Man found dead in Park Ridge had been strangled

A man who was found dead near train tracks in Park Ridge had been strangled, authorities said Friday.

Someone noticed the unresponsive man lying in a parking lot at 2:18 a.m. Thursday on the 200 block of Summit Avenue. After an autopsy Friday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office classified the death as a homicide by strangulation.

An official from the medical examiner’s office said the man had been identified by his brother as 39-year-old Henry Mallek, of the 6700 block of North Oshkosh Avenue in Chicago. Earlier Friday, Park Ridge police identified the man as Henry W. Nowak.

Park Ridge police and the Northwest suburban Major Case Assistance Team are conducting an investigation.