Updated 2-21-17 to reflect the level of decomposition of the body.
Somers---The partial, skeletal remains of an individual whose body was found on the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Carthage College just before the end of the year is believed to have ties to Lake County.
A key chain that was recovered from the body included a rewards card from Thornton's gas station in Waukegan, according to a news release from the Kenosha County Sheriff's Dept. A check with the station indicated that a person using the card had made multiple purchases of gas at the station--with cash--from December of 2012 to January of 2014. Some of the purchases included Mentos and M & M candy.
Authorities have yet to identify the victim or establish a cause of death. But they believe the body is that of a male, possibly a large one. The subject had been wearing a Reebok sized 3XL, zip-up hooded sweatshirt. The key chain also had a key that they believe would fit a Cadillac/General Motors type of vehicle, possibly a Seville or a Deville from the 1990's and 80s.
A light-blue colored lighter was located in the victim's pants pocket.
Authorities hope that the release of the information could lead to somebody being able to identify the victim.
A lab in Texas is in the process of examining the victim's remains, and hopes to extract DNA. Authorities believe the body had been in the water for some time, judging by the level of decomposition. They also said the remains lacked some parts, including the head.
Representatives from the sheriff's department and the medical examiner's office are scheduled to hold a news conference on Thursday.
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