Tyler Smith, a 23-year-old Army National Guardsman from Rochelle was found dead  in Cedar Fork Creek in Galesburg on September 15, 2018. Eight years after his death, questions still remain surrounding the final hours of Smith's life. Tyler's family wants answers. The Illinois State Police are still conducting an active investigation. Do you have any information or were you in Galesburg the night of September 15, 2018? You may be able to provide an anonymous clue to help bring the case to a close.

https://isptips.illinois.gov/investigations/20260611-tyler-smith.html

In nearby Macoupin County, farmers are experiencing an increased number of copper thefts from their grain bins and barns. Do you have information that may help lead to an arrest? 

All of that and a wrap up of National Night Out 2026 from Ben and Breanna on this episode of the Morgan-Scott-Cass Crime Stoppers podcast.

You can always leave a tip for this and any other case at the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook Page, at their website, or call their hotline at 217-243-7300. Remember! Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. We want your information and not your name. If your tip leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

This month's episode introduces a new voice to the Crime Stoppers podcast. Breanna Carter of Franklin is the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Secretary and hopes to bring fresh ideas, community engagement and safety awareness tips over the coming months as she joins the podcast. 

National Night Out in Jacksonville is Aug. 4. 

We also highlighted the current week's Crime of the Week - a criminal damage case to a pole camera on Morton Avenue.

You can always leave a tip for this and any other case at the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook Page, at their website, or call their hotline at 217-243-7300. Remember! Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. We want your information and not your name. If your tip leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Federal authorities announced in January that 54-year-old Michael W. Mohr of Springfield was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with one count of producing child sexual abuse material. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Mohr made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and remains in federal custody pending trial. At the time of his arrest, Mohr served as president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Mohr's photo is attached to this episode.

In March, the Springfield FBI Field Office released a call for additional victims and information to come forward in the investigation into Mohr. 

You can always leave a tip for this and any other case at the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook Page, at their website, or call their hotline at 217-243-7300. Remember! Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. We want your information and not your name. If your tip leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

In this episode we are asking for tips for thefts and criminal damage to property related to break-ins at the Diamond Grove Cemetery Columbarium and The Peachy Nest.

We also provide 1st Quarter 2026 numbers from tips received.

You can always leave a tip for this and any other case at the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook Page, at their website, or call their hotline at 217-243-7300. Remember! Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. We want your information and not your name. If your tip leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

The Jacksonville Police Department is proud to offer the Citizen's Police Academy to members of our community.  The goal of the Citizen's Police Academy is not only to help local residents better understand police work, but also to develop stronger ties between the community and the Jacksonville Police Department.

The Citizen's Police Academy is an twelve-week program offered in the spring of each year for the past 30 years, with the exception of 2020.  More than 500 people have graduated from the Jacksonville Police Department’s Citizen’s Police Academy since its inception.  The CPA (Citizen’s Police Academy) Alumni and VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) groups provide moral and physical support for Morgan County area law enforcement. The CPAA, the group of graduates from the academy also do fundraising through an annual bass tournament to help with law enforcement needs and fund two area scholarships for future law enforcement members in the community. 

CPAA member Paula Sumpter and Academy trainer JPD Lt. Mark Lonergan discuss the program and their upcoming events on this episode. 

If you are interested in the upcoming bass tournament, visit this link on Facebook or call Glenn Robson at 217-883-2742 or Everett Beddingfield at 217-370-0751 for more information. Space is limited. 

This case was highlighted in Season 1 of this podcast. The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office issued a press release on February 23, 2026 saying that fresh interviews and new information has come to light. 

You can find Brenda's case on NamUs here. 

You can find a link to it on the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office Cold Case website at this link.

 Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sangamon County
 Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at 217-753-6840. Tips may also be
 submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 217-788-8427 or
 visiting cashfortips.us.

This episode details the history of Crime Stoppers, pays tribute to the founder of Crime Stoppers Greg MacAleese, talks about the Morgan-Scott-Cass Crime Stoppers history and 40th Anniversary.

It features interview with local and Illinois state coordinator Loren Hamilton and Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Board President Mackenzie Stewart.

For more information, visit: https://morganscottcrimestoppers.com or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/morganscott.crimestoppers. 

It’s Sunday, August 23rd, 1992.
A 21-year-old college student named Tammy Jo Zywicki from Marlton, New Jersey loads up her small gray Pontiac T1000 and heads west — leaving Evanston, Illinois after dropping her brother Daren off at Northwestern University, bound for Grinnell College in Iowa where she was hoping to return early to get photos of athletes for the yearbook. But somewhere on Interstate 80 just outside of the City of LaSalle, Illinois, Tammy’s car breaks down and she never makes it to college.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/tammy-j.-zywicki

https://www.facebook.com/groups/71031476920/

11-year old Trudy Appleby disappeared just a few days before her 12th birthday in Moline, Illinois back in August 1996.

Almost 30 years to the day, Moline Police have indicted a man believed to be her killer.

The Illinois State Police and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville recently announced the successful identification of three Jane Does found in the Metro East in the early 2000s as well as closure on a 2014 murder case in East St. Louis.

Advances in technology and DNA processing are leading to more and more cases finally being solved. 

These stories prove the tenacity and the determination of our men and women in law enforcement in the hopes of bringing closure to unsolved cases.