Man found in Fox Lake died of natural causes, coroner says

Lake County sheriff's police are investigating the death of a 40-year-old Spring Grove man found Friday morning on the porch of an abandoned home just outside of Fox Lake.

Jeffrey Thorsen was slumped over and unresponsive when rescue officials arrived on the scene about 5:30 a.m., said Lake County Undersheriff Charles Fagan. The house is in an unincorporated area on Route 12, one lot north of a tavern.

An autopsy performed Friday showed no signs of a struggle, and nothing unusual surfaced in a preliminary toxicology report, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said.

"It seems like a natural death that just happened in public," Keller said. Thorsen was diagnosed with heart trouble, he added.

The death will remain under investigation until toxicology test results come back later this month, Fagan said.

Thorsen's body was shirtless, and no personal identification was found. Fagan said Thorsen was identified through fingerprints.

Fagan said Thorsen disappeared from his Spring Grove home about 2 a.m. Thursday with his deceased brother's girlfriend.

More than 12 hours later, Thorsen tried to contact his wife on her cell phone, but didn't reach anyone and left a message, Fagan said.

About 4 a.m. Friday, a video camera at a Route 12 gas station showed Thorsen walking through the parking lot. About 30 minutes later, a Route 12 motorist saw Thorsen sitting on the front porch of the nearby tavern, even though it was closed.

Fagan was unsure who discovered Thorsen at 5:30 a.m. at the abandoned house.

"We are awaiting toxicology results to determine if anything else was going on," he said.