Man arrested in Las Vegas after woman’s remains found in McHenry home

A 62-year-old man has been charged with concealment of a homicide after skeletal remains of a woman were found in a vacant McHenry County area home on Wednesday, authorities said.

William J. Ross, of the 500 block of Country Club Road, McHenry, is being extradited from a Las Vegas jail to McHenry County.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Department said deputies responded to the 500 block of North Country Club Road on Wednesday and discovered a body of a person who “appeared to have been deceased for some time.”

Investigators learned that no one lived in the home for about 18 months and the outside of the home had been maintained by a caretaker. The caretaker called authorities after discovering skeletal remains of an adult woman inside the home, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities identified Ross as the owner of the home. He was arrested and charged Thursday in Las Vegas with help from the U.S. Marshal’s Office.

No definitive cause of death was determined from an autopsy, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said identification of the victim is pending.

Ross is next due in court in Woodstock on Nov. 21. His bail has been set at $100,000, meaning he must post $10,000 to be released while the case is pending.

According to court records, this is Ross’s first felony arrest in McHenry County. He was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in September 2007 in McHenry, which he later pleaded guilty and was fined $523.

Ross also was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in 1996 in Lakemoor in July 1996. He pleaded guilty, paid a $150 fine and successfully completed six months of supervision, records show.

Concealment of a homicide carries a term of up to five years in prison.