IL IL - Brent Westermann, 29, Fox Lake, murdered 14 June 1983

[drhan1005]

I don't know a lot about this case yet, but this man was murdered in the county where I grew up and I was surprised to find that it wasn't already on this board. It's the longest unsolved case in my county, and the family is still looking for justice.

Seems like a situation where most of the DNA evidence was lost (due to a fire), couldn't find the murder weapon. Brent's girlfriend at the time had an ex-boyfriend that appears to have been their primary suspect, but they were never able to successfully pin it on him.

I wonder if contacting the retired detectives would open up any leads? I'm relatively new to this case and also to cold cases in general—suggestions?

Victim's family refuses to give up on 30-year-old cold-case homicide

 

[StarrChance]

POI named in 1997
POLICE `SO CLOSE' TO SOLVING 1983 SLAYING

Adding some urgency to the investigation is the fact police long have had a suspect but have been unable to build anything more than a circumstantial case against him.

The focus of the investigation is--and has been since days after the killing--Robert C. Harris Jr. Harris lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where he moved shortly after Brent Westermann's death.

Police insist they have done everything in their power to build a case against Harris.


"We're well aware of the agony the family has gone through," said Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Charles Fagan, the commander of the cold-case team. "There was a concerted effort in 1983 to solve this, but there just wasn't the physical evidence to arrest anyone."