Northlake police announced in a press conference Wednesday morning that the last suspect wanted in the violent murder of a 17-year-old boy in 2009 had been killed in Mexico.
Eric Navarro was lured to what he thought was a party on July 7, 2009, according to police. However, he was fatally beaten, according to officials. According to officials, his body was taken to Chicago and dumped in a trash can before being burned.
Several people have been convicted of the murder over the years, but Oscar Ocampo, who was wanted for first-degree murder, remains at large.
The FBI assisted Northlake police in determining that Ocampo was killed in Mexico in 2021, officials said on Wednesday.
Northlake police provided an update on a cold case Wednesday.
“No matter how much time has passed or where a criminal may be in the world, the FBI will use all available resources to bring closure to victims of violent crime and their families,” the FBI’s Chicago Field Officer, Ryan Maxwell, said.
This has allowed local police to close the case and provided some closure for Navarro’s family.
“We lost faith for a while because it went from the FBI to the US Marshal, and it remained silent for many years. But hearing the phone calls and learning that the case had been resolved was somewhat comforting,” father Oscar Navarro said.
“Just having answers that we did not think we would ever get. We would like to thank you for not giving up on getting the information,” sister Karen Navarro said.
Mariusz Nowak was convicted of murder in 2010 and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Arturo Daza was arrested in Michigan and found guilty of concealing a homicide and reckless conduct, according to police.
Christopher Gerken and Luis Lira were each sentenced to three years in prison for concealing a homicidal death.
Gerken was eventually charged with murder in 2015 for a separate incident in DeKalb.
