Kyle McMurtrey, 34, was found dead on the morning of June 17, 2020, in a drainage ditch behind Washington Plaza (formerly Sunnyland Plaza) in Washington, Illinois. Police were called about a possible body at about 9:30 a.m.; the Tazewell County coroner pronounced McMurtrey dead around 10:15 a.m. He reportedly lived with his grandfather on Argo Street, did not have a driver’s license, and worked at McMahon’s Restaurant in Washington Plaza, placing him in familiar surroundings near where his body was located.

Authorities initially withheld cause and manner of death while multiple agencies investigated. On June 23 the Washington police chief announced the death was being treated as a homicide. Later accounts reported blunt-force trauma to the back of his head, but investigators have not disclosed many injury details, the weapon or object involved, whether McMurtrey was killed at the drainage site or moved there, or who delivered the fatal injuries. Detectives reviewed nearby surveillance, spoke with multiple persons of interest, and followed leads, but no suspect has been publicly named and no charges have been announced. Relatives continued to seek answers and the case remained unsolved.

Did anyone see Kyle that morning or have information about where he went before he was found?