Body found in missing student's car in Belmont Harbor
May 24, 2010 5:48 PM | 40 Comments | UPDATED STORY
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Officials recover a car from Belmont Harbor this afternoon. A body was found in the vehicle earlier. (Photo courtesy of Stacey Scanlon)
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An autopsy performed today on a body found in a green Honda Civic in Belmont Harbor Sunday afternoon showed the individual drowned, but the manner of the person's death remains a mystery, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Authorities, meanwhile, were still trying to determine if the body was that of Roosevelt University student Syed Naqi, who went missing May 1.
The unidentified body was found about noon Sunday in the lake harbor just east of North Lake Shore Drive at about Roscoe Street.
The body was found in a green Honda Civic, the same color, make and model that was driven by Naqi, a student at Roosevelt who is from Elk Grove Village.
Naqi's cousin, Mazhar Tabrezi, said Elk Grove Village police confirmed to the family that the car belonged to Naqi, but the body found in the car has not been identified. Tabrezi declined further comment.
Naqi, who authorities have said goes by the nickname "Zain," was last seen May 1 at Rebel Bar and Grill, 3462 N. Clark St., about a mile west of Belmont Harbor. Naqi was wearing blue jeans and a red T-shirt when he was last seen. He owns a dark green 2000 Honda Civic four-door with Illinois license plate No. A195471, police said.
A person on a boat saw the Honda submerged in the water and alerted the harbormaster, authorities said. The harbormaster then notified the Chicago Fire Department, who sent out divers to check out the Honda, with the body inside.
Authorities said a section of black fencing was also found next to the Honda. CTA-issued equipment then removed the Honda, containing the body, from the water.
On May 5, a Chicago Park District employee noticed that fencing near where the vehicle was eventually found had been broken, said Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner.
The worker "did not see any evidence of a vehicle in the water," she said, adding that the water where the vehicle was found is roughly eight feet deep. An area near where the vehicle was recovered is used as a service drive for Park District and other city vehicles.
The fencing was repaired May 6, Maxey-Faulkner said. She said the Park District had not launched an investigation into how the fencing broke.
Detectives from the Elk Grove Village Police Department -- who released the information about Naqi when he disappeared -- were at the harbor Sunday in light of the discovery.
Police from the northwest suburb said they were looking into the connection between Sunday's discovery and Naqi's disappearance.
The medical examiner's office said they will be trying to identify the body found in the vehicle through dental records.
-- Jeremy Gorner
May 24, 2010
SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE
Police are investigating if a badly decomposed body found Sunday in a car in Belmont Harbor is that of a Roosevelt University student reported missing three weeks ago, police said.
Police responded at 12:07 p.m. to Belmont Harbor and found a car with a body inside, police News Affairs Officer Anne Dwyer said. A person boating in the area initially reported seeing a car, police said.
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Police are investigating if a badly decomposed body found Sunday in a car in Belmont Harbor is that of Syed "Zain" Naqi, a Roosevelt University student reported missing three weeks ago.
The age and gender of the badly decomposed body was not immediately known, police said. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the death, but the person’s identity was not available as of Sunday night.
The police Marine Unit were at the scene for about four hours, spending about two hours removing the green sedan from the water, police said.
The sedan was in the water for at least a full day, but likely much longer because the car was found extremely murky and covered in weeds, police said.
The cousin of Syed “Zain” Naqi, 22, said Sunday evening police have confirmed with the family that the car belonged to Naqi, but the body has not been identified.
“The family’s upset,” Mazhar Tabrezi, Naqi’s older cousin, said.
Naqi was last seen May 1 at Rebel Bar and Grill at 3462 N. Clark St. until about midnight and he drives a dark-green four-door 2000 Honda Civic with an Illinois license plate of A195471, according to a missing person alert from Elk Grove Village police.
A vigil was held for Naqi May 13 at Roosevelt University, where he is a student.
An Elk Grove Village police detective confirmed they are investigating the body found Sunday, but could not immediately provide information.
It was not immediately clear how the car entered the water. A fence around the area where emergency crews worked was intact until workers removed part of it for the recovery effort. But onlookers said about two weeks ago, they noticed part of the fence was badly bent and tire tracks could be seen leading to the water.
“For a good week it just sat there, without being touched and then just one day it was fixed,” 16-year-old Amanda Nordloh said of the fence.
She said she regularly walks her dog in the area with her mother Michelle Kalfas.
“There were tire tracks across here pointed right to the fence,” Kalfas said.
Cheryl Cerkoske and Kaylie Schier said they were sitting on the grass enjoying the sun Sunday, when suddenly a helicopter appeared over the water, soon followed by other police and fire department crews appearing on the scene.
“The helicopter came down, and two jumpers [from the helicopter] jumped in, and then a couple more divers came and jumped in,” said Schier.
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UPDATE: A body was found in a green Honda Civic, the identical color, make and model associated with Syed Naqi, 22, a student at Roosevelt from Elk Grove Village. The car has been matched to Naqi, but the identity of the body has not been confirmed.
Syed ‘Zain’ Naqi reported missing Monday. Syed ‘Zain’ Naqi was last seen leaving the Rebel Bar and Grill at 3462 North Clark Street in Chicago late Saturday night. Syed ‘Zain’ Naqi is described as wearing a red T-shirt and blue jeans. His vehicle is described as a green Honda Civic 4-door, which has not been located.
The campus at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa has also been the subject of a search because Naqi was also a student at Drake.
Citizens with any information about Syed “Zain” Naqi’s whereabouts are asked to call the Elk Grove Village Police Department at (847) 357-4100.
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Medical Examiner Confirms Identity Of Missing Student
Naqi
A spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed today (Wednesday) that a body found in a car submerged in Lake Michigan Saturday was that of 22-year-old Syed “Zain” Naqi of Elk Grove Village.
The missing Naqi was last seen on Saturday, May 1 at around midnight at a bar on Clark Street near Wrigley Field in Chicago.
An autopsy conducted Monday found drowning as the cause of death but it was not until yesterday (Tuesday) evening that Naqi’s identity could be confirmed using dental records, according to a medical examiner’s spokesman.
Elk Grove police had been the lead agency working Naqi’s missing persons case with Chicago police detectives.
That case has now become a death investigation. Records from the missing persons case will be given to Area 3 Chicago detectives who will head a death investigation.
Saturday, a boater discovered Naqi’s green 2000 Honda Civic in the waters of Belmont Harbor with his then unidentified body inside.
Suicide is suspected in the death but a medical examiner’s spokesman today said that was still undetermined.
The last known message left by Naqi was a text message to his father Syed Naqi, Sr., on Sunday, May 2 at 12:17 a.m. simply saying, “Goodbye dad.”
Naqi was last seen at Rebel Bar and Grill near Wrigley Field at about midnight on May 1.
At about 10:30 p.m. that night Naqi, Sr. said he contacted his son and asked him to come back to the suburbs for a late night family gathering. Naqi, Jr. said he would return to the suburbs as requested.
At about midnight, Naqi, Sr. sent a text message to his son asking him where he was and at 12:17 a.m., Naqi, Sr. received the cryptic reply.
Naqi, Jr. lived at home in Elk Grove Village with his parents and younger sister. He was in his senior year at Roosevelt University attending classes at their downtown Chicago campus.
The school held several vigils since May 2 in hopes of finding Naqi.
Elk Grove police were aware that the family was making funeral arrangements but did not have details.
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ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (CBS) — An Elk Grove Village college senior has disappeared without a trace, and police and his family are asking for help in finding him.
CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reports.
Zain Naqi is a Roosevelt University senior studying political science. He had been looking forward to graduating in December so that he could pursue a career in politics. Now, his parents are desperate and just hoping to see him alive.
“I just want a phone call from you, Zain,” Ruqia Naqi, Zain’s mother, said. “Just call me and tell me you’re OK.”
It’s a simple request. But so far, that phone call hasn’t come. Mother’s Day was shaping up to be the worst of Ruqia Naqi’s life. Her 22-year-old son, Zain, has been missing now for more than a week.
According to his father, Syed, Zain had been looking forward to Mother’s Day before he disappeared earlier this month.
“We love you so much, Zain,” the elder Naqi, addressing his comments to his son, said. “Please come back. You know what to do. You were planning for it last week, you were talking to your sister as to what you were going to do on Mother’s Day.”
The Naqis aren’t sure if Zain can come back — and that’s what makes it so difficult.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Syed Naqi said.
What they do know is Zain was last seen on the evening of May 1. That’s when the Roosevelt University senior went to visit friends at the Rebel Bar and Grill on North Clark Street in Chicago. At around 11 p.m., he texted his father to say that he was leaving to meet him at a family party.he said.
When he didn’t show up, his dad texted Zain only to get this disturbing response: “Good-bye dad.”
“Can you imagine what my heart went through? That’s my son,”
Now the Naqis are pleading with anyone who might have information about their missing son.
“If they know any whereabouts of Zain, please come forward,” Ruqia Naqi said. “Please come forward.”
Naqi’s 2000 Honda Civic is also missing. It has Illinois plates A 195 471.
If you have any information please call the Elk Grove Village Police Department.
Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.
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CHICAGO (CBS) A 22-year-old Roosevelt University student, Syed Naqi, disappeared Saturday night from a Chicago bar.
Naqi, who goes by the name Zain, was last seen by a female friend who worked at the bar, reports CBS affiliate WBBM. His mother,
Rugia Naqi said, "she said I saw him, you know, going out the door. I really don't know if he left alone or with some of the girls he was talking to outside."
Naqi's mother is worried because she says her son takes medication for depression and sees a counselor about it, too. The college student has never disappeared before, said his mother.
Police told his mother that Naqi's credit cards and cell phone have not been used.
Naqi has a dark complexion, with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-feet 4-inches tall and 140 pounds.
Anyone with information about this case should call police at the Elk Grove Village Police Department:
847- 357-4100.
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His mother Ruqia says Zain was last seen by a female friend who worked at the bar, “she said I saw him you know going out the door I really don't know if he left alone or some of the girls he was talking too outside.”
Distressed family members reported him missing on Monday, May 3. Elk Grove police investigators took over the search, but as the days and weeks went by, they were increasingly concerned that Zain had not turned up, his car was missing, and neither his credit card, gas card or bank account had been touched.
Friends and family held a vigil for him at Roosevelt University on May 13. The Council on American-Islamic Relations canvassed the North side of Chicago last Saturday, putting up fliers.
Naqi's father, Syed Naqi, said in previous interviews that his son was social, but did not go out more than once or twice a month. His son was thoughtful on those occasions, he said, waking his father up when he came in to let him known he was home safe.
Naqi attended Drake University in Des Moines his freshman year, but had to leave after he was accused of an incident of plagiarism. His father said after that Zain he began taking a small dose of Wellbutrin, a prescription antidepressant.
Syed Naqi said his son wanted to go back to Drake, and was unhappy that he could no longer attend. But he was reportedly doing well at Roosevelt.
He said his son's friends told him Naqi was sober when he left the bar in Chicago that night, presumably to go home.
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