Victim in Crash May Be Missing Arlington Heights Senior

On Thursday, September 19, 2013, at 4:49 p.m., a West Chicago Police officer was flagged down by a landscaper working in the area of Illinois Route 59 and Hawthorne Lane. The landscaper told the officer he discovered a car off the roadway that had been in a crash. Responding officers located a dark gray Buick sedan approximately 50 feet off the roadway in a deep ravine. A partially decomposed body was found next to the vehicle.

Initial investigation suggests the driver of the Buick drove off the roadway from northbound Route 59 north of Hawthorne Lane. The car struck several bushes, underbrush and trees before coming to rest against a tree.

The vehicle is registered to Eugene Jonsson of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Jonsson had been reported missing from his residence on August 22, 2013.

The DuPage County Sheriff's Forensic Investigation Unit and the DuPage County Coroner assisted in the investigation of the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for the morning of September 20, 2013. Official identification, as well as cause and manner of death, should be determined subsequent to the autopsy.

Northbound lanes of Route 59 were closed for approximately 90 minutes during the onset of the investigation.

For further information, please contact Commander Eric Shipman at (630) 293-2222 or via email at eshipman@westchicago.org.