EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - Investigators have identified a man whose body was discovered by kayakers in Effingham County.
At 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 18, two young men kayaking in the Little Wabash River spotted a deceased person along the river bank. The body was lodged between trees and river debris.
That person has been identified as 25-year-old Ladonte D. Ealy. Ealy is from Dayton, Ohio.
Larry Ealy, Ladonte's father, told WAND News he believes his son was murdered and he will do everything in his power to find out what happened to him.
"I'm going to carry his name because his death changed me and now I'm with this group of people who lost a son."
According to a preliminary investigation, Ealy was released from the St. Louis County Jail on Sept. 1. Law enforcement is investigating his whereabouts after that time and how he ended up in Effingham.
Deputy Coroner Karen Hoene discovered through social media that tattoos photographed during the autopsy were an exact match to tattoos of Ealy on Facebook. Tattoos on both arms were found to be identical.
Ealy had a nautical star on both of his upper forearms, stars on each elbow and flames going up both of his biceps. He had several upper and lower teeth missing, which were discovered in the autopsy.
Ealy was wearing gray boxers and no shirt when he was found.
Autopsy and toxicology results are still pending. Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said Wednesday night his cause of death is undetermined at this time.
Anyone with information about Ealy or who saw any unusual activity near the Little Wabash River in the first week of September should call Illinois State Police at (217)342-7861 (Special Agent Timothy Brown) or the Effingham County Coroner's Office at (217)342-4651.
