From left (front), Marion PD investigator Thomas Warren; Williamson County State's Attorney Brandon Zanotti, Marion Police Chief Dawn Tondini (front), Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown; in back, Marion PD investigator Maria McGuire; Saline County Detective Brad Neal; Saline County Detective Mike Jones; Saline County Chief Deputy Ken Clore.
SALINE CO., Ill. - The press conference regarding the death of Carla Burns, 49, of Marion, was more about what was NOT said than what was said.
A host of law enforcement and prosecutorial personnel from both Saline County as well as Williamson County was on-hand this morning at 10 a.m. at the small courtroom in the Saline County Detention Center at Harrisburg to give a very straight press conference on Mrs. Burns' death as well as the current charges Dr. Brian Burns, Carla's estranged husband, is facing in Saline.
The press conference lasted about 13 minutes. At the outset, as the conference officially began, Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown noted the nature of the crime was a little different, in that it began in Marion and moved over to Saline County, thus necessitating the involvement of multiple jurisdictions, leading to why Marion and Williamson County authorities were present at the presser.
Here's the press release as it was read aloud by Brown to the room of reporters and a few interested people from the public:
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On Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 7:45 a.m., Mr. Brian Burns, 56, of Harrisburg was arrested for First Degree Murder by Saline County Sheriff's deputies.
Mr. Burns' arrest is in connection with the disappearance of Carla Burns, 49, of Marion, Illinois. Mrs. Burns was last seen in Saline County around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, and was reported missing to the Marion Police Department on Thursday, March 10, 2016.
Numerous interviews with neighbors, friends, colleagues and others have been conducted. Search warrants have been executed. This is an active and ongoing investigation.
On Thursday, March 17, formal charges were filed by the Saline County State's Attorney's Office. those charges include:
- Two charges of First Degree Murder
- One charge of Concealment of a Homicidal Death.
Brian Burns' bail was set in the amount of $10,000,000 (ten million) or $1,000,000 (one million) cash bond.
The Saline County Sheriff's Office, Marion Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office, Illinois State Police, Saline County Coroner's Office, Illinois Crime Scene Services, SAR K9 of Fairview Heights, Saline County State's Attorney Office and Williamson County State's Attorney's Office and numbers other agencies have been involved and continue to investigate the incident.
"With the current economic situation of the region, this is proof of how combining and using regional resources has been able to conduct a successful investigation," said Sheriff Keith Brown.
Anyone with further information about the case may contact the Saline County Sheriff's Office at 618-252-8661, or Marion Police Department at 618-993-2124.
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While reporters tried to get Brown and the others to answer details about Mrs. Burns' death, including where it was she was killed, what the crime was that occurred in Marion, what it was that lead investigators to Dr. Burns, and the timeline of events, most of that was toward an ongoing investigation and couldn't be answered. The case started as a missing persons in Marion, as Mrs. Burns was last seen on March 8 in Saline County shortly after 3:30 p.m., and reported missing in Williamson on March 10.
The Burnses divorce documents are on file in Saline County; that was brought up to the law enforcement contingent, but they deferred everyone to the civil court files.
Amusingly, a TV person brought up Brian Burns' "smiling" mugshot, and how so much was being made over it. However, there wasn't much comment from the contingent about that.
A question arose over a video that might have captured Dr. Burns in a wooded area in Saline County. The contingent deferred answers to that, stating only that video would be "very helpful" and wishing that whoever had it would come forward. It was reported here Wednesday afternoon that UNOFFICIALLY, a local in the area of Mitchellsville had been asked about a game cam, which would have provided STILLS of a wooded area, not vid. Whether or not that is what was being referenced, we don't know. We reported that it's unclear whether or not the game cam material was useful.
Questions about cause of death were kind of moot; in the charges, it's made clear that she was shot, then her body burned.
Likewise, no comment was made about where the burned remains were found, although questions arose over a fire pit on the premises of a residence, as well as a covered cistern or well on a residence, ostensibly one that either Burns owned or at least had access to via adjacent property.
Where Burns was employed was a "no comment" (Clore said "you'll have to ask his employer"), but where he was when he was taken into custody, the law enforcement officials got to in a roundabout way: Reporters asked if it was at his residence in Harrisburg, to which authorities responded to that he "doesn't reside in Harrisburg." It was then asked if the residence was "south of town (Harrisburg) here"; the response was "yes." They did not specifically state the Mitchellsville area.
It's not known exactly who will be providing prosecution on the case, although Assistant Jason Olson has his signature on the charging documents; State's Attorney Mike Henshaw is out of town. Further charges pending in Williamson MIGHT occur, reference the presence of Zanotti in the group.
Burns has not yet been scheduled for a first court appearance.