Coroner Identifies Man Found Dead At Fort Sheridan Preserve In April

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A Highwood man found in the water at Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve in April has now been identified, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office.

On Wednesday, the Lake County Coroner's Office completed a positive identification of the deceased as 61-year-old Modesto Leyva-Garcia of Highwood. The office said an autopsy completed April 20 showed that Leyva-Garcia died as a result of drowning.

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Leyva-Garcia was found on April 17 before 6:08 p.m., when the Lake County Forest Preserves Police Department, Highland Park Police Department and Highland Park Fire Department responded to Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve for multiple reports of a body in the water. Officers arrived and located a body in shallow water. Fire department personnel removed the deceased man from the water to the shoreline, and the Lake County Coroner's Office was notified and responded to the scene.

An autopsy was conducted on April 20 at the Lake County Coroner's Office.

The Lake County Coroner's Office was notified on Monday that a person matching the description of the unidentified victim in the Fort Sheridan drowning had been reported missing. The coroner's office then worked with the Highwood Police Department, which took the missing person report on Sept. 13, to tentatively identify the man and locate his family.