Kaitlyn Kearns, a 24-year-old Caucasian woman from Mokena, Illinois, was found murdered on November 16, 2017, in a rural area near St. Anne, Illinois. Kearns was last seen alive at around 1:30 a.m. on November 13, 2017, after finishing her bartending shift at Woody's Bar in Joliet. She never made it home and did not show up for her other job the following morning. Her body was discovered with a single gunshot wound to the head, along with her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, in a remote area about 50 miles from the bar where she was last seen.
The investigation into Kearns' death led authorities to the Joliet Outlaws Motorcycle Club, located about a mile from Woody's Bar. Before her disappearance, Kearns had mentioned that she planned to visit the club later that day. On November 16, 2017, Will County Sheriff's officers executed a search warrant at the club, breaking down the front door and conducting a thorough search. The Outlaws had previously drawn criticism from local residents for displaying a Confederate flag, which they refused to remove.
Jeremy Boshears, a member of the Joliet Outlaws, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and concealing a homicide in connection with Kearns' death. Boshears, who was 36 years old at the time, has been held in the Will County Jail since November 18, 2017. The investigation revealed that Kearns' body was found inside her Jeep, which was located in a locked pole barn on a residential property in St. Anne. The discovery was made possible through the assistance of Facebook records, which provided the latitude and longitude of Kearns' mobile device's last known location.
The case against Boshears has been ongoing, with prosecutors petitioning Facebook to authenticate the records provided to the Will County Sheriff's Office. The trial for Boshears was scheduled to begin in late October 2021. The tragic death of Kaitlyn Kearns has left a lasting impact on her family, friends, and the community, as they continue to seek justice for the young woman whose life was cut short.
