The coroner has confirmed that the body found along the Fox River Wednesday was the 28-year-old man who disappeared in McHenry nearly two weeks ago.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday to the 2000 block of South Fernwood Lane in unincorporated McHenry.
McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh said a boater on the Fox River noticed a male subject in the water and called 911.
Fire department radio traffic indicated that the body was possibly washed up along the shore behind a residence.
Paramedics arrived on the scene and confirmed the person was deceased.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein said Thursday afternoon that the body was identified as Gustavo Guzman-Perez, 28, of McHenry.
An autopsy is being conducted later Thursday by the coroner’s office, Rein said.
Members of Guzman-Perez’s family reported him missing to the McHenry Police Department on April 22.
The police department said they had been actively searching for Guzman-Perez since that time.
Guzman-Perez was seen around 2 a.m. on April 22 in the 1200 block of North Green Street in McHenry, police initially said.
Police later said he was last seen around the same time near a residence in the 3000 block of West Virginia Avenue, which is approximately a mile southeast of the Green Street location.
The McHenry Police Department was assisted by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency as part of large-scale searches for Guzman-Perez.
Approximately 60 volunteers trained in search and rescue assisted in the search efforts along with an aerial drone and police canines.
An area covering 665 acres in and around the McHenry Country Club was searched, police said.
Firefighters also used watercraft to search the Fox River from Route 120 to the McHenry Dam.
Authorities continued their search efforts last week when they again searched the Fox River.
Gustavo-Perez was last seen in the 3000 block of West Virginia Avenue in McHenry, which is where a friend of his resides, police said.
He was with the friend and then not seen after leaving, police said.
Investigators reportedly had “nothing reliable” in regard to Gustavo-Perez’s phone location data after his disappearance.
McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh said foul play is not suspected and there is no danger to the community.