Chicago police said Tuesday they have sent Milwaukee authorities information on a missing Chicago man who may have been a victim in the unfolding mutilation murder case there.
Information on Jeremiah Weinberger, 23, a North Side resident reported missing July 6, was sent after Milwaukee police discovered body parts in a one-bedroom apartment north of downtown, police said.
”If it turns up that he is one of the bodies, we`ll be up there to assist,” said Belmont Area Violent Crimes Lt. Richard Stevens. ”Right now we`re just waiting for word, some information that would tie this together.”
The report from Chicago police is just one of many missing-persons inquiries that have poured into Milwaukee from departments around the country. Weinberger was last seen July 5 at Carol`s Speakeasy, 1355 N. Wells St., according to friends. When he left the bar late that night, the lean, 6-foot- tall man was wearing a gold T-shirt, green plaid shorts and loafers.
Weinberger, who lives with his father above a cafe on North Halsted Street, didn`t return home or to his job at the Bijou Theater the next day. It was then that his father notified police.
”He`s been missing a little more than two weeks,” said David Weinberger of his son. ”I don`t know what has happened. We are waiting for reports from the police.
”There`s nothing more I can tell you, except that I miss him.”
Friends of Weinberger said they have spent the days since his disappearance circulating flyers with his picture and a description. Meanwhile, a police artist prepared a composite sketch of a man seen leaving Carol`s with Weinberger the night he disappeared.
There were few leads in the disappearance until Monday, when friends of Weinberger were approached by Chicago police who had a photo of the man now being held in connection with the Milwaukee killings, sources said.
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Those friends, the last to see Weinberger before his disappearance, said the photo resembled Weinberger`s companion, who had told them he was from Milwaukee, sources said.
Chicago police said a photo of Weinberger was among the information forwarded to Milwaukee. They refuse to discuss the case further, saying information is scarce and impossible to verify with Milwaukee police. They said the situation is eerily reminiscent of the inquiries Chicago police received in the days after the remains of 29 bodies were discovered in the crawl space of John Wayne Gacy`s Northwest Side home in December 1978.
”I can`t even get them to return my calls,” said one detective. ”Until we get some confirmation and a positive identification, there is no way yet to be sure that this young man is involved.”