Man charged with murdering woman found buried in Glen Ellyn
A 40-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a homeless woman who was found stabbed and buried in a shallow grave in Glen Ellyn, authorities said Tuesday.
Myron D. Ester is accused in the death of 33-year-old Linda Valez. He is scheduled to appear in DuPage County court Wednesday for a bond hearing.
The charges come three days after Glen Ellyn police found Valez buried in a clearing at the wooded Panfish Park, 620 Wilson Ave. A law enforcement source said the young mother of seven had been stabbed about 34 times.
Police said Monday they were questioning a man in connection with Valez's death. A law enforcement source described the man as homeless and said investigators have video of him leaving a McDonald's restaurant, where the victim worked, on Sept. 24, shortly before they believe she was slain.
Valez and Ester most recently listed their addresses as the DuPage PADS homeless shelter in Wheaton. Valez was reported missing in Wheaton last week. Ester previously lived in Aurora, according to court records.
They also show Ester had been scheduled to stand trial Tuesday on charges he beat a man with a chain and bicycle lock in Lombard. He also has prior arrests for public intoxication, drunken driving and resisting police.
Valez's mother, Gloria Araujo of Wheaton, said she knew Ester and was shocked by the charges.
“I just met him. He was very pleasant, very soft-spoken,” she said. “I would have never thought this would ever happen to her — not by him, from what I had seen of him.”
Authorities identified Ester as 40 years old but court records indicate he is 44.
Ÿ Staff writer Josh Welge contributed to this story.