GUILTY IL - Antinette 'Toni' Keller, 18, DeKalb, NIU Student, 14 October 2010

[Dipcheese]

....A good friend of mine said she heard on a radio station that police found a body that had been sliced up so this for sure is true or it wouldn't be on a radio station...

Can we please get past the "...my cousin's dog's brother's neighbor said it heard barking on the radio that a baby bunny was tied to one of the blades of the giant windmills..." rumors?

There are no official reports of anything happening in Malta, Illinois. Granted, the railroad tracks do run directly west of Dekalb through Malta on its way to the Rochelle hub, but no search engine brings up anything to do with Malta, Illinois, except for the remains found in Prairie Park.

 

[Dipcheese]

It was interesting to read that there were also arson dogs. I wonder if an accelerant was found.

Feithen had a nice "no comment" at the press conference when asked if an accelerant was found nearby.

 

[TallCoolOne]

Woe-

I do not know the area & don't know where the frisbee/ golf part of PP is.

This is a link to a maps showing the general locations of where the remains found in Antinette's search were found and the body of the earlier male student:
http://bit.ly/d8ut7b

From this article: http://bit.ly/bTjxqy

Keller, 18, was last seen about noon Oct. 14 at her residence hall on Lucinda Avenue. Friends told police the freshman art student had planned to take a walk in an area adjacent to West Lincoln Highway behind the Junction Center retail complex.
and

...Wednesday evening report of a woman who might have matched Keller’s description possibly wandering dazed near Route 38 and Nelson Road resulted in immediate mobilization. Searches by city, county and NIU officers found nothing.

Route 38 and Nelson Rd are significantly west of the park.

But this report was from Wednesday, Oct 20, after they had discovered the unrecoginizable remains and before they were determined to be human.
In other words, whomever they sighted was not Toni.

 

[TallCoolOne]

Can we please get past the "...my cousin's dog's brother's neighbor said it heard barking on the radio that a baby bunny was tied to one of the blades of the giant windmills..." rumors?

There are no official reports of anything happening in Malta, Illinois. Granted, the railroad tracks do run directly west of Dekalb through Malta on its way to the Rochelle hub, but no search engine brings up anything to do with Malta, Illinois, except for the remains found in Prairie Park.

I had to Thank you for this post 'in person' as hitting the Thanks button just wasn't enough.

 

[Joe Friday]

Feithen had a nice "no comment" at the press conference when asked if an accelerant was found nearby.

It is the assumption of the forensic anthropologist that looked at Antinette's remains that an accelerant had been used from the amount of destruction done to the body.

Perhaps a gas can or other type of accelerant container was found near where the body was found. Hopefully that could be tracked to a near by store or gas station. There was a case recently I saw where surveillance video showed a man filling a gas can at a gas station and they linked it to a burned body IIRC. Anyone remember what case that was?

Found one case but that is not the one I was thinking of. Anyway here is a link. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7535003

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20020900-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

"I assume that in this case some sort of accelerant was used to burn the body," said forensic anthropologist Dr. Clyde Snow. "Ordinary fires will not cause that much destruction."

 

[rodie]

I heard it was a baby chick on the windmill, as opposed to a bunny.

 

[nukeofduke]

I was born and live in Dekalb and I appreciate the forum. I am going to check out some ihunches I have this afternoon. I know 40 police are on it and I have no intention of looking at the restricted areas. I don't know if anyone else is doing something similar. The fact is that the killer is out there. And it bothers me. I cannot believe this is a random isolated event. Here are the questions that I have.

She recently broke up with a boyfriend.

Is there info to support this statement?

#23 where is the proof that someone had an attempted abduction last May?

#75 reference that 2 disappeared in area. (I rem this one from my teen years.
"A newspaper article led to the resolution of a 13-year-old cold case in 1989. Susan Trossman was a journalism student at Northern Illinois University in 1976, when the remains of an unidentified young woman were found under a collapsed shed near Whipple Road in rural Sycamore. The woman had been shot, and her body was partially decomposed.")

#91 asks many good questions that I have not seen answered.

#268 mentions a comment no foul play suspected in comments by PC on the 18th...any link?

#278 brings up an issue I can't resolve. Dogs used many times...Can they detect burnt bones? I would say the scent is diff from an article of clothing.

#299 brings up a good question...Why wouldn't the perp burn the belongings too? Strange

#304 brings an odd question from me...Note: this would rule out the shovel. If found Saturday, then why is Steffan walking in the park on a Tuesday? When was it roped off? I was thinking WEd oct 20.

#321 talked about burnt remains id.. My questions is how does the skull and teeth get that decomposed in a day. I know crematoriums use a crusher after ~1700F heat. Gasoline is lower temp if I rem. So what bothers me is the Dalmer case. Do we think all body parts are there?

#325 brings up good issues on perps. I want to know if LE has looked within one mile for the sex offenders, animal abusers, arson records,,,etc.)

(interruption thought...I hope the police check the pings on this site, because maybe they check up to see what is happening.)

(another int thought - i discount the homeless theory due to the accelerants needed to burn the body.)

#348 is more good questions....

( int thought - we need an updated timeline)

End post issues.

I have photos taken Saturday that might show more info. I am check out a lead that J and I called in. Twice. and see if it was followed up.

She put on her photobucket. I am not sure how I can get them in the archive.

I am don't pretend to be good at this, but I have investigated numerous accidents and put together how they occurred. I also had a good intel bkgrd and work on facts vs. theories in issues of knowledge.

I am working on a case book. I do want to get a current timeline w verifiable links or facts.

Let me know if there are clarifying photos I can take after the Sat 23rd ones are posted to the archive.

Thanks For Reading and I am on FB.

John

 

[Lil PI]

Hi! I am new to the site (I'm sorry to say as a result of this story) I grew up in Naperville where Toni is from and currently live in DeKalb with my husband who was born and raised here about a mile from the park. This story just hits so close to home on all levels. I hope and pray this case gets resolved soon for Toni and her family's sake. I am happy to assist with any questions about locations or other areas that any of you may have.

 

[Dipcheese]

It is the assumption of the forensic anthropologist that looked at Antinette's remains that an accelerant had been used from the amount of destruction done to the body.

Perhaps a gas can or other type of accelerant container was found near where the body was found. Hopefully that could be tracked to a near by store or gas station. There was a case recently I saw where surveillance video showed a man filling a gas can at a gas station and they linked it to a burned body IIRC. Anyone remember what case that was?

Found one case but that is not the one I was thinking of. Anyway here is a link. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7535003

There is a gas station at the corner of Pleasant and 38 (north of the Park) that is very close to the tracks and the Park. However, accelerants come in many forms. There is a lot of trash and refuse along the tracks in the brush, including old tires and timber planks soaked with creosote. In other words, there may have been no need to leave the Park to find an accelerant, an experienced eye could find what was needed railside.

If those remains found turn out to be Antinette's, then you have reason to believe that the nature of the crime scene is both organized (utilizing items to destroy the evidence of the body) and disorganized (leaving behind her clothing and other personal items). Such a finding would lend me to believe the perp is experienced in disposal and/or fires. Disorganized crime scenes are usually associated with perps with lower than average intelligence. Leaving behind evidence such as her personal items might lead to this conclusion, or that the situation was likely hurried and required attention to the fire (stoking for added heat and fuel consumption, as well as destruction of contents post burning). Either way, the perp had to smell strongly of a fire.

Key are the remains. What if they are Antinette? What if they are not hers? What if it is a mix of both hers and somebody else?

 

[shefner]

I heard it was a baby chick on the windmill, as opposed to a bunny.

It wasn't a windmill...it was a water tower. I know because my grandmother grew up there.


Hope things will come together in this case. There's lots that we don't know but I'm betting LE does. I find it most odd that no one smelled a body burning since the area was searched very soon after Toni went missing. Someone acted quickly.

 

[Dipcheese]

There's lots that we don't know but I'm betting LE does.

It's interesting in watching the two faces of LE in this case. On one hand it has a press conference with DA to explain why information is being withheld. That lends one to think that it's about to jump on something, but with so much evidence (remains) destroyed by fire, it needs to make certain it doesn't further compromise a chance at conviction. On the other hand, LE appears to be waiting (like the rest of us) for confirmation on DNA of the remains, which could take the investigation into a completely different direction.

I find it most odd that no one smelled a body burning since the area was searched very soon after Toni went missing. Someone acted quickly.

I don't find it odd. For one, most people have never smelled a burning body. Two, this is in a remote area of the Park where fires are normal. Three, the winds could have been such where the fumes were limited and also masked if an accelerant was used. I do agree with the quick action of disposal. Still, that fire had to be nurtured for the remains to be so thoroughly burned. If one assumes that they were further destroyed post burning, it would also require several hours before getting out. Acting quickly also supports why so much of Antinette's items were left behind. Still, it would have been dark and nobody would have thought anything about seeing a fire in that area.

 

[italianangel2411]

I'm thinking if she was abducted in the park and possibly raped hence the clothes off her...then kills her and buries her until he comes back at night time to do the fire thing..i mean i thing fire during the day would be cause others to notice.
a guy posted on the facebook page the other day that he was in the park either thursday night or friday night walking alone from an event on campus and wanted to get air..and he said if he knew she was missing he would of looked in the park but had no idea she was missing. its scary to know other people were in the park the day or and the following days while this perp was still out there and no one even knew

 

[shefner]

It may not have been unusual to have a fire in the park? Why are fires "normal" there? Certainly a fire the size of one required to burn a body would be a risk....what if the fire got out of control and spread? Whoever burned the body would have most likely stayed with the body to make sure the job was completed. Were they not fearful of discovery?

If fires were common in this remote part of the park, then perhaps no one would see or smell anything. But the smell of smoke travels far and I'm thinking someone who was in the park that day might recall the smell upon reflection, even if they overlooked it on that day.

And in my experience, LE always has more information than they release....always.

 

[Dipcheese]

It may not have been unusual to have a fire in the park? Why are fires "normal" there? Certainly a fire the size of one required to burn a body would be a risk....what if the fire got out of control and spread? Whoever burned the body would have most likely stayed with the body to make sure the job was completed. Were they not fearful of discovery?

You have to know the location and town to realize that a fire in that area is, even if noticed, not considered something out of the ordinary. Dekalb is a railroad town. It splits through the heart of the old downtown district just northeast of the park. East of Dekalb you have the western suburbs of Chicago, a place where rail transients are escorted out of town. West of Dekalb is the Rochelle train hub that will take a rail transient anywhere in the country. Trains often slow and sometimes park on the rail in and around town. There are questions regarding the accelerant, but if it was something on site (remember the Police Chief said the investigation is only in Prairie Park), then that lends to the belief that this person was experienced in making fires with elements on hand. If this happened late, as in wee hours of the morning, then even fewer people would have noticed it.

If fires were common in this remote part of the park, then perhaps no one would see or smell anything. But the smell of smoke travels far and I'm thinking someone who was in the park that day might recall the smell upon reflection, even if they overlooked it on that day.

I'm thinking that if anybody saw the fire, it was a locomotive engineer passing by, but even such a scene to them would be commonplace.

 

[Dipcheese]

And in my experience, LE always has more information than they release....always.

In this case, where the evidence is already in such a fragile state, I see the kid gloves coming on to help the DA efforts. Without an autopsy, the DA is already in a corner. In my experience, the initial press conferences are usually a way for LE to come out and practically beg for a lead. I didn't get that feeling here. It has been more of a "trust us, we know what we're doing here" kind of thing.

Click on the Multimedia tab to get the videos of the last press conference.

Youtube has the first press conference regarding the remains found.

 

[Cubby]

Hi everyone, it's been interesting reading these posts. I felt the need to register because there is a strange bit of information that I haven't seen posted and I can't get over the unbelievable odds against it being a coincidence. I know the police have said they believe it to be an isolated event and only in the park, but:

NIU student found dead in wooded area
Author: KATE SCHOTT
Date: October 2, 2010 Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)

DeKALB –A 19-year-old man was found dead Friday afternoon in a remote location south of DeKalb.

People walking through the wooded area at the southwest corner of First Street and Fairview Drive near the Kishwaukee River came upon the body of a man about noon Friday, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.


County major case squad taking over investigation of missing NIU student

By 1 p.m. Saturday, search dogs were assisting in the search. The dogs picked up Keller's scent in her room and followed a path that disappeared near First Street and Fairview Drive.
The path was checked several times with different dogs to make sure they were sticking with her trail, Grady said. He said it appeared she went for a walk, but did not go to the park as she had planned.




I'm not trying to start any rumors or make any assertions, but that is unbelievably creepy and I can't get over it. Just pointing it out.

Welcome to WS! Earlier in the thread the young male who was found dead was discussed and his death was ruled a suicide. Thus his case is not related in any way to Toni's case.

hth

 

[Dipcheese]

I'm thinking if she was abducted in the park and possibly raped hence the clothes off her...then kills her and buries her until he comes back at night time to do the fire thing..i mean i thing fire during the day would be cause others to notice.

Good points...although I do not see the perp leaving the body to come back to dispose of it after dark. Why not get rid of the rest of her personal items while waiting?...She didn't show for her 2pm Art class. Was that because she didn't want to, or couldn't? The latter suggests a daylight attack and fire...bold, reclusive and experienced.

 

[Vresia]

But this report was from Wednesday, Oct 20, after they had discovered the unrecoginizable remains and before they were determined to be human.
In other words, whomever they sighted was not Toni.

You are correct. That part of my post was a response to Woe's post 435 that referred to the reported "dazed" girl sighting location. I neglected to say that that sighting had been a false lead once it was investigated and, as you said, the burned remains had been found well before the false alert. Thanks.

 

[Lil PI]

Good points...although I do not see the perp leaving the body to come back to dispose of it after dark. Why not get rid of the rest of her personal items while waiting?...She didn't show for her 2pm Art class. Was that because she didn't want to, or couldn't? The latter suggests a daylight attack and fire...bold, reclusive and experienced.

What if the shovel found comes into play here? If the perp burried (or even lightly coverd) the body with dirt and or brush, this would give the perp some time to leave the body and come back in the cover of darkness with the items needed to burn the body???

 

[krista]

This park is so much larger than it 'feels' on a map....and so much more dense. IMHO.