Authorities have arrested a man accused of murder after he guided them to a body buried beneath his garage in Massachusetts. The body is believed to belong to a female friend who disappeared over a year ago, officials reported.
Shawn Sullivan, 40, came under suspicion after allegedly admitting to a friend that he shot and buried a woman named “Jill” around January 2025, coinciding with the last known sighting of Jill Kloppenburg, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told reporters Monday.
Using ground-penetrating radar technology, police discovered something beneath a “large patched area” in the two-car garage at Sullivan’s family home in Tyngsborough, about 28 miles north of Boston, the DA’s office said.
Upon excavation, human remains were found in a plastic bag. Although they have not been officially identified as Kloppenburg, police hope this discovery will provide closure for her family, with an uncle saying investigators are “100% positive” it is her.
Sullivan faces charges of murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and improper disposal of a body.
Sullivan was acquainted with the 47-year-old missing woman, who had reportedly been at his home and was allegedly with her around the time she vanished, according to the DA.
Kloppenburg, 47, was last seen leaving her Lowell, Mass. home on January 2, 2025, and has not been seen or heard from since. She was reported missing to Tewksbury Police in February 2025, according to the FBI’s missing persons database.
Before being reported missing, Kloppenburg’s friends had not seen her since August 2024 or spoken to her since November 2024, according to Ryan. Her last known phone activity was on January 14, 2025.
A longtime friend who had been searching for Kloppenburg was devastated to hear of the grim discovery.
“You don’t throw her away,” Ann Matlosz told Boston 25 regarding the alleged killer. “You don’t throw anybody away. They don’t deserve that… Like why? Like how little of a man are you?”
Kloppenburg’s uncle, Steven Kloppenburg, shared on Facebook that he was informed investigators are “100% positive the remains were hers though they still have to confirm it with DNA and an autopsy…”
“She’s been missing for 14 months and has probably been out there for the whole time,” he wrote, according to CBS News.
Kloppenburg’s family told the outlet they can “now focus on justice and healing.”
