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Illinois Police Issue Alert Of Scammers Using Fake GoFundMe Accounts Using Name Of Fallen Bradley Officer

CHICAGO (CBS) – Illinois Police issued a warning to be aware of fake GoFundMe accounts using the name of Bradley Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic who was killed last week in the line of duty.

Sgt. Rittmanic, 44, was shot and killed, her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, was listed in critical condition after responding to a call of dogs barking in a parked car at the Comfort Inn hotel at 1500 N. Illinois Highway 50 in Bradley, Illinois.

Bradley Police issued a Facebook post warning of scammers using the fake accounts.

"There have been several Go Fund Me fundraisers posted by supposed family members of Sgt Marlene Rittmanic. NONE of these are legit and the family will NOT be creating any fundraising pages through Go Fund Me. If you see a fundraising page for Sgt Marlene Rittmanic you can report it to them as fraudulent and if you've donated to one, please seek a refund."

They did confirm that there is one official fundraiser page created by the family of Officer Bailey.

A manhunt was issued for the shooter Darius Sullivan, 25, who was caught on Dec. 31 in rural northeast Indiana. The second suspect, Xandria Harris, 26, later turned herself in.

Sullivan was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery.

A spokesperson from GoFundMe said their Trust and Safety team removed all fundraisers without a clear connection to the family within 24 hours of their creation. Anyone who donated to those fundraisers was automatically refunded.

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