PULASKI CO., Ill.—The cause of death of a person found yesterday outside a submerged vehicle off a Pulaski County Road has yet to be determined, but authorities are examining the matter.
The body (the gender of which hasn’t been given yet, and of course there’s been no identity given, either) was found at about 4:20 p.m. yesterday (Monday, January 6, 2015), several feet away from a submerged vehicle off Sandusky Road, a road on the Pulaski/Alexander counties line that floods regularly. Recent rains over several days have saturated the area.
A local wrecker service had been called to Sandusky Road to remove another vehicle that had been caught in the water, and the driver of that truck observed the second vehicle, almost completely submerged (only the top of the vehicle was showing).
A preliminary investigation by authorities indicate that the person was attempting to drive across the flooded road, as the the key was in the ignition and the ignition was in the ‘on’ position, so apparently the deceased had floated out of the flooded vehicle, which description was also not given. Authorities did state, however, that the individual had borrowed the vehicle from a family member; that was the last time anyone had made any contact with him or her.
The body has been taken to a local funeral home; a cause of death–be it drowning, hypothermia, or something else, like a medical condition–will likely be determined shortly.