A case that spent years without a body finally reached a major legal turning point in 2025. Marvin Bailey, who had been charged with killing 43-year-old Chaunti Bryla after she disappeared from Chicago in March 2019, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death. His original first-degree murder charge was amended as part of the plea. Chaunti’s remains have still never been recovered.
Chaunti had been staying with her aunt before returning to her home near 85th Street and Bennett Avenue. Prosecutors said her regular cab driver picked her up on March 15, 2019, took her to a liquor store, then dropped her back at home. Surveillance showed Chaunti using her own ATM card that afternoon. Later that same day, Bailey was recorded withdrawing money from her account.
Bailey was the half-brother of Chaunti’s 10-year-old son and had recently been living in her apartment after being paroled. Prosecutors said Chaunti told him to leave following a dispute involving his girlfriend. Within weeks, she was gone. Bailey had previously served prison time for aggravated battery after attacking a girlfriend with a hammer and setting her on fire.
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Investigators Traced A Blue Bin Across Chicago
Surveillance footage, rideshare records, and financial trail allowed investigators to follow Bailey’s movements after Chaunti disappeared. He and another person were recorded buying items, including bungee cords and a dolly, using money withdrawn from Chaunti’s account. On March 16, the pair were seen removing a large blue container from her apartment and eventually placing it inside Bailey’s van.
Police briefly stopped Bailey and the other person the following day after finding the van in a vacant lot. According to prosecutors, the men said they were headed to Home Depot to buy a chainsaw. They were released without the vehicle being searched. Bailey later took the blue bin to the King’s Inn in Calumet Park, where a Lyft driver said he described its contents as “his meats.” Surveillance eventually captured Bailey leaving the container behind a nearby strip mall.
When investigators recovered the bin, testing found DNA matching Chaunti inside. Authorities also reported finding blood evidence in her apartment, Bailey’s van, and the motel room he had occupied. A cadaver dog alerted to the alley where the container had been discarded. Police searched an Indiana landfill where trash from the area had been taken, but Chaunti was not found.
Bailey was arrested in November 2019 and initially charged with first-degree murder. Nearly six years later, his guilty plea gave the case a legal resolution that Chaunti’s family had waited years to see, but it did not answer the question of where her remains were taken.
Chaunti Bryla: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Chaunti Bryla stood at 5 feet 2 inches and weighed approximately 200 to 210 pounds. She had brown hair and brown eyes and suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office still lists her under missing-person case no. MP56743.
Anyone with information that could help locate Chaunti’s remains can contact the Chicago Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 312-747-5789 or the Cook County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit at 773-674-9490.
Please share this story about Chaunti Bryla to continue raising awareness of her case and the search for her remains. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Case Number: MP56743
Agency: Cook County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit
Phone: 773-674-9490
Email:
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