Washington County Coroner

09/05/2026

Press Release

At 8:17 a.m on Saturday, September 5, 2026, our office was dispatched to the rear of a residence on Lake Shore Drive in rural Nashville. Upon arrival, we found a deceased subject in the Nashville Reservoir in approximately 3 feet of water. The individual was pronounced deceased at 8:30 a.m. by Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger.

The subject was recovered from the lake by coroner Styninger at which point the deceased was identified as Linda Y. Jankowski, 67 of Nashville. Jankowski had been reported missing on Friday and was the subject of an area wide missing person search. Ms. Jankowski was transported to the Washington County Morgue. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday in Benton.

Agencies assisting at the scene were the Illinois Department of Convservation Police Department, Nashville, IL Police Department, Washington County Sheriffs Department, Washington County Ambulance and Nashville Fire Department. No further information will be available from our office at this time.

08/25/2026

There is a heavy side to this work and I’ve talked about it because it’s real, and because pretending it doesn’t affect us doesn’t help anyone.

But there is another side of working in the death industry that deserves to be talked about just as much.

The impact we have.

We meet families on days they will remember for the rest of their lives.

We walk into their stories at a moment they never asked for, and sometimes, for a little while, they become part of ours too.

We help answer questions when everything feels uncertain.

We give names to what happened.

We explain what comes next.

We return belongings that suddenly mean more than they ever did before.

We listen to stories about the person we may have only known as a decedent - and get to know them as a parent, a child, a spouse, a sibling, a best friend.

Sometimes we provide the answer a family desperately needed.

Sometimes there simply isn’t an answer, and what we can give them instead is honesty, compassion, and the reassurance that their person mattered to us.

And every once in a while, someone stays with you.

A family you still think about years later.
A name you never forget.

A story that changed the way you do this job.

We may meet people on one of the worst days of their lives, but we have the opportunity to make that day just a little less difficult.

There is something incredibly meaningful about being trusted with that responsibility.

We don’t just investigate death.

We help tell the final chapter of someone’s life.

We help families understand it.

We advocate for the person who can no longer speak for themselves.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, we become part of a family’s story forever - just as they become part of ours.

That is the beautiful side of being a Last Responder.

07/29/2026

WASHINGTON COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE
Mark S. Styninger, Coroner
224 S. WASHINGTON ST. NASHVILLE, ILLINOIS 62263
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

At 10:55 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, 2026 our office was dispatched to the scene of a automobile versus bicycle crash on Illinois State Route 15 near Orchard Road just east of Ashley. Jeramie D. Oakley, 46 of Zeigler was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:30 p.m. by Washington County Deputy Coroner Jamie Turner. He was apparently riding a bicycle eastbound on or near the shoulder of Illinois Route 15 when he was struck from behind by an automobile proceeding in the same direction. The driver of that automobile stayed on scene but her identity is not known to this office. After impact, Oakley was thrown into the ditch on the south side of the road along with his bicycle.

Cause of death appears to be head and neck injuries from blunt force trauma and the manner accidental. Toxicology samples were obtained by the Coroner’s office for routine testing.

Agencies on the scene were the Washington County Ambulance Service, Ashley Fire Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team.

The crash continues to be investigated by the Illinois State Police and Coroner’s Office.

No further information will be available at this time.

07/11/2026

WASHINGTON COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE
Mark S. Styninger, Coroner
224 S. WASHINGTON ST. NASHVILLE, ILLINOIS 62263
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
At 5:40 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026 our office was dispatched to the scene of a single vehicle crash on Illinois State Route 15 near Willow Creek Road just west of Nashville. Dusty L. Wilfong, 21 of Okawville was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:54 a.m. by Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger. He was the unrestrained driver of a black pickup truck which appeared to be traveling west bound when he ran off the roadway on the south side after negotiating the curve, striking the steep embankment and rolling over several times before coming to rest on it’s side. Wilfong was partially ejected from the vehicle. The Washington County Sheriff’s Department flew their drone over the crash scene as full crops were in the field to check for other victims and the Nashville Fire Department provided auto extrication.

Cause of death appears to be head injuries and the manner accidental. Toxicology samples were obtained by Coroner Styninger for routine testing.

Agencies on the scene were the Washington County Ambulance Service, Nashville Fire Department, Nashville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police.

The crash continues to be investigated by the Illinois State Police and Coroner’s Office.

No further information will be available at this time.

07/03/2026

Please have fun but be safe. We don't want to work this weekend either.

06/24/2026

Congratulations. We are lucky to have such a progressive Fire Department in our county.

05/14/2026

Blast from the past. I found this while cleaning out a closet. I worked for them part time in the 90's in my hometown of Lincoln.

04/03/2026

Yesterday, we officially opened the county morgue located in the old Washington County Ambulance building behind the courthouse. This morgue has the ability to hold 3 deceased individuals and houses the office's transport van. For the last 20 years Styninger Funeral Home and Campagna Funeral Home have provided morgue services to the county free of charge. However with the increase in cremation rates, the demand for cooler use made it difficult for the funeral homes to continue to offer this. Autopsies will not be performed here as they will continue to be performed in Benton, Marion and O'Fallon by licensed Forensic Pathologists. We will however be able to do external post mortem examinations, toxicology and fluid sample draws along with gunshot residue testing collection in this space. The cooler was purchased entirely with grant money at no cost to the county taxpayers whatsoever. The building will be shared between the Coroner's Office and the Washington County IL Emergency Management Agency.

02/04/2026

01/22/2026

Myself along with Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Fletcher and Deputy Coroner Jamie Turner attended the annual Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners Association Winter Conference in Mt. Vernon on Tuesday and Wedneday of this week. This years focus was Advanced Crime Scene and Death Investigation and was taught by a retired St. Louis County Police Department CSI Investigator and a St. Louis County Medical Examiners Investigator. As an elected County Coroner, I am required by the State of Illinois to obtain 24 hours a year of continuing education. This was a very informative training as we studied numerous actual cases which occured over the years in St. Louis County.