The discovery of the body shocked North Shore residents Tuesday.
"It's out of the blue. He's the last person I would think this would happen to, definitely," said Liz Weissman, who grew up with Nutter.
She said she recently bumped into his mom outside the family's Highland Park home.
"She told us that he had a job for the summer here, and so, I'm guessing he was staying home," Weissman said. "She seemed very normal."
Nutter's body was found nine miles away from his home by a teenager who was walking her dog along an expressway frontage road. Investigators say the body showed obvious signs of foul play.
Last month, Nutter's home was burglarized, and an iPad was taken. Police arrested three teens. Investigators did not say if they thought the burglary was connected to Nutter's death.
Tami Gilbert is Nutter's next door neighbor.
"I know lately there's been a lot of activity. They've been coming in and out, late at night, after midnight," said Gilbert.
Investigators spent several hours at Nutter's home, talking to his family and looking for possible clues. After police left, the family posted a sign asking for privacy.
