The coroner has released the identity of a Johnsburg man who was found dead inside his vehicle that was parked in a parking lot at a grocery store in Fox Lake.
The Fox Lake Police Department and Fox Lake Fire Protection District responded around 3:31 p.m. last Thursday to Jewel-Osco, 1350 Route 12 in Fox Lake, for a report of an unknown medical emergency.
A person walking in the parking lot saw a man slumped over in a minivan, according to Fox Lake Police Department Sgt. Richard Howell.
The vehicle was parked in a handicap spot in the main parking lot on the north side of the lot.
Howell said the bystander thought the driver was passed out and wanted him checked on due to the heat.
Officers and paramedics arrived and confirmed he was deceased at the scene.
Howell said it is unknown how long the man had been dead but his death had been recent.
Surveillance video showed the man entering the store and returning to his car before being found dead.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene. Foul play is not suspected, Howell said.
The coroner’s office has identified the man as Leonard Bathje, 77, of Johnsburg.
The Fox Lake Police Department was on the scene for a couple of hours investigating the death.
The coroner’s office said Bathje’s death was likely medically related to a cardiac event.