Prosecutors say a Fox Lake man admitted to fatally stabbing his girlfriend from Fox Lake with two knives before wrapping her body up, throwing it down the stairs and dumping it next to a dumpster at a Cook County hotel.
Arturo F. Taylor, 54, of Fox Lake, was charged with first-degree murder, a Class M felony.
The Elk Grove Village Police Department and Elk Grove Village Fire Department responded around 4:18 a.m. on February 25 to the InTown Suites Extended Stay, 2411 Landmeier Road in Elk Grove Village, for a report of an unresponsive person outside a hotel.
Elk Grove Village Deputy Police Chief Scott Eisenmenger said officers located a deceased adult female near a refuse dumpster.
She was later identified as Colleen Bagley, 50, of Fox Lake.
The Elk Grove Village Police Department requested the Major Case Assistance team (MCAT) to assist in conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bagley’s death.
Bagley and Taylor, who had been dating for approximately nine years, were staying at the hotel and both had access to their room, prosecutors said.
Bagley was captured on hotel surveillance video exiting the hotel on February 21 and walking through the parking lot with another unknown person.
She was seen on surveillance video at a nearby Walgreens making various purchases, including a bottle of bleach, before returning to the hotel around 8:45 a.m. that day and never being seen on camera again, prosecutors said.
Taylor was captured on hotel surveillance entering the front lobby around 6:30 p.m. that day and having two key cards activated by staff.
Prosecutors said it was learned that Taylor and Bagley engaged in a verbal argument that evening over a female occupant of the hotel that Taylor was spending time with.
Taylor strangled Bagley and then used a folding blade knife and a large butcher knife to stab her twice in the chest, prosecutors said.
Taylor went to the front desk on February 24 and had them activate only one key card for the room.
Prosecutors said Taylor went to another hotel room that day and spoke with a mutual acquaintance of his and Bagley’s, while telling the witness that Bagley had left him three days ago and never returned.
Taylor was captured on video surveillance walking towards the area of the dumpsters in the parking lot of the hotel carrying a pink garbage bag around 2 a.m. on February 25.
Just over 15 minutes later, he was seen walking from behind the dumpster area and a witness was walking in the parking lot around 4 a.m. when they discovered Bagley’s body wrapped in a white blanket next to the dumpster, prosecutors said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday ruled Bagley’s death a homicide caused by multiple sharp force injuries. She suffered two large, deep stab wounds to her chest.
A suitcase covered in blood and additional items containing blood were recovered from the dumpster area.
Investigators photographed and swabbed a trail of blood and drag marks from the couple’s hotel room to where her body was discovered. Dried bleach spots and staining were present through the blood trail, prosecutors said.
Two large knives were recovered from the sink with blood on the handle of the larger knife. Taylor’s clothing had blood stains and bleach stains.
Prosecutors said Taylor was at the hotel when police arrived and he was in possession of Bagley’s phone. He agreed to be questioned by police at the station but attempted to harm himself while there.
He was later released from the hospital and interviewed by detectives. He admitted to strangling Bagley and stabbing her two times because she pulled a pocket knife on him, prosecutors said.
Taylor told officers he put the knives in the sink after the stabbing and tried to clean the blood with bleach on February 23 but became tired and could not clean it all, prosecutors said.
Taylor additionally told investigators he placed Bagley’s body in a suitcase and threw it down the stairs. He tried to lift the suitcase into the dumpster but physically could not, prosecutors said.
He ultimately allegedly placed the suitcase with her body outside the dumpster.
The Schaumburg Police Department previously encountered Taylor and Bagley during a call for unwanted subjects at a hotel in Schaumburg.
She told police officers at that time that she feared Taylor would become physically aggressive with her and she believed he was cheating on her and taking her money, prosecutors said.
Taylor was transported to the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago and a detention hearing was held on Monday where Cook County Judge James Murphy III granted a petition filed by prosecutors to detain him pending trial.
The Elk Grove Village Police Department said it extends its “heartfelt condolences” to the family and friends of Bagley.
Taylor remains held in the Cook County Jail and was scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday for a status hearing.