LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
The body of missing rural Edgar County man Chad N. Brooks was found Feb. 8 by Cole County Sheriff’s Department investigators, near Westfield Road in rural Charleston. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Brooks had been last seen Jan. 31, outside of Westfield in Coles County. He was reported missing earlier this week by a family member. He turned 47 on Monday.
A description of Brooks had been shared on a Facebook post by the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department, accompanied by photos of Brooks. Brooks was listed as having brown hair and blue eyes, standing at five feet eight inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. He also had several tattoos.
According to the sheriff’s department, when last seen, he was walking away from his white Dodge pick-up, on the side of the road. The truck was recovered earlier this week, just south of Charleston.
A camera located on a home near that site had caught an image of Brooks walking alone, said Edgar County Sheriff Jeff Wood. He locked the truck and took the keys with him, before leaving it.
At the time, he was wearing a black hoodie with reflective stripes. His cell phone had been left in a relative’s work truck and is not with him, Wood said.
Brooks and his family have lived in rural Edgar County for several years