Coroner identifies body found in East St. Louis as missing Breese woman

A 44-year-old woman who was reported missing has been identified as the person found dead in East St. Louis on Monday, authorities said Tuesday.

Jennifer R. Nicholson, whose last known address was in the 900 block of North Fifth Street in Breese, was pronounced dead at the scene, St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. said.

Nicholson’s body was found at 1120 N. 11th St., and she was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m. Monday, Dye said.

An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.

Breese Police Chief Mark Berndsen said Tuesday that Nicholson was reported missing on Saturday after her family had not heard from her for about two weeks. He didn’t have any other information about when she was last seen.

Illinois State Police said Monday that agents were investigating Nicholson’s death after receiving a request for assistance from the East St. Louis Police Department.

No other details about the investigation have been released.

This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 12:52 PM.