Man Found Dead At Campground Was Hit By Vehicle: Sheriff

YORKVILLE, IL — A Kendall County Sheriff's Office investigation revealed that a man found dead late Saturday at Hide-A-Way Lakes Campground had been struck by a vehicle, police said on Sunday. The sheriff's office responded to the campground, 8045 Van Emmon Road, at 10:52 p.m Saturday to find the man unresponsive outdoors. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff's office said the man was identified as 54-year-old John Riefke, a resident of the campground.

Later, police said they believed Riefke was struck by a vehicle while walking at the campground near his residence.

No one is in custody in Riefke's death, and the investigation is ongoing.

It's not the first time the authorities have responded to the campground. In 2018, several fires were reported there. In 2015, police responded to a report of shots fired at Hide-A-Way Lakes and multiple burglaries have been investigated there. In 2017, the sheriff's office asked the county board to pull the campground's special use permit, citing 145 calls for service there between December 2015 and August 2016.

In 1993, a woman, 25-year-old Denise Moreno, was murdered in her trailer at the campground, according to Kendall County Now. A convicted rapist named Charles Parker was convicted of her sexual assault and murder and sentenced to 50 years in state prison, but transferred to a mental health facility in March 2018. His projected parole discharge date is listed as "to be determined." In 1996 the campground was also investigated after a "massive teen drinking party."