Belle Rive’s quiet roads were shattered Sunday morning when authorities confirmed that 47-year-old James D. Cross of Dahlgren was found dead in a parking lot on East Bonnie Road early in the day. Neighbors and friends in this small Jefferson County town are still trying to grasp what happened.
Sheriff’s deputies say they were called just after 7:10 a.m. on Sunday to the 21800 block of East Bonnie Road after a 911 call reported a man who wasn’t responsive. When first responders arrived, they found Cross lying in the lot and pronounced him dead at the scene.
An autopsy by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office later showed that Cross died from a gunshot wound. Investigators have officially classified the death as a homicide. Details about how or why the shooting happened haven’t been released yet, leaving many questions unanswered for people who knew him.
Law enforcement agencies from across the region are working the case. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with help from Coroner Roger Hayse, crime scene technicians from the Illinois State Police, and detectives from the Mt. Vernon Police Department. So far there have been no arrests.
Friends and family remember Cross as someone who was taken far too soon. In small towns like Dahlgren and Belle Rive, everyone seems to know someone who knew him, and there’s a shared sense of loss in the air. People who spoke to neighbors describe him in quiet, personal ways that reflect the human side beyond the headlines.
Sheriff Jeff Bullard has urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. Tips can be shared by calling the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office or through local Crimestoppers channels. Authorities are hoping someone’s voice or detail will help fill in the blanks of what led to this tragedy.
As the investigation continues, Cross’s loved ones and this tight-knit community are left to mourn and to hold onto memories of a man whose life ended in unanswered silence on a quiet winter morning.
