Divers find snowmobiler's body in the Fox River

Divers on Tuesday recovered the body of 26-year-old Gabriel Jauregui from the Fox River, two days after his snowmobile apparently went through the ice near Algonquin as he was driving it home from a bar.

Jauregui's body was found about 25 feet from where his snowmobile entered the water, according to firefighters.

Recovery teams had to cut three holes into the ice before they were able to locate Jauregui's body with the help of sonar equipment.

Jauregui lived in the Haeger's Bend subdivision in unincorporated McHenry County near Algonquin. The point where he entered the river is only a short walk from the house where he lived with his parents.

Authorities said it was not clear if Jauregui left the bar alone or with a friend.

Firefighters have said a friend who was with Jauregui Sunday called police when he want to Jauregui's home Monday afternoon and did not find him there.

After finding Jauregui's submerged snowmobile, floating helmet and gloves around 3 p.m. Monday, the mission changed from a rescue to a body recovery. When night fell, authorities suspended the search and returned to the scene at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

An uncle who asked to not be identified said before the discovery of his nephew's body that Jauregui's immediate family was not doing well. The family did not answer the phone.

Jauregui's friends described him as a hardworking, generous bricklayer who graduated from Jacobs High School in 2000. Jauregui had two young children and was planning to get married soon, friends said.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

<img src="/graphics/FoxRiverBody_m011909TB.jpg"> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=265586">Divers looking for body of snowmobiler in Fox near Algonquin<span class="date">[1/19/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>