The recent discovery of skeletal human remains found Sunday, March 10 on property to the west of Whispering Oaks subdivision has led some locals to ask if those remains could be that of a missing Kewanee man.

A man reportedly stumbled upon the remains while searching a brush-covered field for deer antlers. The find was reported to the Kewanee Police Department, who turned it over to the jurisdiction of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

Later that afternoon, the HCSO issued a press statement, but offered little in the way of details except to say that the agency had begun a death investigation into the remains. The HCSO is being assisted in the investigation by the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services and the KPD. The public was in no danger, the release said, and no further information would be released until the investigation was completed.

Two years ago in November of 2022, Daniel Cernovich was 43 year-old. Just a few months prior, in June of 2022, he had been released from the Dixon Correctional Facility after serving just under a year for a charge of aggravated battery/public place.

But on Nov. 18, 2022 a female friend of Cernovich’s, entered the Kewanee Police Department to report him as missing.

According to the missing persons complaint she filed, Cernovich was last in the woman’s company in the early morning hours at Misty’s Bar on Nov. 16. The woman advised the police that she had given Daniel a ride to the location he had been staying, which she said was a garage belonging to a resident on West Fifth Street.

According to the woman, Cernovich wanted to go to Wood’zs Bar, but she and Cernovich got into an argument and he demanded to be let out of the car. At approximately 2 a.m., she pulled over at Railroad Avenue and East Street and Daniel, dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, got out of the car. That’s the last contact she had with him.

After the complaint was filed, the police attempted to find Cernovich but came up empty. Officers placed a call to Cernovich’s cell phone number, but it was disconnected. They also visited the residence of Daniel’s father, and were advised that he had not seen or heard from Daniel in about four days when he had taken his son some food. One officer also went to Misty’s Bar where the bartender informed him that he hadn’t been there that day. The bartender at Wood’zs Bar told an officer that Daniel hadn’t been in the bar for a long time.

After the initial investigation, Cernovich was entered into LEADS as a missing person. Police continued to follow up and on Dec. 8, they contacted the original complainant who reported that while she hadn’t seen Daniel, she read on Facebook that someone claimed he had reportedly broken into someone’s basement and was living there.

On March 6, 2023 police say that a man cleaning up his property north of Northeast Park found clothing, a wallet and a phone, all belonging to Cernovich, among some trees. According to police, no one has reported seeing Cernovich since he was first reported missing in November of 22.

Now several people have inquired if maybe the uncovered remains aren’t that of Cernovich. Within hours of the discovery and announcement, someone posted to Cernovich’s father’s social media page, saying they were praying it wasn’t Daniel. “I haven’t heard from him for a long time.” Daniel’s father replied: “We are thinking it is.”

The Kewanee Voice requested a comment from the HCSO about the possible identity of the remains. Chief Deputy Charles “Benjamin” Franklin with the HCSO said “the scene and the area have been processed by our Investigation’s Division with assistance from the Illinois State Police. All identification efforts are being conducted.”

In a statement released to The Kewanee Voice on Thursday morning, March 14, the HCSO released an additional statement that reads:

“In an effort for public transparency we would like to provide an update into the death investigation in which human remains were located in rural Kewanee on 03/10/24.

We ask for your patience and understanding as these types of incidents take time to complete. It involves multiple agencies and various resources all while being discreet to maintain the integrity of an active investigation.

The skeletal remains and other items collected at the scene are being tested. We will exhaust any and all resources to obtain identification of the victim. We are committed to bringing closure to the victim’s family and friends.

As more information is developed we will be as transparent as possible in providing updates.”

The release was signed by Chief Deputy Franklin.

***This article has been edited to add the response from the HCSO.