Naperville man drowns in golf course pond

A Naperville man died after driving his car into a pond on a Will County golf course early this morning, according to the Will County sheriff's office.

James E. Daw, 54, of Naperville, was discovered shortly after noon inside his submerged car near the 11th hole at the Tamarack Golf Club, 24032 Royal Worlington Drive, Naperville, officials said.

Daw was pronounced dead at 2:13 p.m. today; an autopsy is scheduled for Saturday to determine cause of death, according to the Will County Coroner's information hotline.

“He was submerged in the water and, until an autopsy, we're not going to have any idea what the cause of death is,” Will County sheriff's office spokesman Pat Barry said. “It was either a traffic accident, or maybe he suffered a heart attack. We don't know if drugs or alcohol were involved. We ruled out any foul play.”

Police still are trying to determine when the accident occurred, and believe Daw could have been underwater for nearly 10 hours, Barry added.

“(Police) were trying to track down the next of kin to figure out when someone last saw (Daw). We just don't know (when the accident occurred). (Police) believe it was several hours before (the body was discovered),” Barry said.