Woman Found Dead In Badly Burned Car Identified

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Authorities have identified a woman found dead in a badly burned car near Gurnee as missing Wisconsin resident Kathleen Ryan, 56, of the 2300 block of East Holt Avenue in Milwaukee. Authorities ended up using dental records to positively identify Ryan, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are now awaiting the results from additional testing before releasing a preliminary cause of death for Ryan.

Ryan’s body was located in her burning vehicle in the 36500 block of North Route 41 in Warren Township Saturday night. She was supposed to meet her son, Zack, at a basketball game at Carmel Catholic Preparatory School in Mundelein earlier in the evening but never made it there, according to media reports and post on Zack’s Facebook page.

Zack is the coach for the Carmel boys basketball team and teaches mathematics at the school, according to the school’s website and the team’s Facebook page.

Ryan was last seen in St. Francis, Wis., around noon on Saturday.

Zack told Fox 6 Now his family spent last weekend frantically looking for Kathleen and ended up reporting her missing.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the burning vehicle at 9:50 p.m. on Saturday. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found the badly burned body inside, and the Lake County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene to investigate.

Ryan’s family held out hope in the days following the discovery of Kathleen’s badly burned car that the person found dead inside was not Kathleen.

"So our hope is someone stole the car and that's not her in there," Zack Ryan told Fox 6 Now earlier in the week.

Kathleen Ryan was a business teacher at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, located on Milwaukee's South Side. The school's superintendent, in a statement earlier this week, said "Kathleen Ryan is a valued, respected and beloved educator and friend. We are praying for her safe return." She previously taught at Stillwater Area High School in Minnesota.

Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said he has “been in close communication with the Ryan family and extend my deepest condolences to them.”

The cause of Kathleen’s death remains under investigation.

“Our detectives continue working with the Lake County Coroner’s Office, Milwaukee Police Department, and Office of the State Fire Marshal to determine what happened,” Idleburg said. “We know Kathleen was very loved by her family and those who knew her, and we are working diligently to find answers for them.”

Anyone with information about Kathleen Ryan or this incident are encouraged to contact Sheriff’s Detectives at 847-377-4159.

PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK