2 Arrested In Death Of Chicago Woman, 24, Found Near Wilmington

JOLIET, IL - Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 24-year-old missing Chicago woman whose body was discovered on July 8 near the Kankakee River in Wilmington Township. The arrests were carried Wednesday and Thursday by the Illinois State Police District 5 in Lockport, the police agency in charge of the case since the woman's body was found. The two men taken into custody were Jonathan Rodriguez, 29, of Blue Island, and Esteban Rodriguez, 27, formerly of Wilmington.

The two are charged with felony crimes of intimidation and concealing a homicide. Esteban Rodriguez was also busted for having a loaded gun at the time of his arrest. He is currently incarcerated in Cook County while Jonathan Rodriguez was booked into the Will County Jail early Thursday morning, jail records show.

Esteban Rodriguez

Earlier this week, the Will County Coroner's Office revealed that the woman found last found near the Kankakee River was positively identified through dental records as Martha E. Sanchez of Chicago.

"We hope that this gives the family a little bit of peace," Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Patrick Callaghan told Joliet Patch on Thursday.

Callaghan stressed that the investigation into Sanchez's death remains very active and more charges may be forthcoming. "This is going to be a Will County case," he said. "We are working on additional charges. I'm very proud of the work that my team did on this. They worked tirelessly."

Jonathan Rodriguez

In Will County, Jonathan Rodriguez's bond was set at $1 million, meaning he must come up with $100,000 cash to remain free, pending future court proceedings.

Sanchez vanished without a trace sometime around 3 p.m. on July 4th. She was last seen on Chicago's Northwest Side in the 5100 block of West Fletcher Street. The Chicago Police Department later opened a missing person's case a few weeks later.

The distance from where Sanchez's dead body turned up near Wilmington was roughly 60 miles away.

Image of Martha Sanchez via Chicago Police Department

Booking mugshot of Jonathan Rodriguez via Will County Sheriff's Department

Booking mugshot of Esteban Rodriguez via Cook County Sheriff's Department