Accident or homicide? Man’s death a mystery
By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com February 6, 2012 4:33PM
Shawn Payer, a homeless man, was found dead Dec. 22, 2011, behind the pillar of an Interstate 55 overpass on Route 30 in Joliet. In February, authorities are seeking more information to determine how he died. After being hit by a car, did he stumble behind the pillar or was he carried there? | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 8, 2012 8:03AM
JOLIET — Investigators disagree whether a homeless man whose body was found under an overpass got there on his own or was moved there.
But both Joliet police and the Will County coroner still hope someone has information about what happened to Shawn A. Payer.
A friend of Payer’s went to the Interstate 55 overpass on Route 30 on Dec. 22 and found his body behind the supporting pillar on the northwest side of the overpass. The concrete curb is just a few feet from the westbound lane where mud and debris had collected behind it.
Cmdr. Brian Benton said detectives learned that Payer, 47, had been living under the overpass for some time, keeping his possessions at the top of the incline and begging for money from passing drivers.
“We interviewed friends, associates and local business owners he regularly got food from and found no information anyone had cause to do him harm,” Benton said.
But the condition of Payer’s body required police to “thoroughly” process the area as a crime scene, including “conducting an exhaustive search of the nearby wooded areas,” Benton said.
Coroner Patrick K. O’Neil said an autopsy showed Payer died from multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma. An alcoholic, Payer’s blood alcohol content was 0.22 at the time of his death.
O’Neil doesn’t disagree with the police theory that Payer was struck by a vehicle, but “it appears he was moved to that location and concealed behind the supporting pillar, looking back on the (crime) scene photos … like he was carried there by one or more people while he was injured or already dead.”
Weather conditions acted as “a natural refrigerator,” making it impossible to narrow down when Payer died. The last confirmed sighting was two days before his body was found. No vehicle debris was found at the scene.
Police, however, found no visible drag marks or footprints in the mud near Payer’s body. They believe he was hit on the street, but was able to walk a few steps before collapsing. A plastic shopping bag he typically carried was found next to his body.
“At this time, we haven’t been able to substantiate the coroner’s findings that the body was moved,” Benton said.
Though the cause of Payer’s death is known, the manner remains undetermined, the coroner said. It could be considered an accident or a homicide, for instance.
His body has been cremated and claimed by relatives in Ohio.
Despite conflicting theories, both agencies plan to continue working together on the case and agree the ideal resolution would be for someone to come forward with more information.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Patrick Schumacher at 815-724-3039 or anonymously call CrimeStoppers at 800-323-6734.
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