Remains identified as Tyesha Bell, Illinois mother of 2 missing since 2003

AURORA, Ill. (TCD) --

Police announced Tuesday that human remains found in December were positively identified as Tyesha Bell, a mother of two who disappeared in May 2003. The case has been updated from missing persons to a homicide investigation.

Jack Fichtel, the investigative services commander at the Aurora Police Department, said in a press conference Tuesday that Bell's sister last saw her on the night of May 10, 2003, at the apartment they shared on the 800 block of North Randall Road.

Fichtel said Bell received a phone call, then left the house. Police said Bell left her television on, candles burning, and her two young children with family members.

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said that on December 11, 2020, skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave in a wooded area. The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force and the Kane County Coroner's Office documented the scene, and the remains were sent to the Kane County Morgue for testing.

Russell said he worked with a forensic odontologist and forensic anthropologist to create a profile of the victim. He said, "The results of the profile were consistent with an African American female, five-foot-five to five-foot-eleven inches high, approximately 25 to 40 years of age."

Aurora Police Department presented a possible match from their missing persons record and sought to match it with a national DNA database.

The Aurora Beacon-News reported police believed foul play was involved because Bell left personal belongings, including her purse and money, at home.

Aurora police set up a tip line for the case, and anyone with information is asked to call (630) 256-5517 or email tips@aurora.il.us.

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