No autopsies for suburban teens killed in crash near SIU

Autopsies will not be conducted on two suburban teens who died this week in a car crash near their downstate college campus, authorities said Wednesday.

Francis "Frank" M. Martinez, 18, of Des Plaines, and Wolfgang W. Gustaveson, 19, of Park Ridge, were killed Monday morning when a truck in which they were riding collided head on with another truck near Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured, Carbondale police have said.

Martinez was a 2023 graduate of Elk Grove High School. Gustaveson was a 2023 graduate of Maine East High School in Park Ridge. Both teens were studying automotive technology at SIU.

An employee with the Jackson County coroner's office, which handles cases originating in Carbondale, said autopsies aren't planned.

Additionally, the coroner's office hadn't been contacted about the teens by funeral homes as of Wednesday afternoon, the employee said.

In an email statement, Elk Grove High Principal Paul Kelly called Martinez "a talented young man who was involved in every type of academic challenge during his time at EGHS."

"Frank's passing is an unfathomable loss to those who knew and loved him," Kelly said.

Gustaveson was in the Lyceum program for gifted students at Maine East. This past spring, he was honored as one of Maine Township High School District 207's best students in technology and innovation.