Investigators Suspect Foul Play In Motorcyclist's Death: Police

JOLIET, IL — The Illinois State Police announced on Tuesday that investigators suspect that foul play was involved in the death of Carl Gordon, whose body was found in the Calumet River last week.

The state police said in a news release that agents from its Division of Criminal Investigation are conducting the inquiry into the death after Gordon’s body was discovered in the river at about 8 p.m. on June 20 by the Blue Island Police Department. Gordon, 35, Belvedere, had been missing since May 29.

Gordon, an avid motorcycle rider, vanished after traveling to Joliet to have his Harley-Davidson repaired. An investigation began after Gordon was not heard from and no activity on his credit cards or bank account was reported.

Gordon’s death and the discovery of his body was reported on Facebook by relatives, who said the he had been living near Rockford, but had traveled to Joliet to have work done at a building on Ruby Street where he had purchased the motorcycle.

"This is an active investigation, and we cannot answer any questions at this time," relatives wrote on Facebook. "Please pray for the family, respect their privacy and give them time to grieve.

Gia Wright, the president and founder of the Missing Persons Awareness Network, recently told Patch that the last activity on any of Gordon’s accounts came from the Pizza For U restaurant in Joliet and that the pizza had been delivered to the Ruby Street address.

Wright said that cell tower activity from T-Mobile put Gordon's smartphone within 100 meters of Trinity United Methodist Church, 301 Fairbanks Ave. in Joliet, around 11:20 p.m. on May 29. The church is 2.2 miles away from the Ruby Street building, on east side of Joliet in a residential neighborhood.

Then, more than three hours, T-Mobile records show that Gordon's phone pinged within a 300-meter radius of the St. John's Cemetery around 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, May 30. The cemetery is directly across the street from the building where Gordon was last seen.

Due to the ongoing investigation into Gordon’s death, the state police said Tuesday that they are not releasing any more details at this time. Anyone with information into the matter is asked to contact the Illinois State Police at 847-294-4400 and callers can remain anonymous.