The remains of a man who was reported missing in Illinois almost 30 years ago have been identified, police announced Monday in a statement saying the 28-year-old cold case has been concluded.
Using forensic tests, police were able to link previously unidentified remains to Steven Asplund, who went missing in January 1994 after borrowing a caulking gun from a friend, according to the Moline Police Department. Authorities stated in a press release this week that their investigation into Asplund’s disappearance revealed no evidence of foul conduct and that no charges are being sought.
Asplund’s fiancee reported him missing on January 10, 1994, according to the Moline police department, who launched a missing persons file on him. Before their wedding, the pair was refurbishing Asplund’s residence, and he intended to utilize the caulking equipment. According to authorities, Asplund was last seen driving away in a black Ford Mustang after visiting a nearby acquaintance.
Several days later, his vehicle was discovered in Bettendorf, Iowa, and investigations conducted in 1994 and 2014 revealed just his and his fiancee’s DNA inside. During the past year, police said they pursued a lead that pointed to an unnamed man’s possible involvement in Asplund’s disappearance, but it turned out to be false.
Asplund’s body was eventually identified after Moline police detective Mike Griffin used a nationwide database to conduct a broad search for unidentified remains in November and discovered a 1994 report filed in St. Louis County that matched his description. The body was discovered in March in a debris field near a pier on the Mississippi River, according to police, but St. Louis authorities were unable to obtain fingerprints at the time due to an error in the national database entry.
Moline Police have announced the discovery of the body of missing person Steve Asplund in Missouri, as reported by the Quad-City Times on YouTube.
In January of this year, the body was exhumed in St. Louis, and a DNA comparison revealed that the deceased was Asplund. The findings were validated on September 6th.
Moline police posted a note to Asplund on their Facebook page on Monday, noting that, along with his family and friends, they spent “10,467 days searching for you and looking for answers” after his 1994 disappearance.
The department stated, “We now know what occurred, though we may never know ‘why’ it occurred. We will send you home soon, and you’ll be able to rest where your family wants you to, they will be able to see you, and every night they will know where you are.” Even when there were obviously no investigation leads to pursue, we never gave up. May Steve’s soul finally rest in peace.