Crime & Safety
Police Focus On Libertyville Forest Preserve; Man Still Missing
Thomas "Tommy" Howe, 24, of Antioch has been missing since Saturday. His work cell phone was found at Old School Forest Preserve on Monday.
ANTIOCH, IL — The search for a missing 24-year-old Antioch man continues.
Thomas "Tommy" Howe has been missing since Saturday. On Thursday, the Illinois State Police, Lake County Sheriff's Office and Lake County Forest Preserve Police aided the Antioch Police Department as the search continued at Old School Forest Preserve, 28285 N. St. Marys Road in Liberytyville.
On Monday, authorities turned up Howe's work cell phone at the forest preserve. His personal cell phone was left behind in his car after he was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 94 near Route 176 at about 11 a.m. on Saturday.
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He was last seen walking away from the collision and hasn't been spotted since, police said.
Officials focused their search on Thursday to portions of the forest preserve "that have been identified as having a higher likelihood of providing information about Howe’s activities within the forest preserve following the crash," according to a statement from the Antioch Police Department.
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Prior to Thursday's search, Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow met with Howe’s family and members of the volunteer group who have been trying to locate Howe. Howe's family said it's "completely out of character" for him to go this long without contacting them.
“We want Tommy’s family and friends to know that we’re committed to being there with them every step ofthis process,” Guttschow said. “Our investigators continue to follow up on every lead that has been called into our dispatch center. Our search today included help from numerous agencies, the use of a drone, and a LakeCounty Sheriff K-9 unit.”
After Howe's cell phone was found at Old School Forest Preserve on Monday, authorities asked residents living in the area to check their home security cameras for any suspicious activity from the weekend. Residents can report anything that may aid the search by calling the CenCom Dispatch Center at 847-270-9111.
Howe is 5-feet, 8 inches tall and has brown eyes and brown hair. He was wearing a grey North Face jacket and jeans.
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