Family wants answers in Elgin man's death

Relatives say they're still searching for answers about the death of a 20-year-old Elgin man who was struck by a vehicle early June 13 as he walked on Route 31.

Daniel Almazan died a day after the accident, which happened about 4:22 a.m. near the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve between St. Charles and South Elgin.

Although police say Almazan was highly intoxicated and had "wandered away" from an underage drinking party, his relatives believe he may have been dumped near the forest preserve by "so-called friends."

"We want to find out who dumped him there," Almazan's cousin, Maria Ignacia-Almazan, said at an inquest Wednesday in Geneva. "It was a long walk for him to wander off. How did he get there?"

Kane County Sheriff's Det. Steven Reitmeyer said witnesses told police Almazan had attended a party in Elgin with five or six others and, at one point, simply walked off. A short time later, police said, he was struck by a northbound vehicle traveling 45 mph through a particularly dark stretch of Route 31, throwing him about 30 feet.

"(The driver) could not avoid striking him," Reitmeyer said.

Authorities said Almazan later registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.238, nearly three times the legal limit for driving. He died June 14 of cranial cerebral injuries.

On Wednesday, family members expressed disappointment in the investigation into what happened.

Ignacia-Almazan said several partygoers told her family Almazan was driven away from the party and left along the side of the road.

Another cousin, Christina Ignacio, said she was told by friends that Almazan was involved in a confrontation at the party that began "because he was gay."

"We know it was an accident at the time," Ignacio said, "But what happened before?"

Reitmeyer said the case remains an active investigation, but police have received "minimal cooperation" from potential witnesses at the party.

"There may be more to that story," Reitmeyer said, although so far there is no evidence of foul play.

An Elgin native, Almazan worked as a cook, according to the Kane County coroner's office. Relatives said he was a hard worker who was responsible and adamantly opposed to drinking and driving.

The coroner's jury ruled the death as undetermined.