McHenry man charged with murder
A 62-year-old McHenry man was arrested and charged with murder Thursday after authorities say they gathered additional evidence connecting him to last year's discovery of a dead body in his house.
William J. Ross was taken into custody about 1:30 p.m. by McHenry County sheriff's officers and federal marshals on the 600 block of Country Club Road.
Ross was facing charges of concealment of a homicide after the skeletal remains of a woman were found in his vacant house on Nov. 6, 2013, but he was released on Feb. 15 after posting $10,000 bond.
Sheriff's department authorities said Thursday they were able to identify additional evidence, in cooperation with the Illinois State Police crime lab, that led to the upgraded charges against Ross. Authorities didn't release details about the additional evidence. They also said they don't anticipate further charges in the case.
In November, deputies discovered the body of a person who "appeared to have been deceased for some time," officials said.
No one had 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 the remains inside, the sheriff's office said.
At the time, Ross had to be extradited from a Las Vegas jail to McHenry County. He is currently being held on $5 million bail at the McHenry County jail. If convicted, Ross faces between 20 and 60 years in prison. Under the old charges, he faced anywhere from probation to five years in prison if convicted. He is due in court Aug. 14.