Human remains found in freezer believed to be the home’s landlord, Illinois cops say
UPDATE: The victim was identified as 69-year-old Frances Walker, and one of her tenants, Sandra Kolalou, 36, is facing charges of murder and concealment, the Chicago Police Department said on Oct. 12.
The original story is below.
A landlord went missing, then Illinois authorities say they found human remains in the home’s freezer.
A Chicago landlord lives in and rents out rooms in their northside house, the Chicago Police Department said in a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 11. When one of the home’s tenants hadn’t seen the landlord in a day, they called police to report them missing.
The tenant told officers they saw another tenant call a tow truck and carry a heavy bag out of the home. The tow truck driver told police the person dumped a “large plastic bag” in a garbage can at a lakefront beach.
At the beach, detectives found a garbage can with bloody towels inside and sent the evidence to the medical examiner’s office, they said at the press conference. According to ABC 7, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said the garbage can did not contain human remains.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers said they returned to the landlord’s residence and found human remains in a freezer. Detectives believe, but have not yet confirmed, the remains belong to the missing landlord.
The body was found “dismembered,” according to CBS Chicago.
Simultaneously, the tow truck driver contacted police about a passenger pulling a knife on him. Officers took the passenger into custody. While the passenger was in police custody, they invoked their right to remain silent regarding the homicide investigation into the missing landlord, police said.
Fox 32 reported the arrested passenger was one of the landlord’s tenants.
The Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office have not responded to McClatchy News’ requests for confirmation.
The investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made or charges filed for this case.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Human remains found in freezer believed to be the home’s landlord, Illinois cops say."
