A 62-year-old Pingree Grove man has been found guilty of murdering a Crystal Lake man execution-style and subsequently hiding the body at a residence in Hampshire Township.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that a jury has found Douglas Ottesen guilty of First-Degree Murder (a Class M felony) and Concealment of a Homicidal Death (a Class 3 felony).
According to prosecutors, on April 4, 2024, the Crystal Lake Police Department initiated an investigation into a resident who had been last seen alive March 12, 2024, as he was attempting to travel to family in Florida. An investigation indicated that the circumstances surrounding the incident might be criminal in nature.
After obtaining warrants, The Crystal Lake Police Department reached out to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division for assistance, and on May 7, 2024, two searches of residences were undertaken concurrently – one in the 45W200 block of Illinois Route 72, located in Hampshire Township, and one in the 600 block of North Falls Circle, located in Pingree Grove.
Human remains, later identified as James Cromwell, age 57, a resident of Crystal Lake, were discovered at the property listed within the 45W200 block of Illinois Route 72. The remains were found in a makeshift wooden box, wrapped in a tarp, covered in lime powder, with the deceased victim’s hands bound and eyes covered in duct tape.
Following the discovery, the Kane County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy. A comprehensive collection of evidence was conducted at both locations, including two vehicles. The preliminary cause of death, determined during the autopsy, is a gunshot wound to the back of the neck. The Kane County Coroner declared the preliminary manner of death as Homicide.
“This was a retaliation killing by the defendant for actions he believed the victim took that were never proven, said Assistant State’s Attorneys Kelly Orland. “The collaborative work by the Crystal Lake Police Department, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office during this investigation was instrumental to this outcome.”
Judge Julia Yetter set Ottesen’s next court appearance for 1:30pm on April 10 in Courtroom 211 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions. Ottesen faces a sentence of between 45 years to life of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Ottesen remains in custody at the Kane County jail.
