Authorities in Illinois are said to be working quickly to determine if skeletal remains found near the last known location of an airline executive are those of missing Jake Cefolia.

As previously reported, Cefolia, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at United Airlines, was last seen in early August 2020. CrimeOnline confirmed that Cefolia was the subject of a criminal investigation that began shortly before his disappearance. His Range Rover was found in parking lot adjacent to the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont. An extensive search of the area turned up no signs of the missing executive, and the case appeared to have gone cold before the grisly discovery on Friday.

READ MORE: Missing United Airlines exec Jake Cefolia is subject of criminal probe, police say

A source close to the investigation told CrimeOnline that electrical workers surveying a remote area of the preserve, reportedly far off hiking trails, discovered what appeared to be a human skeleton hanging from a tree. The source said that authorities will compare the jaw of the skull to Cefolia’s dental records to determine a possible match, and indicated that forensic analysts may be working on Friday and possibly through the weekend in an effort to quickly identify the remains — or rule out a connection to Cefolia’s disappearance.

Cefolia is an Elmhurst resident and was 49 at the time of his disappearance.

This is a developing story and all information is preliminary. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.

Read CrimeOnline’s previous coverage of the Jake Cefolia missing persons investigation.