For Immediate Press Release

 

JOLIET – Will County Coroner Patrick K. O’Neil and the Illinois State Police Forensic Crime Laboratory announce that the human bones found in the Des Plaines River on May 20, 2009 have been positively identified as the skeletal remains of Scott M. Dudko of Woodridge, Illinois.

Dudko was 32-years-old at the time his disappearance was reported on Aug. 1, 2009. Dudko was positively identified by comparing DNA from his skeletal remains against DNA contained in a blood sample collected during the autopsy of his late father, Michael Dudko, in Florida.

The cause of death has yet to be determined. However, the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body and the forensic examination of the remains have led authorities to conclude that Dudko died under suspicious circumstances and are treating it as a homicide.

Dudko was reported missing several months after he failed to arrive for a scheduled visit with his ailing father in Florida. The missing persons report was filed with the Woodridge Police Department three months after the unidentified bones were found in the Des Plaines River. The victim reportedly was last seen alive in December of 2008. An aunt who lives out of state finally contacted Woodridge Police after Dudko failed to attend his father’s funeral. 

A break in the case occurred when Detective James Cardin, who serves on Coroner O’Neil’s Cold Case Squad, was discussing missing-persons cases with Woodridge Detective Terry Freeman at Freeman’s retirement party earlier this year. The two colleagues noted similarities involving the bones that were discovered in the Des Plaines River in Will County and Dudko’s disappearance.   The Dudko case was the last case Freeman worked on before his retirement.

“I formed the Cold Case Squad in 2008 to help detectives develop leads in complicated homicide cases in which human remains have not been identified as well as to bring closure to grieving families who are searching for missing loved ones,” said Coroner O’Neil.   “The break in this case was the result of communication and cooperation between dedicated law enforcement officials who share these goals.”

Coroner O’Neil thanked the Okaloosa County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida for its professional assistance in helping his office identify Dudko’s remains. The University of Indianapolis Forensic Anthropology Department also provided crucial assistance during the investigation, Coroner O’Neil said.

The case currently is being investigated by Illinois State Police District 5 and the Woodridge Police Department.

 

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