The Zion Fire Department, Winthrop Harbor Fire Department, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police responded to a report of a missing swimmer about 6:26 p.m. Tuesday June 17, 2025 in the area of the Illinois Beach State Park, 1 Lake Front Drive, North Unit Beach, in unincorporated Zion. The report indicated a swimmer had gone under the water surface and had not resurfaced. The missing swimmer, a 20-year-old Waukegan man, was located and removed by rescue divers. The victim was transported to Vista Medical Center East where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to the hospital.
The deceased has been identified as 20-year-old Luis Espinoza Contreras,
of Waukegan. On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, an autopsy was conducted at the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Examination results indicate that Mr. Espinoza Contreras death is consistent with drowning.
The incident remains under investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
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