Crime
Marianne Akers Identified as Driver in Chatham After-School Camp Crash That Killed 4 Children and Injured 6 Others
Toxicology results are pending.
Chatham, Illinois — The Illinois State Police (ISP) continues to investigate a tragic vehicle crash that occurred on the afternoon of Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries, most of them children.
The driver involved in the incident has been identified as 44-year-old Marianne Akers of Chatham.
According to authorities, Akers is not currently in custody as the investigation remains ongoing.
However, preliminary information indicates that impairment may have been a factor in the crash.
At approximately 3:20 p.m., a vehicle operated by Akers reportedly left the roadway for unknown reasons, traveled through a field, and entered the east side of the YNOT After School Camp located at 301 Breckenridge Road.
The vehicle continued through the building, striking numerous individuals inside, before exiting through the opposite side of the structure.
Tragically, four victims lost their lives in the crash.
They have been identified as two 7-year-olds, an 8-year-old, and an 18-year-old. Six additional children sustained injuries and were transported to area hospitals. One remains in critical condition.
Akers, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was not physically injured and was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
Multiple eyewitnesses reported that she appeared impaired at the scene. A field sobriety test was conducted and reportedly failed.
Toxicology results are pending.
While investigators have not identified any evidence suggesting the crash was intentional, the possibility of driving under the influence (DUI) remains a central focus.
Witness accounts and early findings indicate intoxication may have contributed to the deadly incident.
Akers is employed with the Chatham School District’s food service department. Authorities have not confirmed whether her employment status is relevant to the ongoing investigation.
Numerous agencies responded to the scene, including ISP Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit, ISP Patrol, Crime Scene Services, and Criminal Investigations Division, as well as the Chatham Police Department, Chatham Fire Department, Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sangamon County Coroner.
Illinois State Police issued the following statement:
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation. We offer our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected, and to the Chatham community as they grieve this unimaginable loss.”
No further details are being released at this time.
Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact the Illinois State Police.
Now that court proceedings have concluded, Alexzandrea Thomas has chosen to break her silence regarding the years of abuse she endured at the hands of her biological father, Kenneth Cook, who was recently arrested and charged in a high-profile case out of MacArthur, West Virginia.
Cook faces multiple felony charges including sexual abuse by a parent or custodian, third-degree sexual assault, child neglect, and three counts of incest, following a lengthy investigation into the abuse that resulted in the birth of three children.
In a personal statement shared after the trial, Thomas expressed both relief and frustration, addressing the ongoing inquiries and messages she has received since the case became public.
“I’m only speaking out now because I’m overwhelmed with messages, and I want people to understand the truth,” Thomas said. “I reported him repeatedly since I was 9 years old, but no one believed me. My grandmother worked closely with Child Protective Services, and she convinced everyone I was lying.”
She went on to describe a childhood marked by isolation, fear, and ongoing manipulation. “When my grandfather found out, he didn’t even look surprised. The last time I confided in a school guidance counselor, CPS got involved—but once again, my grandmother suppressed the investigation. My father told me if I ever spoke out again, he knew how to make me disappear.”
Thomas said she was denied access to a phone, vehicle, and outside relationships, and that her father intentionally kept her from contact with her mother’s side of the family. “When he realized I was growing close to a neighbor, he threatened to shoot him and made sure I left the room whenever that neighbor came over. He did everything in his power to silence me.”
One of the most distressing parts of her statement involved the birth of her youngest child, who was born with health complications. “My baby spent the first week of his life in the hospital but was denied further medical care afterward,” she said. “I was trying to care for a very sick baby on my own, with no support and no access to healthcare, because he feared the truth would come out.”
The criminal case against Cook was initiated after medical personnel at Charleston Area Medical Center raised concerns about severe malnourishment in the youngest child, who at one year old weighed only six pounds.
Genetic testing subsequently confirmed that the children were the result of a first-degree incestuous relationship between Cook and Thomas.
“I already know he’s a monster—I lived with him. I survived him,” she said. “You don’t know how many times I thought about ending my life, because it felt like it would never stop.”
Thomas ended her statement with a plea for privacy. “To those who are sorry, I appreciate your compassion. To those defending him, stay away from me. I will never forget or forgive what he did, but I’m trying—every day—to heal.”
Kenneth Cook remains in custody at the Southern Regional Jail on a $500,000 bond. The investigation is ongoing.