Many fire and police departments are actively searching by water and land along the Des Plaines River in Libertyville Friday morning for a young man who disappeared Thursday.
The missing person is a 30-year-old male white, with red hair and blue eyes. A friend of the man’s mother said the family did not wish to release his name yet.
The searches began Thursday afternoon along the Des Plaines River Trail off of West Oak Spring Road and near Lake Minear Beach in Libertyville.
The man was last seen at Lake Minear Beach. He weighs 140 pounds and is 5-foot-10.
Lake County Forest Preserves police officers – along with K-9s from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Mundelein Police Department, Waukegan Police Department and Arlington Heights Police Department – were seen searching along the trail.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said the sheriff’s office also assisted with a drone unit and an inland boat.
The searches continued through the evening before resuming Friday morning.
Boats and swift water technicians from departments across Lake and McHenry counties were requested just after 10 a.m. Friday through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
Equipment and personnel gathered at the Oak Spring Road Canoe Launch and in the parking lot of Lake Minear Beach as they searched both the Des Plaines River and Lake Minear.
At least nine specialized swift water rescue technicians were at the scene. Responders were also using ATVs on the river trail to search.
Lake County Forest Preserves Police Chief Ron Davis said the 30-year-old man was reported missing after leaving his Evanston home.
He was last seen near a Lake County forest preserve, Davis said, adding that police have conducted an extensive search with help from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and local fire departments.
“Despite these efforts, authorities have not located him, and the investigation remains active,” Davis said late Friday morning.