Marissa L. Koziel, 21, of Joliet, Illinois, was found dead along California Avenue in Joliet Township’s Forest Park area on February 23, 2018. Several teenagers discovered the body; the Will County Coroner’s Office determined she died of a single gunshot wound. Investigators believe she was already dead when her body was dumped near the roadway, and detectives have been trying to determine where the killing occurred versus the identified dump site.

Marissa had been reported missing by her family to the Manhattan Police Department on February 14, 2018, and was last seen by relatives on February 1, 2018. In the days before her disappearance she stayed with friends and at motels in the Joliet and Lockport area. Records show an extensive Will County criminal history including arrests for underage drinking, marijuana possession, thefts, resisting arrest and, within the year before her death, bookings that included domestic battery and resisting arrest. Friends and family remember her as caring and kind.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office describes the investigation as active and states detectives are working to locate where Marissa was killed and to identify the person responsible. Does anyone who knew Marissa or who was in the Joliet/Lockport area in February 2018 have information that could help?