Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Police continue to investigate leads in two unsolved murder cases in Kosciusko County. One of the cases is now more than a year old.
Jill Phillips' body was found June 10, 2001, in a creek near Syracuse. The 25-year-old Syracuse woman was last seen April 1, 2001, and was reported missing April 10, 2001. Her death was ruled a homicide. Specific details about how Phillips died have not been released because of the ongoing investigation.
The body of Heather Endicott, 24, of Warsaw, was pulled from a pond in Warsaw on March 14. She was reported missing Dec. 10 and was last seen Dec. 4. Endicott's death also was ruled a homicide, but the manner in which she died has not yet been determined. Officials blame the delay, in part, on a backup at the Indiana State Police laboratory. Test results from the ISP can take as long as six months because of a backlog created by the events of Sept. 11, state funding cuts and other factors.
Several people have been interviewed in both investigations, according to Detective J.D. Ayres of the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department.
Police said they have a suspect in the murder of Phillips, but declined to comment further on the case.
A vehicle that Phillips was in at or about the time of her death was impounded and evidence samples were taken from it. The red Geo Tracker, which was reportedly sold after the alleged murder, was taken from its new owner and has since been returned.
Two teen-agers canoeing in Turkey Creek discovered Phillips' body near the Elkhart-Kosciusko county line, west of Syracuse.
Authorities continue to investigate information related to the disappearance and death of Endicott. She was last seen at Big Daddy's Sports Bar in Warsaw, where her vehicle was found a day later. Family members took the pickup home Dec. 9 and police later found Endicott's purse and identification inside it.
Although the location in which Endicott's body was found - in a pond north of Center Center in Warsaw - is in city limits, the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department is conducting the murder investigation because the agency already had a file in the case from Endicott's disappearance.
Endicott's body was found by two fishermen when they attempted to remove a piece of carpet from the pond and discovered the remains.
All tips in the cases have been followed up on, officials said. Some of the information has been helpful, while some resulted in dead ends.
Anyone with information on either murder case can contact Ayres at 267-5667, Crime Stoppers at 800-342-STOP or any law enforcement agency.
