Gabriel Cook was shot in the head and “likely died instantly,” according to an update from the Peoria County Coroner. Allen Schimmelpfennig was found guilty of First Degree Murder and Concealment of a Homicidal Death of Gabriel Cook in 2021 and sentenced to 80 years in prison after being found guilty by a jury in 2023. Schimmelpfennig was convicted of murder without a body, commonly known as a “bodyless murder” trial. The official manner of death is homicide, according to the Peoria County Coroner.
The Peoria County Coroner’s Office said they were able to identify the human remains as those of Gabriel Cook because of items found on his person and orthopedic devices on the remains. Serial numbers from the orthopedic devices were matched with medical records. “Serial numbers from orthopedic devices that can be married with a medical record are conclusive.” A forensic dentist will make dental comparisons, which is standard practice in forensic medicine.
Gabriel K. Cook was 32 years of age when he was reported missing by his family in March 2021. He was last seen alive on March 8, 2021, with 30-year-old Allen Schimmelpfennig. A witness testified to seeing Cook and Schimmelpfennig load a motorbike into the jeep that Cook used that belonged to his grandmother. The Jeep was found on fire on Kickapoo Creek Road that same day. Security cameras captured the Jeep near a storage locker leased by Allen Schimmelpfennig. Before his disappearance, Cook talked to his girlfriend daily, had regular video chats with his daughter, who lives out-of-state, and lived with his grandmother to help care for her; all communications stopped on March 8th.