Illinois Mom Urges Changes in Laws After Tragedy

Leroy, Ill. - Amy Leichtenberg will never break some habits, like the anticipation that still comes at 3 every afternoon when her two sons used to bound through the door from school.

She remains optimistic that changes in custody and child abduction laws could spare others from the situation that lead to their deaths last year at the hands of their father.

On March 8, 2009, her ex-husband Michael Connolly failed to return Duncan, 9, and Jack, 7, to their mother after a weekend visit. Amy immediately panicked; she'd been involved in years of legal battles over visitation issues.

A wide-ranging police search produced many tips but not a single confirmed sighting of Connolly's car. On March 29, a passerby in rural Putnam County found the boys' bodies in the car's back seat. Connolly was found nearby.

"I don't want the anniversary to come because I don't want it to become years of anniversaries," said Leichtenberg, who will spend today privately. An April 10 event, marking what would have been Jack's 8th birthday, will be the final public memorial for the boys, she said.

With the exception of class photos signed by their classmates who miss them, nothing has been added or taken from the boys' bedrooms. Leichtenberg has gone inside just once in the past year.

She focuses on her work with state Rep. Dan Brady on changes in the law that could speed up the search for children abducted by a parent. A current rule -- that the children must be determined to be in danger -- delayed issuance of an Amber Alert for more than 24 hours in the Leichtenberg case.

"What I would like to see happen is when children are not returned, and an order of protection is in place that blankets the children, the Amber Alert should be issued immediately," said Leichtenberg.

She also wants mental health records available to both sides in custody disputes and the chance for second opinions on mental health reports.

Two pending bills would address both concerns. "We're looking at how we can take the tragedy and get something positive done," said Brady, a Bloomington Republican.

An unusual connection exists between his office and the Leichtenberg case. On the Friday before the boys disappeared, Connolly called Brady's office to make a complaint.

"Like any call we get from an angry person, it was concerning to our office. Obviously he gave no indication of what he was going to do but he complained that he thought the Bloomington and LeRoy police were out to get him," said Brady.

The call was reported to police after the lawmaker learned the children were missing.

McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery is researching the idea of a regional alert system that could get the word out quickly to surrounding communities when a child is missing. Modeled after a program in St. Louis, police would work with news media to publicize information.

Every minute counts in abductions and police have some advantages when the alleged abductor is known, said Emery.

"There are important things to start working on when you know who the abductor is. With a stranger abduction, you have nothing," said the sheriff.

Police agencies must be willing to share information with other law enforcement and share it quickly, said the sheriff.

"We have to get past this idea of a closed shop. We have to use the many resources that are available," he said.

The sheriff acknowledged that Connolly had a crucial advantage over those looking for him and trying to spare the boys from harm. "Where he had weeks, months and years to plan, we had minutes and hours in a day to prevent it," he said.

In 2008, Connolly admitted to violating an order of protection. LeRoy police documented more than 50 incidents showing a pattern in which Connolly harassed Leichtenberg and threatened to kill himself.

He had a history of mental health issues, including depression, according to reports filed as part of the couple's divorce case. Leichtenberg filed for divorce in 2007 after 13 years of marriage.