Amy J. Finney, 42, a female from Mount Vernon, Illinois, was found dead on the night of September 1, 2025, after deputies broadcast an alert for a gray 2007 Ford Escape connected to a reported homicide near Mount Vernon. A Christopher police officer located the vehicle on Illinois Highway 148, and during a felony stop near Du Quoin, officers conducted a protective sweep and discovered the body of Amy J. Finney inside. She was taken into the custody of the Perry County Coroner.
Investigators quickly converged on the couple’s home in rural Mount Vernon, securing the residence on North Illinois Highway 148 as a likely crime scene while Illinois State Police crime scene technicians processed both locations. Early investigative findings indicated that the fatal shooting occurred during a domestic dispute inside the home before the body was transported in the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle, her husband, 51-year-old John W. Finney of rural Mount Vernon, was detained at the stop and later booked into the Jefferson County Jail. He was charged with first-degree murder and held pending a pretrial detention hearing. Agencies assisting included the Christopher and Du Quoin Police Departments, the Jefferson, Perry, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Illinois State Police, reflecting the rapid, multi-agency response that followed the initial alert.
As the investigation progressed, authorities emphasized that evidence tied the shooting to the residence and that the victim, Amy J. Finney, 42, female, died of an apparent gunshot wound. Records documenting her death list the date as September 1, 2025, in Mount Vernon, Illinois. No additional suspects were announced, and law enforcement statements and charging records identified John W. Finney as the sole suspect under arrest in the case.
