Chicago

2 Bodies, Car Pulled From Lake Michigan Amid Search for Missing Persons

UPDATE: The bodies have been identified as two missing suburban men. More details here
_______________________________________________________________

A Chicago police search for a missing person turned into a recovery mission for a car and two bodies in the waters of Lake Michigan near DuSable Harbor early Tuesday.

At around 3:15 a.m., officers responded to the lakefront in the 100 block of North Lake Shore Drive, according to Chicago police. Detectives investigating a missing persons report had tracked a cell phone to that location, where camera footage at the scene showed a vehicle drive into the lake.

Police said investigators initially did not know how many people were in the water or if they were able to make it out safely.

Two bodies were recovered just after 9 a.m., police said. A vehicle was then seen being lifted from the water shortly before 10 a.m. 

Lake Shore Drive remained open near the scene, though the northbound exit ramps to Randolph Street, along with the bike path, were temporarily closed, according to police. 

The recovery mission came as police were searching for two missing men who were last seen leaving a Chicago nightclub over the weekend.

Police say Antonio Lemon, 21, and 22-year-old Joey Ramos, left a club in the 200 block of West Ontario Street in River North early Sunday. Ramos is related to Hamilton star Jose Ramos, family members confirmed.

Family members of Lemon, who they said goes by Tony, said a police officer friend told them that a city camera captured his car, a black or dark blue Dodge Avenger, driving through the area of LaSalle and Washington streets.

In the search of DuSable Harbor early Tuesday, Chicago police did not specify the kind of car believed to be in the water, or which missing persons report detectives were investigating at the time. 

But multiple police sources told NBC 5 that the vehicle seen on surveillance video driving into the lake was the car connected to the disappearance of Lemon and Ramos. 

Family members of both men were at the harbor Tuesday morning, anxiously awaiting any developments. 

"I don't want it to be them but we want to know where they are," Ramos' aunt Elizabeth Bautista said. "We're worried sick. This knot in our throat feels like it's choking us because you know, he's my godson. I remember defending him when he was little and I can't do anything to help him other than be out here looking for him and I just want to know where he is."

Further details were not immediately available as authorites remained on the scene amid the ongoing investigation. 

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Contact Us