Roll of Honor
Charles Marcus Eldredge
Incident
Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement, IL
Inspector Charles Eldredge was shot and killed at the entrance to a nature preserve at Nippersink Creek in McHenry County.
It is believed that Inspector Eldredge came across poachers hunting on the land. He was shot in the chest with his own service weapon, which was also the revolver used to murder his brother, Deputy Game Warden Earle Eldredge, 24 years earlier. Inspector Eldredge had carried the revolver ever since in the hopes of finding those responsible for his brother's murder.
The suspects in both officers' murders were never apprehended.
Inspector Eldredge had served with the Illinois Department of Conservation for 20 years and had previously been a state representative.
The family's nature preserve later became the North Branch Conservation Area.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-IL-BEC623E3- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
20 years. You could have gone home.
Inspector Eldredge gave the Illinois Department of Conservation 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Inspector Eldredge.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Inspector Charles Marcus Eldredge is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 63.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement, 2 of 13 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 15.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Marcus Eldredge's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Marcus Eldredge Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Marcus Eldredge is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement are honored on badge.nw.
