Human Remains Found in Lincoln Park Lagoon May Be Missing Woman

CHICAGO, IL — Human remains found in a duffel bag by a fisherman in the Lincoln Park lagoon on Saturday may be connected to the case of a missing suburban woman. Elgin police on Monday said they are working with Chicago police to determine whether the remains are those of Gail Peck, 76, who went missing after reportedly leaving to walk her dog on Friday evening. The dog returned without her, Elgin police said on Friday.

A fishermen called 911 around 11 a.m. Saturday to report the grisly finding in the Lincoln Park lagoon. Chicago Police Marine Unit divers then found a second duffel bag with more remains near the 2200 block of North Stockton, police said.

The Cook County medical examiner's office is investigating the remains, and detectives are looking into missing person cases. The remains in both duffel bags are believed to be from the same person, police said.

"We have been speaking with her son, Brian Peck, since he initially reported (Gail Peck) missing," Elgin police said late Monday morning. "We are also working with the Chicago Police Department on the possibility that the body that was found in a lagoon area near Lincoln Park is related to this case. Additional testing will need to be conducted before we can confirm there is a connection."

Police blocked off part of the lagoon's surrounding area while the search took place throughout Saturday afternoon near the Lincoln Park Zoo parking lot.

Many families were visiting the zoo for its annual Halloween "Spooky Zoo" event Saturday. A spokesperson with the zoo clarified that the lagoon isn't part of the zoo, and declined to comment on whether Halloween events have been affected by the investigation.

Watch Now: Human Remains Found in Lincoln Park Lagoon

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