Authorities ID Man Found Dead Inside Car in Lynwood Pond

LYNWOOD, IL — Authorities on Tuesday released the name of a man found dead inside a car that drove off the road and into a Lynwood retention pond Sunday.

Christopher L. Stone, 27, was found dead inside the black Pontiac Grand Prix, which had inverted and was pulled from the pond off the 3000 block of Lincoln Highway late Monday.

Stone lived in the 18700 block of South Island Avenue in Chicago Heights.

Police were called to the scene in Lynwood around 12:30 p.m. Sunday after a 911 call reporting that a car left the roadway and went into a sanitation district retention pond between Torrence Avenue and IL-83. The car was eastbound on Lincoln Highway when it left the road, drove across a field and into the pond, which is about 30 feet deep, Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Crews searched for hours Sunday, finally spotting the car. The vehicle was reportedly buried in silt about 60-70 feet from where it entered the water, making it difficult for crews to latch onto and remove. Reduced visibility under the surface and silt up to the doors made the task of even spotting the license plate nearly impossible. The search was suspended Sunday evening and resumed Monday around 10 a.m.

Stone's body was found after crews removed the car from the pond around 5 p.m. Monday.

Stone was not wearing a seat belt, so authorities are not able to determine if he was the driver or passenger.

Authorities are not sure how many people were inside the vehicle, but no further search efforts were scheduled for Tuesday.

Cook County Sheriff's police are investigating the crash.