Coroner IDs Man In Chain O' Lakes Drowning

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL —A 43-year-old Joliet man who died after jumping into the Chain O' Lakes to help a child who was struggling in the water has been identified as Michael Jacobs.

Jacobs was pulled from the water by a boater about 15 minutes after he went under water and never resurfaced Friday afternoon, authorities said. He was taken to Northwestern Medical Center in Huntley where he later died.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office was first called to a marina in the 38700 block of North Broadway Drive at about 3:40 p.m. Friday after a boater pulled a man from the water and brought him to shore, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

An investigation revealed the man, his girlfriend and the girlfriend's three daughters were on a boat, which they'd rented from a rental company and had anchored in Columbia Bay near Fox Lake on Friday afternoon. The girls were swimming in the water when one of the girls started struggling in the water, according to the news release.

The Joliet man, who has been identified as Jacobs, jumped in to help the girl. The girl was able to safely get back to the boat and was not injured in the incident but Jacobs never resurfaced, police said Monday.

An autopsy was performed Tuesday on Jacobs. The McHenry County Coroner's Office is awaiting toxicology results to determine a cause of death. Police say the incident appears to be a tragic accident but detectives are continuing to investigate the drowning.