Mercer County clerk found dead

ALEDO -- The clerk of a far western Illinois county has been found dead.

Mercer County Coroner Ron McNall says 61-year-old Tom Hanson of Aledo was found dead Thursday morning about ten feet from his vehicle, which was parked near a lagoon.

McNall says it appears that Hanson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. McNall says Hanson had likely been dead for three to five hours when his body was found.

No autopsy is planned, and an inquest is pending. Authorities are waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

Hanson was first elected Mercer County clerk in 1990 and was re-elected to a fifth term in 2006.

McNall says everyone who knew Hanson described him as a "terrific individual."

Hanson is survived by a wife and children.