Missing Joliet Man Robert Long Not Found In Canal

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Fire Department spent several hours searching the murky and deep waters of the downtown Joliet's Des Plaines River canal on Wednesday and firefighters did not find the body of missing 37-year-old resident Robert Long.

Fire Chief Jeff Carey told Joliet Patch that the search by boat began at 8:30 a.m. and finished at noon. The river was scanned with sonar technology and firefighters used drones for three hours to survey the river from near the Jackson Street Bridge all the way south to the Brandon Road Locks and Dam near Rockdale.

At this stage, the Joliet Fire Department does not plan to search the river on Thursday unless new information develops.

According to Carey, if a body is in the canal, the dead person usually floats to the surface within three days to a week, depending on the temperature. "It could be longer if a body gets caught on an object," the fire chief explained.

The depth of the canal through Joliet ranges anywhere from 8 feet deep to 20 feet deep, according to the fire chief.

At Tuesday night's Joliet City Council meeting, Long's mother, Jewell Robinson, addressed city officials, imploring them to do whatever they can to help find her missing son.

She feared his body was underwater, pointing out he was last seen on April 11 near her apartment building at Riverwalk Homes, formerly called Evergreen Terrace, at 316 North Bluff Street.

Long's mother announced that she is organizing a volunteer search that will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, if her son is not found by then.