Police in suburban Lake County say that the body of a 24-year-old man who was reported missing after a crash in late January has been discovered in the Des Plaines River.
According to authorities, the body of Thomas “Tommy” Howe was found on Tuesday afternoon during a search of the river.
Police say that a kayaker was on the river on Friday when he saw a jacket on the shoreline that matched the description of what Howe had been wearing when he was reported missing on Jan. 22.
After several days of unfavorable river conditions, divers only got back into the water on Tuesday, where they found Howe’s body.
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Howe was reported missing after getting into a crash on Interstate 94 near mile marker 16, according to Antioch police. The department says that an eyewitness saw Howe walk away from the scene of the crash toward the Old School Forest Preserve. His cell phone was left inside the vehicle, and authorities found his work phone approximately a quarter-mile from the roadway in the nature preserve.
Investigators received hundreds of tips, and a reward had been offered for information in connection to his disappearance.
“We have been with the Howe family throughout their search for Tommy, and this is a devastating time for them,” Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said in a statement. “The family will continue to be in our prayers.”
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake County Coroner’s Office will investigate the circumstances around Howe’s death.
