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Body of 50-year-old woman found in a Fox Lake channel

The body of a 50-year-old woman found Tuesday in a channel on Fox Lake has been identified as a local resident, according to Police Chief Jimmy Lee.

Cheryl Skinner lived with her family in the village of Fox Lake. Her body was found in water near her house by a few fishermen, Lee said.

Police received a call about the body at 12:14 p.m. and responded immediately, Lee said.

"She was last seen by her family the evening before," Lee said. "Her husband got up early in the morning and left to go to work."

The Lake County Coroner's Office found water in Skinner's lungs, which Lee said indicates she drowned.

"They hadn't seen any obvious signs of any trauma like if she got hit in the head or hit her head falling or tripping or anything," Lee said. "So that's interesting."

Skinner's death is under investigation as detectives wait for results of toxicology tests conducted by the coroner's office, he said.

The official cause of death cannot yet be confirmed, but Lee said water in the channel was deep enough that her drowning could have been a tragic accident.

"It sounds like a tragedy that happened and we'll try our best to figure out why it happened," he added.

Detectives will be in the neighborhood conducting routine interviews with Skinner's family and neighbors in coming days, Lee said.

"The family was, of course, very upset and shocked," Lee said. "There was a son there but he was asleep at the time."

After speaking with the family, Lee said police learned Skinner frequently took walks near the channel in the morning.

Police will provide further information once an official cause of death is determined.

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