2 Burned Bodies On Rowell Ave: No Arrests, 1 Year Later

JOLIET, IL — One year ago this week, two young men from Joliet were each shot in the head, one after the other. Their lifeless bodies were loaded inside a 2004 Mercedes Benz. The car was left along a lonely stretch of Rowell Avenue, near Sugar Creek Drive. The car was lit on fire and the killers made a successful getaway.

The Will County Sheriff's Department has been unable to track them down ever since.

Around 9:55 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26 2018, the East Joliet Fire Department raced toward Rowell Avenue after authorities received reports of a car on fire. When firefighters extinguished the blaze, they made a chilling discovery. There were two charred bodies inside the car. One of the victims was Xavier Sallie, 19. The second victim was Dontae Ray Morgan, 21. The car belonged to Sallie.

The autopsies by the Will County Coroner's Office revealed that both of the young men were fatally shot in the head, before the car was torched.

Prior to the double murder in Joliet Township, Sallie had been in and out of Will County's Jail in connection with charges of manufacturing marijuana and having a stolen gun. Morgan didn't have a criminal record. He had a job at the Amazon facility in Joliet.

Over the past year, the Will County Sheriff's Office has had no success identifying the criminals involved in the vicious double murders.

The case can still be found on the website for the Will County Crime Stoppers where there is still mention of a $5,000 reward, for information that leads to the arrest of the persons responsible for the heinous crime.

"Now that the victims have been identified, the Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have been with the victims prior to the incident or with knowledge of the incident to contact Detective RJ Austin at 815-727-8574 ext. 4950 or Detective Shaun Moran at (815) 727-8574 ext. 4914 or Sergeant Jeremy Viduna at (815) 727-8574 ext. 4923. If no one answers your initial call, please leave a voicemail with your contact information and someone will get back to you promptly," the Crime Stoppers website informed visitors on July 3, 2018.

The year-old double murders on Rowell Avenue are one of several unsolved murder cases for Sheriff Mike Kelley. Under his leadership, the Will County Sheriff's Office has made no arrests in connection with the February 2018 murder of Marissa Lynn Koziel, formerly of Manhattan. The 21-year-old was shot in the head and her body was dumped on Joliet's east side, in the Forest Park area, in the area 1500 block of California Avenue.

It's now been more than two years since the Will County Sheriff's Office began investigating the April 2017 homicide of Sema'j Crosby.

The little girl's death is now considered a cold case and no arrests have ever been made by Will County police.