Mother Of Megan Bos: 'He Literally Treated Her Like Garbage'

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Police and the family of Megan Bos are searching for answers.

The body of the 37-year-old Antioch woman was found in a "bleach-filled" trash can in April after she died in the home of a 52-year-old Waukegan man months earlier, according to authorities. That man told police he left Bos' body in his basement for two days and then put it into the trash bin behind his house on Yeoman Street in Waukegan.

Police found Bos' body on April 10 while following up on a lead in the case.

This led them to interview the home's owner, Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, who was in regular contact with Bos, according to media reports. Mendoza-Gonzalez told authorities Bos snorted a line of drugs while at his house on Feb. 19. He claimed he went to attend to a leaky pipe in the home and then came back to find her dead in his basement, according to media reports.

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Mendoza-Gonzalez is accused of then breaking her phone, keeping her body in his house for two days and then putting it in the trash can behind his house, according to authorities. He's been charged with abuse of a corpse, concealing death of a person and obstructing justice/destroying evidence, which are all Class 4 felonies and non-detainable offenses under the state's SAFE-T Act.

Mendoza-Gonzalez is currently not in custody.

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.

The cause of her death has not yet been ruled on, and the Lake County Coroner's Office is waiting on toxicology results and final reports from a pathologist to make that determination, said Stephen Newton, Lake County Coroner's Office chief deputy, on Thursday.

Bos' family is also searching for clarity into what caused the woman's death.

“We are still waiting for answers,” Jennifer Bos said during a news conference on Thursday. "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."

On Thursday, Bos, Rep. Tom Weber, R-Fox Lake and other state politicians held a press conference, decrying the state's SAFE-T Act, which has eliminated cash bail in the state 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.”