The body of a Round Lake Park man who went missing nearly two months ago was found Sunday by a resident walking in an area not far from the man’s home, the Round Lake Park police chief said.
No evidence of foul play was found during an autopsy of the man, who was preliminarily identified Monday afternoon through clothing and tattoos as Stephan R. Krizanovic, 37, of the 500 block of Grandview Drive, Round Lake Park, Chief George Filenko said.
The identity of another body, this one found Friday outside Wauconda, is also in the process of being confirmed, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said. Foul play is also not thought to have played a role in that death, said Sgt. Christopher Covelli, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
Round Lake Park police had been called to Krizanovic’s home about 6:15 p.m. on March 3, the last night Krizanovic was seen, for a report of an ongoing dispute, Filenko said. Krizanovic had already left the home when police arrived.
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Krizanovic, who it was thought went to a friend’s house after the dispute, was reported missing March 8 after he failed to show up for a doctor’s appointment, Filenko said. Krizanovic had been in treatment for substance abuse, according to reports.
Round Lake Park police suspect Krizanovic either hit the evergreen tree he was found under or went under the tree voluntarily, perhaps to hide, before suffering a medical episode, Filenko said. Krizanovic was still astride the bicycle on which he had left his home on March 3.
Krizanovic had been found in a relatively isolated area near Sandy Point Drive and Lake Shore Drive in Round Lake Park by a woman out walking, according to Filenko and a news release.
She had noticed what she thought was a person laying under an evergreen tree and gone over to see if he needed help, Filenko said. When the man did not respond, she called 911.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the news release.
The autopsy, which was completed Monday afternoon, showed no trauma to Krizanovic’s body, Filenko said. A presumptive drug test came back positive, but Filenko said it will be at least 15 days before investigators receive detailed results, he said.
A DNA test will be used to confirm the man’s identity, a process Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said could take four to five weeks, or even months.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office may be able to identify the person found Friday outside Wauconda through dental records, a task made more difficult in light of most dentist offices being closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Cooper said.
Three teenagers found that body in a field in the 25200 block of West Old Rand Road, in unincorporated Wauconda, while collecting firewood, according to a news release. Deputies were called to the scene at about 4 p.m. Friday.
The body was in advanced stages of decomposition, according to the release. The age and gender of the person was unclear, and there were no obvious signs of foul play.
The person appears to have died months ago, Cooper said.
Based on some materials found on the body, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office thinks the person may have been staying at a nearby PADS shelter for the homeless, said Sgt. Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the office.
The body is not thought to be that of missing attorney Barry Boches, 65, of unincorporated Antioch, “based on a number of circumstances,” Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said.
Boches was last seen March 24 and his vehicle had been found about two miles south of his Waukegan law offices shortly after he had been reported missing March 25, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement has said his disappearance is believed to be suspicious.