Missing University of Chicago Student Update: Police Recover Body from Lake Michigan Resembling Austin Hudson-LaPore
ByThe body of a young man was recovered from Lake Michigan on Chicago's South Side Wednesday morning and it could be Austin Hudson-LaPore, the Chicago Tribune reported.
LaPore, 20, had been reported missing by his family one week ago (Wednesday, June 12) and, until now, no solid leads had turned up. The young man is a third-year biochemistry student at the University of Chicago.
"We believe this might be the young man," said Andrew Holmes, a spokesman for the family, of the body recovered from the lake.
Police were called around 6:25 a.m. Wednesday when fishermen spotted the body in the water, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The body was recovered near the 3900 block of South Lake Shore Drive.
Although the body has not yet been identified and police are waiting on a medical examiner's report. LaPore was last seen heading towards the lakefront, taking either 53rd or 55th street, to watch the storms come through.
"We think that because of Austin's fascination with the weather that he set out to walk along the lake, perhaps to Promontory Point to watch the storm," his father Gregg LaPore told reporters at a press conference at the University of Chicago on Friday. "When he was 3, he would rather watch the Weather Channel than cartoons on TV."
Police dogs tracked LaPore's scent Tuesday to the lakefront area where his father originally suspected. Promontory Point is about two miles south from where the body was discovered.
LaPore left his Chicago apartment last Wednesday with only his keys, leaving his wallet and cell phone in the apartment.
The missing persons reports lists Austin as white, blond hair, blue eyes, 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds, wearing blue jeans, black gym shoes and an unknown top.
Police described the body recovered from the lake as a white male in his 20's, but no positive identification has been made.