Rolling Meadows police investigating cold case at Joliet area home

Police scoured a Joliet area home for hours Wednesday looking for the remains of a Rolling Meadows man who disappeared 41 years ago.

The missing man was the college roommate of Russel Smrekar, a Joliet man who confessed to the killing while he was dying in prison while serving a sentence for two other murders.

Smrekar, however, did not tell police where Michael Mansfield's body was.

Police were hoping to find him in a plain, gray ranch house located at 1113 Barber Lane, an unincorporated area in the middle of Joliet's West Side.

Mansfield's body apparently was not found Wednesday. The crime scene remained active as of 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

Beth Fox said she was surprised to see the amount of activity mid-day Wednesday as she drove by the Joliet area home about two blocks from her own.

"I saw the yellow tape and all the cars on the street. I thought they were having an estate sale," she said.

Fox said she drove back to take a closer look after noticing the police vehicles.

"There were guys in those white hazmat suits," she said. "They had about three tents set up in the back."

Detectives are examining the home for the possibility that evidence or the remains of Mansfield may be located there, according to a Rolling Meadows Police Department news release. Rolling Meadows police are working in conjunction with the Cook County Major Case Assistance Team, with the logistical assistance of the Will County Sheriff’s Department.

The news release stated more details regarding the investigation would be released at a later date.

Smrekar confessed in 2011 that he had killed Mansfield, who was his college roommate.

Smrekar was serving a sentence at the time of 200 to 600 years for the murders of two people, who, like Mansfield, were going to testify against him.

The murders have been the subject of two books as well as many news reports.

Mansfield was on break when he disappeared from his Rolling Meadows home Dec. 31, 1975, and was never seen again. He was to testify six days later against Smrekar, who was accused of stealing a guitar and some records from a dorm room.

They were students at Lincoln College in Lincoln.

When Rolling Meadows detectives met with Smrekar as he was suffering from a terminal illness, he confessed to the murders of both Mansfield and Ruth Martin, a witness in another case who had disappeared, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

At the time of his confession, Smrekar did not provide information about the location of Mansfield's body.

Martin of Lincoln was involved in the case for which Smrekar was convicted.

She was to testify against Smrekar in a case involving the theft of two steaks from a grocery store in October 1975.

Smrekar was convicted for the murder of Jay and Robin Fry at their Lincoln home. They also were witnesses to the steak theft.

Will County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said Rolling Meadows police contacted Will County on Tuesday to inform them they'd be searching the property Wednesday for a cold case investigation.

The property at Barber Lane has a separate garage set behind the house. A wooded lot and a small creek are next door. Police had set up several tarps and a tent Wednesday afternoon between the two buildings.

Police vehicles from Will and Cook counties were at the scene. A large van marked Major Case Assistant Team was also parked at the home. Several unmarked cars were at the home as well.

Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil said he has not been notified of any bodies found at the location.

"Definitely, if there was a body found and it was in our county, we would have to be contacted," O'Neil said.

• Herald-News Reporter Felix Sarver and Senior Reporters Bob Okon and Brian Stanley contributed to this story.