Update: Lee County authorities have made an arrest in connection with the death of Delmar Daniels of Amboy, Illinois. Police arrested 32 year old Matthew Welling of Amboy Thursday afternoon. He is charged with first degree murder and two counts of home invasion. We will continue to follow any new developments and bring them to you as soon as they become available.
Lee County authorities are canvassing neighborhoods and questioning people of interest after an elderly Amboy, Illinois man was found dead in his home last night. The death is being treated as a homicide.
Police were called to the 100 block of W. Main St. about 7:30 Wednesday night after a family member found 79-year-old Delmar Leroy Daniels unresponsive and bleeding.
Crime scene technicians have been in and out of the Daniels home all day, looking for clues. The Lee County Sheriff tells us when officers arrived on scene, it was clear that there had been a struggle. There was broken glass on the floor and household items in disarray.
Deputies immediately began questioning family members, friends and anyone that may know what happened.
The Lee County Sheriff says Daniels hadn't been seen since 9 p.m. Tuesday night. He was found dead almost a full day later.
"With the circumstances we have we're obviously relying a lot on the crime scene to help with the pieces of the puzzle," said Lee County Sheriff, John Vargas.
The sheriff tells KWQC Betty Daniels, Delmar's wife, was home when her husband was killed. She's the only witness.
Authorities say she has health issues and limited mobility, but at some point during the time her husband was killed, betty was knocked off of her motorized scooter and wedged against wall -- She couldn't move. Betty Daniels stayed inside that house for hours, without being able to call authorities, until a family member checked in on the couple.
"She has a lot of stress on her from obviously being in the home with him," said Sheriff Vargas.
Family members are very emotional tonight having lost a loved one. But the entire Amboy community is also in mourning, as Delmar Leroy Daniels has been a part of that community all his life.
"He's a maintenance man, he could do anything, he could fix and repair anything," said Deb Ullrich, who is a friend of Daniels.
"He's going to be missed by a lot of people here."
Authorities are still unsure of the weapon used. An autopsy was performed Thursday afternoon, KWQC is waiting on the results.
