(Peoria County Jail)
The PPD’s Criminal Investigations Division has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Christopher Sanders.
During the course of an investigation, detectives developed information which led to Sanders becoming a suspect.
On Thursday, detectives had reason to believe Sanders left Peoria and was headed south, possibly to the greater St. Louis area. Local authorities were contacted and advised of the incident.
Sanders was taken into custody at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday in New Baden, Illinois.
PPD detectives transported Sanders back to the Peoria Police Department for interview purposes.
Sanders was subsequently arrested for first degree murder and transported to the Peoria County Jail.
UPDATED 4:50 p.m. | Peoria Police say a man has been arrested in connection with the death of a Peoria woman whose body was found Thursday in East Peoria.
Authorities say Christopher J. Sanders, 42, was arrested in connection with the death of Mona Ellison on Thursday evening in the village of New Baden, Ill., 30 miles east of St. Louis.
Christopher J. Sanders
Credit Peoria Police
He was transferred to the Peoria Police Department for an interview and subsequently arrested for first degree murder. He has been booked into the Peoria County Jail.
Ellison, 50, was reported missing Wednesday from the 3500 block of NE Brevis in Peoria after not having been seen in several days. Authorities located her body Thursday in a wooded area behind an East Peoria apartment complex in the 100 block of Woodrow Dr.
(Peoria County Jail)
The PPD’s Criminal Investigations Division has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Christopher Sanders.
During the course of an investigation, detectives developed information which led to Sanders becoming a suspect.
On Thursday, detectives had reason to believe Sanders left Peoria and was headed south, possibly to the greater St. Louis area. Local authorities were contacted and advised of the incident.
Sanders was taken into custody at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday in New Baden, Illinois.
PPD detectives transported Sanders back to the Peoria Police Department for interview purposes.
Sanders was subsequently arrested for first degree murder and transported to the Peoria County Jail.
Arrest made in homicide investigation, friend says victim knew suspect
Unmute He was homeless, and she helped him a few times, said Johnson.
Johnson said she couldn t understand why someone would want to kill someone that was so loved. You did not have to do that to her, she would have gave anybody, anybody the shirt off of her back, said Johnson.
Johnson and Ellison first met in Galesburg about 30 years ago. They stayed friends, even after Ellison moved across the country throughout her life. They got along well, as they both loved the same things. We both loved photos, I have tons of, I was going through some last night, I have tons of pictures, of her and I. She was probably one of the people in my life as friends, that I have the most pictures with, added Johnson.