Wonder Lake man ID'd in Bull Valley crash
A man found dead Sunday in a ditch 20 feet off the road in a heavily wooded area of McHenry County has been identified.
Aaron D. Sutherland, 22, of Wonder Lake, was found in a vehicle off the road on the 300 block of Ridge Road after passers-by noticed debris in the vicinity shortly after noon, McHenry County Coroner Anne L. Majewski said Monday.
Bull Valley police responded to a 911 call about 12:05 p.m. to the crash scene, located along a rural stretch of Ridge Road just south of Swarthmore Road.
Bull Valley supervisor of police Danielle Stevens said trees at the scene are so thick that there was no way to spot the 1997 Honda sedan from the roadway, and a crew from Bull Valley Public Works chopped down several trees to expose the car. A tow truck with a long boom was called in to pull the car out of the vegetation before the man's body could be removed.
Sutherland was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:39 p.m., Majewski said.
According to police, the crash occurred sometime in the previous 24 hours. Stevens said the car struck several trees before coming to a stop.
An autopsy is scheduled today, Majewski said.