ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Deon Howard, 23, the suspect in the theft of a funeral home van that still had a body inside.
According to police, Howard stole the van from outside the Collins & Stone Funeral Home, 128 S. 5th Street, on Saturday.
The van still contained the body of Curtis Brown, 47, in the cargo area.
Howard fled with the van towards Chicago, police said. The van was located Sunday in the 1400 block of E. 87th Street, but the body was missing.
Brown’s body was found Monday in the 8200 block of S. Manistee Street in Chicago, about 2 miles away. Brown’s remains were transported back to the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office.
Howard was identified as the suspect and charged with Unlawful Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Abuse of a Corpse.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Rockford Police at 815-966-2900.
Cindy Howard, Brown’s mother, said she is upset that she did not know that his body had been stolen until days later.
Howard still lives in Mississippi, Brown’s home state. She found out when she read the news online that there was a missing body from the funeral home where she left her son.
Brown was the father of 12 and had family all over the country, including in Rockford, where he lived. He died from a heart attack that he experienced while at work.
