Coroner: Lake Villa man died of heroin overdose

Officials said Monday the preliminary results of an investigation into the death of a man found at a Round Lake Park gas station indicate the man died of a self-inflicted drug overdose.

Round Lake Park/Hainsville Police Chief George Felinko said the body of a man was discovered about 4 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of a station at Hainsville Road and Washington Street.

Jonathan Tatum, 20, of Lake Villa was in the passenger seat of his own sport utility vehicle, officials said.

Felinko said he contacted the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force to investigate the death.

"We had a man sitting in the passenger seat of his own car, and nobody else around," Felinko said. "Somebody called 911, and we wanted to find out how he got there."

Felinko said investigators eventually located a man who admitted he was driving Tatum's car when Tatum died. The man admitted he fled the scene because of his own past problems with the law.

Coroner Richard Keller said an autopsy performed Monday afternoon showed that Tatum had died of a heroin overdose. Keller said medical records indicated that Tatum had been treated at local hospitals for heroin-related problems in the past.

Felinko said the investigation remains open.