Search crews pumped water out of the Wood Dale-Itasca Reservoir on Wednesday in an effort to find a Bensenville man who was reported missing after trying to swim across the pond.
Hipolito “Polo” Hernandez, 52, waded into the water Tuesday afternoon while visiting the reservoir with his girlfriend, according to police. The couple had been drinking on the shore when Hernandez —who considered the spot his “happy place” and visited often — attempted to cross the reservoir, his sister Celia Hernandez said.
His girlfriend, Vanessa Del Rio, told the Tribune a cyclist stopped to express concern about Hernandez being in the water, but she wasn’t worried because he was a good swimmer and frequently swam in local ponds.
He had even gone for a dip in another nearby lagoon that afternoon, Del Rio said.
“Don’t worry,” she recalled telling the cyclist. “He’s nuts like that.”
A short time later, Hernandez sank below the water line and did not resurface, Del Rio said. She called 911 shortly before 6:30 p.m., but authorities were not able to find him in the murky water.
The reservoir is only 4 feet deep, according to the DuPage County Forest Preserve, but it has an unstable silt bottom that makes it easier to sink. Swimming is prohibited at the site, Forest Preserve police Chief David Pederson said.
Rescue crews resumed their search shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, using sonar and a cadaver dog in an attempt to locate Hernandez’s body. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also was helping with the search, Pederson said.
With their efforts so far unsuccessful, crews began pumping water from the reservoir around noon to make the search easier, the chief said. The process took several hours.
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In the meantime, authorities spoke with Hernandez’s family to narrow down possible search locations.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll find the missing male and bring some closure to his family,” Pederson said.
As the crews searched, Celia Hernandez waited along the shore for any sign that authorities had found her brother’s body. Born in Mexico, Polo Hernandez worked odd jobs and cared for his mother before her death earlier this year, she said. He has five children between the ages of 16 and 35, she said.
Hernandez was one of 12 siblings and enjoyed playing the tuba. His family is trying to make sense of the tragedy, his sister said.
“We’re just frozen,” Celia Hernandez said. “We just have no words. We cannot comprehend what’s going on.”