Former Algonquin Man Charged With Murder of Bartlett Man Who Went Missing Last August

Photo credit: Gary M. Bennett

A former Algonquin man has been charged with the murder of Keith K. Crawford, a 36-year-old father of five who went missing last August, prosecutors said last week. A former Lake in the Hills man has also been charged in connection with the murder of the Bartlett man.

Gary M. Bennett, 36, formerly of Algonquin and now of Denver, Colorado, has been charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and concealment of a homicide and Joan Sebastian Vado-Bonilla, 28, formerly of Lake in the Hills and now of the 2100 block of Marriott Drive in West Dundee, faces a felony charge of concealment of a homicide, according to a Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office press release.

Crawford was last seen leaving a party near West Dundee on Aug. 10, 2014, and has been missing ever since. His family called police to report him missing on Aug. 11, 2014.

Authorities on Friday were not providing details on when and where Crawford was murdered and would not say if or where his body was found, the Daily Herald reports. The mother of Crawford, Regina Myles, told the Daily Herald she was also unsure if her son’s remains were found. Prosecutors said a gun was used to kill Crawford, according to the Northwest Herald.

Bennett, formerly of Millbrook Court in Algonquin, was taken into custody Thursday in Denver, Colorado. A $5 million bail was set for Bennett and he will be extradited to Kane County, prosecutors said.

Vado-Bonilla, formerly of the 100 block of Village Creek Drive, was arrested Thursday in West Dundee. His bail is set at $500,000.

“I am grateful that we have been able to get some answers for Keith Crawford’s family. They have been waiting a long time. We have put thousands of man hours into what has been an exhaustive investigation, and we continue to work on this case,” West Dundee Police Chief Andy Wieteska said.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the West Dundee Police Dept. at (847) 551-3810, or email stopcrime@wdundee.org. Anyone who wishes to anonymously report information about the crime may call (847) 586-5600.