Disabled residents allegedly abused at Chicago area developmental center
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A CBS 2 exclusive. Blowing the whistle on alleged abuse inside a state-run center for adults with disabilities; a former nursing assistant at the Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee is sharing with CBS 2 what disturbing video that appears to show abuse.
She sat down with CBS 2's Tara Molina days after calling the police and leaving her job.
The state is now investigating.
CBS 2 has confirmed both the state police and the Department of Human Services are investigating these allegations of abuse right now, including the video shared with us.
A warning: The video and the allegations are disturbing.
"Some serious changes need to be made."
You won't see her face. And her voice has been disguised. But she said it's what she has to say that matters.
Because she said she's speaking out for those who can't.
"Those people don't have a voice. A lot of them are wards of the state."
Just days ago she dialed 911 and called in state inspectors, exposing what she called repeated acts of abuse inside the state-run Shapiro Developmental Center.
She said she caught disturbing images on camera last week. A short video of a resident held by the hood of her sweatshirt by someone after she said the resident flipped a table.
"That's a normal thing. That was just the first time I got it on video."
The state describes the Shapiro Center as a support and services center for "medically fragile" adults with "severe behavioral problems," people requiring "support in all activities of daily living."
But what has she seen?
"I witnessed a lot of pillowcases over the heads of individuals. Strangling them. Choking them, preventing them from going to 1the bathroom. Taking their meals away, so that they couldn't eat."
An incident on Saturday is what she calls her breaking point.
"Four staff put a pillowcase over one of the individual's heads. Strangling her so bad she pooped her pants while going from her bedroom to the shower room. Hearing the traumatic noises in the shower room of them banging her head against the wall. Her screaming. Gasping for air."
She called the Office of the Inspector General and the police. Both responded.
The former worker said she knew by making those calls she couldn't return to the campus.
She didn't. While acknowledging she's not the only one who works there, when asked if others said anything, she said.
"No, they kinda put a scare in us to report things."
Now she's sharing information with Illinois State Police as they investigate the allegations of abuse she's brought against four staffers.
Illinois State Police confirmed they're investigating "an allegation of abuse committed by SDC staff against a resident."
A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said: "Staff accused of wrongdoing have been put on administrative leave pending investigation."
It's standard procedure in cases like these. While it's rare to hear directly from a staffer, it's not the first time this center has been under a microscope.
The CBS 2 Investigators reported on Catholic priest Richard Jacklin accused of sexually assaulting a Shapiro resident in 2017. Jacklin was convicted last year and sentenced in January to 18 years in prison.
The latest report from Illinois' Inspector General shows 49 allegations of physical abuse at the center last year.
There were also allegations of mental abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Of those, two of those allegations were substantiated.
"I want to make a change in facilities like that. And just the overall safety and well-being of those people. That is their home. They don't get to go home," she said.
The Shapiro Developmental Center is state-run, but CBS 2 reached its offices directly for a response to the allegations. No one responded.
A statement from the Illinois Department of Human Services was sent to CBS 2:
IDHS cannot comment on open investigations. We take all allegations of resident abuse very seriously and work closely with ISP and the OIG on their investigations at our developmental centers. Staff accused of wrongdoing have been put on administrative leave pending investigation.
Four IDHS staff accused of wrongdoing have been put on paid administrative leave pending investigation. Unless the conduct rises to the level that criminal charges are ultimately brought, which would result in an unpaid suspension pending the judicial verdict, this is the normal administrative process for staff accused of abuse.
CBS 2 received a statement from the Illinois State Police:
On September 30, 2023, the Illinois State Police responded to the Illinois Department of Human Services, Shapiro Developmental Center (SDC) in Kankakee, IL, pursuant to an allegation of Resident Abuse against SDC staff. The matter is under investigation, and no additional information is available at this time."
It was an allegation of abuse committed by SDC staff against a resident.