KANKAKEE – It’s been over three decades since the body of an unidentified woman was discovered inside the Willow Slough State Fish and Wildlife Area southeast of Kankakee. Now thanks to the help of some dedicated volunteers, relatives of a missing Joliet woman can find some closure.
Jennifer Noreen Denton’s body was first discovered by a fisherman in Newton County in October 1988 roughly three miles from a burnt-out van in the Willow Slough State Fish and Wildlife Area. Denton, 24, of Joliet, along with Selease “Tony” Sherrod had been shot and burned using tires and tree limbs surrounding the scene.
The Doe Network, a volunteer organization that works specifically on cold cases, was responsible for identifying Denton 33 years after she was first reported missing to the Joliet Police Department by her sister.
Newton County Coroner Scott McCord reports the case remains open.
