A former resident of Crest Hill is once again facing a charge that alleged he murdered his wife, whose body has never been found after she went missing in 1988 in Joliet Township.

The first-degree murder case against Gilbert “Gil” Bernal Sr., then in his 50s, had been dismissed in 1994 after defense witnesses claimed they saw his wife, Joan Bernal, 34, after she vanished.

At the time, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said he had doubts about the reliability of those witnesses but could not risk a trial where an acquittal would set Bernal “free forever,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

But a “reinvigorated” investigation by the Will County Sheriff’s Office has led to Bernal, now 82, to face a first-degree murder charge for a second time that alleged he killed Joan.

A witness who claimed she saw Joan alive after 1988 had told investigators in October 2024 that her claim was wrong, according to a court filing from prosecutors.

Last September, a neighbor gave a statement that directly contradicted one of Gilbert Bernal’s claims about the incident, prosecutors said.

On Dec. 11, Bernal was indicted on the murder charge and he was arrested in Flint, Michigan, according to the sheriff’s office. He was extradited to the Will County jail in Joliet the day after New Year’s Day, police said.

The sheriff’s office credited a team of detectives focused on cold case investigations.

“Their dedication, persistence and quest for truth helped bring this indictment to fruition after nearly four decades,” police said.

A detective who testified in front of the grand jury in Bernal’s case is sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Michael Earnest, court records show. Earnest was featured in a 2023 story from Shaw Local on his work with the cold case unit at the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Bernal made his first court appearance on Monday in front of Will County Judge Art Smigielski. He pleaded not guilty to his wife’s murder.

Bernal is scheduled to return to Smigielski’s courtroom on Jan. 12 for a hearing to decide whether he should receive pretrial release while his case is pending.

Joan’s body has not been found and none of her family have ever heard from her since Dec. 9, 1988, prosecutors said. Bernal did not report her missing until Dec. 27, 1988, prosecutors said.

The indictment against Bernal alleged he “performed acts” that caused her death on Dec. 9, 1988 but it did not specify how exactly she was killed.

“It is alleged that Bernal and his wife had a domestic violence incident occur at their residence before a planned family trip to Texas,” police said.

In 1993, Bernal’s son told a sheriff’s deputy he saw his father grab Joan Bernal by the neck with one hand, grab her hair with his other hand and “jerked her head backwards and then forwards,” according to a petition from Will County Assistant State Attorney Catherine Sanders.

Sanders’ petition requests a judge to keep Bernal in jail before trial.

In 2024, Bernal’s son was interviewed again and he did not specifically remember his father “snapping back Joan’s head” but did see him dragging Joan, who was limp, “from the living room towards the back of the house,” Sanders’ petition said.

“Gil Bernal has given numerous statements over the years, each putting forth contradictory or additional facts,” Sanders’ petition said.

Bernal allegedly admitted to physically abusing Joan, whose final stay at a shelter was in November 1988 for two weeks because of her husband’s violence, Sanders’ petition said.