Illinois Father and Toddler Missing Since Saturday After Odd Detour to Wisconsin Police Station

A father and his toddler son have been missing since Saturday afternoon after what started as a routine walk near their home in McHenry, Illinois, according to the McHenry Police Department and reporting from People magazine.

Todd Sabatini, 36, left home around noon Saturday with his 22-month-old son, Theo, for what family members described as a normal outing, police said. When the two didn't return within a few hours, relatives contacted police.

Investigators told People that Sabatini's disappearance was out of character. He also didn't have supplies with him for anything beyond a short walk, police said, which is part of why the case escalated quickly from a family concern to a multi-state search.

The known timeline is unusual. Theo's stroller turned up abandoned behind a local business. Security footage reviewed by police showed Sabatini trying to reach someone inside Zion Lutheran Church at a nearby supermarket, and separately speaking with someone at a Taco Bell, according to the McHenry Police Department.

From there, police say Sabatini and Theo took a rideshare roughly an hour away to the Greenfield Police Department in Wisconsin. Sabatini spoke with an officer there. It is not publicly known what was discussed. By 2 p.m. Saturday, Sabatini left the Wisconsin police station on foot with his son still in tow, police said.

In a Saturday night update, McHenry police said they have reliable information placing Todd and Theo in Milwaukee. Illinois and Wisconsin law enforcement agencies are now coordinating the search across state lines.

Police have released descriptions to help the public identify the pair. Theo was last seen in a blue shirt and dark shorts. Sabatini was wearing a blue-and-black flannel shirt over a gray tank top, jeans, and Converse sneakers. Investigators also noted that Sabatini is now clean-shaven, a notable change from photos showing him with a full beard, which suggests he may look different from recent pictures circulating online.

The McHenry Police Department did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Post as of Saturday.

No charges have been filed against Sabatini. No custody dispute, mental health crisis, or criminal motive has been confirmed by police. The fact that Sabatini walked into a police station in Wisconsin and spoke with an officer, then left on his own with his son, is genuinely strange, but it does not by itself establish wrongdoing. It's equally possible the man was seeking help, was in some kind of distress, or had a personal emergency that hasn't been made public.

At the same time, the specific, verifiable details—the abandoned stroller, the attempts to contact people at a church and a fast-food restaurant, the hour-long rideshare across state lines, and the changed appearance—are exactly the kind of behavioral anomalies police rely on in an active missing-persons investigation. McHenry police escalated this into a multi-state search rather than treating it as a family matter.

The most immediate unresolved question is simple: where are Todd and Theo Sabatini right now, and why did Todd leave the Greenfield Police Department on foot with his son instead of staying for further contact with officers. Police in Illinois and Wisconsin have not said whether Sabatini is considered a person of concern for his own well-being, a suspect, or simply a missing father whose whereabouts remain unknown. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the McHenry Police Department or local law enforcement in Milwaukee.