Glen Ellyn homicide victim identified

A 4-year-old special needs child may have been present when his mother was killed inside her Glen Ellyn apartment, police said Monday.

Police identified the victim of the apparent homicide as 36-year-old Nancy Bustos.

Meanwhile, they continue to look for the woman's ex-husband, Juan M. Granados, 33, who lived in the apartment on the 0-99 block of Briar Street with Bustos.

Family members of Bustos contacted police Sunday after not seeing or hearing from her since Friday. Officers doing a well-being check found her body inside the apartment at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Bustos and Granados lived in the apartment with their two children, a 9-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. Both children are safe and being cared for by family members, Glen Ellyn police said. Deputy Police Chief Bill Holmer said the 4-year-old, who has special needs, may have been present at the time of his mother's death; the other child was not home.

It is unknown if Granados was involved in the death, but police say they “remain interested in speaking” with him.

Authorities have not said how Bustos died. An autopsy was expected to be conducted Monday, according to the DuPage County Coroner's office.

Bustos and Granados married in August 2000 in St. Charles, but separated in September 2009, according to court records. She filed for divorce in June 2010.

Bustos claimed Granados was “guilty of repeated acts of mental cruelty, which acts have caused extreme mental, emotional humiliation and pain in front of family and friends,” according to her divorce petition. The filing says they unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile.

The divorce, finalized in July 2010, came about six years after Granados was charged with domestic battery for allegedly striking Bustos in the face with his elbow and grabbing her right forearm, according to court records.

Soon after those charges were filed, Bustos was granted an emergency order of protection from Granados, whom she accused of physical abuse and harassment. In the order, she wrote that her daughter had witnessed the abuse and that Granados had threatened “to take my daughter to Mexico.” She said she feared he would become violent if she contacted police.

The charges against Granados in the domestic violence case were dismissed, according to court records.

Holmer said the couple may have had “attempts at reconciliation,” though it's unclear at what stage their relationship was in at the time of Bustos' death.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Glen Ellyn Police Department and DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force continued to search for clues Monday.

Neighbors say the apartment complex, just east of I-355 and north of Roosevelt Road, is normally quiet and safe, with children running around.

Alan Lara, 17, lives across from the apartment shared by Bustos and Granados. He said he saw the couple every so often, but nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

“I knew them by sight,” Lara said. “They went out together, and looked normal.”

He also said he didn't hear anything over the weekend related to the apparent homicide.

“We were here. It was pretty quiet,” Lara said.

Granados was last seen driving a black, 1992 BMW 325i with Illinois license plates L655003 and may be on his way to Mexico, according to police.

Holmer said local authorities are in touch with other law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Border Control.

“We're communicating with everybody we can from here to there and everywhere in between,” Holmer said.

Granados is described as a Hispanic male standing 5-foot-10 inches, 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

The last homicide in Glen Ellyn occurred October 2003.