Police confirmed that a missing man was the person found dead on the side of the road along Route 176 on the border of Crystal Lake and Prairie Grove Saturday morning.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 6:59 a.m. Saturday to the 4300 block of Route 176 in Prairie Grove for a report of a person down call.
A 911 caller reported finding a male lying face down in the grass, according to emergency radio traffic.
The caller reported the victim was not responsive and his breathing was unknown.
A witness reported the man was found on the north side of Route 176 just west of the new residential development of Lennar at Woodlore Townes.
Prairie Grove Chief of Police Michael Goins said a sheriff’s deputy was already in the area searching for a missing person that was reported to the sheriff’s office hours earlier.
The deputy discovered a male in his 50s was deceased at the scene, Goins said.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was notified and the Prairie Grove Police Department also responded.
Officers did not observe any obvious signs of trauma or signs of a vehicle crash, Goins said.
Goins said it was confirmed that the deceased man was the same person who was reported missing to the sheriff’s office.
A preliminary investigation indicates the man possibly suffered a medical emergency while walking, Goins said.
The coroner’s office took possession of the man and an autopsy is being scheduled.
The sheriff’s office issued a community alert saying there was an active police investigation underway.
No threat to the community was reported, the sheriff’s office said, adding that Route 176 was shut down.
Deputies closed Route 176 from Smith Road to Route 31 for several hours on Saturday morning.
The man reported missing by his wife and the two reside at a home approximately a half-mile away in unincorporated Crystal Lake.
Route 176 was reopened around 10:15 a.m. to vehicle traffic as the scene investigation concluded.
The coroner’s office has not released the identity of the missing man yet.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Prairie Grove Police Department at 815-455-3918.