After being missing for a week, a pastor was discovered dead in his vehicle in the Des Plaines River, close to Chicago on Tuesday evening.
53-year-old Warren Beard had last been seen in Joliet, Illinois, on July 2. He was an assistant pastor at New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago.
A recording from July 2 depicted Beard’s car going through a gate and under a raised drawbridge, prior to crashing into the river. The car was found underwater using sonar.
The road where the car was observed had been shut off, officials stated.
Beard was discovered in the Des Plaines River about 150 yards west of Brandon Road in the city of Rockdale.
An autopsy to determine the cause and matter of death is pending.
“He was the greatest person. One of the greatest men I’ve ever met in my life, and this is painful. We want answers. Words can’t even begin to describe how we feel,” stated Pastor Chenier Alston of New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church.
The case is now being investigated by the Illinois State Police.
