Four female students, aged 4 to 18 years old, were killed in central Illinois on Monday afternoon when a vehicle struck a school camp program, authorities said.
While the cause of the crash in Chatham, about 12 miles south of Springfield, remains under investigation, state police said Tuesday it “does not appear to be a targeted attack.”
The driver, 44-year-old Chatham resident Marianne Akers, was not in custody, officials said Tuesday.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said in a statement Monday night that the victims were “four female students” who were pronounced dead at the scene.
Three of the victims were outside the building and one was inside, state police said in a statement.
Emergency vehicles and personnel outside of YNOT Outdoors, an after-school program, in Chatham, Ill., on Monday. Thomas J. Turney / The State Journal-Register/USA Today Network via Imagn
Examinations of the victims’ bodies were expected Tuesday as part of the investigation into the incident, Allmon said. They will be identified to the public after family members are notified of their deaths, the coroner said.
Several others were injured, officials said, including a person who was taken to a hospital by helicopter.
A vehicle drove into the east side of a building used by the YNOT After School Camp about 3:20 p.m., state police said. It struck several people inside and exited through the building’s west wall, the agency said.
The driver, who was the only person in the vehicle, has been hospitalized but was uninjured, state police said Tuesday. Toxicology tests have taken place on the driver and the results are pending.
State police said the crash remains under investigation.
Chatham police called the deaths a “terrible tragedy.”
“If you believe in the power of prayer, please take a moment to pray right now for the entire Chatham community,” they said in a statement.
Gov. JB Pritzker said on X that he is “horrified” by what happened and that his office is ready to support those affected.
“Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” he said. “Parents said goodbye to their kids this morning, not knowing it would be the last time.”
He added: “My heart is heavy for these families.”
In-person instruction was canceled Tuesday at Ball-Chatham School District campuses, where an e-learning day was declared instead to focus “solely on the emotional well-being of everyone in the Ball-Chatham community,” spokesperson Danny Frey said in a statement.
The village of Chatham has a population exceeding 14,000 and with a median household income of more than $106,000, according to the latest Census data.
NBC affiliate WAND of Springfield reported that the building across from a city water tower and park is leased or owned by the camp.
A representative for the camp did not immediately respond to a request for information. According to its website, a Springfield couple launched it in 2002 to help keep children active and stimulate their minds during the summer.
Akers could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday through publicly listed phone numbers and emails associated with her and her family members.
Karen Cortes, Gemma DiCasimirro, Insiya Gandhi, Ava Kelley and David K. Li contributed.
