Mother of missing Illinois woman found dead speaks out: 'There are no words'
The Brief
Megan Bos, 25, was reported missing in March and found dead in April in Waukegan.
The man who confessed to hiding her body faces charges but was released from custody.
Lawmakers and family members are questioning the justice system and the implications of the SAFE-T Act.
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - The tragic death of Megan Bos has ignited both public outcry and political controversy in Lake County.
The discovery of her body has raised questions about law enforcement practices and the implications of the SAFE-T Act, particularly concerning the suspect's release from custody.
What we know
Megan Bos was reported missing on March 9 and was found dead on April 10 in a storage container at a Waukegan home.
On Thursday, her mother picked up the belongings discovered with her daughter in the storage container.
"There are no words to help me understand how a person can do this to another human being and walk out of court the next day like you got a traffic ticket," said Jennifer Bos, Megan's mother.
"Someone that hid their body in a garbage can for 51 days, after leaving it in the basement for two days, after not calling 911, breaking a phone. Is this a non-detainable offense? Should we not find out, wait for a toxicology report, anything? Especially with someone that is a citizen of a foreign country," said State Rep. Tom Weber.
Weber represents the 64th District where the Bos family lives.
Megan was first reported missing in early March. Both Waukegan and Antioch police searched for her for weeks. They questioned Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, who eventually confessed that her body was in a container in his yard on Yeoman Street.
He told police Megan overdosed at his home in mid-February. He didn't want to get in trouble, so he left her body in his basement for a few days and broke her phone before moving her to the container where she remained for seven weeks.
The 52-year-old—now charged with concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse, and obstructing justice—was released from custody pending trial.
What they're saying
Family and friends say those charges don't go far enough.
"Most of the searches was within 200 feet of where she was the entire time. So here we are circling, you know, the surrounding businesses, every single light pole, every single tree, there was hundreds and hundreds of fliers. Her face was everywhere. The business next to where his residence was located, we were in multiple times. His door was knocked on multiple times, it's gut-wrenching. It's nauseating to think the whole entire time she was just there and he didn't give a care in the world," said Jennie Szalay, Megan's friend.
What's next
Megan will be laid to rest on Saturday.
As the investigation continues, authorities are awaiting toxicology results to determine the cause of death definitively.
The Source
FOX 32's Tia Ewing reported on this story.
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