Inquiry Into Elmhurst Fatal Crash Continues

ELMHURST, IL – The investigation into the July 5 fatal crash in Elmhurst continues, the local police department said Tuesday.

For the fourth month in a row, Patch filed a public records request into the crash that police said resulted in the death of 37-year-old Renee Oden of Chicago.

But the police have declined to provide records, citing the continuing inquiry. Under the state's open records law, that is a legitimate reason to withhold public documents.

A multi-agency DuPage County accident reconstruction team is working on completing its report, police said.

Shortly after 5 a.m. July 5, Oden was headed east on St. Charles Road near Kenmore Avenue in a Chevrolet SUV with a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl when she went over the center line, according to a police news release at the time.

Oden hit a westbound Audi SUV, whose driver, a 48-year-old woman from Hillside, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital for serious injuries, police said. The other driver had no passengers.

The children, who suffered serious injuries, were taken to Loyola University Medical Center, police said.

Patch has been unable to find an obituary for Oden.