MACKINAW - The husband of a Mackinaw woman who in June was found dead in rural Logan County is considered the prime suspect in the case, his attorney told The Pantagraph on Tuesday.

MeLisa Cleary

The body of MeLisa Cleary, 30, was found on a railroad embankment June 9 near Hartsburg, three days after she last was seen alive at her home in Mackinaw where she operated a day care. An autopsy established that she died of blunt-force trauma.

Authorities have said little else - citing the ongoing investigation - and there have been no arrests. Cleary's husband, Daniel, 34, was questioned by police after taking the couple's three children to a Peoria motel shortly after his wife's body was found. However, police have not named formally named Daniel Cleary a suspect.

But on Tuesday, Daniel Cleary's Peoria-based attorney, Jerry Serritella, said that his client is considered the primary suspect in MeLisa's death. Serritella said that during a recent court proceeding regarding child custody, authorities attempted to tie Cleary to his wife's death.

"He's holding up real well," Serritella said. "He feels real bad about his wife being murdered and he claims he had nothing to do with it."

Serritella and MeLisa Cleary's family both said the couple was having marital problems, and MeLisa's mother, Jean Cohoon of Eureka, said they planned to divorce. The pair had been married almost three years, Cohoon said, but had been together for about 12 years.

Daniel Cleary, who has since moved to Normal, is allowed to see the children ages 13, 9 and 3 once a week during supervised visits. The children have been placed together with a foster family, said Kendall Marlowe, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Ongoing investigation

Tazewell County State's Attorney Stu Umholtz and Tazewell County Sheriff Bob Huston did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday. The death was ruled a homicide, and Huston has said previously that investigators don't think it was a random incident.

Serritella said his client initially cooperated with the investigation, allowing searches of their house and garage. But Serritella, who was retained in the days after MeLisa was found, has since advised him not to speak with investigators.

Serritella said Daniel Cleary contends the last time he saw his wife alive was June 6 when she left the house to go out with friends for the night. Serritella said he hopes investigators consider the possibility that she came across someone while out who eventually killed her.

"It's not unreasonable to think that police should be investigating that situation," Serritella said.

MeLisa's family, which found her abandoned vehicle near Mackinaw prior to the discovery of her body, has largely declined to comment on the specifics of the case. But they have held at least three public events since MeLisa's death, and the case has garnered national attention on Nancy Grace's show on CNN.

"They're going to try and trash her, obviously," Cohoon said regarding Serritella's comments.

Trip to the motel

Police found Daniel Cleary and the children in the early morning hours of June 10 at a Peoria motel, hours after an Amber Alert was issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Authorities have said they questioned Cleary after the four were found in Peoria, but added that spouses often are interviewed if the other one is killed.