Man Charged With Abuse of Corpse In Megan Bos' Death Enters Not Guilty Pleas

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 52-year-old Waukegan man who faces abuse of a corpse and concealing a death charges after the body of a missing Antioch woman was found in a garbage can behind his house has pleaded not guilty.

Jose Mendoza-Gonzalez entered the not guilty pleas during a hearing last month in Lake County Circuit Court, according to court records provided to Patch.

Mendoza-Gonzalez was released from custody following his initial court appearance in April. All charges filed against him are Class 4 felonies, but are not considered detainable offenses under the Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.

• Megan Bos Cause Of Death Still Not Known: Coroner
• Abuse Of Corpse Charge Filed After Missing Woman's Body Found: What We Know So Far

A jury trial has been set for Nov. 10 in Lake County Circuit Court, according to court records.

Cause Of Death Not Released

The Lake County Coroner's Office is awaiting toxicology results and findings from a pathologist before ruling on the cause of death of 37-year-old Megan Bos, who was reported missing in February. Her body was later found in a garbage can behind a home in April, authorities told Patch in recent weeks.

Patch.com reached out to the Lake County Coroner's Office last week to see if any new information was available regarding Bos' cause of death, but has not yet heard back.

Bos was first reported missing in February. While following up on a lead in the case in April, police found her partially decomposed body in a garbage can behind the home of Mendoza-Gonzalez.

An official cause of death has not yet been determined. An autopsy was performed on Bos on April 10 and the preliminary cause of death at that time "was pending toxicology," Stephen Newton, chief deputy with the Lake County Coroner's Office, told Patch last month.

Waukegan Man Charged With Abuse Of Corpse

On April 10, police went to question Mendoza-Gonzelez, who was in regular contact with Bos as they continued to probe Bos' disappearance, according to media reports. At that time, he told police that Bos came to his house on Feb. 19, snorted a line of drugs and then asked to hang out in his basement.

Mendoza-Gonzalez said he went to a different part of the house to fix a leaky pipe and when he returned, found Bos dead, according to WGN. Afraid he would get in trouble, he told police he first left her body in his basement. Two days later, he moved it to the garbage can.

Mendoza-Gonzalez was taken into custody and charged with abuse of a corpse, concealing the death of a person and obstructing justice/destroying evidence in connection with the case.

The obstructing justice charge filed against Mendoza-Gonzalez relates to "smashing and disposing of the cell phone," which belonged to Bos, according to court documents provided to Patch.

He is also accused of concealing Bos' death and moving her body to the garbage can after she died and covering the garbage can with a lid, according to an indictment and court records.
Mendoza-Gonzalez has since been released from jail.

During his initial court appearance in Lake County Circuit Court on April 12, Lake County judge Rhonda Bruno determined Mendoza-Gonzalez was eligible for release under the SAFE-T Act since he was not charged with "detention-eligible offenses," according to court documents provided to Patch.

The SAFE-T Act eliminated cash bail in the state in 2023 and created a new procedure for determining whether a person charged with a crime should be detained in jail as they await further court proceedings and a possible trial.

Under the new law, all defendants are eligible for release before a trial except for those charged with a detainable crime. The state's attorney's office also can file a petition to detain and if the court finds the defendant is a flight risk or if there is a real and a present threat caused by the defendant, the judge may rule the defendant should remain behind bars.

• Abuse Of Corpse Charge Filed After Missing Woman's Body Found: What We Know So Far
• Antioch Woman Missing Since February Found Dead: Police

As part of his pre-trial release, Mendoza-Gonzalez has been ordered not to consume any alcohol or drugs; not have any contact with Megan's mom, Jennifer Bos; not possess any firearms or dangerous weapons; and to submit to random testing for alcohol or drugs, according to court documents.

Authorities are awaiting an official cause of death to determine if additional charges will be filed in the Bos case.

Megan Bos' Family Speaks Out

Following her death, Bos' family — unaware of where she was or what had happened — searched for the missing woman for weeks, circulating fliers and pleading for the public's help in finding her.

Learning what caused her death may provide some clarity for the family.

“We are still waiting for answers,” Jennifer Bos said during a news conference on May 15. "I don’t know how my daughter died. I don’t know what will show up on the toxicology report. I don’t know what went on during my daughter's final moments on this earth.

"But what I do know is that under the umbrella of the Safe-T Act, the man who hid her body in a bleach-filled trash can for seven weeks still got out of jail free," Bos added. "We never got to see her, to hold her hand, or give her one last kiss goodbye... He robbed us of that. He very literally treated her like garbage and may have destroyed the very evidence that could explain her final moments to us."

Rep. Tom Weber, R-Fox Lake and other state politicians also spoke up during the press conference, decrying the state's SAFE-T Act, which has eliminated cash bail in Illinois for several "non-detainable offenses," including the charges Mendoza-Gonzalez is currently free on.

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"If one person had called 911 instead of hiding the truth, Megan might still be here today,” Weber said. “If one person had respected her life instead of disposing of her body, her family wouldn’t be grieving. If one person had sought help instead of breaking her phone, justice wouldn’t be slipping away. If one person had taken responsibility instead of keeping her in a basement, this tragedy wouldn’t be unfolding. If one person had told the truth instead of covering it up, our community wouldn’t be asking how this happened. If one person had valued her life instead of treating her like she was disposable, we wouldn’t be demanding change today.”

Politicians said change is needed. The SAFE-T Act, they said, has stripped judges of their ability to detain accused criminals before trial, weakened ability by police to detain dangerous people before trial and left communities exposed to unnecessary risk.

The SAFE-T Act’s guidelines have led to many instances where criminals can evade proper legal consequences and leaves the families of victim with tremendous pain and suffering, according to a news release.

“The SAFE-T Act was supposed to enhance fairness, but instead, it has done the opposite,” Weber said. “It has removed critical discretion from judges and allowed dangerous offenders to walk free. Families are paying the price for this failed legislation, and it’s time for lawmakers to act before more lives are destroyed. Megan Bos’ family deserves better. Every family in Illinois deserves better.”