PEORIA A woman who was reported missing Wednesday night was found dead near East Peoria Community High School on Thursday morning.
It wasn t clear what happened to Mona R. Ellison, 50, nor was it clear if police had a suspect, but the death was being treated as a homicide, said Peoria Police Department spokeswoman Amy Dotson.
Ellison was reported missing on Wednesday at about 7:15 p.m., and through their investigation, detectives discovered her body in a wooded area behind a multi-unit residential building in the 100 block of Woodrow Drive in East Peoria.
Foul play was suspected, Dotson said, and what had been a missing person case was converted into a homicide investigation. The Tazewell County Coroner s Office is assisting with the investigation, and an autopsy will be done Friday to determine the manner and cause of death.
A Peoria woman who had been reported missing to police was found dead Thursday in East Peoria.
Here s what we know about the deceased, the man charged in her death and details on the case.
Who is Mona Ellison?
Mona Ellison, 50, was a Galesburg native and a 1988 graduate of Galesburg High School.
She lived and owned a home in Peoria and previously worked as a waitress, bartender and certified nursing assistant, according to those who knew her. Her friends remembered her as kind and carefree.
“We’d ride motorcycles all the time,” Toni Morrison told the Journal Star. “She’d give you anything and the shirt off her back. She had a big heart.”
(Peoria County Jail)
The PPD’s Criminal Investigations Division has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Christopher Sanders.
During the course of an investigation, detectives developed information which led to Sanders becoming a suspect.
On Thursday, detectives had reason to believe Sanders left Peoria and was headed south, possibly to the greater St. Louis area. Local authorities were contacted and advised of the incident.
Sanders was taken into custody at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday in New Baden, Illinois.
PPD detectives transported Sanders back to the Peoria Police Department for interview purposes.
Sanders was subsequently arrested for first degree murder and transported to the Peoria County Jail.
(Peoria County Jail)
The PPD’s Criminal Investigations Division has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Christopher Sanders.
During the course of an investigation, detectives developed information which led to Sanders becoming a suspect.
On Thursday, detectives had reason to believe Sanders left Peoria and was headed south, possibly to the greater St. Louis area. Local authorities were contacted and advised of the incident.
Sanders was taken into custody at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday in New Baden, Illinois.
PPD detectives transported Sanders back to the Peoria Police Department for interview purposes.
Sanders was subsequently arrested for first degree murder and transported to the Peoria County Jail.