Crime & Safety
Police Don't Know How Man Ended up in River
Joliet investigators are "back-tracking" Leslie Bridges' life to determine who might have seen him last and whether there's reason to suspect suicide or foul play.
Joliet police do not know whether the man found in the Des Plaines River Saturday committed suicide or was deliberately thrown into water, Lt. Brian Dupuis said.
An autopsy conducted Sunday showed that the cause of death for Leslie Bridges, 24, was drowning, but offered little insight into whether foul play might have been involved, Dupuis said.
The pathologist also could not determine how long Bridges might have been in the water before being discovered by a tug boat operator just north of the Interstate 80 bridge shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, he said.
Toxicology tests to determine whether Bridges had taken any drugs or consumed any alcohol before his death may help shed some light on the case, but those will take several weeks to complete, he said.
In the meantime, investigators are "back-tracking" Bridges' life, trying to determine who last saw him alive and whether there was any reason to believe he was despondent or in a situation where someone might have wanted him dead, Dupuis said.
It's not known if Bridges could swim, but even if he could, the river water is cold enough to cause hypothermia to occur in a relatively short amount of time, he said.
The pathologist also could not determine how long Bridges might have been in the water before being discovered by a tug boat operator just north of the Interstate 80 bridge shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, he said.
Toxicology tests to determine whether Bridges had taken any drugs or consumed any alcohol before his death may help shed some light on the case, but those will take several weeks to complete, he said.
In the meantime, investigators are "back-tracking" Bridges' life, trying to determine who last saw him alive and whether there was any reason to believe he was despondent or in a situation where someone might have wanted him dead, Dupuis said.
It's not known if Bridges could swim, but even if he could, the river water is cold enough to cause hypothermia to occur in a relatively short amount of time, he said.
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