Kriti Mehrotra
Although Lifetime’s Lee Gabiana-directed ‘Rescued By Faith: The Connie and Larry Van Oosten Story’ profiles a real-life tale of heinous criminality, it is also rooted in the power of belief and faith. That’s because after the titular elderly couple was kidnapped from their suburban home in Erie, Illinois, in the early morning hours of February 7, 2017, it was their spirituality that helped them survive. However, it turned out their assailant was actually someone they knew from the local church, which made the entire experience all the more complex as well as traumatic for them in the long run.
Connie and Larry Van Oosten Were Happily Retired When Their World Turned Upside Down
Constance “Connie” and Larry Van Oosten were pillars of their community in Erie, Illinois, as they’d spent most of their lives there and established successful businesses while raising a family. While the former was the proud owner of a flooring company, the latter helmed a pest control organization, that is, until the mid-2010s rolled around, as they chose to retire to embrace a quiet life. They had worked hard for decades, and their children were now adults with families of their own to care for, so they wanted to finally slow down and focus solely on their church and personal growth.
Therefore, by the time 2017 rolled around, 60-something-year-olds Connie and Larry were spending their days either doting on their grandchildren or actively participating in their church. They were leading a good, easy life by all accounts, but everything changed in the early hours of February 7, 2017, when a masked intruder broke into their home and abducted them at gunpoint. According to records, the intruder worked alone to overpower the couple before forcing them into the trunk of his car and driving them to a vacant property he owned 20 miles away in Geneseo.
Connie and Larry Van Oosten Were Abducted by Chad Schipper For Financial Gain
Connie and Larry had no idea who their assailant was owing to his efforts to conceal his identity by wearing a ski-mask, so they were even more terrified as they couldn’t even begin to imagine what he wanted from them. The fact that he subsequently locked them in a bunker-like room didn’t help either, especially as it was equipped with restraints, security cameras, and an intercom system he used to make threats. As per records, he even employed a voice-altering device to speak to them from a more comfortable upstairs bedroom, claiming he’d kill their kids and grandkids if they didn’t do as he said.
Connie and Larry’s captor was actually someone they knew from Sunday School at their church, Chad Schipper, a father of six and a professional financial adviser with his own local firm. He had reportedly been preparing for their abduction since 2015, when Larry refused to loan him some money. He spent 1½ years carefully working through every kink before executing his plan by breaking into their basement at 3:30 am and then waiting until dawn to proceed. The then-40-year-old even handcuffed the couple before openly brandishing both a handgun and a stun gun to keep them from getting any ideas of escaping.
It was the next morning that Chad’s motives became clear as he drove the couple over 30 miles to a First Trust & Savings Bank, where he ordered Connie to secure a $350,000 cashier’s check. He wanted it addressed to his company, Store Edge, but he didn’t realize the entire situation was rather strange, as the elderly woman was still in her pajamas. He also hadn’t expected her to quietly slip the bank teller a note that read: “My husband and I are being held at gunpoint. Do not react. Do not follow us.” Her silent act of bravery thankfully worked as the teller contacted the police, resulting in their captor’s apprehension after a high-speed chase and their rescue that same day.
Chad Schipper Pleaded Guilty When the Time Came for Him to Face the Consequences of His Actions
When Chad was arrested, a mountain of evidence against him came to light through an extensive search of his vehicle and his previously vacant Geneseo property. The fact that he also confessed to the abductions before leading officials to Connie and Larry was also a significant factor in his case, right along with his admission of why he did what he did. According to records, his uncle had threatened to sue him after discovering that he had stolen more than $300,000 from his grandmother, so he was going to use the ransom money he took from the Van Oostens to pay them back. He had already issued them a bad check, so he was desperate for the money to hit his account before his uncle deposited the slip and it bounced.
In the end, on November 14, 2018, Chad pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of concealing identity, and one count of home invasion. In exchange, several other charges against him were dismissed, including six counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of armed violence, two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, and theft. Consequently, on April 3, 2019, after 6½ hours of testimonies and victim impact statements from the entire Van Oosten family, he was sentenced to the maximum of 60 years in prison. His term is with the possibility of parole, but only after he has served at least 85% of the total term, meaning he will become eligible around 2068, at the age of 91.
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