Dead man found in Greenbelt likely was homeless, coroner says

A man found dead on Lake County Forest Preserve District property in Park City likely was homeless and lived in the area, authorities said Monday.

An autopsy was conducted Sunday but investigators could not determine how the unidentified man died, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said.

There were no obvious signs of foul play, Keller said.

The badly decomposed corpse was discovered Sunday morning in a grassy area near Eighth Street and Chestnut Avenue.

A man searching for a homeless friend found the body, Keller said. Homeless people have been known to camp or live in the area, which is part of the 560-acre Greenbelt preserve.

Remnants of a tent and some clothing were found nearby, Keller said. A worn statuette of a giraffe, about 14 inches high and possibly made of plaster, also was found in the area, he said.

The body, which was clothed and on the ground, may have been there about a month, Keller said.

The man was about 5 feet 7 inches tall and may have been between 45 and 60 years old, Keller said. He had grayish hair and may have had a beard, Keller said.

Lake County Forest Preserve District ranger police and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the death. Police have termed the death suspicious because of the body's location and the lack of a cause, forest district police Chief John Tannahill said.

The corpse isn't the first found on forest preserve property this year.

In February, the body of an Alsip man was discovered in a burned-out truck parked on an access road near the district's Countryside Golf Club near Mundelein.

Additionally, a human skull and other bones were found on the Countryside course in March.

Anyone with information about the most recent case should call Tannahill at (847) 968-3405 or Cmdr. Jim Siefken at (847) 968-3437.