Charges Filed in Death Investigation

DUBUQUE, Iowa – 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 1^st 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 1^st Degree is a “Class A” felony punishable by life in prison. 

As with any criminal case, the charges filed are allegations and any suspects are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.  If you have any information on this incident or others, please call the Dubuque Police Department at 563-589-4415 or Crime Stoppers at 800-747-0117 or 563-588-0714 (if the information leads to an arrest, the caller is eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000). You can also submit tips anonymously online at www.cityofdubuque.org/police or through the MyDBQ smartphone app available at www.cityofdubuque.org/MyDBQ.

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