Soldier’s remains identified as 22-year-old from Geneva killed in Korean War

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
U.S. Army Sgt. Richard E. Crotty, 22, of Geneva, who was killed during the Korean War and finally accounted for on Feb. 3, 2023. Photo credit Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The remains of a soldier from Geneva have finally been identified — more than 70 years after he was reported missing.

Army Sgt. Richard E. Crotty was fighting in the Korean War when he was reported missing in action on Sept. 1, 1950.

His remains were located the following year, but they couldn't be officially identified at the time, so the Army listed the 22-year-old as presumed dead. The unidentified remains were buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea before being moved to the National Memorial Cemetery in Hawaii.

In 2017, Crotty's next of kin asked for more testing on the remains, and in February 2023, dental records and DNA analysis helped to positively identify them as Crotty's.

A burial in Peoria is planned for April 29.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency