CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Two individuals are facing charges after human remains were recovered from Lake Mattoon, where boaters reported finding what appeared to be part of a human arm, Illinois State Police said.
James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, have been charged with concealment of a homicide and dismembering a human body.
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Authorities said the case began Sunday, when boaters came across part of a human arm in Lake Mattoon in Cumberland County.
The boaters said they were out on the lake with relatives, friends and children, trying to move what they initially thought were dead fish, when they realized something was wrong.
“Pushed that first fish away, then got to the second one and it just didn’t look like the first fish,” said Sammy Flynn, who discovered the remains. “I was like okay. I got a little bit closer, and I looked again, and I looked and – I was yelling at everybody behind me. I was like, ‘Guys, that’s not a fish. That’s an arm.'”
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The group called 911 right away.
Police said investigators later located more human remains in the lake. Illinois State Police said distinctive tattoos helped authorities identify the victim.
The remains were identified as those of Dalewayne Turner, 38, of Plainfield, according to police.
Illinois State Police executed a search warrant at a Plainfield home on Wednesday as part of the investigation.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges are expected.
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