Old Owner of ''Home Alone'' House Dies After Police Find Bad Pictures

Apr 24, 2026, 04:21

Introduction

John Abendshien was 79 years old. He was the old owner of a house in Chicago. The house was in the movie ''Home Alone'' from 1990. Police found his body in a park in Lake Forest, Illinois. Days before, police said he had bad pictures of children. The police do not think someone killed him.

Main Body

Police found Mr. Abendshien''s body at 5:25 PM on Wednesday. They found him in a park called Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve. His wife told police he was missing earlier that day. Police used drones and dogs to look for him. The coroner, Jennifer Banek, said he died at the park. The first doctor''s report said he could not breathe. It looked like he did this to himself. Police do not think someone killed him. Before this, Mr. Abendshien left jail on April 17. Police said he had seven bad pictures of children. Deputy Police Chief Michael Lange said police searched his home on April 17. A person online told police about the pictures. Assistant State''s Attorney Colleen McConnell said police found many pictures. The pictures showed children from 4 to 15 years old. Some pictures showed a dead person. Mr. Abendshien said the online account was his. He said no one else used it. He said he had three pictures of a young girl. In court on April 17, Assistant State''s Attorney Patrick Windmoeller said more things. He said Mr. Abendshien wrote a story about a real woman. In the story, a man follows her home and hurts her with a gun. Mr. Abendshien also wrote a story about his 14-year-old neighbor. Mr. Abendshien''s lawyers said he was a good man. They said he was not dangerous. The judge let him leave jail. Police Chief John Burke said the police will keep working to stop these crimes.

Conclusion

Mr. Abendshien''s death ends the court case. The case started only a few days ago. He left jail just days before he died. The police will not look for more information about the bad pictures. They said there will be no more action on the charges.

Vocabulary Learning

bad
Not good; wrong or harmful.不好的；錯誤或有害的。
Example:It is bad to take things that are not yours.
died
Past tense of 'die'. To stop living.「死亡」的過去式，停止生命。
Example:The old man died in his sleep.
found
Past tense of 'find'. To see something after looking for it.「找到」的過去式，經過尋找後看見某物。
Example:I found my keys under the table.
owner
A person who has something, like a house or a car.擁有者，例如房屋或汽車的主人。
Example:The owner of the house is my friend.
police
People who make sure everyone follows the law.警察，確保大家遵守法律的人。
Example:The police help people who are in danger.

Sentence Learning

Police found his body in a park in Lake Forest, Illinois.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'found' to describe a completed action. 'His body' is the object of the verb. 'In a park' and 'in Lake Forest, Illinois' are prepositional phrases that tell us where.本句使用過去簡單時態的'found'來描述一個已完成的動作。'His body'是動詞的受詞。'In a park'和'in Lake Forest, Illinois'是介詞短語，告訴我們地點。
Days before, police said he had bad pictures of children.
This sentence uses the past perfect tense 'had' to show that the pictures existed before the police spoke. 'Bad pictures of children' is a noun phrase describing what he owned.本句使用過去完成時態的'had'來表示這些圖片在警方發言之前就已經存在。'Bad pictures of children'是一個名詞短語，描述他擁有的東西。
The first doctor's report said he could not breathe.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'said' for a statement. 'Could not' is the past form of 'can not', showing inability. 'Breathe' is a verb.本句使用過去簡單時態的'said'來表述一個陳述。'Could not'是'can not'的過去式，表示沒有能力。'Breathe'是一個動詞。
He said he had three pictures of a young girl.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'said' for the main action. 'He had' uses the past simple tense to describe possession. 'A young girl' is a noun phrase.本句使用過去簡單時態的'said'來表示主要動作。'He had'使用過去簡單時態來描述擁有。'A young girl'是一個名詞短語。
His wife told police he was missing earlier that day.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'told' for the main action. 'He was missing' uses the past continuous tense to describe a state that existed at a specific time. 'Earlier that day' is a time phrase.本句使用過去簡單時態的'told'來表示主要動作。'He was missing'使用過去進行時態來描述在特定時間存在的狀態。'Earlier that day'是一個時間短語。