Body Of Missing Joliet Man Robert Long Found In River: Police

JOLIET, IL — Hours after police and community members joined his mother in a search for missing Joliet man Robert Long, Joliet police confirmed his body had been found in the Des Plaines River.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Joliet Police spokesman Dwayne English said Long, 37, had been found by the Joliet Fire Department's rescue boat on the south side of the McDonough Street Bridge on the east side of the river.

The body was brought ashore near the 700 block of Railroad Street. The family of Mr. Long has been notified of this discovery and the Joliet Police Department extends our deepest condolences to them as they navigate this very difficult and tragic event, English noted.

Long's body was found days after his mother, Jewell Robinson, made a plea for help at a Joliet city council meeting. She said she believed her son, last seen April 11 outside Riverwalk Homes on North Bluff Street, was in the river.

English said that an autopsy for Long will take place on Saturday. At this stage, Joliet police have no evidence pointing to foul play, English explained.

However, English stressed that Joliet's police detectives are conducting a rigorous investigation into the circumstances of Long's death and English said that nothing has been ruled out, at this stage of the case.

"This remains a very active investigation," English declared at Friday's press conference.

A television station reporter from Chicago asked English if there were any signs of blunt force trauma to Long's body when he was found in the Des Plaines River. "Right now, we simply don't know," he responded.

The Will County Coroner's Office will determine Long's cause and manner of death, according to English.

Long was spotted on video surveillance footage from earlier in the day on April 11, visiting the Cuddy's convenience store on Western Avenue, several hours before his disappearance. Long had lived with his mother at the Riverwalk Homes apartment buildings on North Bluff Street, which is along the banks of the river.

Long's body was discovered in the canal at 10:47 a.m. Friday, English explained.

"My heart is heavy right now," Long's mother, Jewell Robinson, told city council members on Tuesday night. "What I am asking for is community help. Neighborhood help. I'm doing a search party Friday morning at 10 o'clock, and asking people to come out and support me and my family and try and find my son."

The Joliet Fire Department also spent several hours on Wednesday searching for Long in the Des Plaines River canal, beginning the search by boat and scanning the river using sonar technology.

English said the Joliet Fire Department had deployed its rescue boat searching up and down the canal every day this past week in hopes of finding Long.

Related:

• Missing Person Photo Gallery: Search For Robert Long Enters Week 2
• Missing Man In Des Plaines River? Mother Pleads For Joliet's Help