Body Found At U.S. Steel Property ID'd As Missing Joliet Man, 44

JOLIET — A handful of explorers made a grisly discovery of a decomposed human body on Tuesday evening, prompting the Joliet police to respond to the abandoned U.S. Steel property at 941 Collins St.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Will County Coroner's Office identified the body as a missing Joliet homeless man Warren Baker.

Baker, 44, had been reported missing in late May. At the time, police said Baker was last seen on Joliet's east side, in the 400 block of East Cass Street. Baker was last seen wearing a camouflage hat, black framed eyeglasses, black windbreaker, blue jeans and dark tennis shoes, according to police.

Police said Baker's body was found floating in four to five feet of water.

A source told Joliet Patch that the building where Baker's body was found did not have a running water or electricity. The floating water where Baker's body was found had accumulated over time, presumably from heavy rains that got into the building. The source said there is no reason to believe that Baker's death is a homicide at this point.

The property is known as a gathering place for the homeless to gather and drink alcohol, the source said.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, at 6:47 p.m., the officers and the Joliet Fire Department responded to the property for a report of a body that appeared dead. Joliet police initially said the call happened at the Historic Iron Works site, but later realized it was in fact the former U.S. Steel property, which is adjacent.

Once they arrived at the call, the Joliet police entered a pump house which had flooded with water; they discovered Baker floating in the water, police noted.

"It appeared the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition," English said.

He said the body was originally discovered by three men and one woman after they had entered the site to explore the property. They had entered the pump house and saw the body and notified 911. The body was recovered by the Joliet Fire Department. The Will County Coroner’s Office responded and pronounced Baker dead at the scene.
"It is our hope their investigation will determine not only the manner of death, but also perhaps an estimation of how long the victim had been there," English informed Joliet Patch.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Joliet Police Department Investigations Division at (815)724-3020. Citizens may also contact Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or online if they wish to remain anonymous.
Baker's cause and manner of death will be determined following autopsy, police and toxicological reports, the coroner's office said.