A 20-year-old Chicago man who vanished from a construction job in rural La Salle County was found dead Monday inside a cistern or well on the property where he had been working, authorities say. Isaias Gabriel Tirado Ramirez was last seen Saturday evening near Ransom before his disappearance triggered a search that ended with a grim discovery the following afternoon.
Ramirez was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 2624 N. 15th Road in Ransom, where he had been working as part of a construction crew, according to countryherald.com. The Chicago Police Department reported him missing to the La Salle County Sheriff's Office around 9 p.m. Sunday, setting off a search in the rural stretch of the county roughly 90 miles southwest of Chicago.
Investigators located an unidentified man inside a cistern or well around 4:40 p.m. Monday, the outlet reported. An underwater camera helped locate the individual, with assistance from the Mendota Fire Department and the MABAS Technical Rescue Team, according to the same report.
Autopsy Confirms Identity
A forensic autopsy conducted Tuesday positively identified the deceased man as Ramirez, 20, of Chicago, per the same account. The confirmation came a day after the discovery, closing the loop on the missing-persons case that Chicago police had reported to La Salle County deputies just two days earlier.
According to Shaw Local, authorities have not said whether the death is considered suspicious. No cause or manner of death has been announced, and officials have not detailed how Ramirez came to be inside the cistern or well.
Multiple Agencies Involved
The La Salle County Sheriff's Office, the La Salle County Coroner's Office and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services are continuing the investigation, the report notes. The La Salle County Emergency Management Agency and the La Salle County State's Attorney's Office have also assisted investigators as the case moves forward.
The circumstances surrounding Ramirez's death remain under investigation, and no further updates have been released as authorities work to piece together what happened in the roughly 48 hours between his last sighting on the job site and his discovery in the well.
