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A Joliet man has been charged with the concealment of the death of a woman in Crest Hill.
On Thursday, Kelvanti Lawrence, 30, of Joliet was charged with the concealment of the death of Jeanie Bresley, 44, on Sunday in Crest Hill, according to court records. He’s also been charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver.
About 8:40 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to Gustos Bar and Grill in Crest Hill for a welfare check after receiving a report that someone may be sleeping inside of a vehicle, according to a petition filed by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The petition requested the denial of Lawrence’s release from jail. Judge Marzell Richardson found probable cause to keep Lawrence detained in jail on Thursday.
Officers found the vehicle in the back parking lot of Gustos Bar with the doors closed, but not locked, and with the hazard lights on, according to the prosecutors’ petition.
Bresley was laying in a position “wedged in between the door and the seat on the passenger side floorboard,” prosecutors said.
A family member of Bresley contacted police and indicated that Bresley consumed cocaine and other drugs on occasion and has a friend with a name similar in spelling to Lawrence’s name, prosecutors said.
Officers learned Lawrence and Bresley had been staying at the Crest Hill Inn.
They obtained video from the location that showed Lawrence and a second man moving what turned out to be Bresley “covered in a blanket from [Lawrence’s] room to [Bresley’s] car,” prosecutors said.
The police investigation showed Lawrence moved Bresley from his hotel room to her vehicle and then drove the vehicle to Gusto’s Bar, where he left Bresley and the vehicle, prosecutors said.
During a police interview, Lawrence claimed that Bresley was drunk and alive when he was moving her inside the vehicle, prosecutors said. Later he told police that Bresley did die but blamed the second man for coming up with the plan to move her body to the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Police spoke with the other man who admitted that he helped Lawrence move Bresley’s body to the vehicle. Court records did not show any charges filed against that man and he has not been formally accused of committing any crime.
After Bresley’s body was moved and driven to Gustos Bar, Lawrence said he called 911 using her phone, prosecutors said.
A preliminary autopsy of Bresley is pending toxicology results and her body showed no signs of trauma, prosecutors said. Will County Coroner Laurie Summers has not released any information about Bresley’s death as of Friday.