BREAKING: Skeletal remains found near last location of missing Robert Bee Jr. are consistent with boy his age

A boyfriend of Robert Bee’s mother Lisa reportedly had access to the property

UPDATED:

Tazewell County Coronerr Dr. Jeff Baldi has confirmed to CrimeOnline that the remains found are consistent with a 13-year-old boy. He says a positive ID is expected next week, following the results of DNA testing.

Dr. Baldi said that he was unable to determine how long the body had been deceased.

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Skeletal remains found this week at a home in Pekin, Illinois, are consistent with a 13-year-old boy.

The Tazewell County Coroner’s Office told CentralIllinoisProud.com on Tuesday that a preliminary examination of the remains, including dental records, indicate the body is an adolescent boy.

Robert Bee Jr. went missing in November 2016 after running from truancy officers who approached him in his front yard.

READ MORE: Missing Robert Bee, Jr. Exclusive Update: Mom won’t answer questions about missing teen

According to the Pekin Times, someone mowing the lawn at a home at the intersection of Route 29 and Woodford Drive in Pekin found bones in the yard they told police were not there a few weeks prior.

Investigators responded to the scene and found additional bones in the vicinity, completing a skeleton. Tazewell County Chief Deputy Jeff Lower told the newspaper that investigators believed the bones may have been moved around by animals.

In March, a Pekin police detective told CrimeOnline that Robert’s mother’s response to the boy’s disappearance was “highly unusual.”

CrimeOnline exchanged Facebook messages with the mother, Lisa Bee, who told us in March that she had spent some time in the “crazy ward.” She did not respond to repeated questions about her son’s disappearance.

A member of “Team Bonsai,” a volunteer group committed to searching for the missing boy, reportedly told the Pekin Times that a boyfriend of Lisa Bee’s had access to the property where the remains were found. It is unclear how she had that information, and it has not been confirmed by law enforcement.

The owner or resident of the property is not known at this time.

The coroner is reportedly awaiting DNA testing before a positive identification can be made.

CrimeOnline has reached out for comment to the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office and the Pekin Police Department.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

 

Feature photo: Police handout