‘Suspicious odor’ at storage unit uncovers hidden human remains, Illinois sheriff says

Decomposed human remains were found hidden in an Illinois storage unit after someone complained of a “suspicious odor,” according to an Illinois sheriff’s office.

Knox County deputies were called to the storage units in Maquon on Friday, Oct. 7, according to a news release. They met with the manager of the facility and the owner of the unit where the smell was believed to be coming from.

The unit owner unlocked and opened the unit, saying the smell was from a dead opossum, authorities said.

But inside the unit was a large box.

When authorities asked the owner to open the box, the owner said a body was inside, according to the release.

Deputies called for investigators with the sheriff’s office and Illinois State Police. Once they received a search warrant, authorities opened the box.

“Inside the box was decomposed human remains,” officials said. “Identification was not able to be made on scene” given the body’s condition..

The store unit owner was detained and then taken to a hospital “for medical reasons,” according to the news release. No charges were immediately filed because of those medical conditions.

A few days later, on Oct. 11, detectives said they arrested a 50-year-old woman on a charge of “concealment of death.” The sheriff’s office has not said if she was the owner of the storage unit.

The woman was also arrested on two warrants out of Fulton County on charges of fraud and deceptive practices, authorities said. Those warrants are unrelated to the case in Knox County.

An investigation is ongoing.

Maquon is about 200 miles southwest of Chicago.

Skeletal remains of missing 68-year-old man found in remote part of forest, NJ cops say

Hikers discover mysterious human skeletal remains on Colorado mountain, officials say

Hikers discover remains of man missing for months in California mountains, cops say

Woman killed partner and his daughter’s boyfriend dismembered body in Ohio, records show