Human remains near Hampshire could be missing woman

Hampshire police on Friday found skeletal remains in a heavily wooded area behind a home in the 1800 block of Cameron Drive and they are trying to determine if it is the body of woman reported missing last May, authorities said.

Hampshire police were doing a follow-up search in the case of Kathey Wilk, 52, of the 1700 block of Cameron Drive. Wilk, who has had a history of at least one suicide attempt, was reported missing on May 7 by her brother and police did find what amounts to a “goodbye or suicide” note inside her home when she first was reported missing, authorities said.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office said Wilk’s family has been contacted, but detectives are still working to determine a cause of death and to make a positive identification of the remains through dental records. Police also found clothing in addition to the remains, officials said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Pat Gengler said authorities were going to meet Monday with a forensic pathologist to lay out a plan to identify the body via dental records. Gengler said the remains were found just outside of Hampshire village limits so the matter was in the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department, which is working with Hampshire police department to get all the information about Wilk’s case.

Gengler said the remains were found a couple houses down from Wilk’s residence.

“We told the family what we have found, while we think (she committed suicide) we don’t know yet,” Gengler said. “We can’t definitively say that (she did).”

A message for Hampshire Police Chief Brian Thompson was not immediately returned.