Jersey County man charged in 2010 death of East Alton woman Bonnie Woodward

The family of Bonnie Woodward has been waiting a long time for answers. In this photo taken in late September 2010, Linda Dean, left, and Bobbie Valdes, right, both sisters of Woodward, who at the time had been missing since June 25 of that year, react with emotion while they wait for word from the 80 law enforcement officers who were searching for her body around the home of Roger Carroll, then 44, on Creek Road east of Jerseyville. less The family of Bonnie Woodward has been waiting a long time for answers. In this photo taken in late September 2010, Linda Dean, left, and Bobbie Valdes, right, both sisters of Woodward, who at the time had been ... more Photo: John Badman | The Telegraph Photo: John Badman | The Telegraph Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Jersey County man charged in 2010 death of East Alton woman Bonnie Woodward 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

ALTON — A Jersey County man was charged Thursday in the 2010 death of East Alton woman Bonnie Woodward for allegedly shooting her in a remote Jersey County location and burning her remains.

Roger W. Carroll, who was 45 at the time of Woodward’s disappearance on June 25, 2010, was charged in Jersey County Thursday with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealing a homicide. He was being held without bail Thursday in the Madison County Jail.

He was also charged in 2010 in Madison County with obstruction of justice for allegedly giving false information about the disappearance of Heather Woodward, Bonnie Woodward’s stepdaughter. The younger Woodward later appeared at the East Alton police station.

Jersey County State’s Attorney Ben Goetten said Madison County Lead Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Mudge will serve as a special prosecutor in the Jersey County murder case.

Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons Thursday credited Mudge with getting the case again on the front burner when she suggested going after a number of cold cases, including the Woodward case. “She gave it her all,” Gibbons said.

According to the charges, Carroll shot Woodward with a Stoeger Cougar 9 mm luger on June 25, 2010, the day she disappeared. He then burned her body in a fire to conceal her disappearance, according to the charges.

Authorities said Thursday the body was found with the help of several agencies, including people from Alton police, Illinois State Police and Jersey County deputies. They said officers, and even prosecutors, searched the mud near a tributary of Piasa Creek near Grange Hall and Crystal Lake roads.

Woodward was 48 at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen talking to a man in the parking lot of the Eunice Smith Nursing Home in Alton, where she had been a longtime employee. Her vehicle was found on the lot with its windows down.

More Information Last month, Carroll was charged in Jersey County with unlawful restraint and domestic battery for allegedly grabbing, jerking and dragging his wife, Monica D. Carroll, while “using a stun taser” on her head. The unlawful restraint charge alleges he locked her in a laundry room after using the Taser “several times on the head and neck.” Bail was set at $10,000.

Carroll, of rural Jerseyville, had been a person of interest at the time. Authorities said Thursday Carroll lured Woodward into his vehicle from the nursing home parking lot.

Authorities said a bit of information from the public lead to the new discoveries. “Any piece of information brought forward can help solve a case,” Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons said. He and Gibbons praised the courage of Woodward’s family and friends through the nearly six-year ordeal of her disappearance. They also gave credit to all the prosecutors and police officers that worked the case.

Heather Woodward was 17 at the time of her disappearance but turned 18 before she walked into the East Alton Public Library on July 3, 2010, and identified herself. Authorities declined Thursday to discuss if the disappearance of Heather Woodward was directly connected to the murder.

In September of that year, the Carrolls’ property in Jersey County was searched, along with a boat owned by Roger Carroll.

Among evidence found, an ISP lab determined that fingerprints on Woodward’s truck belonged to Roger Carroll, who resembled the man Woodward’s coworkers saw her talking to the day of her disappearance.

It was also noted that she had been seen near a silver Chevy Malibu, similar to a car driven by the Carrolls.