Police: Man found dead in Arlington Heights had been homeless; foul play not suspected

Arlington Heights police say the man found dead early Saturday morning in a wooded area on the village's northwest side was a recently homeless person who had apparently been camping there.

The body of 49-year-old Aaron Blanchard, whose last known address was in Crystal Lake. was discovered just after midnight Saturday, near where Wilke Road turns into the frontage road along Palatine Road.

Police said he likely had not been at the location for more than a day or two.

The Cook County medical examiner's office performed an autopsy Sunday, but a determination of cause of death is pending further investigation.

Arlington Heights Police Chief Nicholas Pecora said a couple of teenagers were walking through the woods when they spotted the silhouette of a human covered with leaves.

"I'm sure they thought it was a Halloween prank," Pecora said. "They tried to get the person's attention, to no avail."

The teens called one of their parents, who called 911.

When officers arrived, they discovered what appeared to be a campsite.

"We ended up talking to a family member, who confirmed that (Blanchard) may have had some homelessness issues," Pecora said.

Pecora said no foul play is suspected.

"It's just an unfortunate situation where someone I would consider young was found unresponsive and deceased in our town," he said.

Pecora said had police known he was there, the village could have provided some outreach. The police department partners with Amita Health in a program that embeds a full-time and part-time crisis counselor within the department.

The body was discovered on land that had been in the news in the 1990s, when Arlington Heights battled with the property owner over its use as a commercial junkyard. Among the items there was a section of a Boeing 727 jet.