Illinois lawmakers are calling for reforms to the SAFE-T Act after a suspect was charged and released from custody following the death of a missing Antioch woman in Waukegan.
Illinois State Representative Tom Weber (R-Fox Lake) was joined by House Minority Floor Leader Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), State Representative Patrick Sheehan (R-Homer Glen) and Jennifer Bos at a press conference on Thursday to call for reforms to Illinois’ criminal justice system, specifically to the SAFE-T Act.
The conference was held in response to the discovery of Antioch resident Megan Bos’ body in Waukegan and the subsequent release of the man charged with concealing her death.
“We are still waiting for answers,” said Jennifer Bos, the mother of Megan Bos, during the press conference.
“I don’t know how my daughter died. I don’t know what will show up on the toxicology report. I don’t know what went on during my daughter’s final moments on this earth. But what I do know is that under the umbrella of the Safe-T Act, the man who hid her body in a bleach-filled trash can for seven weeks still got out of jail free,” Bos said.
“We never got to see her, to hold her hand, or give her one last kiss goodbye…He robbed us of that. He very literally treated her like garbage and may have destroyed the very evidence that could explain her final moments to us,” Bos added.
Weber said that if one person had called 911 instead of hiding the truth, Megan might still be here today.
“If one person had respected her life instead of disposing of her body, her family wouldn’t be grieving. If one person had sought help instead of breaking her phone, justice wouldn’t be slipping away. If one person had taken responsibility instead of keeping her in a basement, this tragedy wouldn’t be unfolding,” Weber said.
“If one person had told the truth instead of covering it up, our community wouldn’t be asking how this happened. If one person had valued her life instead of treating her like she was disposable, we wouldn’t be demanding change today,” he added.
Megan Bos, 37, was reported missing to the Antioch Police Department on March 9 after she was last heard from on February 17.
The police department began an investigation, which included working with other law enforcement agencies, including the Waukegan Police Department, due to Bos frequenting the Waukegan area.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said Antioch police detectives went to a business in Waukegan on April 10 to question a person of interest who had frequent contact with Bos.
Jose Mendoza-Gonzalez, 52, who resides in Waukegan and is a Mexican national, said that Bos came to his house on February 19 but claimed that she left after her visit, Chastain said.
Detectives continued speaking with Mendoza-Gonzalez and asked if she was still alive.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he did not want to be arrested at the store but did not say why, Chastain said.
Detectives moved the conversation to the Waukegan Police Department and Mendoza-Gonzalez told them that Bos was in a container in his yard in the 700 block of Yeoman Street in Waukegan.
Detectives and officers responded to the home and located a partially decomposed body, which was wrapped in a blanket, in a garbage can in the rear of the residence, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano.
Crime scene tape was placed around the property of the single-family home as the Waukegan Police Department’s Major Crime Scene Unit and Criminal Investigation Division remained at the scene for hours into the evening. A search warrant was also executed.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of the body. They later identified the subject as Bos.
Detectives conducted a further interview with Mendoza-Gonzalez, who said that Bos had come over to his residence on the evening of February 19 and visited with him, Chastain said.
He said that Bos snorted unknown drugs and asked if she could hang out in his basement, which he agreed to let her do.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he noticed a leak coming from the upstairs and went to tend to it, Chastain said.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he returned and believed the woman had overdosed and was deceased.
He reported that he was scared that he was going to be in trouble so he left her in the basement for a few days before moving her to the garbage can in his yard, Chastain said.
Mandujano said that Mendoza-Gonzalez wrapped Bos’ body in a blanket before placing it in the garbage can.
She remained there for nearly two months until being located on April 10.
Mendoza-Gonzalez also admitted to breaking Bos’ phone and throwing it into a trash can. He said he did not know what he planned on doing with the body after dumping it in the garbage can, Chastain said.
An autopsy on Bos performed by the coroner’s office showed no signs of trauma or a struggle. Detectives are waiting for further results from the lab, including toxicology.
Mendoza-Gonzalez was charged with abuse of a corpse, two counts of concealing the death of a person and obstructing justice.
All of the charges against Mendoza-Gonzalez are Class 4 felonies but none of them are detainable offenses under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.
Lake County Judge Randie Bruno, who was the judge to authorize the search warrant in the case and called the offense “very serious,” released Mendoza-Gonzalez from custody following a First Appearance Court on April 12.
“The SAFE-T Act was supposed to enhance fairness, but instead, it has done the opposite,” Weber said.
“It has removed critical discretion from judges and allowed dangerous offenders to walk free. Families are paying the price for this failed legislation, and it’s time for lawmakers to act before more lives are destroyed. Megan Bos’ family deserves better. Every family in Illinois deserves better,” Weber added.
Last month, Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner also spoke out and called for immediate reforms to the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which ended cash bail in the state, to restore judicial discretion and refocus Illinois’ criminal justice system on “public safety and human decency.”
“We have lost all common sense when it comes to enforcing law and order,” Gartner said.
“When the SAFE-T Act was being debated, there were voices sounding the alarm about what could happen if it were to become law,” Gartner said.
“We are living that nightmare scenario that was predicted by many. The law is supposed to protect the innocent. Without well-thought-out laws, there is no society. And without the ability to apply those laws with reason and humanity, the system fails all of us,” he said.
Gartner said the SAFE-T Act contains reforms worth preserving, such as those related to police accountability and low-level offenses, but he said the law must be reevaluated to allow judges discretion in cases involving serious crimes, including those related to death, weapons and obstruction.
“The SAFE-T Act, as it stands, places politics above public safety,” Gartner said.
“It demoralizes our law enforcement, undermines victims and their families, and makes communities like ours feel less secure. Our officers put a great deal of effort into solving this case and now their work could be all for nought. I urge state legislators to revisit and amend the law to restore balance, empower judges, and ensure the system does not put procedural technicalities ahead of justice,” the mayor said.
Mendoza-Gonzalez, who remains out of custody, was indicted by a Lake County grand jury last week and is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.