Officials: Naked man dies after attempting to swim across channel while intoxicated

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (Gray News) – Officials in Illinois said a 25-year-old man drowned after he attempted to swim naked across a channel north of Petite Lake.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the Long Channel located between Petite Lake and Spring Lake for a man who went underwater around 1 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities searched for the man until his body was recovered from the water shortly after 6 a.m.

After investigating the man’s death, the sheriff’s office determined he was likely heavily intoxicated. They had spoken to witnesses who said the man was seen drinking at a birthday party.

After the party, officials said the man went to a home on West Forest Drive in Lake Villa and jumped from a pier into the lake with his clothes on.

The man swam to shore, and a relative helped him remove his wet clothes and took him to bed.

Investigators said they determined the man later left the bed and jumped back into the water, this time without wearing any clothes. Once in the lake, officials said he attempted to swim across the channel, but soon went underwater during this attempt.

Authorities are continuing to investigate, and an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the man’s cause of death.

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