Police reports reveal violent and erratic behavior at Morgan Bearce’s Macomb home in the weeks before the murder he is accused of.
Bearce, 24, faces first-degree murder charges in the death of 21-year-old Bryson Saddoris on July 29 at 625 N. Randolph St. Authorities say Bearce admitted shooting Saddoris six times with a revolver — claiming he fired the additional shots to “put the victim out of his misery” after the initial gunshot. A second man, Sean Hayes, was initially arrested but has since been released after charges were dropped by McDonough County State’s Attorney Matt Kwacala, citing new evidence.
Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show Macomb police responded to Bearce’s residence on April 14, 2025, at 4:50 p.m. after a report of a physical altercation in the front yard.
According to the report, Bearce allegedly charged at the mother of his child, throwing a sock filled with rocks at her after she arrived to collect her belongings and discuss visitation. The two wrestled, and the woman suffered minor injuries.
She told police she believed Bearce had a drug problem involving cocaine and marijuana and suggested he was involved in selling illegal narcotics. She also said Bearce possessed firearms illegally in the home.
While officers spoke to Bearce inside, he was vomiting and his mood shifted rapidly from calm to screaming and violently shaking.
Bearce reportedly threatened the woman, saying she “was going to hell and she better hope she doesn’t see him down there because he would ‘kill her again.’” He claimed the woman, identified as Russell, was the one who charged him with the rock-filled sock, sparking the wrestling match.
Officer Bryce Herrick wrote that it was unclear who started the fight and that “both parties were highly responsible for the physical altercation.”
The woman had bruises on her face and burst blood vessels in one eye. Both were cited. No children witnessed the fight, so the Department of Children and Family Services was not notified.
Police returned to the home on June 26, 2025, after officers Brendan Lopina and Aric Cremer tried to serve an attempt-of-court warrant for Bearce.
Cremer reported that when they knocked, no one answered. They saw a man — later identified as Bearce — lying motionless on the floor next to what appeared to be a pistol. After confirming Bearce was breathing and moving, officers investigated but lacked probable cause to enter without a warrant.
As officers left, Bearce’s father, Frank Bearce, arrived and insisted on entering to check on his son, demanding officers leave. Both Bearces exited the rear of the home.
Cremer said, “I began to explain to Morgan why officers were present at which time both Frank and Morgan became confrontational with officers. Both Frank and Morgan denied the presence of any firearm and claimed the item they’d seen was a torch-style lighter.”
Morgan Bearce was arrested and released on a $150 cash bond.
On July 29, two days before the alleged murder, police again visited the residence regarding a matter to retrieve belongings. That report is redacted in the records.
Macomb Police Chief Jeff Hamer told Community News that his officers fully investigated each incident.
“There was simply not enough evidence to satisfy the Constitutional safeguards of the Fourth Amendment,” Hamer said.
He added that he wished Frank Bearce had cooperated with officers, sought drug help for his son, and turned over the suspected lighter/firearm. Doing so could have cleared Morgan Bearce of the allegation, removed a potential murder weapon, and possibly prevented Saddoris’s death.
Background
Bearce remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in Saddoris’s slaying, believed to have occurred in the early morning hours of July 29.
Police found Saddoris’s body wrapped in a blanket and plastic in the home’s laundry room the following Sunday night.
Officers say they saw Bearce trying to destroy evidence in the backyard and loading drugs and apparent murder weapons into his car before arresting him. Bearce immediately implicated Hayes in the crime.
Hayes, initially charged, allegedly shared a cell phone photo of the body, prompting the investigation. Charges against him have been dropped, and he is free.
Bearce’s next court appearance is scheduled for November.
