Man Arrested After Teen Found Dead In Urbana Ditch

Bicyclists discovered a body lying in a ditch in the 3400 block of E. Washington Street in Urbana.

URBANA – Arraignment is scheduled on Monday for a man accused of killing a teenager.

On Friday morning, bicyclists found a body laying in a ditch along East Washington Street in Urbana.

Steven Butler, III of Champaign – picture posted to Missing Persons Awareness Network Facebook page.

The Champaign County Coroner’s office identified the victim as 14-year-old Steven Butler III. His family reported him missing the night before. An autopsy will be conducted on Butler’s family on August 1. 

Hours later, police took 55-year-old Daryl Vandyke into custody.

Lt. Curt Apperson is with the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. He says investigators searched Vandyke’s residence in Champaign.

“Basically after executing a search warrant, we located evidence on the property which ultimately lead to charging him with first degree murder,” said Apperson.

So far, police are not saying the motive or how the teen was killed.

Daryl Vandyke booking photo from Champaign County Correctional Center

Vandyke is in the Champaign County Jail, held on$2,000,000 dollars bail. He faces arraignment Monday afternoon.

Officers say the suspect and victim knew each other.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM