Illinois Man Arrested After Being Stopped With Dead Wife’s Body in Vehicle

DUQUOIN, Illinois — A Mount Vernon man has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after police say he fatally shot his wife during a dispute, then drove away with her body in his vehicle.

Fatal Dispute Turns Deadly

Authorities identified the suspect as John W. Finney, 51, and the victim as his wife, Amy J. Finney, 42. Investigators said the shooting occurred Monday evening during a confrontation at their Mount Vernon residence.

Traffic Stop Leads to Gruesome Discovery

Emergency personnel were first notified around 8 p.m. Monday of a possible homicide in Jefferson County and a suspect vehicle.

An officer with the Christopher Police Department later spotted the vehicle — a gray 2007 Ford Escape — near the intersection of State Highways 14 and 148. With assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle was stopped in the 9000 block of Birch Road in rural DuQuoin.

Inside, officers discovered Amy Finney deceased.

Suspect in Custody

John Finney was immediately taken into custody without incident and transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he is being held pending a pretrial detention hearing.

The tragic case has stunned the community in southern Illinois, where authorities say domestic disputes remain one of the most frequent precursors to violent crime.

Stay with ChicagoMusicGuide.com for continuing updates on this developing investigation and other Illinois public safety news.