Bullet-Riddled Body Found Near Joliet Was Atlanta Man

JOLIET, IL - Almost two months after the bullet-riddled body of an unidentified man was found in a rural Will County ditch, authorities now know their victim's name. On Tuesday, the Will County Coroner's Office revealed the victim was Himer Vazquez. The 35-year-old man lived in Atlanta, GA.

How the homicide victim's body ended up on the outskirts of Joliet will be a mystery for the Will County Sheriff's Department to unravel. The distance from Joliet to Atlanta is 731 miles. On Tuesday, Will County Chief Deputy Coroner Kevin Stevenson told Joliet Patch that officials positively identified Vazquez through "enhanced fingerprint comparisons."

On June 21, Will County Highway Department employees came across the decomposed body while mowing a ditch along Manhattan-Monee Road. An autopsy determined the unidentified man suffered multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, but authorities found no identification on the man's body, complicating the criminal investigation. No arrests have been made.

About a week after the body was found, Will County sheriff's officials released photos of the man's watch and jewelry, hoping it would spur additional leads and tips.

On Monday, the man's unsolved case was profiled by Joliet Patch in this article.