CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP — A cleanup crew discovered female human remains on the shore of the Des Plaines River on Wednesday afternoon, prompting speculation that Stacy Peterson or Lisa Stebic may have been found.
Witnesses said it was around 2 p.m. that the crew discovered the remains — not an intact body — while walking near the south shore after spending the past four days clearing logs and debris.
Will County Sheriff's Police block entry to the Will County Coroner's office on Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill on Thursday morning. Media gathered outside seeking information on the body found on the bank of the Des Plaines River in Channahon on Wednesday.(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff photographer)
Investigators search the banks of the Des Plaines River for female human body remains discovered by a barge crew just southwest of I-55 on Wednesday afternoon.(Michael R. Schmidt/Staff photographer)
A source said the remains looked like that of a smallish female wearing underwear, but that DNA testing likely would be required for a positive ID.
An autopsy will be conducted at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
State police have taken over the investigation and confirmed remains were found, but would not release any other information Wednesday evening.
State police Master Sgt. Thomas Burek addressed the media around 8:30 p.m., saying only that unidentified human remains were found.
As expected, also at the scene were Channahon and conservation police, both of whom have jurisdiction in the area, and representatives from the state's attorney's office and the coroner's office. Braidwood police brought their canine units. But Plainfield police, who have no jurisdiction there, were called in, too.
Plainfield police have been working on Stebic's disappearance since the Plainfield mom was last scene in 2007. Similarly, state police took over the investigation of Stacy Peterson, the missing Bolingbrook woman, because her husband, Drew Peterson, was a police officer.
But Burek wouldn't say link the appearance of state and Plainfield police to the Stebic or Peterson cases Wednesday.
"We're not attempting to associate with any particular investigation. It would be premature to do that," Burek said.
Boating to scene
The cleanup crew made their grisly find approximately three-quarters of a mile west of the Interstate 55 bridge, near the Big Basin Marina.
The shore area is only accessible by boat, so investigators spent time shuttling down the river from the boat launch at the marina on the river's north side.
Will County Coroner Patrick K. O'Neil rode out to examine the body. Fifteen minutes later, the Channahon Fire Department brought a boat to the landing as news helicopters circled overhead. A forensic team was called in to search the area at 5 p.m. and police said they might need lighting to continue the investigation as the sun went down.
Peterson's family called
Relatives of missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson said they've been contacted by state police, who told them a woman's body has been found in the river near Channahon, though the remains have not been identified.
"We don't know who it is," said Pam Bosco, a spokeswoman for Stacy Peterson's family. "We're just being patient right now. We're waiting."
She believes there won't be any definitive word Wednesday about the identity of the body.
And Bosco said relatives realize the remains could be those of another woman, possibly missing Plainfield resident Lisa Stebic or someone else.
Bosco said Stacy Peterson's family members just hope the remains can be identified so a family somewhere can learn the fate of a missing loved one.
"We just hope they can identify who it is," Bosco said.
To the morgue
At 7:50 p.m., a skiff carrying detectives and a deputy coroner landed at the marina. A coroner's van backed up to the skiff. A deputy coroner and investigator carried a white body bag from the skiff and loaded it in the van. The drooping ends of the body bag showed that the remains were only about two feet long.
The river was reopened to barge traffic, and the coroner's van left en route to the morgue, where an autopsy will be conducted Thursday morning.
