Cause of death still ‘pending’ for 2 different cases of young men found dead in Lake Michigan – NBC Chicago

The manners and causes of death in the cases of two young men whose bodies were found in Lake Michigan in separate cases earlier this month are still “pending”, the Cook County Medical Examiner said this week. .

On December 21, a body found in Lake Michigan was identified as Peter Salvino, 25, a Northwestern doctoral student who had been reported missing several days earlier after leaving a party in Lincoln Park.

On December 7, the body of a 21-year-old man found unconscious in Lake Michigan at Oak Street Beach was identified as Krzysztof Szubert, a Polish businessman who had worked in Chicago since November and had been reported missing after left a party in River North the previous weekend.

The manner and cause of Peter Salvino’s death is pending a toxicology report, the Cook County Medical Examiner said, which could take up to six weeks.

The manner and cause of Krzysztof Szubert’s death is currently under police investigation, a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner said in response to an NBC 5 inquiry.

“Police need to finalize their report and investigation,” the spokesperson said. “Once we have all the information from the police, we then determine the manner and cause of death.”

The medical examiner’s office could not provide a timeline as to when this might happen.

Police have not yet clarified whether there is a connection between the cases, but acknowledged that detectives are investigating both cases.

When Peter Salvino disappeared

Salvino was last seen on December 17 after leaving a party in Lincoln Park in the 2400 block of North Geneva Terrace and last made contact with a friend via FaceTime as he returned to his flat at around 12:15 a.m. , officials previously said.

In a statement, a family spokesperson said Salvino spoke to a friend via FaceTime at 11:59 p.m. and said he was heading to his apartment in the 800 block of West Lill Avenue and was about 800 meters away. That friend called back at 12:15 a.m. to confirm that Salvino had arrived home, but the 25-year-old said he was still walking home.

At 12:31 a.m., Salvino’s phone rang near Diversey Harbour, the family’s spokesperson said. Then, at 12:37 a.m., the friend called back to confirm that Salvino had gone home, but the call went unanswered. Several friends texted his phone between that time and 9:30 a.m., the spokesperson said, adding that the messages were successfully delivered to his phone but unanswered.

Around 9:45 a.m., all calls went straight to voicemail and not all text messages were delivered.

Surveillance video from the Lincoln Park restaurant, The Weiner Circle, also provided footage of Salvino inside the restaurant on Saturday night, before he disappeared.

According to authorities, at 6 p.m. on December 21, a body, which was later identified as Salvino’s, was found in Diversey Harbour, near where Salvino’s phone last rang after his death. disappearance.

Salvino’s family released a statement shortly after his body was discovered, thanking police and the public while asking for confidentiality.

“We are both shocked and relieved to report that earlier [Tuesday], we found Peter while searching Diversey Harbor marine. Over the past three days, we have been overwhelmed with the support and help we have received from friends, families, residents and local businesses in our search for Peter,” the statement read. “We are grateful beyond measure for their diligence, without which Peter may never have been found.

“At this time, our family appreciates the public granting us privacy as we process our grief over this devastating loss,” the statement concluded.

When Krzysztof Szubert disappeared

Szubert was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Dec. 3 at a holiday party at the River North Howl at the Moon bar, officials said.

Friends say Szubert was at the party when he came out.

“I saw him standing there, then the next moment he was gone,” his friend Michal Wojasinski told NBC 5. “No one saw him leave. The next day, Sunday, I went to his room and knocked on the door – it was empty – he wasn’t there.

At approximately 1:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, police responded to a call for a 21-year-old man who was found unconscious in the water near the 1000 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The man was later identified as Szubert.

Szubert was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.

Authorities have not released the cause of death and detectives have characterized the incident as a death investigation rather than a drowning.