CLINTON - Drowning was the cause of death of Aaron Tanzyus, a 27-year-old Clinton man who had been missing since April 12 after a night of shooting pool in Decatur.
DeWitt County Coroner Alex Calvert said Friday during a news conference in Clinton that an autopsy Friday in Bloomington found no evidence of physical trauma to the body. He said toxicology findings that could indicate any alcohol or drugs in the man's system at the time of death would not be available for seven to 10 days.
Tanzyus' body was found between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday by Terry England, a Clinton dentist, as he was mowing around a pond on his property west of the city, Calvert said. The pond is 0.8 mile north of where Tanzyus' burned Jeep Cherokee Ltd. was discovered in a ravine on April 13, he said.
There was no indication how long Tanzyus had been in the water, Calvert said.
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The coroner acknowledged the major unanswered question is how Tanzyus got into the pond. He said an Illinois State Police crime scene technician could not determine any foul play occurred.
Clinton Police Chief Michael Reidy declined comment on the case pending further investigation. His department, the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office and the Illinois State Police have been involved in the search for the missing man.
"We wanted to get the basic information out and bring closure to the family," Reidy said of the reason for the news conference. "There are still things to investigate."
Calvert said he met with family members Thursday evening and they appeared "very thankful to have some closure."
Neither Tanzyus' mother, Diane Cunningham, nor his father, Michael Tanzyus, both of Decatur, returned telephone messages left at their homes on Friday by a Herald & Review reporter. Family members had asked the public for prayers for the safe return of Aaron Tanzyus and circulated flyers throughout the area with his picture as well as buttons with his picture on them.
Tanzyus disappeared after an evening of shooting pool with his brother in Decatur. He called his wife, Tricia, about 11 p.m. April 12 and said he was headed home but never arrived. He also leaves a 3-year-old son, Ian.
Earlier this week, authorities revealed they had traced the route of Tanzyus' Jeep starting on the north side of Clinton and proceeding between 2.5 and 3 miles through farm fields, across a small ravine and through several fences to the ravine west of town where the burned vehicle was found. Parts of the Jeep were found in the fields.
Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@herald-review.com or 421-7973.
