Decomposed Body In Shed Identified By Will County Sheriff – Joliet, IL Patch

JOLIET, IL The Will County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that a badly decomposed body found one year ago inside a shed has been positively identified as Reynaldo Balleza-Banda. It was determined early in the investigation that the man died of exposure, and no foul play was suspected, sheriff's police said.

Will County Chief Deputy Chief Dan Jungles told Joliet Patch that Balleza-Banda was 41 at the time of his death. He had been living in Chicago.

According to the Will County Sheriff's Office, the body was found May 28, 2019 in an area outside Beecher. Because there are several horse stables and rodeos in the area of Washington Township, investigators surmised the dead man may have been a farm hand or rodeo worker, police said.

The sheriff's office circulated flyers in both English and Spanish to area farms, ranches, and local businesses. Afterward, the Will County Coroner's Office was contacted by someone who suspected the body may be that of his cousin, Reynaldo Balleza-Banda, who disappeared in February 2019.

The Will County Coroners Office learned the missing man's family in Mexico had not heard from him since late January 2019. The missing man had a cousin in Bradley, Ill.

"Detectives with the Will County Sheriff's Office traveled to Bradley, Illinois and obtained a DNA sample from Reynaldo's cousin. The DNA was subsequently sent to the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Lab for comparison," the sheriff's news release indicated.

Ten days ago, on May 18, forensic scientist Sarah Ozanick from the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Lab confirmed that the two DNA samples she analyzed indicated the dead man and the man's cousin were closely related, authorities said.

"Sheriff Mike Kelley and Coroner Pat O'Neil would like to thank all of the individuals that worked tirelessly on this investigation to identify the remains of Reynaldo Balleza-Banda, and ultimately bring closure to a grieving family," Thursday's news release indicated.

The Will County Coroner's Office has ruled the cause of death as undetermined.

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Decomposed Body In Shed Identified By Will County Sheriff - Joliet, IL Patch