Who Are the Van Oostens?
The couple were in their 60s at the time of their abductions in 2017.
They remain active in their church and community and continue to be doting grandparents.
"They are just very good, very easygoing people," Erie resident Gary Hansen told the Clinton Herald.
Who Is Chad Schipper?
He first met the Van Oostens when he took their Sunday school class, however, the exact timing remains unclear.
In 2015, he reportedly began to plot the Van Oostens’ kidnapping when Larry refused to loan him money, according to Shaw Local News.
Schipper would execute his plan roughly a year-and-a-half later.
The Abduction
Schipper broke into the Van Oostens’ basement at 3:30 a.m. on February 7, 2017.
He waited until sunrise to wake Larry and Connie, hold them at gunpoint and force them into the trunk of his car, according to reports. He then drove them to his property in Geneseo, Ill., and locked them in a secret safe room outfitted with security monitoring devices.
To keep them subdued, Schipper cuffed the Van Oostens, according to Shaw Local News. He used a handgun and stun gun to hold them captive, and in an effort to conceal his identity, he donned a ski mask and used a voice-altering device.
Schipper threatened to kill the couple’s children and grandchildren if they refused to obey his demands.
The Ransom
One day after kidnapping the Van Oostens, Schipper drove them to the First Trust and Savings Bank 30 miles away in Albany, Ill., and demanded Connie—still dressed in her pajamas— obtain a $350,000 cashier's check to pay their ransom.
The check was made out to Schipper’s company, Store Edge.
At the same time, Connie managed to slip the bank teller a note that read: “My husband and I are being held at gunpoint. Do not react. Do not follow us.”
After issuing the check, the banker called police.
The Van Oostens’ Rescue
That same day, Schipper’s vehicle was captured on bank surveillance video, and he was captured by authorities following a high-speed chase that ended in a crash. A stolen set of license plates, a black mask and a gun were found his car at the time of the crash.
Upon his arrest, Schipper confessed to the abduction and led investigators to the Van Oostens.
Schipper was motivated to kidnap and extort the victims after he stole more than $300,000 from his grandma and his uncle threatened to sue him, State's Attorney Terry Costello said during Schipper's sentencing. Schipper tried to pay his uncle back with a bad check and attempted to steal the money from the Van Oostens when he did in hopes the check wouldn’t bounce, per Costello.
As part of a plea agreement, Schipper pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping and concealing identity, and home invasion. Schipper's cannot go within 100 yards of the Van Oostens' residence as a condition of his bond.
At sentencing in April 2019, prosecutors said the situation changed the grandparents forever.
"This case had a great impact on the Van Oostens," State's Attorney Terry Costello said. "No matter what you do with Chad Schipper today, the Van Oostens got a life sentence. They didn’t ask for it, they didn’t do anything to get it, but they have it.”
Judge Stanley Steines described the crimes as “heinous” and “sinister,” before handing down the maximum sentence: a 60-year prison sentence. Schipper will be 91 years old when he is eligible for parole in 2068, per prison records.
According to Pen a Con, a website that connects inmates with civilian pen pals, Schipper hopes to find meaningful friendships during his stay behind bars.
“I am open-minded, genuine, and fiercely loyal,” his bio reads. “I’m adventurous and, perhaps, a bit mischievous, but I have a big heart.”
