The Berwyn Police Department together with the City of Berwyn, would like to provide you with up-to-date information concerning the tragic death of 14 year-old Matthew Denger. This story has generated many questions and much community interest. Extensive work and investigation is still being conducted in regards to the criminal investigation, but we would like to clarify the status of previous calls and contacts received by the Berwyn Police Department from the residence of 2834 Lombard Ave.
Since March of 2003, the Berwyn Police Department has received and documented six calls for service at the 2834 Lombard Ave address. The prior calls involved a graffiti related criminal damage to property, a miscellaneous report related to possible drug related activities, the call of an intoxicated subject walking in the 2800 block of Lombard Ave, a civil complaint involving a neighbor, a stolen automobile involving a neighbor, and a complaint where a tarp flew into the backyard of the residence.
In September of 2004, our agency was alerted to possible drug related activities at 2834 Lombard Ave. In response to this complaint, Berwyn Police officers interviewed the resident, Lydia Price, in the rear of the property regarding possible meth-lab operations. The officers determined that the original call of drug related activities was unfounded. While speaking with Price, the officers noticed a strong odor due to dog waste in the rear of the property. Due to these circumstances, the officers asked permission to enter the residence and were subsequently denied access by Price. While on scene during the initial interview, the officers observed no inherent dangers to any individual’s which justified immediate action, nor did the situation present any exigent circumstances to justify any forced entry into the residence. The Berwyn Police officers handled the call properly and professionally within the scope of their authority.
As of this date, the owners of the residence have failed to appear in City of Berwyn Local Ordinance Court for any of the exterior blight violations. As the Berwyn Police Department continues this on-going criminal investigation, we want to stress to everyone to keep our primary focus and thoughts with the four surviving Denger children ages 18, 17, 16, and 12 in their long roads to physical and psychological recovery.
