Probe continues into West Chicago man's death
West Chicago Elementary District 33 Superintendent Ed Leman says he must have walked right past the body of 22-year-old Miguel Quinones Tuesday on his way to West Chicago Middle School.
Leman said he was meeting with the principal that morning and passed within 20 or 30 feet of the area where the body was discovered by a man at 11:27 a.m. on the eastern edge of the middle school property.
Leman said Quinones was found in an area where a combination of prairie grass, mud and snow may have camouflaged the body.
“It just blended right into the background,” he said.
Authorities still have not determined what caused Quinones' death. There were no signs of foul play, police said, but preliminary autopsy results were inconclusive.
Police said it will take about six weeks before they receive the results of toxicology tests.
The district, meanwhile, continues to offer counseling to students troubled by the West Chicago Community High School graduate's death.
“There was not a single student who came forward to report that they had seen anything,” Leman said.
The body was found outside a chain metal fence surrounding a construction site at the school, where an addition and other improvements are slated, Leman said. Before police identified the man, Leman contacted the on-site construction manager to ensure no employee was missing.
“It's a tragic incident,” he said.