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Arlington Heights man’s death blamed on cold, medical issues

Cold weather played a part in the death of a 30-year-old Arlington Heights man found in his parked car in Carol Stream over the weekend, but medical issues also played a role, officials said Wednesday.

Lucas Lindley was found late Sunday inside his locked car outside a bar on the 1000 block of Fountain View Drive. While the DuPage County coroner’s office said his official cause of death is undetermined pending further testing, Lindley’s father, Gary, said he was told his son died as a result of a medical issue.

Gary Lindley filed a missing-person report for his son Jan. 18 because he hadn’t heard from him for two days, said Arlington Heights police Cmdr. Mike Hernandez. No one confirmed seeing Lindley between the time he was reported missing and when he was found in Carol Stream, Hernandez said.

“There’s nothing to indicate from our investigation that there was foul play,” he added.

Gary Lindley said his son didn’t return home after going out Wednesday night and didn’t respond to calls to his cellphone.

“I don’t even know why he was over there,” Gary Lindley said of the location where his son was found.

Police said they don’t know how long the car had been parked in Carol Stream or how long Lindley had been in the vehicle. A bartender noticed the car had not moved for several days and called police, Hernandez said.

Gary Lindley said he doesn’t know if his son pulled over because he was in pain or if he was having car trouble.

DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said cold appears to have been a factor in Lindley’s death, but it’s too soon to tell if that was the cause.

“He did have a medical issue, but there were some findings related to the cold. You could be very, very ill and the last thing you do is fall asleep in the car,” said Jorgensen, who declined to identify the medical issue. “So it’s a complicated case and still under investigation.”

Lindley graduated from John Hersey High School in 2000, and is survived by a 4-year-old daughter, Nicole. He was living with his parents in Arlington Heights while working as a carpenter.

“He was a loving father and son,” Gary Lindley said.

Services are planned from 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28 at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights.

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