WHEELING (STMW) — The body of a woman pulled from the Des Plaines River on Sunday afternoon has been identified by family members as a missing northwest suburban woman and suicide suspected in her drowning death.
The body of 32-year-old Sangitagen Patel of Main Township was recovered Sunday afternoon by Cook County Forest Preserve police in Allison Woods Forest Preserve in unincorporated Wheeling Township, according to a Cook County Sheriff’s office release.
A couple kayaking the Des Plaines River found the body about a quarter-mile south of Milwaukee Avenue, Forest Preserve spokesman Steve Mayberry said. The couple called 911 and Forest Preserve police and brought the body onto shore.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was drowning, the release said. After interviewing those who knew Patel, investigators determined her actions before her disappearance suggested the potential for suicide.
Patel’s identification was aided by the recovery of personal property, including jewelry found at the scene. On Monday, her family positively identified the body, the release said.
She was last seen Jan. 2 as she left her job at a Subway restaurant in Wheeling.
Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.