
VOLO, Illinois -- An Illinois woman sent 100 officers scrambling overnight after saying she saw two men who fit the description of the cop killers police have been looking for.
But after hours of searching, police said, they discovered she made the whole story up.
"It's very disappointing because our resources could have been used somewhere else," Lake County Sheriff's Detective Christopher Covelli said early Thursday morning.
Law enforcement officers have been searching nonstop for three men suspected of killing Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz on Tuesday. The suspects have been described only as two white men and one black man.
On Wednesday night, Kristin B. Kiefer, 30, called police and said she was driving and pulled over near a corn field because she was having car trouble, Covelli said.
More than 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officers descended on the area overnight. Eleven K9 officers and three aircraft also responded to the tip.
But Kiefer later admitted she fabricated the story because she was looking for attention, Covelli said.
She was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct -- one felony, one misdemeanor -- due to the false report, the detective said.
Kiefer was being held Thursday morning at the Lake County jail and is scheduled to have a bond hearing later in the day.
Widow: He was 'my hero'
Gliniewicz was adored by many in Fox Lake, a community of about 10,000 people in northern Illinois. The 3-year police veteran led the local police explorers'
program, mentoring and training youths who are interested in becoming officers.
He was also a husband and father of four.
"Joe was my best friend and my world. My hero," Melodie Gliniewicz told more than 1,000 people at a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening.
She said her husband was "the love of my life for the last 26 1/2 years. He was my rock as much as I was his rock."
The last day of work
Gliniewicz was on his way to work Tuesday morning, in the cruiser that he had taken home the day before, when he saw three suspicious people, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said.
This would not have been unusual as Gliniewicz was the type of officer who considered himself on-duty as soon as he rolled into town, the said.
The lieutenant made the first call at 7:52 a.m. and called three minutes later to request backup. The backup units arrived at 8:01 and found their fellow officer dead, roughly 50 yards from his vehicle, at 8:09, Filenko said.
Authorities initially marked off a 2-square-mile area across tricky terrain and brought in helicopters, K-9 units, federal agents, night-vision equipment and body-heat sensors. Police cleared every home in the cordoned-off area and fielded more than 100 tips, Filenko said.
On Wednesday, they widened the search area.
So far, police have found no witnesses, but they are reviewing surveillance tapes from area buildings.
"Videos are coming from a number of places. Businesses. Factories. Gas stations," Filenko said.
They also have one video from a truck driver who had a camera in his vehicle and was in the area Tuesday.
An autopsy was completed, but authorities aren't releasing the results yet, Filenko said. The Northern Illinois Police Crime Laboratory is expediting its review of evidence to determine whether there was any fingerprint or DNA transfer.
Technicians should have that analysis finished within a "day or so," he said.
A challenging search
The FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined in the hunt. More than 400 law enforcement officers raked through the heavy woods near Fox Lake on foot, all-terrain vehicles and horseback.
Local police officers have volunteered to come in while they're off duty, and other law enforcement officers in the surrounding area have called to offer their assistance, Filenko said.
Asked whether he had a deadline for calling off the search, Filenko said, "I'm not going to set a time limit on this. I have a murdered colleague. ... We're not going to stop."
CNN's Tina Burnside, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Ryan Young and Rosa Flores contributed to this
MIKE JAMES
Be careful officers and remember, take no prisoners !!!
Ted Wips
Here we go again..
Kristin ziegler
Lake county Broadcastify channel says the area has been cleared.
Richard
They either fled a) afoot or, b) by vehicle. I am guessing b). Because, they apparently fled the officer toward rte. 12 where he was found. Then I believe in panic mode they got in their vehicle and escaped southward. There is a possibility of spotting the vehicle at one of the red light cameras. (Big Hollow comes to mind. Tuesday I walked the Volo Bog and saw absolutely nobody.
Debbie
c) or Boat
Moderated by Fox 6
Good. send the stupid heifer to prison
DeezPistachios
Liberal? Isn’t fox a conservative broadcasting network?
Harco
Fox News channel is conservative, but our local fox6 is very liberal. They are cop haters. Who is next the fire fighters? The teachers?
Peter
Scott walker can handle that….
Concerned Citizen
Grow up Kiefer are you really that stupid and to cross the family and law enforcement like that, you should be ashamed of yourself.
mark edward's
STUPID,STUPID woman for making up that story.GOD BLESS everyone looking for theses ANIMAL’S on the loose. I send all good vib’s to all the searcher’s in this case.
.
Stupid FIB.
ralph
It’s time to call in Bruce Jenner with his high heels and push up bra.
Jesse
Get the story right. He was a 30 year veteran, not 3 years. Proof read before posting!
Priscilla
Well, how’s that for attention you dumb fool! If you go to jail you will get all the attention you want!
richard cranium
suuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy! oink oink oink!!! fat ugly lying sow.
hatchet
Wow! She’s actually going bald at 30! She must be a smoker to has that scrubby smoker look and you can tell she’s overweight to typical American women
richard cranium
aaw poooor pork chop wants some attention. try losing a few hundred pounds and extensive plastic surgery.
MIKE JAMES
Kevin Odell Hickman Sr…. Is this fat tub of §$%// your woman. I’M sure thats the best you can do
Z
This stupid cow should be charged with obstruction of justice as well.
Danno
They should charge her with everything they can. As far as I’m concerned the scum bags get away.