Missing Chicago Woman's Body Found In Will County At Kankakee River

CHICAGO, IL - For more than five weeks, there's been a nagging mystery surrounding the discovery of a young woman's body found near the Kankakee River in Wilmington Township. The body was clothed and spotted by one of the residents who lived at one of the nearby riverfront cottages on Readman Lane. On Tuesday, the Will County Coroner's Office announced the woman has been identified as Martha E. Sanchez, 24, of Chicago.

The coroner's office made a positive identification of Sanchez, whose nickname was "Tica," through dental records. However, a final determination on the young woman's cause and manner of death has not been made. Toxicology tests are also pending. The Illinois State Police District 5 headquarters in Crest Hill continues to oversee the death investigation.

Initially, the Illinois State Police received leads and tips suggesting that the body dumped near Wilmington may belong to a woman from Kokomo who has been missing since October. However, that scenario was quickly ruled out.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Police Department opened a missing person's report for Sanchez, who lived on Chicago's Northwest Side. According to Chicago police, the 24-year-old woman was last seen on July 4th wearing a short turquois dress and high heel shoes. She was 5-foot-2 and weighed 102 pounds. Sanchez had gone missing from the 5100 block of West Fletcher Street.

The distance from where Sanchez disappeared and where her body turned up in Will County is roughly 60 miles.

Image via Chicago Police Department