A scammer got more than he bargained for when he stole an Illinois funeral home van – along with a towed body – before dumping the vehicle separately and dumping the body more than 100 miles away in a trash can. Chicago alley.
The vehicle, which originally contained the body of an unidentified man in the back, was stolen from the Collins & Stone Funeral Home in Rockford on Saturday afternoon. The man’s name remained undisclosed on Tuesday.
The next day, last Monday, the truck showed up in Chicago, however by that time the dead body inside was gone, according to a source. tweet by the Rockford Police Department.
**WARNING** A van from a local funeral home was stolen yesterday with a deceased adult inside and the vehicle immediately left the area. The car has just been placed in Chicago. We are continuing to investigate at this time and any further updates will be posted here.
– RockfordILPolice (@RockfordPD) January 23, 2023
The body was not found until about a week after the stolen truck was located in South Chicago
It wasn’t until about a week later that “the body of the deceased man in the stolen truck was found” in South Chicago, about a two-hour drive from where the vehicle was stolen.
Authorities say an anonymous 911 call alerted law enforcement to the body, which had been dumped in an alley behind a block of abandoned buildings. CBS Chicago News report.
The body was not discovered, leading police to believe that the body was removed from the body bag before being disposed of.
Van stolen from Rockford Funeral Home found in Chicago; missing body https://t.co/b8ZwN1VkSG pic.twitter.com/6qB2c0PNbd
– CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) January 23, 2023
“What the hell – did they steal a body?” A shocked neighbor told the outlet, adding that she felt “sorry” for the dead man’s family.
Authorities search for suspects, motives but no arrests since Tuesday
It is not yet known how the funeral home truck was stolen in the first place and whether the carjacker knew a body would be in the back of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Rockford police have released an image of a possible suspect, who was last seen in a hoodie and all-black clothing except for white gloves.
No arrests were made on Tuesday, with an investigation into the crime ongoing.
