Coroner IDs Man, 27, Found Dead After Car Fire

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A man who was found dead following a car fire in February has been identified as a 27-year-old Thomas Ciemniak of Arlington Heights.

The McHenry County Coroner's Office released the man's identity on Tuesday after using DNA evidence and a forensic odontologist to help confirm his ID. According to the coroner's office, extreme heat from the fire made it difficult to identify the man immediately following the blaze.

According to Ciemniak's obituary, he died in a tragic car accident. The cause of Ciemniak's death remains under investigation but authorities said Wednesday there is "nothing suspicious about the fire or death."

Authorities responded to Blissdale Road and Jackson Road near Marengo at around 1:50 a.m. on Feb. 4 for a motorist assist, McHenry County Sheriff's Office deputy Kevin Byrnes told Patch in an email response. Deputies found Ciemnaik's vehicle fully engulfed in flames.

"Marengo Fire Protection District responded and extinguished the fire, at which time a deceased occupant was located inside of the vehicle," Byrnes said Wednesday.

Ciemniak was working as a software engineer for Capital One at the time of his death.

Ciemniak is a graduate of Rolling Meadows High School where he was involved in the marching band, symphonic and jazz band, soccer, swimming, tennis and math team. He went on to graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in computer science, according to his obituary.

The cause of Ciemniak's death remains under investigation.