Body of missing Will County teenager found

The body of a Crete teenager who had been missing since last week has been found.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office said a body found near a creek in a wooded area in Crete has been identified as that of 18-year-old Samuel N. Green.

The body was discovered about noon Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said there was no evidence of foul play but “there was clear evidence that exposure to the cold played a significant role in his death.”

Green was reported missing on Thursday, Feb. 6, and the sheriff’s office said it had done continuous searches and investigated leads to locate him.

The sheriff’s office said it conducted a search again on Sunday close to Green’s home on South Plum Valley Drive in Crete.

While a Will County Emergency Management Agency drone team searched from the air, deputies combed a wooded area near a creek where the teenager was then found hidden near a drain pipe, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office immediately notified the Green family and called Crete Fire Department personnel and the Will County Coroner’s Office were called to the scene.

The coroner’s office will perform an autopsy and the manner of death will be released upon its conclusion.

“The Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Green family, their relatives and friends,” the sheriff’s office said on its Facebook page. “We want to thank all agencies and the public for their concern and assistance during this tragic incident.”