• 2026-01-23 15:35:43
• Gun Violence

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The quick actions by a 10-year-old boy and police likely saved the life of a woman whose estranged husband now faces attempted murder charges for strangling her inside her home in Beach Park last week.

Meanwhile, Michael Coleman, 47, of the 9700 block of 17th Street in Zion, has been ordered to remain detained at the Lake County Jail on the attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery/strangulation charges in connection with the attack, according to court documents.

At about 2:40 p.m. on January 16, police received a 911 call from the 10-year-old son of Coleman, according to court documents provided to Patch. The boy told dispatchers he'd just witnessed his dad choking his mom inside their Beach Park house.

When police arrived, they found the boy and his 5-year-old sister in a car outside the home. They also spoke with Coleman who told police his estranged wife, a 34-year-old woman, was not at the house, according to court documents.

Officers retrieved the house keys from Coleman and went into the home where they found the woman in the basement with a belt around her neck and throat, according to court documents.

Deputies performed CPR on the woman and were able to restore her pulse before she was transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said.

"She had a weak, thready pulse, and agonal breathing, which if left without CPR, generally leads to death," said Christopher Covelli, deputy chief for the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Coleman was taken into custody.

Both children told police Coleman came to the Beach Park house and made statements about their mother cheating, according to the court documents. The children came downstairs after they heard their parents fighting and found Coleman on top of their mother with both hands around her neck.

The 10-year-old boy said he heard his mother choking and kicking but then heard quiet, according to the court documents. Coleman then told both children to put their shoes on and to go wait in the car.

While outside, the 10-year-old boy used his Apple Watch to call 911, according to authorities.

An update on the woman's condition was not immediately available Friday.