Police revealed Tuesday that remains found in Prairie Park were so badly burned that authorities couldn’t determine whether they were human until a week after they were found.

DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said at a media briefing that although the remains haven’t been positively identified as those of missing NIU student Antinette Keller, the investigation into her disappearance has become a homicide investigation.

Feithen said the remains were found Saturday, Oct. 16, two days after she was last seen but a week before police announced the remains had been discovered.

 The DeKalb County Major Case Squad held a media briefing Saturday, Oct. 23, to reclassify the investigation into Keller’s disappearance into a death investigation. It was there that police announced that human remains were found in Prairie Park.

Details

Searches continue for Keller, last seen Oct. 14. Some items that belong to Keller were found near the remains, Feithen said. An item thought to be Keller’s was found on Oct. 16 in close proximity to the remains. Feithen said. He said additional items thought to be Keller’s were found as the investigation continued.

Forensic experts examined the burned remains both on site and those that had been transported out of state for evaluation.

The fact that the remains were found burned makes an autopsy impossible.

The FBI and Illinois State Police have been providing support resources to the DeKalb County Major Case Squad in their investigation.

“As we determine additional needs, we may ask for additional help from other agencies,” Feithen said.

A connection was made by investigators on Oct. 16 that the remains could be Keller’s, Feithen said.

Feithen said he does not believe the police needed to notify the public of the remains any sooner than they did. Police did not want to mistakenly inform anyone before it was determined they were human, he added.

“As soon as we found out they were human remains, we notified everyone,” Feithen said.

Feithen said authorities also waited to disclose information about discoveries of Keller’s personal items and burned remains in Prairie Park from Keller’s family before they were identified as human.

“For us to tell [Keller’s family} that we found bones, and they turned out to be animal, we did not feel that was right,” he said.

Safety status

Prairie Park is now closed to the public. It was not closed sooner because police had not identified the remains as human, Feithen said. DeKalb Police closed the park as soon as they deemed it necessary, he added.

Feithen said the ongoing search is staying in Prairie Park.

“Our focus has been in Prairie Park,” he said. “There is nothing to indicate at this point it extends beyond that.”

The DeKalb Park District will be reevaluating the overall safety of Prairie Park, Feithen said.

Investigators continue to interview people. They have spoken to about 50 people, some more than once.

“This is a homicide investigation that hasn’t been solved yet,” Feithen said. “There is a person out there that committed this. I won’t say they’re still in DeKalb. I won’t say they aren’t in another community. I will say they aren’t in custody.”

Feithen said the remains were found in “a secluded park area” with about a dozen campfire and bonfire sites nearby.

“It‘s not unusual for nearby residents to smell smoke, especially at times like this when people have their fireplaces going in the fall or might be burning leaves,” he said.

But fires are not allowed to occur in the park, Feithen said.

He said park district crews and DeKalb Police walk through the park to check it.

Searching for information

Feithen asked anyone who has seen fires or suspicious people in Prairie Park from mid-day Oct. 14 through the morning of Oct. 18 to inform investigators.

“As prosecutors and investigators, we understand the public wants answers as quickly as possible and we appreciate that need,” said DeKalb County State’s Attorney John Farrell. “We truly do.”

He added that information will be released in a timely manner. He said he hopes the public understands that investigators and prosecutors don’t want to do anything to compromise the investigation.

“We’re looking at all possibilities,” Feithen said. “At this point we have no indication this is anything other than an isolated incident.”

Feithen said investigators are working hard to get the case solved.

“We’re working diligently to solve this crime so that the community can feel safe,” he said

Kathy Buettner, vice president of University Relations, said NIU has not withheld information from students or the community. She stressed that the university is not on lockdown, as some out-of-town media have reported.

“We have to be patient as a community,” Buettner said. “That is something we are trying to instill.”

Managing Editor Matt Liparota and City Editor Demarcus Robinson contributed to this article.