Contrary to other published reports, three different sources have told NBC 5 Investigates that no assembled explosive devices were found in the Streeterville apartment of a 30-year-old man who was found dead Tuesday night.
Theodore Hilk, 30, was found deceased in a unit on the 7th floor of the apartment building at 240 E. Illinois St., where inside the specific unit officers discovered explosive materials, prompting a hazmat response and a partial evacuation of the building.
One source said that while investigators did find pipes with caps, they found no assembled pipe bombs, and no triggering devices.
Theodore Hilk left a scant trail online, but what has been published shows a brilliant student who had a seemingly promising career in high-tech finance.
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A prodigy at his Shawnee, Kansas high school, Hilk scored a perfect 36 on his ACT test in 2007. A former executive headhunter who helped Hilk get a position with Chicago’s Headland Technologies, said he found him “very smart” but “socially awkward."
That executive said he wasn’t surprised to hear that authorities found a lab in Hilk’s kitchen. In his words, “Theo was experimental.”
While he noted Hilk graduated from MIT in 2013 with a 4.7 GPA and a double-major in math and computer science, he also said his former client was “very anxious," needing help to negotiate his offer from the Chicago company.
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Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said that Hilk's father hadn't heard from him and called police out of concern earlier in the week, sparking the initial investigation when his body was found.
"His father was concerned about him so he called on Tuesday, because he hadn't heard from him. So we are continuing to try to figure out the social network of the deceased, and as soon as we can put any pieces together we'll update the public," Brown said Thursday.
An investigation into the incident remained ongoing late Thursday
