CLINTON COUNTY, Ill. – The Clinton County State’s Attorney’s Office charged an Illinois man in connection with a recent kidnapping and murder investigation.
According to Clinton County Sheriff Dan Travous, law enforcement was notified on Nov. 5 of the disappearance and possible kidnapping of 22-year-old Marcos Chavez. Investigators searched Clinton and the surrounding counties, eventually identifying a suspect, who by then had fled to Georgia.
On Nov. 6, prosecutors issued warrants against 28-year-old Valentin Nau Navarro Lopez for kidnapping and unlawful restraint. Navarro Lopez was apprehended in Gordon County, located in northwest Georgia. That same day, sheriff’s deputies located the body of Marcos Chavez near Carlyle Lake.
Navarro Lopez was extradited to Clinton County on Nov. 7. County prosecutors tacked on four counts of first-degree murder against Navarro Lopez on Nov. 9.
Sheriff Travous said both the suspect and victim were residents of Breese, Illinois.
Breese is located approximately 40 miles east of St. Louis.