Investigators say they believe Waukegan attorney Barry Boches, an Antioch resident, was murdered and they have exhausted all leads as the six-year anniversary of his disappearance is marked.
Boches, who was 65 years old when he went missing, resided in the 41600 block of North Pedersen Drive South in unincorporated Antioch. He would be 71 now.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office told Lake and McHenry County Scanner this week that detectives have spent thousands of hours and “exhausted every lead developed” in the missing person investigation.
“As previously mentioned, detectives do believe foul play was involved and was a significant factor in Mr. Boches’ disappearance,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said.
Covelli said detectives believe Boches was murdered “based on facts learned throughout the investigation.”
He declined to go into detail on the crux of the investigative efforts and results as the investigation is still open.
“Sheriff’s detectives continue to follow up on any new information or leads developed as they work to hold those responsible accountable and to locate Mr. Boches’ remains,” Covelli said.
Boches was reported missing by his wife, Beata Boches, on March 25, 2020, according to an initial police report obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Beata called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to report her husband missing.
The woman told the responding sheriff’s deputy that she had not heard from her husband, who is a criminal defense attorney, in over a day.
The two had been separated for several years but their relationship had been going well, the police report said.
“Beata was scared because of the cliental that Barry works with that something could have happened to him,” the sheriff’s deputy said in his report.
Barry left Beata’s home in Deerfield around 7 a.m. on March 24, 2020, and told his wife that he was going to work to meet with a client later in the day.
“Beata said that Barry did not leave with a bag or anything, and everything seemed to be fine,” the report stated.
Beata and Barry exchanged text messages throughout the day and he texted Beata around 12 p.m. saying that he was working on some continuing education at work.
Beata responded at 2 p.m. and Barry replied that he was with a client at the moment, the report said.
“There was a long gap in communication until approximately [11 p.m.] Barry responded saying that he was done with things up north and that he was planning on staying up north for the night,” the report said.
Beata reportedly became upset and Barry told her that he would explain in the morning.
When Beata persisted, Barry told his wife that he had the “virus” and that he needed to stay away from them, according to the police report.
The two exchanged some emojis and Barry said goodnight before turning off his phone and no longer responding to his wife.
Beata told the sheriff’s deputy that Barry did not have any alcohol or drug dependencies and was not a risk to himself or others, the report said.
Barry did not return home or make contact with his wife the next morning, which is when she became concerned and called the sheriff’s office.
Beata reached out to Barry’s business partner, who told her that he had not had contact with Barry.
The business partner went to Barry’s law office, located at 409 Grand Avenue in Waukegan, and stated that everything was fine and nothing appeared to be disturbed, the report said.
Deputies contacted the business partner and he told them that he was at the office in the afternoon on March 25, 2020.
He said that nothing appeared to be strange but that he checked the appointment book and noticed there were no appointments scheduled for Barry that day except for regularly scheduled court dates.
Deputies checked an address, which had been redacted in the released police report, with negative results and spoke to a neighbor who said that Barry had been moving things to a friend’s house for storage.
The neighbor found it odd that Barry’s trailer was at the house but not his truck, the report said.
The Waukegan Police Department soon after located Barry’s 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe parked on a side street in Waukegan approximately two miles from his law office. Boches was not in or around his vehicle.
Detectives canvassed the area and no one saw who was driving the vehicle. “They just knew the vehicle was parked there for the last couple of days,” the report said.
There were no cameras in the area. There was no evidence of blood or foul play inside the vehicle, the report said.
Records show that Barry’s residence in unincorporated Antioch was sold in June 2020 and his law firm is listed as “permanently closed” on Google.
Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner in early 2022 that sheriff’s detectives had investigated over 200 leads into his disappearance at that point.
“As with any missing person case, our detectives and staff work extremely diligently to both locate the missing person and provide answers. While most missing persons cases are generally concluded within hours, there have been many twists and turns in this investigation,” Covelli said at that time.
Covelli said in 2020, when Boches first went missing, that the man’s disappearance had “unusual characteristics.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided technical support in the investigation in 2020.
Boches was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt with red lettering. He is 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, and has hazel-colored eyes and brown hair.
Anyone who might have any information in the case is asked to call Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives at 847-377-4000 or submit a tip to Lake County CrimeStoppers at www.lakecountycrimestoppers.com.