DUBUQUE – An Illinois man is charged with murder after his ex-girlfriend was found dead in Iowa this week.
On February 1, 2021, at approximately 11:54 a.m. Dubuque Police responded to the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens 3800 Arboretum Drive for a report of suspicious items found at the property. Officers searched the property, located the described items, and after a wider search located the body of a deceased individual later identified as, Jennifer Lopez, 20 years old of Galena, IL.
Based on evidence at the scene, Lopez’s ex-boyfriend, Richard Forsythe, 21 years old of Galena, IL was developed as a possible suspect. At approximately 2:22 p.m. Forsythe was located at the Jo Daviess County, IL Sheriff’s Department. Forsythe was taken into custody on unrelated charges and remains in the Jo Daviess County jail.
On February 2, 2021, a warrant was issued charging Forsythe with Murder in the 1st Degree with a $1,000,000 cash bond.
Forsythe will be served the arrest warrant in Jo Daviess County and await extradition back to Dubuque.
Murder in the 1st Degree is a “Class A” felony punishable by life in prison.
