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Medical examiner: Man found dead in burning car was shot multiple times

The man found dead inside a burning Jeep in Mount Prospect early Friday suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the Cook County medical examiner's office said Saturday.

The medical examiner's office and the Mount Prospect Police Department have both identified the victim as Vladimir Esquivel, 29, of Arlington Heights. An autopsy was performed Saturday, and his death is being investigated as a homicide, according to a news release from the Mount Prospect Police Department on Saturday. Detectives believe this was not a random incident and there is no danger to the community, the release said.

Esquivel, of the 1700 block of East Northwest Highway, was discovered just after midnight on the 1700 block of West Algonquin Road in Mount Prospect.

Firefighters and police officers responded to 911 calls about a vehicle fire and found the Jeep engulfed in flames, according to officer Greg Sill of the Mount Prospect Police Department. Callers had reported hearing popping sounds similar to breaking glass, Sill added. Once the fire was extinguished, first responders found the man's body inside, police said.

The burned Jeep has been taken to an indoor facility where it is being examined thoroughly for evidence, Sill said.

Detectives from Mount Prospect and members of the Major Case Assistance Team, an organization of 22 police agencies, are investigating.

Anyone with information should call the Mount Prospect Police Department at (847) 870-5654. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers by calling (847) 590-7867 or texting police at 274637.

Vladimir Esquivel
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