State police announced that a Marengo man and two other men have been charged with murdering a Boone County man who was missing for weeks before his body was found in a river in 2020.
The Illinois State Police began investigating the case after responding to the Calumet-Sag Channel in Blue Island around 8 p.m. on June 18, 2020.
They found a body in the water that was later identified as Carl E. Gordon Jr. 35, of Belvidere.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gordon’s death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds.
Gordon was last seen over two weeks prior to his body being found.
His family said he was last seen in Joliet on May 29, 2020, while riding his motorcycle.
The case was investigated for over three years before the state police announced charges earlier this week.
Jerell T. Burnett, 43, of Chicago; Antoine D. Lovelace, 44, of Elgin; and Cody J. Matthews, 29, of Marengo, have been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful restraint, and concealment of a homicidal death.
A grand jury in Will County indicted the three men on the charges last week.
Nationwide warrants were issued for the suspects with a $5 million bond on each warrant.
All three were taken into custody without incident on Tuesday, police said.
State police did not give a motive for the murder or say whether Gordon knew the suspects.
“Carl’s family and his true friends and the AMAZING Illinois State police have NEVER given up,” the family said on social media after the arrests were announced.
“God is SO good and we are so grateful specifically for the Special Agent and his team. Talk about relentless pursuit of justice. Please respect Carl’s family during this time,” the family added.
Lovelace was housed at the Will County Jail and Burnett and Matthews are awaiting extradition from out-of-state jurisdictions.
The Illinois State Police said they were assisted by numerous law enforcement agencies in Illinois along with police from Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Marshals Service.