Still Missing: Police Dogs Track Scent Of Ex-Soccer Star From Minooka Who Played At USF

MINOOKA — Longtime Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer told Joliet Patch on Monday afternoon that last week's exhaustive efforts by police, conservation officers and emergency management teams to find missing Minooka resident Mariano Kotrba were unsuccessful.

Meyer said that Minooka Police teamed up with Channahon Police, Illinois State Police, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Grundy County Sheriff's Office and Grundy County Emergency Management in trying to find Kotrba, who is in his mid-20s, according to the chief.

Kotrba, who played soccer as a forward/midfielder at the University of St. Francis in Joliet for four years, in 2019 through 2022, where he majored in biology, was last seen on April 9, around 2:50 p.m. at the Ace Hardware store on Ridge Road.

He wore a blue Polo shirt, a black zip-up jacket and khaki pants. Authorities later discovered Kotrba's vehicle parked in the tiny lot along the Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail off Cemetery Road and McLindon Road in rural Channahon.

However, authorities have not found any of Kotrba's clothing, personal belongings or his phone. Meyer said the cell tower records obtained by police indicate the last ping for Kotrba's phone was in the general location near Cemetery Road in the vicinity of the Dresden Island Lock and Dam and the Illinois River.

Shoreline Near Dresden Lock & Dam Draws Attention From Search

Additionally, multiple dogs used by the police to look for Kotrba, both bloodhounds and cadaver dogs, tracked Kotrba's scent to the area of the Dresden Lock and Dam, Meyer said. The dam is operated by the U.S. government, near the banks of the Illinois River.

During these past several days of search efforts, Minooka's chief said the search parties canvassed several miles of wooded areas, farm fields and areas near the Illinois River, Cemetery Road, Hansel Road, and the Illinois & Michigan Canal without locating Kotrba.

"The K9s led us to the area," Meyer stressed.

In addition to the police dogs, airplanes were used as well as drones and sonar, Meyer said.

"As of now, we have no real no updates," Meyer told Joliet Patch on Monday, which marks the sixth day since Kotrba's disappearance. "We've done searches on ground, air and water."

When asked if anybody fishing or walking along the I&M Canal Trail remembered seeing Kotrba, Minooka's chief responded, "No one, unfortunately, nothing.

"We're just speaking with the family and friends and trying to gather more information," Meyer added.

He said that authorities will consider revisiting the area or conducting more searches elsewhere if they receive any new information and leads regarding Kotrba's whereabouts.

The chief said the authorities have no indication Kotrba was despondent or, in the alternative, that someone was trying to harm him around the time he went missing.

One hopeful possibility is that Kotrba called someone from the parking lot near Cemetery Road and someone picked him up and that he's safe somewhere; the chief said. However, at this stage, police have nothing to substantiate this theory, either.

As of now, Minooka police are treating Kotrba's disappearance as a missing and endangered person investigation, the chief noted.

Authorities plan to monitor the Illinois River over the coming days. The chief also explained that morel mushroom hunting season is starting soon, so he asked people "to keep their eyes open."