Two charged with 2014 slaying of NW suburban man

Gary Bennett (left), Joan Sebastian Vado-Bonilla | Kane County state’s attorney

(DUNDEE TWP.) Two men have been charged with robbing, killing and then hiding the body of a 36-year-old man after he left a northwest suburban party last year.

Keith K. Crawford left his Bartlett home Aug. 9, 2014 and last seen leaving the party in Fox River Shores forest preserve in unincorporated West Dundee early Aug. 10, according to Kane County prosecutors. His family members reported him missing the next day.

Prosecutors allege former Algonquin resident Gary M. Bennett, 36, robbed and fatally shot Crawford, and that Joan Sebastian Vado-Bonilla, a 28-year-old West Dundee man formerly of Lake in the Hills, helped cover up the slaying.

Keith K. Crawford | Kane County state’s attorney

Bennett was arrested Wednesday in Denver and is being held on a $5 million bond as he awaits extradition to Kane County. He faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery and concealing a homicide.

Vado-Bonilla faces a felony count of concealment of a homicidal death. He was arrested in West Dundee Wednesday, and a judge on Friday ordered him held at the Kane County Adult Justice Center on a $500,000 bond.

Authorities have not released details on the specifics of the slaying, including when or where Crawford was found.

The investigation is ongoing, prosecutors said. Anyone with information is asked to contact West Dundee detectives at (847) 551-3810 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be left at (847) 586-5600.

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