Officials suspect suicide in the death of a man whose body was found inside a burning car in Lake Bluff on Nov. 25.
"It appears the fire was intentionally set, but exactly how is still under investigation by the state fire marshal," said Lake Bluff Deputy Chief David Belmonte. He said flammable materials were found inside the car.
Police and firefighters responded to a call about a burning vehicle just before 7 a.m. last Wednesday. When they arrived, they found a blue 1987 Acura fully engulfed in flames; after extinguishing the fire, they found the body of a deceased male in the front seat. The car was parked in a lot in the 900 block of Sherwood Drive near Waukegan Road, a location that police believe was randomly chosen.
Lake County Coroner Richard Keller performed an autopsy on the body and determined the man died of carbon monoxide poisoning, which he said is the leading cause of death in fire victims. "He had a lethal level of carbon monoxide in his blood," Dr. Keller said. He explained that carbon monoxide builds quickly in a car, causing a person to become unconscious within minutes; death follows just a few minutes after that.
Police were able to obtain the car's vehicle identification number and have made a preliminary ID on the body, but they are withholding the man's name pending an examination of dental records by a forensic dentist.
Comments