Skokie Man Found Dead In Illinois River Near Starved Rock State Park

SKOKIE, IL — The body of a missing Skokie man was found in the Illinois River on Saturday in Utica, authorities said.

Illinois Conservation Police found an abandoned car at a boat launch area of Starved Rock State Park last week.

Police on Friday were unable to locate the registered owner of the car, a 61-year-old Skokie resident, Starved Rock Media reported.

According to the LaSalle County Coroner Richard Ploch, the man had a documented history of mental illness and had been recently reported missing by his family.

Around 8:30 a.m. Saturday, police were notified that a fisherman had spotted a body in the water matching the description of the missing man, according to WALS-FM.

The man's body was found on the north bank of the river, about a mile west of the Route 178 bridge, according to Ploch.

No further details were immediately available from a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The LaSalle County Coroner's Office conducted an autopsy, and drowning was preliminarily determined to be the cause of death, with no indications of any foul play.