Illinois Police Seek Help with Suspicious Death Cold Case

A tragic death in Illinois nearly 8 years ago was originally ruled a drowning, but new evidence now has police asking for the public's help to find out what really happened to a young man who aspired to be a police officer, but lost his life in a creek in Illinois.

The Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police has just released a bulletin detailing why they're seeking new information regarding the death of 23-year-old Tyler Smith of Rochelle, Illinois. It was September 18, 2018 when police were alerted to a body that was found in the Cedar Fork Creek in Galesburg. They say that Tyler was expected to attend his final National Guard drill the next day. He aspired to be a police officer before his passing. The autopsy initially indicated that Smith died from drowning. The Galesburg police had started the investigation, but later asked for the Illinois State Police to take over.

Nearly two years later in July of 2020, the body of Tyler Smith was exhumed, and a second autopsy was conducted at the McLean County Coroner’s Office in Bloomington. that led to the Illinois State Police investigators to pursue "numerous leads, conducted numerous new interviews, and executed additional search warrants; however, to-date, the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death are still undetermined and remains under investigation".

Based on what the Illinois State Police have learned, they believe there is something that happened at approximately 11:43 p.m. on Friday September 14, 2018, in the area of N. West Street and Cedar Fork Creek in Galesburg that led to his passing. They ask if you have any information about what occurred that night to please submit a tip through the Illinois State Police online portal.