Body of missing Navy sailor Seamus Gray pulled from Lake Michigan; Autopsy conducted
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- A body found along Lake Michigan Wednesday has been identified as missing Navy sailor Seamus Gray, police said.
Preliminary results from an autopsy conducted Thursday found Gray died from drowning, with no evidence of a significant injury which would have contributed to his death.
Police said ComEd workers flagged down Waukegan police officers just after 7:05 p.m. The crews who had been doing routine work near Waukegan Harbor, said they saw a body in the water.
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Police pulled the body to shore, and determined the body and clothing match the description of 21-year-old Seamus Gray who went missing March 18, the Lake County Coroner made the positive identification soon after.
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Gray was last seen leaving the Ibiza Bar on Genesee Street at 2 a.m. Video provided by the bar's managers showed him trying to enter the bar with friends at closing time, but he was too intoxicated and was asked to leave. Video later spotted him walking alone through a back alley behind the bar.
Later police revealed, video from businesses near the lakefront, turned over to police, showed Gray right on the water's edge.
His mother flew in from Florida during the search and described her son as loving and dedicated to serving his country.
Waukegan police, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Lake County Coroner's Office said they will continue to investigate the incident.
The Lake County coroner has taken custody of the body, and positively identified it as Gray.
Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said in a statement, "On behalf of the City of Waukegan, I extend our deepest condolences to the family of Seamus Gray. As a mother, I can't begin to imagine feeling the sadness and pain that Seamus' family has and will endure. Our prayers are with Mr. Gray's family."
