Son's disappearance torments mom and dad

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - Marcus Wright went out to get a haircut seven years ago. He didn't come back.

'œHe left from the front of the house to get a haircut and we never saw him again,'ť said Wright's mother, Aqua Wright.

Aqua and her husband, Allen Wright, believe their son was kidnapped and murdered. He ran around with a gang, maybe two gangs at the same time, they said, and that's probably why he's no longer around.

'œYou can't do that these days, hang out with two gangs,'ť Allen said.

Wright was 24 when he left his family's home on Antram Avenue in March 2013. He had bought an oscar fish and a large tank a short time before. He left his wallet home when he went out.

'œI believe it was gang related,'ť Aqua said of her son's disappearance and likely death. 'œI believe he was part of the gang.'ť

The Wrights lived not far from the Fairview Homes and were aware of the gangs in the area, of the associated shootings and killings. What they don't understand is why their son's killers couldn't have left his body behind.

'œWhat's so different about my son that they had to hide his body?'ť Aqua said. 'œI just wish they had left the body so we could bury him.'ť

Different information has come to the family and police over the years. None of it has panned out and the Wrights are skeptical about the stories they were told about what happened to their son's body.

'œThey said he was put in Dellwood Park,'ť Aqua recalled. 'œThey said they put him in the Des Plaines River. Well they didn't put him in the Des Plaines River.

Aqua doesn't believe Marcus was dumped in the river because the day after he disappeared, a Joliet woman, Jeanie Parker, was killed and thrown over the Bluff Park fence into the water.

Searches of the river were conducted but it wasn't until more than three weeks later that a fisherman spotted her body in the water near the Hollywood Casino. No searchers or fishermen ever saw Marcus.

Names have been mentioned in connection with Marcus' disappearance as well, Aqua said.

'œThe majority of the names that came up, they've either moved out of town or done a lot of time in prison or are dead,'ť she said.

Aqua said she speaks with Joliet police detective assigned to Marcus' case about three times a month. She also is urging those with knowledge of what happened to her son to call Crime Stoppers of Will County. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $5,000 and callers can remain anonymous. Aqua feels that's the only way she will get answers.

'œAnybody talks, (the gangs are) messing with their families,'ť she said.

Marcus left behind two sons, ages 11 and 12, and a daughter, 13. The Wrights said their grandchildren cannot collect life insurance or any government support since Marcus was never declared dead. Obtaining a death certificate would cost thousands of dollars, his father said.

'œIt has turned our lives upside down,'ť Aqua said of her son's disappearance. But she still has faith she will find out what happened to him.

'œIt's going to come out,'ť she said. 'œI don't know how long it's going to take, but it's going to come out.'ť

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Source: The (Joliet) Herald-News, https://bit.ly/2AiKsU3