Man found driving with wife’s body in car, IL cops say. He’s accused of murder

An Illinois man accused of killing his wife was caught driving with her body in his car, police said.

At about 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1, deputies began investigating a killing at a Mount Vernon home, and shared the description of a possible suspect vehicle, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. About an hour later, an officer with the Christopher Police Department spotted a 2007 Ford Escape that matched the description.

The officer called for backup and followed the SUV for a time, then pulled over the driver, 51-year-old John W. Finney, stopping in rural DuQuoin, officials said.

Police found 42-year-old Amy Finney dead inside the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

As officers searched John Finney’s vehicle, investigators discovered evidence that Amy Finney had been killed at the couple’s home near Mount Vernon, a roughly 40-mile drive northeast from DuQuoin.

Officials didn’t say why John Finney was in the area of DuQuoin when he was pulled over, or where he was going with his wife’s body.

Deputies believe he shot his wife to death “during a domestic dispute.”

John Finney was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder and booked into the Jefferson County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.

Mount Vernon, where the Finneys lived, is about a 145-mile drive southeast from Springfield.

This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Man found driving with wife’s body in car, IL cops say. He’s accused of murder."