Katie Kearns, 24, was found dead on November 17, 2017, in the rear of her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was parked inside a pole barn in Aroma Park Township, Kankakee County. She had been reported missing after failing to return home from her shift at Woody’s Bar in Joliet. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

Her boyfriend, Jeremy Boshears, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death. Prosecutors said Boshears shot Kearns on November 13, 2017, then hid her body and vehicle. At trial the prosecution introduced Google searches from Boshears’ phone and described his emotional turmoil; the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death in May 2022.

Friends and family recalled Kearns as vibrant and caring and noted she had struggled with depression and with drinking and drug use before her death. Did anyone who knew Katie, where she worked, or her movements in November 2017 see or hear anything that might help explain what happened?