GURNEE, Ill. (AP) — Suburban Chicago authorities say it could be months before they officially identify a man found dead in the rubble of a fiery house explosion last week in Gurnee.
The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said Tuesday a DNA test is the only way to positively identify the man. Cooper says an autopsy done Monday didn’t reveal any signs of foul play. He says other ways of identifying the body have been exhausted and that leaves a months-long process of a DNA sample as the only option.
Six neighboring homes were damaged in the Friday explosion. One person suffered minor injuries from falling debris.
Lake County Sheriff’s official says an arson investigator is continuing to work the Gurnee Fire Department and Illinois State Fire Marshal to determine what caused the explosion.
