“ISP traffic crash reconstruction, patrol, crime scene services, and criminal investigations all responded to the scene along with Chatham Police Department, Chatham Fire Department, Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, the Sangamon County Coroner, and numerous other first responders,” it also said. 

The incident took place at the YNOT After School Camp on Monday. (Aarika Jo via Facebook)

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Illinois State Police said the incident remains an “active investigation” and that it “offers its sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and Chatham community during this difficult time.” 

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.