Darlene Martin and John Becker Lost in Boating Incident with Barge

Two killed in boating crash on Illinois River

By Tim Wagner

STAFF WRITER

MARSEILLES — The U.S. Coast Guard and Illinois Conservation Police are investigating an overnight crash on the Illinois River that killed two people, both of whom were carriers for The (Aurora) Beacon News, a sister publication of The Courier News.

Conservation police Capt. Greg Hunter said the two people killed — 41-year-old Darlene Martin of Oswego and 45-year-old John Becker of Sandwich — were on a 27-foot pleasure boat that collided with a barge head-on in Marseilles about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday night.

Dwayne