CHICAGO _ An Elgin man was indicted Friday in the killing and dismemberment of his elderly mother, whose partial remains were found in bags in the Lincoln Park lagoon in Chicago last month.
Brian Peck, 55, was charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide in the indictment, announced in Cook County Circuit Court. He is being held without bail.
Peck appeared in the Rolling Meadows courthouse Friday in tan jail scrubs, greeting Judge Steven Goebel with a friendly "Good morning, Your Honor."
Goebel granted a court order for the remains of Gail Peck to be released to the family for burial. Assistant State's Attorney Lorna Amado-Chevlin also asked that any undiscovered remains also be released if found.
Authorities said partial human remains, including a torso in one bag and severed legs in another, were discovered in the lagoon at Diversey Harbor on Oct. 28. They were later identified as belonging to Gail Peck, 76, who had been reported missing by her son, Brian, the day before.
A severed arm later found at Montrose Beach was also believed to have belonged to Gail Peck.
Authorities have said they found bloodstains and other evidence in the Elgin home the mother and son shared. When the body parts were discovered, police questioned Brian Peck, who admitted to killing his mother and dismembering her body with a handsaw in a bathtub on Oct. 25, according to prosecutors.
Peck told police he put the remains in bags and a suitcase, throwing them into Diversey and Montrose harbors, according to prosecutors.
Officials said Peck also told them he had argued with his mother early in the morning over his loud Jimi Hendrix music, and claimed his mother wielded a "military-style knife" before he knocked her down and stomped on her head, killing her.
Peck is due to be arraigned on the charges Dec. 1 at the Rolling Meadows courthouse.
Authorities said Gail Peck has a niece who lives in another country, but no other family members have come forward. Brian Peck is an only child and his father is deceased, officials said.
