NW Indiana police: Man found dead in snowbank identified

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - A man found dead in a northwest Indiana snowbank following this week's snowstorm has been identified, police said Wednesday.

Although the man has been identified, police cannot release his name or provide other information about the man until his family is notified, the Porter County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

A property owner in Valparaiso found the man's body Tuesday evening in a snowbank, Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes said Wednesday. She said an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.

The sheriff's department, which said the case remains an 'œopen investigation," thanked members of the public who provided officers with information after police released a description of the man.

'œPlease keep the family and friends of this subject in your thoughts and prayers during this time," Cpl. Benjamin McFalls wrote in the release.

The man's body was found after a winter storm that brought heavy snowfall to much of Indiana dropped up to 18 inches (45.7 centimeters) of snow around Valparaiso. The city, which is the Porter County seat, is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Gary.