Man Investigated For Girlfriend's Disappearance Pleads Guilty To Blowing Up House

A Joliet man under scrutiny in connection with the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend pleaded guilty Monday to blowing up his own home while he was inside it.

James Borg, 46, was sentenced to six years in prison. In exchange for his plea to a charge of residential arson, three counts of aggravated arson were dismissed.

“I’m sorry this happened,” the high school dropout told Judge Amy Bertani Tomczak.

Borg’s girlfriend, waitress Anne Gay, 53, who disappeared a year and a half ago, remains missing.

Borg and Gaye lived together in a rented house on Southeast Circle Drive in unincorporated Joliet. A few weeks after Gay vanished, a police dog trained to locate cadavers was taken into the house. During a search, the dog indicated there was evidence of a corpse having been inside the residence, police said.

The following week, Borg disconnected the line to a gas dryer and blew the house up. Borg shot out of the house and landed in the front yard, said Assistant State’s Attorney Fred Harvey.

Borg was severely burned in the explosion but he no longer uses a wheelchair and his eyebrows have sort of grown back.

Several of Borg’s neighbors were pleased that he was taken away to the hospital and then to jail following the explosion.

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