A McHenry father and his 22-month-old son have been missing since Saturday afternoon, after the pair turned up roughly 60 miles away at a police station in Greenfield, Wisconsin, then walked away on foot and never came home. Todd Sabatini, 36, left his Brown Street home at noon Saturday to take his son Theo for a walk in a stroller. His family called police after he failed to return by 4 p.m.
According to Shaw Local, Sabatini and Theo were last seen on foot near Oak Drive and Elm Street-Route 120 in McHenry, per a McHenry Police Department post. Investigators later determined the two somehow made it to Wisconsin, obtaining a rideshare to the Greenfield Police Department, where Sabatini spoke with an officer. McHenry Deputy Chief Thomas Walsh said the pair were last seen at about 2 p.m. Saturday by the Greenfield department before leaving on foot at that same time. Greenfield sits in southwestern Milwaukee County, a city of more than 36,000 residents whose police headquarters is located at 5300 West Layton Avenue, according to the City of Greenfield.
A Winding, Unexplained Path Across State Lines
Before turning up in Wisconsin, Sabatini and Theo appear to have made several stops back in McHenry. Police located security footage of the pair at the Route 120 Jewel-Osco, and the two also spoke with someone at a Taco Bell, per the same account. They reportedly attempted to make contact with someone inside Zion Lutheran Church as well. A stroller matching the one Theo had been riding in was later found behind a business on the 4200 block of West Elm Street.
Walsh said Sabatini did not have the necessary provisions for an extended excursion with Theo, and described the father's behavior as unusual. It remains unclear why Sabatini traveled specifically to the Greenfield Police Department or what was discussed there before the two left on foot. McHenry police said in a Facebook post that the pair may be in the Greenfield area or could have made their way back to Illinois or the McHenry area.
How Missing Person Alerts Differ From an AMBER Alert
Sabatini and Theo have been entered into law enforcement databases as missing persons, per the McHenry Police Department Facebook post announcing the search. Federal standards under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act require agencies to enter missing-person reports for anyone under 21 into the National Crime Information Center database within two hours of gathering the required details, a rule that helps explain the rapid cross-border database entry between Illinois and Wisconsin authorities.
No statewide AMBER Alert has been issued in the case. Under Illinois State Police rules, an AMBER Alert requires confirmation of an abduction, a reasonable belief of imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, and enough descriptive vehicle or suspect information for public broadcast. Instead, Illinois allows for an Endangered Missing Person Advisory when a missing individual is deemed at risk due to age, environment, or health but the case does not meet AMBER criteria, according to the Illinois State Police.
Nationally, family-involved disappearances like this one are relatively uncommon among missing-child cases. Data compiled by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shows family abductions make up about 4% of the cases reported to the organization, with nonfamily abductions accounting for less than 1%. The center assisted with 32,167 missing child cases nationwide in 2025 and reported a 90% overall recovery rate.
Descriptions and How to Help
Todd Sabatini was last seen wearing a blue and black flannel shirt, a grey tank top, jeans and Converse shoes. Theo was last seen wearing a blue shirt with dark-colored shorts. Walsh said McHenry police are continuing to work with Greenfield police to check on the welfare of Sabatini and Theo as the search continues.
The McHenry Police Department, led by Chief John Birk with Walsh serving as deputy chief, oversees a suburban community of roughly 27,000 residents about 50 miles northwest of Chicago. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Todd Sabatini or Theo is asked to call the McHenry Police Department at 815-363-2130.
