A driver found dead Sunday afternoon in a vehicle in northwest suburban Bull Valley has been identified as a 22-year-old Wonderlake man.
Police said Aaron D. Sutherland was found in a vehicle off the road in the 300 block of Ridge Road after passersby noticed roadside debris in the area.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the 1997 Honda sedan driven by Sutherland was traveling at a high rate of speed on Ridge Road just south of Swarthmore, police said.
It's not clear what caused the crash, police said, and an investigation is underway. Investigators said a second vehicle, impounded by Bull Valley Police, may have been involved, and the incident could have happened as early as around 8 p.m. Thursday.
The Honda left the road and went into a wooded area, striking a tree before coming to a stop in a ditch about 20 feet from the roadway, police said.
Police said illegal drugs were found in the vehicle, but it's not yet known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.
The driver was pronounced dead on the scene by the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
