Police are investigating after a body was found inside a car that was discovered fully submerged in Lake Michigan at the Waukegan Harbor Tuesday afternoon.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department were seen around 1 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Lafarge North America, 315 East Sea Horse Drive in Waukegan.
Fire department divers entered the water and found a body inside a car that was fully submerged in Lake Michigan.
Lake County Coroner’s Office Chief Deputy Steve Newton said the discovery was made by a company conducting a sonar scan of the Waukegan Harbor.
The company conducted the scan in July but just recently noticed the vehicle in its imagery, prompting the response.
Newton said the vehicle information matches a vehicle connected to an adult who was reported missing in April 2024.
The occupant found in the vehicle was in the driver’s seat and was seatbelted.
The coroner’s office responded to the scene after being notified around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday and took possession of the subject.
An autopsy was performed on the victim, believed to be an adult male, on Wednesday and the results are pending further studies, Newton said.
He is believed to have been in the water with the vehicle for an “extended amount of time.”
The victim has not been positively identified yet.
A heavy-duty tow truck responded to the scene and removed the car by around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, witnesses said.
The Waukegan Police Department has not released any information on the case as of Wednesday afternoon.