Search teams are set to continue their efforts to locate a man reported missing in the Wood Dale-Itasca Reservoir in DuPage County. According to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times, a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday initiated a large-scale search after witnesses reported seeing a swimmer struggling and then disappearing beneath the surface.
Dive teams, along with approximately 30 fire departments from surrounding areas, as mentioned by ABC7 Chicago, were dispatched to the scene in what was first termed a rescue mission, but now seems to have sadly transitioned into a recovery operation. Efforts were halted around 10 p.m. Tuesday but are expected to quickly resume on Wednesday morning.
The reservoir, which is officially off-limits for swimming, serves as a storm and retention basin collecting overflow from Salt Creek, thus making search operations challenging due to the conditions of the water body. The man's identity has yet to be released, as rescue teams harbor hopes, though dwindling, of a positive outcome.
"I am obviously very sorry for the family and those that had to witness their loved one go missing this night," DuPage County Forest Preserve Chief of Police David Pederson said in a statement obtained by The Sun-Times. "I am hopeful that we will be able to recover their family member." As the search intensifies, the local community waits anxiously for news of the missing swimmer.
