I received an e-mail this morning, and the news was not the outcome we hoped and prayed for. Jersey, thank you for e-mailing the article and link !

Sadly, Duncan and Jack were found deceased in the back seat of the car. Rest in peace 'Little Dudes'.

Debra
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Missing LeRoy boys, father found dead in Putnam County 3.30.2009

By Edith Brady-Lunny
 

UPDATED 10:40 a.m. LEROY -- Students and staff at LeRoy schools were dealing with the tragic news this morning that the bodies of two of their classmates were found Sunday in Putnam County.

The discovery of Jack Connolly, 7, and Duncan Connolly, 9, and their father, Michael Connolly, ended a three-week search for the boys.

A statement from the McLean County Sheriff’s Department said the children were found in the back seat of the car and their father was about 60 feet away at a remote site in the county north of Peoria.

Connolly did not return the children to their mother, Amy Leichtenberg, from a weekend visit March 8 to his Bloomington home.

LeRoy Superintendent Gary Tipsord said he learned of the deaths around midnight and met with school staff and counselors at 4 a.m. to finalize plans on how students would be told about the deaths.

“Our concern was that in any small town, information seems to move pretty quickly. We wanted accurate information disseminated to the students at the same time,” said Tipsord.

Counselors were on hand at the elementary school where Duncan was a third grader and Jack was in second grade. Parents also came to the classrooms and some students went home for the day, according to the Tipsord.

Counselors from other school districts experienced in grief counseling were in LeRoy Monday.

Although the deaths were not the outcome everyone hoped for, Tipsord said school staff members were prepared to deal with the worst. A crisis team had made plans to help students if the boys did not return to school.

Since the boys’ disappearance, LeRoy teachers have talked openly with students about the situation. A recent “Blue and Green Day” recognized the boys and the community’s hope that they would be returned safely.

Tipsord acknowledged that the grieving process will take time.

“It’s going to take time for it to be real. Three weeks ago students understood the boys were gone. Trying to absorb that they won’t be back is going to take some time,” said the superintendent.

A statement from McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery said Putnam County sheriff's police responded to a call of a suspicous vehicle around 5 p.m. Sunday.

The bodies of Jack and Duncan Connolly were found20in the back seat of the car. The body of the boys' father, Michael Connolly, was found about 60 feet west of the vehicle.

Autopsies were scheduled for 1 p.m. today in McLean County.

The car was found in a secluded remote area of Putnam County.

A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. today at the McLean County Sheriff's office.

Source: http://pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/30/news/doc49d0cb9bafcc5619154502.txt