The coroner has released the identity of a 50-year-old man whose body was found under the ice on Wonder Lake after he was reported missing on Saturday, with a friend saying he will be “sorely missed.”
The Wonder Lake Police Department was requested around 2:55 p.m. Saturday by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the search for a missing person from the 5200 block of West Lake Shore Drive in Wonder Lake.
The person who went missing was an adult male and had not been seen for several days after leaving his home following an argument with a family member, according to police radio traffic.
He was first reported missing to the sheriff’s office on Saturday.
Wonder Lake Police Chief Kyle Mandernack said search efforts began, including a neighborhood canvass and a water search.
A drone operator with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office spotted what appeared to be a person in the water on Wonder Lake around 3:45 p.m., Mandernack said.
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District was called after law enforcement observed the human body approximately 100 feet from shore, Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Chris Kozel said.
Crews deployed a specialized ice rescue craft to investigate and confirmed the body was in the water under the ice.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified the victim on Monday as Michael Giba, 50, of Wonder Lake.
Kozel said firefighters in ice rescue suits entered the water and recovered Giba.
No firefighters were injured during the recovery and the incident remains under investigation by law enforcement, Kozel said.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of Giba for an autopsy, which is set for Tuesday, Rein said.
Giba is the same person who was reported missing to the sheriff’s office.
He did not have any obvious injuries but the coroner’s office will evaluate further during the autopsy, Mandernack said.
The police chief said the death investigation is being handled by the Wonder Lake Police Department and McHenry County Coroner’s Office, while the missing person investigation is being handled by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
Giba lived in the 5200 block of West Lake Shore Drive — the same area where he was found.
Keith Shubert, who was an old friend of Giba, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the death and that Giba was a personal inspiration in his own career as an artist.
“In college, he was a powerhouse of creativity, producing the most popular indie comic strip in the history of our little town, performing in weird art rock projects, and even created his own amateur comedy wrestling troupe, EDW – Extreme DeKalb Wrestling,” Shubert said.
“He will be sorely missed and my heart goes out to his family and friends and all the people his light has touched and inspired in his short life,” Shubert added.
The sheriff’s office declined to release any information on the case on Monday.