The coroner’s office says a 46-year-old man who was found dead in a ditch while repairing his broken-down motorcycle in Antioch last month died from an overdose.
Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said his department received calls to their non-emergency dispatch line around 9:45 p.m. on April 9 for a person in the roadway near Route 173 and Deep Lake Road.
The callers reported a person wearing all black near a motorcycle.
An officer was dispatched five minutes later and arrived to find a broken-down motorcycle on Deep Lake Road just north of Route 173.
The motorcycle was parked on the shoulder alongside the northbound lane. It had obvious mechanical issues and was leaking oil, Guttschow said.
The officer noted it appeared that someone had been working on the motorcycle.
Guttschow said the officer checked the area but could not locate the driver.
A follow-up investigation showed the driver, William Webster, 46, of Lake Villa, was inside the Walmart around 9:30 p.m.
The man later went to Murphy’s gas station but the officer did not cross paths with Webster during that time.
Investigators are unsure what time Webster returned to his motorcycle, Guttschow said.
A police sergeant went to the scene just after midnight and found the motorcycle had additional work performed on it since earlier.
The sergeant figured the driver had left the area and planned to return at a later time, Guttschow said.
Around 6 a.m. on April 10, a person driving by called 911 to report seeing a man, later learned to be Webster, down in the ditchline.
Webster was lying in the cattails approximately 40-50 feet away from the motorcycle in the ditch. He was confirmed to be deceased at the scene.
Webster was dressed in all-black clothing and in a difficult-to-see area. “It was unfortunate no one was able to see him. The officers did the best job they could given the circumstances,” Guttschow said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek previously said an autopsy showed Webster did not suffer any significant injuries.
Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said Thursday that his office received the toxicology results.
The results showed Webster died as a result of a combined drug overdose from the substances of fentanyl, cocaine and benzodiazepine.
A recently released report showed the coroner’s office has seen a steady increase in overall overdoses in the county. “The increase in fentanyl appearing in other substances is alarming,” Newton said.