October 25, 1874 Jo Daviess County, Illinois

On October 25, 1874, the body of an elderly woman was found beneath the bridge that spans the Big Menominee about four miles south of Dunleith, Illinois. She must have been walking on the bridge at night and was struck and killed by the train that left Dunlieth at 7p.m. Her body had been mangled by the train. It's believed that "Her clothing denoted a person in the humble walks of life". 

She was believed to have been in her mid 60's. Her hair was grey. In her pockets was a string of prayer beads, and around her neck was a scapular.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

August 29,1924 Mackinaw, Illinois John Doe

On August 29,1924 an unknown man was found on the river bank in Mackinaw, Illinois. It's assumed he was riding the train and fell off landing in the river or on the bank.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Disappearance of Sharon Maxwell

On August 15, 1976, 19-year-old Sharon Maxwell was last seen with two other individuals on the 2000 block of W. 22nd Place, in Chicago Illinois. She left the residence and never returned. There is little information in this case. 

Sharon is a black female and was 19 years old at the time. She is 5'6" to 5'8" and 160 to 170 lbs. She has black hair and brown eyes. 

SOURCES: 

NamUs

July 14 1950, Braidwood, Illinois John Doe

On July 14, 1950, the body of a man was found in an abandoned strip mine pit between I-55 (Route 66 at the time) and Route 113 in Braidwood, Illinois. The area was a strip mine and farm. He had been dead around 4 to 5 weeks.

John Doe is a white man Pre 50. He's 5'8" to 5'10" and 175 to 180 lbs. He had brown hair that was thinning on top. He had a tattoo on his left arm. 

SOURCES;

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

Disappearance of Valina Magee

At 9:00 a.m. on June 28/29, 1989,13-year-old Valina Magee was last seen on her way to school in Chicago, Illinois. There is little information in this case. 

Valina is a black female and was 13-years-old at the time. At the time she 5'3" and 120 lbs. She has brown curly hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and black checkered shorts. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Missing and Exploited Children

Charley Project

Our Black Girls

Murder of Daniel Calloway

On March 28, 1986, a friend of 32-year-old Daniel Calloway would go to his home to check up on him at 18041 Springfield Ave in Homewood, Illinois. Inside the home, the friend would find Daniel dead. Daniel had blunt-force trauma to the head.

SOURCES:

Cook County Sheriff

Disappearance of Louis Ronald Vargas

On October 12, 1977, 13-year-old Louis Vargas was last seen in Chicago, Illinois. there is little information in this case. 

Louis is a White Hispanic male and was 13-years-old at the time. He was 4'10" at the time. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He has scars on his knees. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Murder of Robert Taylor

On September 19, 1997, Robert Taylor left a cab on the 200 block of E. Springfield Ave. in Champaign, Illinois. While walking away an unknown suspect would ambush him from behind and battered him. They would then steal his wallet and leave him there to die. Robert was taken to the hospital but would die days later.

SOURCES:

Champaign Illinois

Uncovered

September 6, 1923 Bellevue, Michigan Unknown Boy

On September 6, 1923, at 4:15 a.m. a young man who was also stealing a train ride found the body of another young man stealing a train ride. He made the discovery and stated that he remembered seeing him boarding in Lansing at the freight yards, but did not see him after that. He was further back on the train and had seen the body notifying the train staff. The Eaton County Sheriff and coroner were called to view the body of a young man near the train tracks in Bellevue, Michigan. 

It was believed that the boy was a hobo who had died when he fell from the top of the train car when the train lurched. The automatic airbrakes set and brought the train to a sudden stop throwing the boy to the ground causing his death instantly. He had a broken neck, crushed ribs, broken hip, and a fatal wound from a gun. It was not a bullet that killed him, a loaded .22 caliber in his pocket had been pushed 6 inches into his chest from the impact. 

He was a white male around 17-years-old. He was 5'6" and 125 to 135lbs. He had light brown or sandy hair and blue eyes. He had 2 scars between the fifth and sixth intercostal spaces, and these scars may have been left from drainage tubes that were inserted, and 2 marks on his right arm indicating vaccination. His hands were soft but looked like he worked in a machine shop or garage with grime under his nails. 

He was wearing common blue overalls, blue workshirt, jacket, shoes, socks, and brown textured cap. His clothes were dirty. His pockets had no wallet or money and only a few items. He had a Chicago subway token and bullets. 

It's possible that he had recently become a hobo as his body did not show the signs of living that type of lifesyle. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Find a Grave Newspaper Article

Bellevue Historical Society

Battle Creek Enquirer September 8, 1923

Disappearance of Shirley Magee

On July 26, 1973, 12-year-old Shirley Magee was last seen walking to the Harlan High School in Chicago, Illinois. Her family assumed she went to stay with family members, but she was never seen again. There is little information on this case.

Shirley is a black girl and was 12-years-old at the time. She was 5'0" to 5'3" and 80 to 110 lbs at the time. She has black hair and brown eyes. 

SOURCES:
NamUs
Doe Network
Charley Project

Our Black Girls

Anthony Stuart "Tony" Craigmiles

 On June 30, 1993, at about 5:30 p.m. the wife of 27-year-old Stuart "Tony" Craigmiles would find him dead in their home about 5 miles west of Kampsville, Illinois. Somebody had shot him in the head with a shotgun.

This murder occurred during the Great Flood of 1993. Their home being in a remote area meant that the roads were closed and the only route to the home was through country back roads. At the time he was working at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

SOURCES:

Illinois State Police

Missing in IllinoisKHQA Feb. 26, 2007

River Bender Feb. 14, 2019

Disappearance of Robert Wayne Linder

 

On June 2, 1969, 24-year-old Robert Linder would take his final exam at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois where he was a business student at. Robert would withdraw money from the bank to make a payment on a rent deposit for an apartment. This was the last time he was heard from. 

Robert is a white male and was 24-years-old at the time. He's 5'9" and 155 lbs. He has brown hair and blue eyes. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Doe Network

Illinois Missing Persons

Where Abouts Unknown

April 21, 2014 Chicago, Illinois John Doe

On April 21, 2014, the body of a man was found in an abandoned building in Chicago, Illinois. His cause of death and the estimated time of death are unstated or unknown. It's also not stated if they thought id he was a transient or not. 

John Doe is an African American Male between 40 to 60 years old. He was 5'9" and 129 lbs. He had black hair with grey streaks. He was wearing a white t-shirt, two pairs of blue jean pants, and one black Nike gym shoe on his right foot. The victim's left Nike gym shoes were approximately 2ft to the west of his body.

SOURCES:
NamUs
Unidentified Wiki

WANTED: Leslie Charles Dawson

On January 31, 1986, Leslie Dawson was confined in an Oregon State Correctional Facility for two counts of rape in the first degree and two counts of sodomy in the first degree. Both cases involved juveniles. On October 7, 1986, he escaped from custody at the South Fork Forest Camp in Tillamook, Oregon. An order of arrest of an escaped prisoner was issued on August 8, 1991, by the State of Oregon Department of Corrections. A federal arrest warrant charging Dawson with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued on April 20, 1999, in the United States District Court, District of Oregon.

Leslie is a white male born in Illinois on March 21, 1946. He's 5'10" and 155 lbs. He has brown greying hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his abdomen. He has a military background and training.

He may have altered his appearance using plastic surgery and hair dye. He has ties to California, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Philippines.


SOURCES:
FBI

Murder of Manuel Romero

 On November 16, 1999, 16-year-old Manuel Romero was seen by a friend near Busse Woods in Homewood, Illinois. The next day Manuel's body would be found in Busse Woods South near Higgins Rd. He had been shot seven times in the head. 

His death may have been gang-related. Allegedly at the time may have known and hung around gang members, but did not have an allegiance with one. He was thought of as a good kid just running with the wrong crowd. 

SOURCES:

Cook County Sheriff

The Daily Herald November 19, 1999

The Daily Herald December 7, 1999

Murder of Angel Cenkov

On September 1, 1987, the body of 54-year-old Angel Cenkov was found in Bristol Township, Wisconsin. He had been shot in the head and his body dumped where it was found.

Angel is Bulgarian and lived in Chicago, Illinois at the time. He allegedly had "underworld ties" and it was believed that he may have killed two people the same year. The two murders are not involved in Angel's death.

SOURCES:

Kenosha County Sheriff's Office

Journal Times March 18, 1982

Wausau Daily Herald July 27, 1986

Journal Times July 27 1986

Journal Times August 4, 2020

Murder of Treesa Wiley

 

On Jan 29, 2016 35-year-old Treesa Wiley stayed the night at a friends home on 1305 Carbaugh Ave. in Rockford, Illinois. At 2 A.M. on the 30th the house was broken into and both women were shot by the intruder. Treesa would die on the way to the hospital and her friend would survive.

Tressa worked as a teacher at a local daycare.
 

SOURCES:

Winnebago County Sheriff's Office

WIFR

RR Star

Journal Standard

Chicago, Illinois living John Doe "Shannon Night"

 

A "Shannon Night" is a man that suffered a stroke and has organic brain damage from it. He lives at Chicago Read Mental Health Center in the Northwest Side in Chicago, Illinois, and has been in state care since 2007. He appears lucid, but major details of his life before the stroke isn't there. He does believe he has a son and wife though. He does have an arrest record, but he gave various names including variations of Shannon Night or Sanane Night, in 2006 he gave the name Shannon Hate. He may go as Veno.

He is now a soft-spoken man and carries a red folder with notes in an effort to try to remember who he is and his family. He also has a handmade greeting card he hopes to give to the son he believes he has. He's working on trying to remember. 

Shannon is an African American male and was in his 30's in 2007. He's 5'7" and 240lbs. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a keloid scar on the anterior chest. a small scar on his left forehead (says from fall from bus bench at around age 6), and around dark mole in his left eyebrow. 

He has two faded and homemade tattoos and he said that they meant Folks. The first tattoo is the Roman Numeral III on his right wrist area, and a tattoo on his left forearm is a combination of a Roman Numeral III tattoo and VENO, with a instead of the O. VE III N. He also mentioned a rabbit with a top hat when talking about this tattoo, but that image is not visible.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Chicago Tribune

November 19, 1949 New Lenox Township, Illinois John Doe

 On November 19, 1949, the body of a man was found in Pilcher Park in New Lenox Township, Illinois. It's likely he died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

John Doe is a white male and was pre-40-years-old. He was 5'6". His hair color is unknown as he was bald. He has a scar on the right side of his face from his lip to ear across the cheek. He was wearing a khaki aviator wool-lined jacket with a brown fur collar, grey fedora, light yellow shirt with pencil stripes, tweed trousers with a light brown and black check pattern, black leather belt, tan oxfords with cream-colored paint, Handkerchief with the letter R on it and eyeglasses.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Crime Watchers

Murder of Cheryl Jean Griffin

 At 8 a.m on October 25, 1986, the body of Cheryl Griffin was found in the Kishwaukee Gorge Forest Preserve on 4701 Blackhawk Rd. in Rockford, Illinois. Her body was in a grassy area around 40 ft from the gated entrance. She had been stabbed to death. 

At the time Cheryl was working as a prostitute in the area.

SOURCES:

Winnebago County Sheriff's Office