Item provided by State's Attorney
On August 25, 2023, Dillon Steele, formerly of Danville, Illinois, was sentenced to thirty (30) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to the offense of First Degree Murder. Steele will serve 100% of his sentence and will also be required to complete a term of 3 years mandatory supervised release following his incarceration.
Circuit Judge Charles Hall heard evidence that in April of 2020, property owners in Indianola, Illinois called the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department after locating human remains. The remains, though only parts of the entire body, were collected as evidence by law enforcement. Using DNA from the victim’s father and son, the remains were identified by the Illinois State Police Crime Lab as belonging to victim Anthony Rauch.
The case was investigated over many months by the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department, in cooperation with the State’s Attorney’s Office. Testimony was presented by State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy to the Grand Jury by Melinda Warfel, the ex-wife of victim Anthony Rauch. Warfel stated that she had an ongoing relationship with both victim Anthony Rauch and Dillon Steele. Warfel stated that Mr. Rauch had been living in her home in Paris, Illinois on February 15, 2020 and that prior to that date she and Dillon Steele had discussed murdering Mr. Rauch and disposing of his body. Warfel stated that on February 15, 2020 Dillon Steele went into her home, stabbed Mr. Rauch once before he died, and then transported his body to a remote area of Indianola where he ultimately burned and disposed of the victim’s body, burying some of the body parts at the site in Indianola.
During the sentencing hearing, State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy presented evidence which included a Victim Impact Statement by Anthony Rauch’s mother, Betty Johnson. Ms. Johnson stated to Steele, “You killing him in the horrific way you did took away so much more than just his life, you took something away from each person who loved and cared about him.” Lacy thanked the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department for their tireless investigation in this case.
