Authorities have released the cause of death and identity for a 26-year-old man who was found dead in a suspicious house fire in Libertyville last week.
The incident happened around 3:22 a.m. Friday when a Libertyville police officer on routine patrol spotted the fire, according to Libertyville Police Department Lt. Matt Goze.
Goze said the officer came upon a fully engulfed single-family residence in the 100 block of Johnson Avenue in Libertyville.
The Libertyville Fire Department along with several other fire departments and additional police personnel were called to the scene.
Roadways surrounding the area, including Milwaukee Avenue, were temporarily shut down, Goze said.
A deceased subject was located inside the residence by fire crews after the fire was extinguished.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the subject was Daniel Girard, 26, who lived at the residence.
A preliminary autopsy showed he died from inhalation of products of combustion — also known as smoke inhalation — and carbon monoxide.
A manner of death has not been officially determined, Banek said, adding that toxicology reports are still pending and it could take several weeks to receive them.
The incident is being investigated by the Libertyville Police Department, Lake County Major Crime Task Force, Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Libertyville Fire Department and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokeswoman Heather Cognac told the Daily Herald that the Major Crime Task Force is called when there is a suspicious death.
Goze told Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Tuesday that his department had no additional information to release on the incident.
He said that his department was still waiting on the Lake County Major Crime Task Force to finalize their investigation. Additional information could be released within the next week, Goze said.