LASALLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
745 Second Street – LaSalle, IL 61301
[815] 223-2131 – FAX [815] 223-6395
Chief of Police
Michael Smudzinski
Administrative Sergeant
Brian Zebron
Detectives
Sgt. Curt Martin
Set. Brian Camenisch
Homicide Investigation Update
On Thursday, October 12, 2023, at approximately 7:43 p.m. LaSalle .6fficers were dispatched to Flying J Truck Stop located at 343 Civic Road, LaSalle, Illinois in reference to a female who had been shot. Upon arrival, LaSalle officers located a deceased female near the fuel pumps who had died from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Officers learned the suspect fled the area in a vehicle prior to their arrival. LaSalle Police Department Detectives, the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office, and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services then launched an investigation into the homicide.
Based on evidence collected at the scene LaSalle Detectives were able to identify the suspect
and the suspect’s vehicle. The LaSalle Police Department then issued a nationwide broadcast to other Law Enforcement Agencies in an attempt to locate the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. During the investigation, detectives were also able to identify the victim and determined she was reported missing from the State of Michigan.
On Thursday, October 12, 2023, at approximately 11:45 p.m. the suspect’s vehicle was located by Bettendorf, Iowa Police Officers at a rest stop off Interstate 80. As Bettendorf officers approached the vehicle, they heard a gunshot and later discovered the suspect deceased in the vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The names of the suspect and victim are, being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Neither the suspect nor the victim had any ties to LaSalle and the homicide appears to be related to a domestic situation.
The LaSalle Police Department would like to thank members of the Peru Police Department, Oglesby Police Department, Illinois State Police, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services, LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office, LaSalle County Coroner’s Office, Bettendorf, Iowa Police Department, Genesee County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office, Ottawa County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office and the Macomb County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office for their assist in the investigation.
Detective Sergeant Brian Camenisch