Joliet Mother Arrested Following Death Of 12-Year-Old Daughter

35-year-old Colette Bancroft of Joliet was arrested, processed, and released on a Notice to Appear for Possession of a Controlled Substance. 

Just before 8:30 Sunday morning, Officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of East Washington Street for an unresponsive female juvenile. Upon arrival, Officers located an unresponsive 12-year-old female in a bedroom on the second floor of the home. Officers immediately provided medical assistance, including CPR and the deployment of Narcan, until the arrival of Joliet Fire Department paramedics.  

Following a preliminary investigation of this incident, it is believed that the 12-year-old victim ingested an unknown amount of suspected heroin and fentanyl. The victim was discovered to be unresponsive by her mother, Bancroft, and others in the home called 911. Officers learned that Bancroft and her daughter share the bedroom where the victim was located. During this investigation, Officers recovered suspected heroin and fentanyl from Bancroft’s purse in the bedroom and she was placed into custody without incident. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified about the incident at this time.  

The 12-year-old victim was transported to Silver Cross Hospital by the Joliet Fire Department. Shortly thereafter, she was transferred to Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where she was pronounced deceased shortly after 5:00 p.m., on April 17, 2024.  

This case remains under active investigation as Detectives and Evidence Technicians continue to process information and evidence pertinent to this case. No further information will be provided at this time.