Multiple Gunshot Wounds Killed Male Found By Highway Workers: Coroner

GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP, IL — A person found dead in a ditch Wednesday afternoon along Manhattan-Monee Road suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the Will County coroner's office said Thursday. County highway workers discovered the body while cutting grass just after 2 p.m. Wednesday, prompting authorities to shut down the road, Will County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

"The body has been there a while," Hoffmeyer said Wednesday. The Will County Coroner's office said the body is that of a "badly decomposed male."

According to the sheriff's office, while the male's "ethnicity has not been determined," he is believed to have been 5-foot-3 with a 32-inch waist. He was wearing Clarks brand sandals in size 8-1/2, red shorts, a men's Burberry watch on his left wrist and a gold ring believed to depict St. Jude on his right ring finger.

An autopsy conducted Thursday indicated the person suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and the sheriff's office is investigating the death as a homicide, according to the coroner. The victim's name was being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.

The remains were found in the 7000 block of Manhattan-Monee Road. Anyone with information is asked to call the Will County Sheriff's office at 815-727-8575.

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