Will County sheriff's deputies save Christmas for 7-year-old girl after break-in

JOLIET TOWNSHIP – About 8:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, Anthony Brown, Molly Keck and their daughter, Brooklyn Brown, 7, left their home on Mills Road to visit Anthony’s sister.

Two hours later, they returned to find they’d been visited by someone more interested in playing the Grinch than Santa.

“The back door had been kicked open, and they’d used our garbage bags from the kitchen to take the presents,” Anthony Brown said.

All the gifts that had been under the tree and children’s clothes had been unwrapped and stolen, according to Will County sheriff’s police. The burglars had also rummaged through drawers and took gold jewelry, a laptop computer, a 32-inch television set, an Xbox and video games.

“Brooklyn was crying. She kept asking, ‘Why did they steal everything?’” Keck said.

“I heard [Brooklyn] first when I got out of the car,” Deputy Michael Kane said. “The whole family was upset. She was devastated. That was the hardest part.”

After investigating at the house, Kane asked Brooklyn what she’d wanted from Santa.

“She said, ‘I don’t care what ... as long as he brings something.’ That’s when it clicked for me,” Kane said.

Kane and Deputies Brett Farmer and Mark Tapella left the house, turned to each other in the yard and decided they had to do some last-minute shopping.

A few phone calls later, other on-duty officers had agreed to cover calls for service and the deputies were headed to Walgreens on Route 30 in New Lenox, which was one of the few stores still open. By the time they reached the store, 10 deputies, five sergeants and a lieutenant had agreed to cover $600 worth of presents.

“When Sgt. Mike Corsi walked in, three people who were shopping in the store asked why all the police were there. He explained and all three gave him $20 each for people they didn’t know,” Kane said.

Walgreens also offered an employee discount as the deputies bought dolls, stuffed animals, miscellaneous stocking stuffers and gift cards – and a remote-control police car.

The gifts were quickly wrapped back at the station before a group of deputies returned around 1 a.m. to Mills Road.

“Brooklyn started smiling. Molly started crying. I wanted to cry but I held it in,” Anthony Brown said. “They made her open [the presents] and she was hugging everyone.”

“You just don’t expect people to be so caring and giving,” Keck said.

The parents agreed the deputies did “far more” than they needed to.

“I think seeing [Brooklyn’s] reaction reminded us why we got into this and help people,” Kane said.