Officials continue efforts to ID drowning victim

KANKAKEE – The man who drowned in the Kankakee River last week remains unidentified, Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner said Tuesday.

The man is believed to be Hispanic, 5-foot, 10-inches tall, weighing about 168 pounds, Gessner said.

He said the preliminary cause of death is drowning and further details are pending as they wait for results of toxicology reports.

If anyone knows someone matching this description and has been unable to make contact with them, or have seen this individual on home/business security footage, please contact the Kankakee County Coroner’s office or private message their Facebook page, Kankakee Detective Bureau or KanComm Dispatch Center to pass along the information, the coroner’s office said.

The man was last seen wearing black jogger pants, a maroon T-shirt, and gray/white Adidas tennis shoes.

It is believed he would have last been seen about 10 p.m. on June 10 near the Court Street bridge and surrounding areas, according to a coroner’s office news release.

About 10 p.m. June 10, Kankakee fire and police investigated a report of a person jumping from the Court Street bridge.

Kankakee Police Chief Chris Kidwell said a witness told officers on June 10 they heard something hit the water. The witness said they heard a person cough and saw a body float downstream.

Firefighters searched the river and shoreline but were unable to find someone in the river.