‘We want justice’: Fatal hit and run remains unsolved 7 months later

WARREN, Ill. – Nearly seven months after a Wisconsin woman was found dead in a ditch alongside Illinois Route 78 in Jo Daviess County, there are still no answers.

On the morning of Aug. 29, the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office responded to Illinois Route 78, just northwest of Warren, for an unresponsive woman laying in the ditch.

First responders determined she was dead and authorities later identified the woman as Nicole Burke, 37, of South Wayne, WI.

The initial investigation found she was likely struck by a vehicle that left the scene without reporting the collision.

Illinois State Police investigators have since confirmed Burke was fatally struck by a vehicle, based on her injuries, and their training and experience.

Authorities say ‘numerous’ search warrants have been completed, including cell phone records in the area at the time of the crash in hopes of identifying the suspect and suspect vehicle, but without success.

The investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office has released some details of the investigation to help bring answers forward in Burke’s death.

Here’s what we know now:

On Aug. 28, at around 7 p.m., investigators say Burke and her boyfriend, Jason Briand, arrived at Smiley’s Pub in Warren after spending the day shopping and visiting local restaurants and bars. They were traveling together in Burke’s Dodge Caravan and no one else was with them.

While at Smiley’s Pub, investigators say Burke and Briand each had a few alcoholic drinks before leaving together. But shortly after, Burke returned alone walking in the area of Main Street, or Route 78, near the intersection of Water Street. This is where Burke was last seen by witnesses.

Investigators say ‘several’ witnesses saw Burke walking alone and ‘showing signs of possible emotional distress and/or under the influence of alcohol.’

Using License Plate Reader technology and witnesses, investigators were able to place Briand with Burke’s Dodge Caravan outside of Warren around 8 p.m. with ‘no evidence’ he returned to Warren that evening.

Investigators say the Dodge Caravan was ‘immediately’ seized and processed with ‘no sign of recent damage or criminal activity related to this incident.’

According to investigators, the cell phone app Life360 was being used on Burke’s phone, of which tracks and shares the location of the phone.

Using the Life360 data, investigators found Burke had left the area of the Main and Water Street intersection around 8:38 p.m. eventually ending up in the location where the alleged incident took place on Route 78, just outside of Warren city limits, and remained there until she was found.

The investigation found Burke was communicating on her cell phone until around 9:13 p.m. and investigators believe she was struck a ‘short time after.’

Witnesses claimed to be in this area through around 9:30 p.m. but did not see any signs of Burke. However, investigators noted she was located in ‘an area you could not easily see from the roadway especially considering the lack of lighting at the time.’

Investigators say they are confident the suspect vehicle should have a damaged bumper, headlight lens and/or passenger side mirror damage. They say there may also be ‘some damage’ to the to radiator/coolant or air temp sensor.

Investigators have speculated the suspect vehicle may have higher ground clearance, such as a SUV or larger truck. Adding, the vehicle may have some sort of brush guard or front fender protection system.

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On Sep. 5, investigators said they were trying to confirm if any vehicle parts left on scene are from a specific make or model.

On Sep. 29, the Sheriff’s Office told me there was no new information to report.

As of March 19, there is still no update.