Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a body found in a pond Friday afternoon.
The man later was identified by the Lake County coroner’s office as Attilio (Archie) Dominic Esposito, 47, of the 1400 block of Schaller Lane, Dyer.
David Bohlin, of Dyer, and his wife, Sonia, went to the pond at the end of Clark Road to go fishing when they noticed a stump-like object sticking out of the water about 10 feet from the bank, Bohlin said. His wife said she thought it could be a body.
Bohlin said he still wasn’t convinced it was a body because the color was red and white, but then they saw the man’s arm stuck in some branches near a beaver dam.
“It didn’t look like normal flesh to me,” Bohlin said. “When the first officer got out there, he took one look and said it was a body because he could smell it.”
Dyer Police Chief Dave Hein confirmed the department received a call at 3:31 p.m. Friday from a fisherman who believed he came across a body. The department cordoned off the area and was working with the Dyer Fire Department and Lake County coroner’s cffice to retrieve and identify the body.
“We’re investigating whether it was foul play and will be cross-referencing any missing persons,” Hein said. “We’re going to be here for a while.”
Bohlin said his wife works in a doctor’s office, so she’s used to seeing medical things. He, however, was a little taken aback.
More Top Picks Best Soft Coolers
“Whoever it is, it’s someone’s dad, brother or uncle. Hopefully someone will get closure from it,” Bohlin said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter.