ALTON, Ill. – Authorities have arrested a man linked to the discovery of a body earlier this week in a wooded area of Alton.
The Madison County State’s Attorney Office has charged Antonio Baker, 44, of Ferguson, Missouri, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Andre Hawkins, 34, of Maryland Heights, Missouri.
Investigators say a municipal worker discovered the body of Hawkins shortly after noon on Wednesday. He was found in a wooded area along Lincoln Avenue with several gunshot wounds.
Baker was arrested Thursday evening in Missouri. He is being held in the St. Louis County Jail, pending extradition to Madison County.
Prosecutors believe the death was not a random attack and possibly linked to a dispute that happened in Missouri.
“Why this occurred in Alton is unknown,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. “All parties involved were residents of Missouri. But choosing to bring any violence to our streets is a very poor decision. In Madison County, we take violent crime very seriously, and will aggressively prosecute this heinous act.”
The Madison County Coroner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The Alton Police Department and Illinois State Police are both investigating the matter.
