Joliet mother charged two years after 12-year-old daughter’s fentanyl overdose death
Collette Bancroft | Joliet police
JOLIET, Ill. – More than two years after a 12-year-old girl suffered a fatal drug overdose in a shared bedroom, her mother has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Collette Bancroft, 37, was taken into custody Saturday by Joliet police detectives at a McDonald’s restaurant in Lockport.
The arrest came after the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed newly compiled evidence and secured a warrant for felony charges that hold Bancroft criminally responsible for the child’s death.
What we know:
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Bancroft on Nov. 5 following an extended inquiry into the child’s 2024 death.
Bancroft faces four charges:
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Felony endangering the life or health of a child
- Two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance
Police said detectives uncovered critical toxicology results and medical records showing that fentanyl was present in the 12-year-old’s system when she died. Following her arrest Saturday, Bancroft was processed at the Joliet Police Department and booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility.
The backstory:
On April 14, 2024, emergency crews were called at approximately 8:24 a.m. to a house in the 1500 block of East Washington Street in Joliet.
First responders found the unresponsive 12-year-old girl in a second-floor bedroom that she shared with her mother. Police officers administered medical aid at the scene until Joliet Fire Department paramedics arrived.
The girl was rushed to Silver Cross Hospital before being transferred to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where medical staff pronounced her dead three days later
A preliminary investigation showed the girl ingested suspected heroin and fentanyl. Bancroft was the person who discovered the child unresponsive, prompting others in the home to call 911. During an initial search of the shared bedroom, officers found suspected heroin and fentanyl inside Bancroft’s purse.
At the time, Bancroft—then 35—was arrested on controlled substance possession charges and released with a notice to appear in court, while the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was alerted.
The Source: The information in this report came from news releases and statements provided by the Joliet Police Department.
