ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The Illinois State Police found the body of a St. Louis County woman reported missing last week and days after her ex-boyfriend was charged with her murder.
A press release from the St. Louis County Police Department said Marquisha Williams was found by Illinois State Police on Thursday. Family members told 5 On Your Side her body was found in northern Illinois near Chicago.
Before her body was found on Thursday, Williams was last seen a week ago in north St. Louis with her ex-boyfriend Trenton Ivy. Ivy was found and arrested in Wisconsin over the weekend. Police in Wisconsin said he was driving Williams' car.
Detectives searched the vehicle after Ivy's arrest. They reportedly found blood and biological material, along with Williams' items, inside of the vehicle.
Ivy told Wisconsin detectives that he had killed Williams in St. Louis during a physical altercation, police said. Ivy then disposed of her body in an unknown location.
In the days before and after Ivy was arrested, family members conducted searches of the St. Louis area looking for Williams.
Hours before the news, family members and friends searched parts of St. Louis on Thursday morning.
“We’ve been all over searching from Illinois, North City, around O’Fallon Park ... just checking parks, alleys and abandoned buildings,” Sandy Bagle, Marquisha Williams’ aunt, said.
Several hours after family members, friends and volunteers started searching for the missing mom, heart-wrenching news quickly spread.
“When I got the news, we were out in Mount Olive, Illinois, searching a tip that we had received out there about an hour away from St. Louis. I’m glad that she was found and we can now put her to rest and we can give her the proper service that she deserves,” Bagley said.
“I was so relieved and happy because I was just thinking we would have never found her. I couldn’t sleep,” Pam Taylor, another aunt, said.
“As far as I know, Ivy had some relatives in Chicago. I’m just glad he is in jail. I want him to pay for what he did. We plan to tell my niece’s children the tragic news,” Bagley said.
“Those children are without a mother, it’s just a tragedy. My heart goes out to the family and I want them to know that we are here to support them in any way we can,” Shelia Price with Mothers Advocating For Safe Streets said.
"St. Louis needs closure, there are a lot of people who have other people missing that need closure. They need hope that people are wiling to do this. It's not just us, but St. Louis needs closure," Williams' stepfather said.
The St. Louis County Police Department said other departments that helped with the search included the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Staunton Police Department, Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office and the Racine, Wisconsin, Police Department.
As of Wednesday, St. Louis County police were still working to bring Ivy back from Wisconsin to St. Louis County.
He has an extradition hearing in Wisconsin at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2024, according to court records.
Williams' family set up a GoFundMe page for her four children.
It said, "Marquisha's parents were dealt a horrible hand. They lost their daughter tragically but gained four beautiful children that they are not financially prepared for. Although we have a close-knit and supportive family, neither parents have been able to work due to their dedication to search for Marquisha and taking care of her four children."
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