Police identify woman found dead in East St. Louis
Authorities have identified a woman whose body was found in the 2100 block of N. 25th Street after some contractors working in the area discovered it. It was difficult to identify her because her body was decomposed, police said.
East St. Louis Detective Carlos Coleman identified the woman as Veronica E. Mosby, 50, of East St. Louis.
Coleman has been actively working to identify the female since Friday morning when police got the call about her body being discovered.
Coleman said Mosby was last seen by family and friends on July 4. He said there didn’t appear to be any trauma to her body. However, he said the St. Clair County Coroner will determine a cause of death.
The coroner could not be reached for comment.
Coleman said contractors working in the area on behalf of American Water to locate water valves on a vacant lot came upon Mosby’s body and reported it to police.
“They found the female’s body and called the police department about 11 a.m. (Friday). Mosby was identified by fingerprints. There was no missing person’s report filed,” Coleman said.
It’s unclear how the body got to the vacant lot. “We believe, but are not sure, that the body may have been put there or an incident occurred there,” Coleman said. “We still have an active investigation going on. We are checking surveillance cameras in the area and speaking with family members and individuals in her circle.”
The area where Mosby’s body was found is a partially wooded area.
“It’s not too heavily wooded. You could drive through, just as the contractors did and see the body,” Coleman said.
The case is being jointly investigated by East St. Louis and Illinois State Police.
Anyone with information regarding Mosby is urged to call East St. Louis Police at 618-482-6767 or Illinois State Police Special Agent Travis Irwin at 309-232-8181 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS. This is an anonymous tip line that pays up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest
This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Police identify woman found dead in East St. Louis."